Parshat Pinchas

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July 16, 2011 14 Tammuz, 5771

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Parshat Pinchas

Knowing that he is about to die, Moses turns to G-d and asks him to appoint a successor: Moses said to the Lord, "May the Lord, G-d of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." It is a farsighted, selfless gesture. As Rashi comments: "This is to tell the praise of the righteous - that when they are about to leave this world, they put aside their personal needs and become preoccupied with the needs of the community." Great leaders think about the long-term future. They are concerned with succession and continuity. So it was with Moses. your authority - this is like emptying one vessel into another. (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:15) Beneath these enigmatic words is a fundamental truth about leadership. In L'esprit Des Lois (1748), Montesquieu, one of the great political philosophers of the Enlightenment, set out his theory of the "separation of powers" into three branches: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Behind it lay a concern for the future of freedom if power were concentrated in a single source: Liberty does not flourish because men have natural rights, or because they revolt if their leaders push them too far. It flourishes because power is so distributed and so organized that whoever is tempted to abuse it finds There is also a fascinating legal restraints in his way. Montesquieu's source was midrash about the first and third of these gestures: And lay not the Bible - but there is, your hand on him - this is like in a verse in Isaiah, a strikingly similar idea: For lighting one candle with the Lord is our judge; the another. Give him some of about how to arrange the succession: "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him . . . At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in." There are three actions involved here: [1] Moses was to lay his hand on Joshua, [2] have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly, and [3] give him "some of your authority [mehodecha]". What is the significance of this threefold process? What does it tell us about the nature of leadership in Judaism?

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8:05 pm G-d tells Moses to appoint

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Joshua, 'a man in whom there is spirit'. He gives him precise instructions

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Shabbat Announcements Parshat Pinchas 5771

military, economic and political decisions. Those who disobeyed him faced the possible penalty of death. A prophet had no power whatsoever. He commanded no battalions. He had no way of enforcing his views. But he This tripartite division can also be found in Deuteronomy 17- had massive influence. Today we barely remember the 18 in the passage dealing with the various leadership roles in names of most of Israel's and Judah's kings. But the words ancient Israel: the king, the priest and the prophet. The sages of the prophets continue to inspire by the sheer force of later spoke about "three crowns" - the crowns of Torah, their vision and ideals. As Kierkegaard once said: When a priesthood and kingship. Stuart Cohen, who has written an king dies, his power ends; when a prophet dies, his elegant book on the subject, The Three Crowns, notes that influence begins. "what emerges from the [biblical] texts is not democracy throughout the political system, but a distinct notion of Moses was to confer both roles on Joshua as his successor. power-sharing at its highest levels. Neither Scripture nor "Lay your hand on him" means, give him your role as a early rabbinic writings express any sympathy whatsoever for prophet, the intermediary through whom G-d's word is a system of government in which a single body all group conveyed to the people. To this day we use the same word, possesses a monopoly of political authority." semicha (laying on of hands), to describe the process Lord is our law-giver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. (Isaiah 33: 22) The three-fold process through which Joshua was to be inducted into office had to do with the three types of leadership. Specifically the second stage - "Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence" - had to do with the fact that Moses was not a priest. His successor had to be formally recognized by the representative of the priesthood, Eleazar the High Priest. Power and influence are often thought of as being the same kind of thing: those who have power have influence and vice versa. In fact, though, they are quite different. If I have total power and then decide to share it with nine others, I now have only one-tenth of the power I had before. If I have a certain measure of influence and then share it with nine others, I do not have less. I have more. Instead of one person radiating this influence, there are now ten. Power works by division, influence by multiplication. Moses occupied two roles. He was the functional equivalent of a king. He made the key decisions relating to the people: how they should be organized, the route they were to take on their journey, when and with whom they should engage in war. But he was also the greatest of the prophets. He spoke the word of G-d. A king had power. He ruled. He made
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whereby a rabbi ordains his disciples. "Give him some of your authority [me-hodecha]" refers to the second role. It means, invest him with the power you hold as a king. We now understand the midrash. Influence is like lighting one candle with another. Sharing your influence with someone else does not mean you have less; you have more. When we use the flame of a candle to light another candle, the first is not diminished. There is now, simply, more light. Transferring power, though, is like emptying one vessel into another. The more power you give away, the less you have. Moses' power ended with his death. His influence, though, remains to this day. Judaism has an ambivalent attitude towards power. It is necessary. Without it, in the words of Rabbi Hanina, deputy High Priest, "people would eat one another alive" (Avot 3: 2). But Judaism long ago recognized that (to quote Lord Acton), power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Influence - the relation of prophet to people, teacher to disciple - is altogether different. It is a non-zero-sum game. Through it, both teacher and disciple grow. Both are enhanced. Moses gave Joshua his power and his influence. The first was essential to the political and military tasks ahead. But it was the second that made Joshua one of the great figures of our tradition. Influence is simply more enduring than power.

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July26,2011at8.30pm(followingMinchaat8:05pm) RabbiLawrenceHajioff AreYouaPerfect10: AFreshLookIntotheTenCommandments

RabbiLawrenceHajioffservesontheJudaicstudiesfacultyofSternCollegeforWomen. OriginallyfromLondon,England,RabbiHajioffgraduatedwithhonorsinpoliticalsciencefromManchesterUniversity. AfterworkingfortwoyearsforMTVinnewsproduction,andwinningthenationalcompetitionJewishStandUpComedianof theYear,RabbiHajiofftraveledtostudyinIsraelandthenMonseytoreceivehisrabbinicalsmichaordinationfromYeshivaOhr Somayach.RabbiHajioffhasworkedextensivelywithyoungJewishdrugaddicts,andwashelpfulincreatingasuccessfuldrug treatmentprograminRocklandCountyforyoungJewishteenagers.In2005RabbiHajioffjoinedthefacultyofSternCollege forWomenatYeshivaUniversity.RabbiHajioffalsoteachesontheMechinaIntroductoryJudaicstudiesprogramatSternCol lege.HehasdevelopedanewcourseintroducingkabbalisticideasinJewishthought.In2006hereceivedthe"Professorof theYear"awardinJudaicStudiesfromthesenioryearstudentsatStern.RabbiHajioffalsoworksforBirthrightIsraelinNew YorkastheirofficialRabbiandeducationaldirector.

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SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM Each year our Summer Learning Program is run through the generosity of sponsors. It is to the credit of our sponsors that the voice of Torah is strengthened each summer. Sponsorship is $100.00. Please call the office to be included in this noble effort. We will once again be including a sponsors list in the Shabbat Announcements. If you would like to sponsor a Day of Learning at an additional cost, in honor or in memory of someone, please call Mark Twersky and let him know. See page 3 for update. Sponsor list in formation Josh Olshin in memory of Sally Olshin, zl. Pam & Baruch Toledano in memory of Harold Kovar, zl. Gil Aronowitz in memory of Samuel Movsas, zl. Debbie & Hal Chadow in memory of Samuel Movsas, zl. Sonia Movsas in memory of Samuel Movsas, zl. Carol Buckmann in memory of Mayer Siegel, zl. In memory of Barbara S. Horowitz, zl. Mark & Adina Abraham in memory of his parents Shalom & Sara Abraham, zl. Brenda & Ed Parver in memory of Shifra bat Yaakov Yisrael, zl. Jack & Hadassah Wachstock for a Refuah Shelaima for Phil Machnikoff; Ruth & Milton Mitzner in memory of Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine, zl. Harvey & Helen Ishofsky in memory of their parents. Rafael Gad in memory of Sara bat Nissan Gad, zl. Alisa & Michael Hoenig Joan & Gerald Begun. Marc Epstein in memory of Toby Epstein zl WOMEN'S TEFILA STORY QUILT In honor of the upcoming 30th Anniversary Year of the Women's Tefila Group in Great Neck, we are asking people to submit a vignette of their experiences as participants in Women's Tefila. Whether you are a regular member or came just once, a Bat Mitzvah alum, mother of a Bat Mitzvah, bride, grandmother, mother of a newborn, woman who observed a yahrzeit with us, or father of a bat mitzvah girl. PLEASE write a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs about your experience at Women's Tefila. EMAIL your reflections to Harriet Schimel at hschimel@aol.com GONE FISHING The Mens Club held a successful Fishing trip on Sunday, July 3, The 30 amateur fishermen (some more experienced than others) had a wonderful time on the Capt. Pete, and everyone caught fish. Eleven year old Ira Steinberg caught the biggest fish of the day, with Dov Berkowitz a close second. The cool weather, friendly atmosphere, bagel breakfast and deli lunch were enjoyed by all. A great thank you to Steven Blumner and Mark Friedman for their assistance, knowledge and enthusiasm and to Alan Steinberg for his invaluable advice. JULY CHESED We will be collecting the following items: Shoes, Eyeglasses and Cell Phones to be donated to the following organizations: www.soles4souls.org, www.neweyesfortheneedy.org www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com Drop off dates: July 13, & July 20 between the hours of 8:30 am and 8pm. Drop-off in front of the garages at the homes of: Sigalit Katz 1 Stonehenge Road, katzsigal@yahoo.com 516-829-3721 Erica Zucker Heisler 71 Bayview Avenue, ezh624@aol.com 917-686-9925 Steven Blumner 88 Old Pond Road, sblumner@sjbqueens.com 516-639-8941

Within Our Family Mazal Tov to Davida & Marc Yehaskel on the birth of a daughter Charlotte Goldie. Mazal Tov also to grandparents Magda & Sam Yehaskel and Rosie & Mark Friedman. Mazal Tov to Dassie & Eddy Barth on the engagement of their daughter Kayla to Brandon Goldstein, son of Sally and Howard Goldstein of Baltimore, Md. Mazal Tov to Pnina & Jay Aronowitz on the upcoming marriage of their son Josh to Naomi Zwillenberg. Mazal Tov also to grandfather Gilbert Aronowitz. Mazal Tov to Justin & Deborah Weprin on the birth of a daughter.
BUS TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE Sunday, July 17: The Mens Club is going on a bus trip to NYC to view the exhibition, Fire in my Heart, the story of HANNAH SENESH, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park. You will also have an opportunity to browse the permanent exhibits. The bus will leave at 10:00 am and return approximately 4:00 pm. The cost is $55 per person, which includes the bus trip, entrance fees and lunch. Please call the shul office to make reservations. CUBAN MISSION The Great Neck Community mission to Cuba is full. Thanks to all who are participating. ROSH HASHANA SCOPE MAGAZINE Kindly submit all articles, advertisements, photos, New Year greetings and sponsorship ($100 for 3 issues) to Diane Rein at drein@verizon.net by Monday, August 1st for the upcoming Rosh Hashana issue of Scope magazine. We look forward to your submissions and your generous financial support!
Saturday, 14 Tammuz Trudy Friedman for Carl Lederer Hyman Katz for Israel Katz Edward Mazur for Phil Mazur Rabbi Dale Polakoff for William Rosenzweig Phyllis Safdieh for Aaron Shampan Sunday, 15 Tammuz Samuel Levitt for Geraldine Levitt Kenneth S Magida for Bessie Magida David Miller for Helen Miller Payman Rabiei for Gohar bat Benyamin Monday, 16 Tammuz Blanche Goldstein for Isidore Rubin Tuesday, 17 Tammuz Elena Berkowitz for David Fridman Rafael Gad for Sara Gad Leslie Kahn for Nathan Kahn Carol Loewenstein for Abraham Adamsky Arthur Pomerantz for Ruth Pomerantz Payman Rabiei for Pari bat Meyer Wednesday, 18 Tammuz Marc Gottlieb for Herman Gottlieb Morris Nasser for Rafael Nasser Thursday, 19 Tammuz Susan Goldman for Oscar Ring Friday, 20 tammuz Felix Glaubach for Baruch Glaubach Myra Honig for Joan Scheiner Leo R Mindick for Sam Rubinstein Rose Weiss for Sabina Fajg

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