Ki-Sisa: Chur, Ahron, Moses – Three Styles of Leadership
The
sin of the golden calf is one of the lowest points in the history of our
nation.
The
Jews then committed three sins that are considered by Jewish law to be the most
serious of offenses: idol worship, adultery and murder.
Exodus 32: 6, “On the next day they arose early, offered
up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat
and to drink, and they got up to make merry.”
Rashi comments on the words - “to make merry”: “In this, there is [also] a connotation of sexual
immorality and bloodshed… (Midrash Tanchuma 20).”
Where
was the Jewish leadership at the time? Where were the leaders whose
responsibility it was to keep their people on the straight and narrow path?
Granted
it happened in the absence of Moses, as he was on the mountain receiving the
Torah from G-d. But surely there were other elders and leaders who
could’ve done something to prevent the sin, where were they?
At the end of Parshat
Mishpatim, we find that Moses himself did indeed appoint 2 men as the interim
leaders for the duration of his being away. They were Ahron and Chur.
Exodus
24:13-14, “Moses and Joshua his servant arose and Moses ascended to the
mount of God. And to the elders he said, wait for us here until we return to
you, and here Aaron and Chur are with you; whoever has a case, let him go to
them."
Ahron
was Moses’ older brother and Chur was his nephew - the son of his older sister
Miriam. Chur’s father was the famous Kaleiv (Ben Yefuna) a very righteous and
courageous man who stood up to the 10 sinful spies and tried to convince the
Jews that the land of Israel was good.
Interestingly
we find another reference to Ahron and Chur in Exodus 17:12, by the battle against
Amalek. Moses had sent Joshua to lead the army while he climbed on top of a
hill to pray. There too we see them as having an elevated status, standing by,
as Moses’ right hand men.
“Now Moses hands were heavy; so they took a stone and
placed it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Chur supported his hands, one
from this [side], and one from that [side]; so he was with his hands in faith
until sunset.”
Ahron and Chur were very righteous
and well respected men, deserving and capable of leading the people in their
own right. How is it that the Jews under their watch managed to carry out such
a public and grand rebellion against G-d?
Let’s take a look at the
reactions of Chur and Ahron to the golden calf:
Chur’s reaction can be gleaned
from a comment of Rashi to Exodus 32:5
“Aaron saw many things. He saw his sister’s son Chur, who had
reproved them [the Israelites], and they assassinated him.”
Chur’s
response was to rebuke and condemn the sin. The fact that the Jews killed him
seems to indicate that his rebuke was not of the mild sort. It must have been a
pretty harsh condemnation. He literally took on the attitude of - “over
my dead body”.
While Chur’s personal sacrifice
was a truly noble and selfless act, as a leader he fell short. As Moses’
interim replacement it was his responsibility to prevent the sin from happening
and this he failed to accomplish. Whatever tactics he used, didn’t work, they only
succeeded in getting him killed.
Ahron’s reaction was
exactly the opposite. He was known as a peaceful and loving person, not the
confrontational type. He tried to appease them while at the same time waiting
to find a peaceful solution. He pretended to go along with the “plan”, looking
to stall and delay things until Moshe returned.
But Ahron’s leadership here
can be questioned too. Yes he had seen what had happened to Chur and knew that
confronting and condemning them wouldn’t work. But his strategy of diplomacy
didn’t work either. At the end of the day he too failed to prevent the sin and
it was under his watch that the Jews fell to this very lowly state.
Why didn’t Chur’s method
work?
He was simply too
negative and harsh. The Jewish people didn’t feel understood by him; they
didn’t feel like he related to them. Chur presented himself to them as a foe
not as a friend.
A leader must care deeply
for his people. He must love them and have only their best interest in mind. He
must find a way to communicate his devotion and care to them, so that they know
their leader feels this way about them. With Chur this was not the case. They
saw him as being against them, not as the leader who loves and cares for them.
With Ahron it was the
opposite. The Jews felt understood, they felt like he was on their side and
wanted to help them. He was a leader they felt could relate to them.
So why didn’t Ahron’s
method work?
He was simply too weak.
He didn’t take a strong enough stand and he let the people have their way with
him.
A leader needs to lead.
He needs to communicate to his people what is right and what is wrong and stand
strongly for what he believes is right. With Ahron this was not the case, he
was just too nice and peace loving and the Jews took advantage.
It is perhaps for this
reason that Moses appointed both of them to lead. Moses knew of their
individual deficiencies and realized that it would take the combination of both
to provide solid leadership. If Chur and Ahron had stuck together and responded
to the sin as one, perhaps they could’ve stopped it. But as individuals they
were not strong enough leaders.
Moses on the other hand
seemed to know just what to do. The moment he descended from the mountain, he
put a stop to all the sinning. Amazingly, he did it without facing any
opposition. The same people, who had killed Chur over the golden calf, gave
Moses no challenge at all.
What did Moses do that
neither Chur nor Ahron could do? What was it about Moses leadership that Chur
and Ahron just couldn’t replicate?
Moses was Chur and Ahron
wrapped into one.
He was first and foremost
a loving and caring leader. He was the one who came to the defense of a
helpless Jew in Egypt, something that almost cost him his life. He was the
shepherd that ran after one stray sheep and returned it lovingly to its flock.
He was the judge that sat from morning until evening listening to and advising
all those who came before him with their problems and issues. He was the leader
who came to the defense of his people time and time again and begged G-d to
forgive them.
But at the same time he
was strong and fearless. He stood up to Pharaoh, the ruler of the most powerful
empire in the world. He knew how to take a stand and was never intimidated by
the masses.
Nothing encapsulates this
combination more than Moses’ reaction to the golden calf.
Moses’ reaction upon
witnessing the sin of the golden calf was to smash the Luchos – tablets. It was
this one bold move that finally put an end to all the nonsense.
What was so brilliant and
significant about this one act?
It was the double message
that it sent. It was the paradox of it, which made it so powerful.
On the one hand it was an
act of harshness and condemnation. It sent a very strong message that what was
going on was totally unacceptable. It said, “because of this sin you do not
deserve to have G-d’s most precious gift – the Torah.”
But on the other hand it
was an act motivated by and infused with pure love and care. It communicated to
the people how Moses was their defender and was looking to protect them.
Rashi in Exodus 34:1
explains Moses’ motivation for smashing the Luchos:
“This can be compared to a king who went abroad and left
his betrothed with the maidservants. Because of the immoral behavior of the
maidservants, she acquired a bad reputation. Her bridesman [the person
appointed to defend the bride should any problems arise] arose and tore up her
marriage contract. He said, “If the king decides to kill her, I will say to
him, ‘She is not yet your wife.’”
Moses broke the Luchos to
save the Jews. It was an act of love, an act done purely for the benefit of his
people.
It is this potent combination, which overcomes
all obstacles and opposition.
This is the quality of a
true leader and this was Moses’ greatness.
We all find ourselves in
positions of leadership. It may be over a community, over a class of students
or even over our families and children. There will be times when we will be
faced with a situation and we will have to react and show leadership. Let us
learn from Moses how to do this best. Take a strong stand and don’t show any
weakness. But at the same time let the love shine through. We must find a way
to communicate how much we care and how we only have their best interest in
mind. When people see this they accept; they listen and follow because they see
its right and they know that you only want was is best for them.
what's your source for this?
ReplyDeletei can give u a simple twist on the 3 leaders.
Aaron was ahavas yisroel, he planned to take the blame for everyone and save klal yisroel from being guilty
Chur was as u said, mesiras nefesh to stop a horrible action
Moishe was the leader, and did what he had to
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ReplyDeletePretty good
ReplyDelete