Va'etchanan - Weekly Torah Portion

On this 15th day of the month of Av, my wife and I celebrate our wedding anniversary for the 39th time. We celebrated again with our youngest son, Ido, who graduated his officers’ course and received the platoon commander insignia. By this act he joined his other three brothers and one of his sisters who have also taken the officers’ oath. We are of course proud of all of our six children; however, it is noted that it is inspiring to be taking the additional level or responsibility and commitment that comes with the undertaking of the command of soldiers in a military context. It is not a straightforward decision – it is a commitment to lead, to change and to excel.

This week we read in the Torah the price a leader pays when taking such responsibility. “I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and Lebanon. "But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me.” Moses, possibly the greatest leader of all leaders this nation has known, must plead for one last favor which will not be granted. He had to deal with the people bickering and complaining on the one hand, and on the other hand calm down a God who would easily wipe out the people who Moses was supposed to lead.

The translation does not do justice with the beauty of the language chosen by Moses to describe his distress. When he says “let me cross over” he uses the future tense term “אֶעְבְּרָה” from the root ע.ב.ר and when God refuses, he describes it as “was angry with me” and uses the past tense term “יִּתְעַבֵּר”. The heart goes out to the old leader that must share this information with his listeners, he will share the past but not the future. The people who he speaks with are the future and will cross the river, and he will remain behind. The reason given is lost in the translation because this succession of leadership is described to be done for the people, “לְמַעַנְכֶם”. There is more than a hint here to say that even the best of leaders has an expiration date, a time after which the usefulness is less than the damage.

The Shabbat following the 9th of Av is also known as Shabbat Nahamu, a Shabbat of Comfort, that follows the first words of the Haftarah of this week from the book of Isiah. “‘Comfort, comfort My people,’ says your God. / ‘Speak kindly to Jerusalem; / And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, / That her guilt has been removed, / That she has received of the Lord’s hand / Double for all her sins.’” It seems that reading these words only in the context of the 9th of Av is insufficient. There is a connection also to the weekly portion of the Torah, where even when there is a loss of a great leader, a loss of an entire generation in the desert, there is still comfort in the fact that this is a continuation, that there is an end to the suffering and difficulties. Says the prophet, “The voice of one calling out, / ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; / Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. / Let every valley be lifted up, / And every mountain and hill be made low; / And let the uneven ground become a plain, / And the rugged terrain a broad valley’”. We thus learn that during a tough situation, when it is time to pass on the leader’s responsibilities, there is not only difficulty but also great opportunity. That which was complicated and tough for one generation of leaders may be easy on the next.

Moses hears the words of the Lord loud and clear, “Enough! Do not speak to Me any more about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and raise your eyes to the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see it with your eyes; for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But commission Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across leading this people, and he will give to them, as an inheritance, the land which you will see.” Last Tuesday, amongst many other families of other to be commissioned officers, we sat and watched the ceremony of ordination of a young generation of commanding leaders. On the other side of the large courtyard were the words that were viewed by generations of trainees and that has been the motto of the officer’s school since its inception, “Look at me and do likewise” – “מִמֶּנִּי תִרְאוּ וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ”. Two rows in front of us there sat a family clearly being orthodox. Their daughter was also graduating the course on that date, joining some 750 other young officers. On their T-shirts they had paraphrased the biblical saying that is in the male form into the female form, “מִמֶּנָּה תִרְאוּ וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ” – and don’t be surprised if that reminds you of the late Debbie Friedman Lechi Lach modification. What additional proof does one need to understand the profound impact that the Reform Movement is having on Israeli Judaism?!

Leadership begins and ends with the act of personal example. May it be Moses, Gideon, or the long extending rows of young Israeli officers from every walk of life in the country. It is a long chain of leader that give the words of the prophet their truthful meaning, “‘Comfort, comfort My people,’ says your God. / ‘Speak kindly to Jerusalem; / And call out to her’.”

Shabbat Shalom and wishes for Good Health – Happy Tu B’Av.

Reuven Marko, 23 July 2021, 15 Av, 5781