Rabbi's
Thoughts:
Parsha Noach
Leadership
Qualities
According to the Torah,
Noah spent many years
building the ark. Yet
only he and his own
family actually ended up
in the Ark. Sure, if
somebody would have
asked him he would have
explained G-d’s warning
and the world’s
predicament, but he did
not actively seek out
others to communicate
with them. As we see,
the message clearly did
not get too far since
nobody else joined them
in the Ark. This is one
reason, according to our
Sages, that the flood
was known as ‘the waters
of Noah’ because to some
degree he could have
done more to prevent it.
The mark of a true
leader is one who seeks
out to inspire others,
not waiting for them to
come and ask what is
going on but reaching
them first. In this
Noah was not ultimately
successful. By
contrast, when G-d
threatened to wipe out
the Jewish people and
make a new nation from
Moses’ descendants,
Moses protested that if
G-d was not going save
the people, he wanted
his name removed from
the Torah. To him, he
could not conceive of an
existence without his
people. Even though G-d
would have saved him, he
could not countenance
such a scenario.
We may not be on the
level of Moses or Noah,
but each of us at some
time or another is faced
with challenges and
opportunities to show an
example, to inspire
others, to take on a
leadership role. Who
will be our role
model? Will we simply
make sure our conduct is
sufficient, that we are
doing okay without
worrying about those
around us? Or will we
seek to have a positive
and influential effect
beyond our own confines?
Shabbat Shalom
|