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Torah Portions
The Weekly Torah Portion of Pinchas
Courtesy of:
Meaningful Life
Lead or Leash?
"And Moses spoke to G-d, saying: 'G-d of the
spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who will go before
them and come before them, who will take them out and bring them in...'"
(Numbers 27:15-16)
Rabbi Israel Salanter was once asked to explain
the Talmudic prediction that in the days before the coming of Moshiach, "The
face (i.e., the leadership) of the generation will have the face of a dog."
Rabbi Israel said: "Have you ever seen a man and a
dog walking? The dog always runs ahead; to the casual observer it seems that
it is the leader. But every now and then the dog turns around to see where
his master wants to go, and changes direction accordingly.
"Today, our world abounds with such 'leaders.' But
a true leader is not one who merely 'goes and comes before the people,'
while looking over his shoulder to see if they are still following him. He
is also the one who 'takes them out and brings them in' - who leads them
where he knows they must go."
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