July 12, 2024
D’var by member Nancy J Katz
There is a lot going on in Parsha Chukat. Here is the story in a nutshell:
First – the red cow – Adonai gives instructions on how to sacrifice a red cow and use the ashes to purify someone who has encountered a dead body.
Then the Israelites arrive at the wilderness of Zin. Miriam, Moses’ sister dies. Miriam has been associated with the presence of water during the years in the wilderness and the water now dries up.
The people complain. Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, no grains no figs, no water? God tells Moses and Aaron to speak to a rock and order it to produce water.
Moses is angry with the people – He says “Listen you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock? Instead of ordering the rock, he struck the rock twice and it produced water. But God tells Moses, because you didn’t trust me enough to affirm my sanctity – you and Aaron shall not lead this congregation into the promised land.
Aaron is called by God – he dies on mount Hor, and his son Eleazar takes over his role.
The people once again speak against God and Moses, complaining about the lack of bread and water and the “miserable” manna. Adonai sends serpents against the people who bite and kill many. Moses intercedes for the people, and God relents. In a bit of homeopathic medicine, God tells Moses to make the figure of a snake in copper on a rod and it is used to heal snake bites. A well appears and the people sing of it. Finally, Moses and the people engage in battles with the Amorites and King Og.
There is much to contemplate in this parsha – why does contact with our dead make us unclean? How do we fill in the blanks on Miriam – we know she is strong, she saves Moses as a baby, she is a leader, she is associated with water. What is left out of this narrative about her role in the community? And how does the copper snake square with the prohibition on idols?
While all these subjects are worthy to examine, this parsha’s narrative about Moses’ leadership calls out for deep reflection. And our current moment of history – with the events of the past weeks, the recent debate between Trump and Biden, the calls for Biden to leave the race, questions of Trump’s character, the ongoing war in Israel/Palestine, and the dissent mounting against the Netanyahu government – urgently requires us to consider issues of leadership. What are the qualities that make a good leader? How does Moses stack up? Why does God decide that Moses and Aaron will not lead the people to the promised land? How can we, as JRC members, as citizens, as voters, apply this teaching, this torah, to our lives?
First – the qualities we seek in a good leader: A leader must be self- aware. They need to know their strengths and their weakness, how to maximize their strengths and mitigate or fill in the holes left by their weaknesses. They must have empathy for those who they lead – understanding their strengths and their weaknesses. They also must have compassion and be able to show it. It helps to be able to be able to communicate clearly and effectively. They must be able to collaborate with others, since no one can lead by oneself. They also must be honest and act with integrity with their congregation to build trust. They must have a vision for the future, one that includes justice and fairness, and the courage to make difficult decisions. And they must have the energy to lead and the resilience to keep going despite setbacks.
In a famous speech, Martin Luther King likened leaders to drum majors. In reflecting on what he would like to be known for as a leader he said “if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”
Despite the lapse in Moses’s leadership, addressed in this parsha, Moses was a great drum major for the Israelites. Throughout his life, Moses showed the humility and collaboration necessary to be a good leader. He was humble about his origins and leadership ability, and he took good advice from his father-in-law, putting together a leadership team of judges that could help him. He had the support and love of his brother Aaron and sister Miriam to keep him going. He had the God-given vision of what needed to be done and he was able to execute. And he had the had the courage to lead and make difficult decisions despite opposition.
In many ways, Moses functions during the wilderness journey as what we in modernity would see as a quintessential middle manager. He must manage up – he must artfully manage a very testy God that wants to punish the people for their kvetching and lack of trust. He is constantly talking God out of destroying the people or he is able to mitigate their punishment. Moses also must manage down – imagine leading thousands of Jews through the desert for 40 years? As the old joke goes – where there are three jews there are 5 opinions. Just imagine the host of opinions Moses had to deal with. And the complaining, – this manna sucks! It’s miserable. Where’s the water? Why did you take us from Egypt where in hindsight we were so comfortable? How would you like to supervise thousands of Larry Davids sojourning in the desert? Having been a middle manager myself at one time, with a very difficult boss, and a talented but unruly staff, I can imagine what Moses was up against.
So, what happened with Moses in the water from the rock incident? “Listen you rebels” shall we get water out of the rock? he says. You can imagine him shouting. We, not God. Then he strikes the rock. [Pause]. Then he strikes it again.
In this moment, Moses’ self-awareness left him. His anger got the better of him. His sister Miriam had died, and he must have been grieving her loss. It is easy to understand how the complaining of the congregation at this time of grief and loss got under his skin. He castigates the congregation, calling them names, instead of trying to understand the fear and the despair that lay under their complaints. And he strikes the rock in anger instead of talking to it and ordering it to yield its water.
How could this have been different? What if Moses had said to Aaron and God – God I’m too overwrought right now to carry out your order – maybe you could ask Aaron to do it on your behalf? He’s better equipped to carry this out. And what about Aaron – how is he complicit in this leadership failure? What difference could Aaron’s active collaboration have made here? There is a reason that the narrative tells us that Moses strikes the rock twice. What if after the first strike, Aaron says to Moses – “Hey brother, let’s call a brief recess or time out here! Aaron then takes Moses aside and says, I know you’re angry and sad but God said to order the rock, not to strike it – let’s go back and start over, and maybe you can apologize to the people for calling them names? They go back, Moses says I am so sorry I lost my temper – and rock – God orders you to produce water! A very different outcome.
After this incident – Moses and Aaron are told by God that they will not lead the people into the promised land. Is this harsh? Punishment? Or is it a recognition that new leadership skills will be called for in this next phase of the undertaking? And while later Moses is said to have pled with God to allow him into the promised land, we don’t have Moses’ immediate response. I imagine it to be something like this – “Thank God – or more aptly ‘thanks God,’ I’ve been waiting for relief for at least the last 10 of these 40 years! Let someone else have a go at it. But I will continue to give it my all, until you find my replacement.” And Moses does.
What do we take from this teaching about leadership for our leaders at JRC and our countries’ leadership? These are tough times. We need drum majors, leaders with vision, with grace, with integrity and compassion. We need leaders who know when to hold and know when to fold. We need congregations and communities that collaborate with leadership, who speak truth to power, who insist on integrity from their leaders, who are partners with leaders in the journey through the wilderness. Let us find these drum majors. Let us support them. And let us pick up our instruments and join the brass band.