We are all too familiar with Hashem Yisborach initiating a conversation with Moshe Rabbeinu; however, it is much less common for Moshe Rabbeinu to initiate a conversation with Hashem Yisborach!
Yet, that is exactly what occurs in yesterday’s parsha.
In Parshas Pinchas after Hashem says to Moshe:
"Go up to this mount Abarim and look at the land that I have given to the children of Israel.
And when you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered.” (Bamidbar, 27: 11, 12)
At this point Moshe realizes that ‘the writing is on the wall’ and he will not live forever.
He also now knows that he will not be the one to bring his beloved flock to the Promised Land. Therefore, Moshe reaches out to Hashem to appoint an appropriate leader to the ‘fill his shoes’.
Moshe emotionally appeals to Hashem:
"Let the Lord, the God of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go forth before them and come before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd." (Ibid, 16, 17)
This is somewhat surprising.
Did Moshe actually think Hashem was about to leave His flock leaderless so that Moshe has to ‘remind’ Hashem to appoint a new leader?
What was Moshe Rabbeinu thinking?
We now turn to one of my ‘heroes’; one of the great Hassidic masters of all time: The Kotzker Rebbe (1787–1859).
The Kotzker, in his trademark brevity and with his classic ability for incisiveness and insightfulness informs us that the reason Moshe felt the need to be proactive in ‘reminding’ Hashem that He must appoint a new leader was: “Moshe thought that Hashem was about to appoint Pinchas as the new leader over the Jewish people.
Moshe did not want this to occur since Pinchas was a ‘Kapdan’ (literally, ‘strict’ or ‘rigid’).
Therefore, Moshe took the initiative to say "Let the Lord, the God of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go forth before them and come before them…”.
(Sefer Ohel Moshe, Parshas Pinchas, Page 55)
This is most amazing.
Moshe, based on his concerns over the possible appointment of Pinchas as the leader, takes the unusual and somewhat audacious step to proactively inform Hashem of his concerns!
What was behind the concerns of Moshe?
Why was there such a need for Moshe to attempt to preclude Pinchas from becoming the leader of the people?
The Kotzker explains that if one looks in the language which Moshe chooses to address Hashem one can understand his concerns.
Moshe says: “Let the Lord, the God of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation”.
The phrase “the God of spirits of all flesh” is quite an illuminating phrase; what does it refer to?
Moshe, in essence was saying:
“Hashem, You who understand the ‘spirit of all flesh’….
You who understand the challenges and vicissitudes of life which ‘all men’ struggle with… Please do not appoint a leader who is somewhat lacking in this most critical character trait of tolerance and acceptance.
You Hashem, who understands better than all the difficult tests and struggles that man deals with on a daily basis… please… please appoint a leader over your flock who understands and has compassion for people.
A ‘Kapdan’, a person who is rigid and strict, notwithstanding the necessity of this trait in certain limited circumstances, is not fit to be the leader of our people.
Only a person who has the empathy and concern for all people; a person who understands and appreciates the difficulties of life and the trials and tribulations of the common man is qualified to be the leader of Your people.
The Kapdan has his place, albeit not as the supreme leader!”
Moshe felt so passionately about this issue that in order to preclude and ultimately disqualify Pinchas for serious consideration for the position of leadership he took the unusual and unprecedented step of proactively preventing Pinchas from being appointed his successor.
A leader must be a person who understands each and every person and each and every one of their problems.
We cannot afford to have leaders who broad-brush the Jewish people into rigid and unyielding compartments.
Such ideological inelasticity is exactly the danger Moshe Rabbeinu perceived would occur when unbending and inflexible philosophical heirs of Pinchas assume the mantle of leadership.
A leader according to the Holy Kotzker’s insightful understanding of Moshe’s concerns must be first and foremost the opposite of a Kapdan; he must be the antithesis of rigidity and inflexibility.
He must be understanding and compassionate and whenever possible flexible and yielding.
He must do his best to be understanding and forbearing, gentle and affable, amiable and approachable and receptive and sympathetic to the needs of his flock.
A leader who is rigid and austere, hard-line and intransigent, unyielding and exacting is not fit to be the shepherd for the flock of Hashem.
We are all leaders.
We are all not Moshe Rabbeinu and most of us are not even leaders of a congregation or of a group; nevertheless, we are all leaders.
All of us have someone somewhere who takes their cues from us.
If we are parents, it is our children who look to us for leadership.
If we employed, our co-workers are influenced by how we respond to them.
In short, all of us, whatever our station in life, is influencing someone somewhere.
Never forget the lesson of the Holy Kotzker Zt”l.
Rigidity is the key to failure.
Compassion and caring, understanding and acceptance are the secrets for success.
