The Teacher and the Nurse: Models of Jewish Leadership

The Teacher and the Nurse: Two Models of Jewish Leadership

In Parshat Behaalotecha, Moshe expresses a level of frustration towards the Jewish People which we have yet to see during his leadership. He asks Hashem (11:12):

הֶאָנֹכִי הָרִיתִי אֵת כָּל הָעָם הַזֶּה אִם אָנֹכִי יְלִדְתִּיהוּ כִּי תֹאמַר אֵלַי שָׂאֵהוּ בְחֵיקֶךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא הָאֹמֵן אֶת הַיֹּנֵק עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָיו:

Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that You say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as the nurse carries the suckling,' to the Land You promised their forefathers?

Rav Soloveitchik noted the difference between a leader that is a “Rav” and a leader that is an “Omen”. Both types of leaders are called upon to teach, but the Omen (nurse) type of leader according to Rav Soloveitchik, “submerges his/her identity into that of the child.” A nurse considers his/her ambitions and needs to be secondary to those of the child.

A teacher retains his/her own identity, for he conveys specific knowledge. A nurse becomes one with the child.

In this pasuk, Moshe becomes aware of the fact that being a teacher does not suffice for Jewish leadership. They required a spiritual and emotional “nurse.”At this early stage of the people’s development as a nation, the Jews would be impulsive at times, and their complaints and concerns would not be able to be addressed rationally. Moshe was not sure he was capable of taking on all of these roles: not only to teach and command the people, but to guide, and inspire and transform them away from the tendencies that they acquired during their sojourn in Egypt.

To do this, it would not suffice for Moshe to give a good shiur, nor would it be enough to be bright and articulate. Moshe would have to nurture relationships with the People, by exhibiting patience, sympathy and empathy. It was this role as an Omen- type leader that Moshe knew was necessary, and yet he felt unqualified to take on. Hashem validates Moshe’s concern, evident from the fact that God does not criticize nor punish Moshe for his expressions of doubt and apprehension. Hashem concurs that the People would need more than just a teacher, they would need an Omen.

Today, the Jewish People need leaders that are more than just Rav’s; they must also be Omen’s.  As Rav Soloveitchik put it, today a demonstration of caring from a leader, is as important as a brilliant idea. Teachers must teach with feeling, as well as with clarity. Personal commitment, selflessness, empathy, and a willingness to submit one’s personal ego for the greater good are necessary in 21^st century Jewish leadership.

   

All of us are leaders to some people in some capacity. Let us learn the lesson of compassionate leadership taught to us by Moshe in this week’s Parsha. In so doing, may we merit to lead and to be led in ways that are both effective and spiritually nourishing