The Weekly Shtikle - Pinechas

Last year, after my father's passing, I began a year of shtikle dedications with Matos/Mas'ei. So, this week's dedication completes the year. The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

After being informed of his impending death, Moshe requests HaShem to appoint a new leader who will fill his position when he leaves this world. He beseeches of HaShem (27:17) that B'nei Yisrael not be "like a flock of sheep with no shepherd." Although this is a simple and straightforward simile, Malbi"m explains this statement more deeply. If a herd of sheep were without a shepherd, they would still consider the goat at the head their leader and follow him wherever he goes. This, however, is an inadequate form of leadership for the goat is simply one of them whom they chose to follow. They require a leader who is above them, a higher being who knows what they don't know and sees what they don't see, to guide them.

 

This was the point Moshe was making. It would not have sufficed to appoint just anybody to fill Moshe's position. Being followed does not make one a leader. This was the error of Korach and his democratic approach to leadership. "All of the nation is holy," he claimed, "and who are you to assume the leadership?" But Moshe was not simply one of the group. He was on a higher level than the rest and thus, a true leader. He was well aware that even in his absence, B'nei Yisrael were in need of such a leader. Therefore, HaShem chose Yehoshua whom He Himself proclaimed to be a "man of spirit," an individual who had spent all his life in Moshe's footsteps and was now ready to fill his shoes.

 

I recently obtained a copy of Ner Uziel by R' Uziel Milevsky, zt"l. He provides another animal metaphor, although not on the same aspect of Moshe's request. He references R' Yisrael Salanter's explanation of the mishnah (Sotah 9:15) which details various societal breakdowns that will foreshadow messianic times. "The face of the generation will be like the face of the dog." When an owner walks his dog, the dog runs ahead and it may appear like the dog is leading the owner. But once they get to a fork in the road it is clear this is not the case. This is the inferior leadership which is the diametric opposite of Moshe's desired replacement, "one who will go out before them and come in before them."

 

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Keves vs. Kesev

Dikdukian:  Shabbas be'Shabbato

Dikdukian:  I say Yericho, you say Yereicho
Dikdukian:  All of the brothers

Dikdukian: One Big Happy Family?

Dikdukian: Pinechas: What's in a Name?

Al Pi Cheshbon: Probability of the Goral

Al Pi Cheshbon: Counting the Judges

DailyLeaf: 

:ז New face(s)?

:ח Opening one's mouth to Satan?

 

 

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.