This week, we begin the Book of
Deuteronomy which is a retelling of the previous four books. It is a reflection of the forty years in the
desert. Moses remembers all of the
successes and challenges of leading the Jewish people. At first, Moses was sole leader of the
people. From sunrise till deep into the
night, the entire community came to him to solve their problems. With this responsibility, Moses became tired
and burnt out! His father-in-law Jethro
goaded him to find others who would lead alongside him and be his partners in
strengthening the Jewish people.
Forty years later, Moses reflects
upon this moment and tells the people which characteristics he looked for in a
leader. A leader would be a Chacham – a
wise person, a Navon – a discerning person, and a Yaadah – an experienced
person. We know how to define
experienced; that is a person who possesses prior moments of leadership! But what is the difference between wise and discerning?
The rabbis answer that question as
they often like to do, with an illustration.
A Chacham, a wise person, is a banker who would examine customers’ money
when they arrived at the bank. However,
when no one came to the bank, the Chacham would take out her own money and
examine it instead.
What about the Navon, the discerning
person? In this illustration, the Navon
was also a banker. This Navon would also
examine customers’ money when they arrived at the bank. Yet, when no one was in the bank, the Navon
would wait anxiously and do nothing until the next customer would arrive.
The rabbis believed that the Chacham
and the Navon, the wise and the discerning person, were quite different, not in
knowledge, but in temperament and outlook.
A Chacham, a wise person, had plenty of internal resources. She could achieve action on her own. She was self-motivated and always willing to
go the extra mile!
A Navon, a discerning person, was
different! She is the person who possesses
deep intellectual knowledge and enjoys spending time with others, interacting
with others. The Navon cares deeply
about those in our community. She is a
people person!
Moses reminds us that there are many
traits of leadership. Our community
possesses the Chacham and the Navon. We
must recognize these different leaders in our community and honor them for
their successes and their personalities.
Whether we work better with others or achieve success when we are alone;
whether we think about the details or focus on the broader vision, whether we
have street smarts or book smarts, all these characteristics are needed to make
our community stronger. May we honor
each of us for the aspects that make us unique and make us a blessing.
This D'var Torah was published in the Baltimore Jewish Times.
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