Last week we began to read the Book of Bamidbar. Let us take the opportunity to look at the characteristics of this book, which the Maharal of Prague surprisingly calls, the "Book of Leadership." He feels that leadership is a trait that is prominently seen in this book.
Why is this a fitting description of Bamidbar?
We can see that this book is characterized by four main subjects:
(1) Orderliness and a methodical approach – The book of Bamidbar is deeply involved in the way the camp of Yisrael is organized: the day-to-day structure of the camp, the sequence of travel, the banners of the tribes, and focused descriptions of the tasks involved in taking the Tabernacle apart, in carrying it from place to place, and in putting it back together. The sacrifices brought by the leaders of the nation are described in this week's portion.
(2) Coping with unusual circumstances – This book contains descriptions of failures and problematic events which take place during the movement in the desert: the sin of the scouts, the sin of Korach and his followers, the yearning for specific foods in Kivrot Hataavah, the vows of a nazir (an ascetic), sotta (infidelity by a wife), relations with the daughters of Midyan, and more.
(3) On the move – The vast majority of the travels of Bnei Yisrael in the desert appear in this book. While at the end of the book of Vayikra the nation of Yisrael is still camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, in Bamidbar the nation "gets a move on" and "plows through" the desert back and forth in dozens of separate journeys.
(4) The desert – The site where all of this takes place is a very harsh regime: an area that is a desert, desolate and far from any civilized companionship. And this is where the Holy One, Blessed be He, decides to form His nation and to lead them for the beginning of their long journey.
The approach of the Marahal is that true leadership must include all of the above traits. Anybody wanting to enhance his or her leadership qualities – whether for himself alone or together with others – must be orderly, keeping in mind a clear and well-defined goal which does not change in response to social fashions and public opinion polls. One who wants to lead cannot develop a "sterile" mode of action, he must be able to cope with problems that arise along the way. The main goal of good leadership is to move forward and not to get stuck in one place. And, most important, true leadership takes place in "a desert," within the framework of cultural desolation. The Torah was given in the desert because that is the place where a person is able to direct his gaze inwards and to be linked to G-d.
Only after a person takes charge of his life and is able to cross a desert can he begin to participate in the book of Devarim and prepare to enter the Holy Land.
