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Sidrah

Devarim

“And it came to pass... that Moses spoke to the children of Israel” Deuteronomy 1:3

July 11, 2013 14:23

ByAnonymous, Anonymous

1 min read

“And it came to pass... that Moses spoke to the children of Israel” Deuteronomy 1:3

Writing this piece during a visit to Israel, I had an ideal opportunity to survey the state of leadership in our national homeland. It’s not going too well. We’ve got an ex-president in jail, a current Chief Rabbi under police investigation, a leader of a major Chasidic sect who has absconded to Morocco.

Should I continue with the case of a past prime minister who was recently convicted on a count of “breach of trust”, not to mention a party leader who served two years for receiving bribes?

This sorry litany of scandal is all the more remarkable in the light of our biblical tradition of countless great leaders. In this week’s parashah, Moses starts to deliver the great speech of leadership, inspiring while practical, admonishing and at the same time congratulatory. All the while, his leadership qualities are peerless and so the people listen and every word is incorporated into the Torah and each idea is cherished to this day.