A SISTER’S SUPPORT

In wishing our new Prime Minister well as he settles into office, I am reminded of the comment made by my teacher, the late Rabbi Dr Nachum Rabinovitch, that a leader needs three qualities: a sensitive heart, a discerning mind, and a thick skin!

There will be many occasions when a leader will have to make tough decisions that he knows are right but that will come in for serious criticism. He must have the courage of his convictions and confront his naysayers.

Yet there are times when it appears that even the greatest leaders can lose it. This happened to Moses in this week’s parasha. He struck the rock, instead of speaking to it. For this error of judgement, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Why did Moses fail the leadership test at this point?

The answer may be that in addition to acute sensitivity, highly attuned intuition and battle-hardened resilience, every leader needs friends. He or she cannot lead alone. He needs colleagues who will support him and to whom he will delegate. Above all, he needs someone in whom he can confide and will give him honest criticism.

It is significant that Moses made his mistake shortly after the death of his sister, Miriam. She was not only the big sister who watched over him when his mother placed him in a basket in the Nile, she was a leader of the people in her own right. Her presence is associated with the blessing of the well of water that sustained the Israelites in the desert. When she died, the well dried up and the people complained. Rav Yehuda Shaviv explains that the well symbolised the particular quality of leadership that Miriam offered to the community. Like the wellspring that gives water without measure, so the support of Miram flowed to whoever needed it.

Reading between the lines we see that Miriam was Moses’ confidante. She could offer him the wellspring of her love and advice. On one occasion, her criticism – expressed with the best of intentions – went too far, and she had to bear the consequences. But, as the book of Proverbs says: “open rebuke is better than concealed love.” (27:5).

No doubt, there were many other occasions when the emotional support she offered to Moses was essential in enabling him to guide the people. When she died and the water ran out, Moses faced his first crisis without Miriam by his side. It was at that point that his judgement faltered. No-one can lead alone.