Biblical Leadership Shiur/sicha - מנהיגים מהתנ"ך

The point of this shiur is to teach the chanichim about various leadership qualities, and to show them examples in Tanach where these leadership skills are used by different characters. Therefore the goals of this shiur are threefold:

1. To discuss with the chanichim various traits a leader should possess and why these traits are so crucial.

2. To use the examples in Tanach as jumping off points for discussing contexts when these traits should be put into use. Try to think of other examples in their lives where this particular leadership trait would need to be employed.

3. To show the chanichim how the Tanach is not boring, but active and engaging, full of situations and characters that we can relate to and identify with. The characters in Tanach should be seen by the chanichim as “leader role models” that they can identify with and strive to imitate.

Biblical Leadership Shiur/Sicha:

Eidah Daled 2004

Sarah Gordon

The point of this shiur is to teach the chanichim about various leadership qualities, and to show them examples in Tanach where these leadership skills are used by different characters. Therefore the goals of this shiur are threefold:

1. To discuss with the chanichim various traits a leader should possess and why these traits are so crucial.

2. To use the examples in Tanach as jumping off points for discussing contexts when these traits should be put into use. Try to think of other examples in their lives where this particular leadership trait would need to be employed.

3. To show the chanichim how the Tanach is not boring, but active and engaging, full of situations and characters that we can relate to and identify with. The characters in Tanach should be seen by the chanichim as “leader role models” that they can identify with and strive to imitate.

The sources basically flow one into the other and point out a number of leadership traits. Try to do the passages from Tanach inside with the chanichim, or if some of them know the story, then have them tell it to the group. Make sure to give the context to the story if the chanichim are not so familiar with one particular narrative. Also, make sure to have the chanichim think of parallel examples of each case in their own lives and experiences.

Source #1 and #2: Putting yourself second

There are a number of times in being a leader where your interests and needs have to go last, and you can only think about yourself after the group’s needs have been fulfilled. A practical example of this is when as a Rosh Pluga, you only eat after everyone else has eaten. Or, if you’re leading a trip, you only get on the bus, only once everyone and everything else has been accounted for.

Source #1: Shifra and Puah

These midwives put their own comfort and safety last, as they risk their jobs (and possibly lives) to actively thwart Pharoah’s plan, as they save the Jewish children, instead of killing them as Pharoah wanted.

What is important here is that Shifra and Puah, being ethically uncomfortable with Pharoah’s plan of infanticide, could have simply told him no, that they refuse to participate in this, and could have walked away. Then they would have been morally safe from participating in this evil plan – but the infanticide would still have taken place as Pharoah would have found others to take their place. But instead here they go beyond the letter of the law, and stay involved in the plan in order to actively mess up Pharoah’s plan and save as many children as possible. They put the needs of the group (Am Israel) before their own physical needs.

Source #2: Aharon

Aharon, after his sons’ death (for bringing a strange fire into the Mishkan), is told by Moshe that he cannot mourn for his sons and must continue his duty as a Cohen Gadol. He cannot take time off to mourn as his role and job does not allow for him to become Tameh. Aharon responds to his sons’ deaths with silence and puts his emotions and personal feelings and need to grieve aside, because as leader of the Cohanim, he has to continue to function in order to lead the group. He puts his emotional needs second, in order to see through the functioning of the group (the other Cohanim and Am Israel who need him to keep doing his Avodah).

Other examples: Rachel gives up the simanim for Leah, Shimshon gives his life to destroy the Plishti building, Moshe chooses to fight for Bnei Israel to be forgiven after chet ha’egel rather then accept Hashem’s offer to make him a new nation.

Sources #3 and #4: Being able to do something radical against the group and go against the group when necessary

Source #3: Pinchas

Pinchas sees Kozbi and Zimri sinning in front of the whole camp, openly rebelling against Moshe. The appointed leaders – Moshe and the Zekanim are crying – ask the chanichim – is this a good reaction or bad one? It shows helplessness and weakness. Pinchas sees what needs to be done and steps up to end this chillul Hashem and fill the gap of leadership.

Source #4: Kalev

All the spies are giving a bad report about the Land of Israel.  Kalev steps up in front of the people, going against the other spies and risking his reputation to tell the real truth.

Other examples: Shevet Levi killing everyone who worshipped the golden calf, the Maccabim against the Hellenistic Jews. Examples in the chanichim’s lives could include not giving into peer pressure – taking action when a friend is doing something harmful (substance abuse, anorexia…).

Sources #5 and #6: Not doubting your abilities as a leader/ having self confidence

Source #5: David and Goliat

When hearing about how Goliat is insulting G-d and making fun of Israel’s army, and how all the soldiers are afraid to fight him, David, a teenager at the time, volunteers to go into battle. At fist Shaul doubts that David can do it – because David is only a kid. You can point out how the Tanach’s imagery show how he was so young even the armor doesn’t fit; he’s not used to it. But David has confidence in his abilities and knows that this is something that he can do (Being able to step up as a leader requires a certain amount of ga’avah – in believing that you are capable of doing a great job in this situation. Tue anavah is not saying you’re worthless and denying your talents, but acknowledging your talents and accepting that you know have a great responsibility to live up to the skills and talents that Hashem gave you, and making sure you are using them all to the greatest ability that you can). He goes up to Goliat armed with only a slingshot and wins and kills Goliat to the amazement of al the troops.

***What’s also important to stress here is teenagers today think – who am I, I’m just a kid, and what difference can I make in the world? But really the youth are the ones who bring about revolutions and change the world. Ask the chanichim why they think that is the case. Youth are more idealistic, passionate. Kids have the ability to change great things and make a difference; they just need to have the confidence to put themselves out there.

Source #6: Shaul

Shaul is commanded to kill all of Amalek and destroy all the loot he captures. Instead the Tanach tells us that Shaul and the nation had mercy on Agag and on the nice captured stuff. This lashon implies that it could have been that nation that really wanted to keep the stuff and Shaul gave into them to make them happy. Either way, he did not stop the people but went along with their request even though it went against G-d. Shaul loses the kingdom for this. Shmuel’s rebuke to Shaul is – even if you think you’re a nobody in your eyes – you are in reality a King of Israel! You got to have self confidence in your leadership abilities. You can’t always give into the people and be a puppet king. Stand up for yourself and your ideals – realize who you are inside and step up to be that leader  (Like in the lion king song… at least in the version that’s going through my head at this early hour in the morning). This shows how Shaul is the polar opposite to David, as we saw in the last source, who has that self confidence, and David gets to be King instead.

Other examples: Yosef steps up to become viceroy of Egypt and solve the famine problem.

Source #7: Admitting when you are wrong

David falls in love with a married woman, and sends off her husband to battle to fight and die in the front lines so he can marry her instead (think Man in the Iron Mask). Natan the Navi comes to David with a parable about a rich man with many sheep who steals a poor man’s only sheep, what should the rich man’s judgment be – and David said that the man is wrong and should be punished! And then Natan says – no that rich man is you – G-d is angry with what you have done. David immediately admits his sin and is forgiven.

Being a leader means knowing that sometimes you are wrong – and admitting when you’ve made a mistake. It shows that you are not stubborn and guarantees that you are not a hypocrite. (It’s like the story of Rav Soloveitchik zt”l, who threw out his shiur when a kid asked a question that proved him wrong. He stopped the shiur and admitted his error instead of yelling at the kid and ignoring the truth).

Other examples: Yehuda also admits his mistake by Tamar, when she presents him with proof that he is the father of her pregnancy and that she was not adulterous.

Source #8: Not missing the moment - stepping up to do a job that you know only you can do

Esther tells Mordechai, she can’t possibly plead for Am Israel before the king, because she can’t just go to the King without being called - she’ll get killed. Mordechai responds with the some of the most powerful mussar in all of Tanach. He tells her – don’t worry about the fate of Am Israel – Hashem will not abandon them and they will be saved. However the choice you have to make now is whether they will be saved through you or through someone else. Who knows if everything you went through in your whole life up to now (getting to be queen, etc) wasn’t all in order that you should use your position at this moment to help the Jews! We all have that one crucial moment in our lives, where we come face to face with our destiny and that main thing in our life that we are to accomplish. If you hesitate now, the Jews will just get saved by someone else and you will miss that moment.

This is very similar to the idea of not doubting yourself/self confidence, and to putting yourself 2^nd to the group. But mainly this is a great mussar. There is always that job that we are presented with – that one leadership opportunity, and deep down we want to take it and we know we will be awesome at it – but we’re scared to step up. Mordechai’s challenge to Esther is going out to all of us as well, to acknowledge our talents and step up to be that leader in those moments where we know that only we can help in this situation and no one else.

Other examples: Elimelech and sons (Ruth’s father-in-law). He was a rich Jew and a leader, but he leaves during the famine for Moav, because he doesn’t want poor people bothering him for money and people asking him to lead them. He abandons his people at the one time where they need him and he can be most useful. This is the opposite of Esther.

This all ties into Source #9. If I am not for myself – and do not acknowledge the talents Hashem gave me, and the leader that I know inside that I can be – then who am I? I’m not fulfilling my potential. And if I know I can be this leader, but yet I am not for others, and do not step up to help other then what am I? A true leader puts the group first. And finally, if I do not step up now and fill those gaps in leadership in my community, in my Bnei Akiva snif, in the Moshava I go to, in my NCSY (lo aleinu) chapter, when I know I can make a difference – if I miss that moment – then when will I step up?

Conclusion: The chanichim all have leadership abilities as we saw during the chutz. They have to sharpen their skills and step up in their communities to be the leaders that we know they can be and that Am Israel needs today.

The end!! :0)