Yehoshua

Goals:

1. The chanichim should understand Yehoshua’s strengths as a leader and how he differed from Moshe.

2. The chanichim should understand the challenges Yehoshua faced leading the Jews during the transition period from life in the Midbar to life in Eretz Israel.

Written by- Sarah Gordon

sygordon@gmail.com

Machal Shiur #1:

Intro:  Shiur in Machal will be a very different experience for the chanichim then the shiur that they had in Machaneh. Here in Machal, just as they will be learning about leadership throughout the month through hiking, trips and the special tochniyot that we do, we will also be focusing our Torah learning for the month on two sefarim in Tanakh that deal primarily with the issues of leadership: Yehoshua and Shoftim. Even though they may have learned parts of these sefarim as little kids, all that means is that some of the stories may be familiar but you can guarantee them that we will be learning them in a totally new way. Just as Machal is about challenging the chanichim physically, Machal is also about challenging them mentally. We will be examining the stories in these two sefarim in a very textual way (using their brand new Tanakhs!) and we are challenging them to analyze these stories, ask questions about them, debate how the different characters in these sefarim deal with issues, and to try and apply these lessons of leadership to their own lives. Shiur should be interactive, with every question welcomed. And hopefully, we will also be able to finish learning all of Sefer Shoftim together, and we will be able to finish off the month with a siyum. Yay. :0)

Goals:

1. The chanichim should understand Yehoshua’s strengths as a leader and how he differed from Moshe.

2. The chanichim should understand the challenges Yehoshua faced leading the Jews during the transition period from life in the Midbar to life in Eretz Israel.

Trigger: Scenarios to discuss with the Chanichim:

1. After working in camp for many years you’ve finally worked your way up to being Rosh Mosh. However, the person who had the job before you held it for 5 summers. How would you feel about taking over the job? What would you be scared or nervous about? OR

2. The principal of your high school who everyone loved just stepped down after 40 years. Now a younger teacher, who’s been in the school for a few years, but only as a teacher, has been asked to take over. What would he or she be nervous about?

Have the chanichim read/skim the 1^st Perek of Yehoshua. What are the key words (milot manchot) that keep coming up here? “Chazak Ve’Ametz”. חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ

What is Yehoshua afraid of? Why is G-d telling him “chazak ve’amatz”? What does he have to be nervous about? What does “Chazak Ve’Ametz” mean? What would you think if you were Yehoshua, or going into a leadership position and someone said that to you?

There are two main themes to develop here that Yehoshua should be nervous about, and that Hashem is reassuring him about, with regard to him taking over the leadership:

1. He has to take over from Moshe, who took the Jews out of Egypt, with all the plagues and led the through the desert. Those are pretty huge shoes to fill (look at Pasuk 5 – why would this response by G-d calm Yehoshua down?).

2. This is a very hard time period to be a leader for. Bnei Israel are transitioning from life in the desert to life in Eretz Israel. There are going to be huge changes in the lives of the people that the leader has to take into account (For example: kind of like going from Eidah Daled to Machal – it’s really different. Or going from Machal/TVI to Tzevet. You need counselors or a Rosh Mosh who can help the chanichim make that transition. If you want a more distant comparison, you can compare it to Eidah Alef or Kaytana madrichim helping chanichim experience their 1^st summer away from home. Why would this be more of a challenge then being a madrich for a different Eidah?)

Leadership Challenge #1: Taking over from Moshe:

The Gemara in Bava Batra 75a compares the difference between Moshe and Yehoshua in the following way:

תלמוד בבלי בבא בתרא עה ע"א

פני משה כפני חמה, פני יהושע כפני לבנה

“Moshe is like the sun and Yehoshua is like the moon”. Discuss with the chanichim what this could mean. The Sun produces its own light and the moon reflects the light of the sun but does not produce its own light.

Ask the chanichim: What do they think the differences are between Yehoshua and Moshe?

What do we know about Yehoshua’s leadership in Chumash? We know him as Moshe’s #1 student. Ask the chanichim what stories they can remember where Yehoshua comes up:

-Chet HaEgel (Shmot 32) – he waits at the bottom of the mountain for Moshe – he thinks the sounds of partying are sounds of war

-Shmot 33: 6-11 – When Moshe moves his tent, Yehoshua moves his tent also

-Yehoshua leads the fighting against Amalek, while Moshe is on top of the mountain with his hands up.

 -Yehoshua is sent as one of the Meraglim and tries to convince the people that they can conquer the land.

Look at the 1^st Pasuk in Yehoshua: Yehoshua is known as the מְשָׁרֵת מֹשֶׁה.

He is his #1 student. Why would that explain the moon analogy? He learned everything that he knows from Moshe. Is this good or bad? On one hand, that means that he is best suited to take over from Moshe. He was the obvious candidate.

On the other hand, Moshe still has pretty big shoes to fill. And Yehoshua doesn’t sound too promising through all of Tanakh. Especially by Chet Ha’egel- where he confuses the sounds of shadyness and partying with the sounds of war. This is the person whose going to take over??

But at the same time, we’ve watched Yehoshua grow into the obvious candidate. There is a big difference between the Yehoshua who doesn’t know the difference between war and partying and the one who stands up against the other Meraglim.

However – what are the advantages to Yehoshua as a candidate?

Did Moshe mesh with the people? Not so much. He was an amazing leader but they kept sinning. He didn’t understand them. And at the end of the day, it’s because he became super angry with them and hit the rock that he is not entering the land. Yehoshua is the guy who grew up with the people. He’s young, everyone knows him. Moshe was much more distant, he spoke to G-d face to face! The people couldn’t always relate to him. Yehoshua is more of the “madrich” – he grew up with the people and hopefully will be able to understand them.

There are also a lot of parallels between Moshe and Yeshoshua:

• Both are called “eved Hashem” : Have the chanichim look at the 1^st pasuk of Yehoshua. Who is “eved Hashem” talking about then? Look at Yehoshua 24:29. Who is “eved Hashem” talking about then? It seems Yehoshua lived up to his potential to be like Moshe.

• Meeting with an Angel: Look at Yehoshua 5:13-15 where he meets an angel and is told to take off his shoes because this ground is holy. What does this sound like? (Moshe).

• Hashem speaks to both of them (Perek 1 in Yehoshua, all of Shmot-Devarim for Moshe) 

Yehoshua is up there – similar to Moshe – the best possible person to ensure a smooth takeover, but still he is the “pnei levana” and Moshe is the “pnei chama”.

Leadership Challenge #2: From the Midbar to Eretz Israel:

Yehoshua’s second challenge is to be the leader who helps Am Israel transition from life in the desert to life in Eretz Israel.

Ask the chanichim: What are the differences between life in the Midbar and life in Eretz Israel?

(Use your whiteboard, or set up 2 posters and have the chanichim write out the differences that they can think of offhand).

The Midbar was more miraculous; they had man, krait yam suf, and open miracles. G-d is completely active and Bnei Israel are passive. What’s going to happen now in Israel? Where is food going to come from? Clothing? What’s going to happen when people attack them?

Have the chanichim look into their Tanakhs. What is switching now that we are entering the land and starting to conquer it in Yehoshua? Look at Yehoshua 5:11-12.

Life now is going to depend much more on natural means, on man. We’re going to have to plant crops (bikkurim, all the mitzvoth hateluyot ba’aretz are going to kick in), make our own food, set up courts, and most importantly – fight our own battles. G-d will help us, but we will be the ones fighting now.

You can have the chanichim compare Devarim 8: 3-4 VS Devarim 11:10-15 for the differences between Midbar and Eretz Israel life.

Ask the chanichim: What would you do if you were Yehoshua? How would you face this challenge?

Perhaps we can now connect the two challenges. Maybe its davka because Yehoshua grew up with the people and is closer with them that he is the one to have the tafkid to help them bridge desert life and Israel life. Yehoshua is on one hand the last guy from the last generation (he came out of Egypt!) but he also grew up with these people in the desert.

A good mashal is looking back to the Amalek war. Moshe is up top on the mountain, holding up his hands, fighting the miraculous part of the battle, but distant from the people. Yehoshua is on the ground, with the people, leading them in natural battle against Amalek.

(you can debate the pros and cons of each type of leader)

Conclusion:

Yehoshua is a leader who grew up as Moshe’s #1 student. But though there are many parallels between the two leaders, there are also big differences; Moshe was a much more “high profile” leader, while Yehoshua grew up with the people and can relate to them more.

Yehoshua must struggle with filling Moshe’s shoes along with taking on a completely new role; being the leader to help Am Israel make the rocky transition from desert life where G-d completely takes care of them, to life in Israel, where they will have to fight and take initiative.

Machal Shiur #1: