Making Sense of the Sedra: Shoftim

On 5 September we will find out who the next leader of our country will be. This week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, contains the secret to longevity in leadership.

God commands a Jewish king to carry a Torah scroll with him at all times and to read it every day, “so that he may learn to revere God, to observe faithfully every word of this Torah as well as these laws” (Devarim 17:19). It is very interesting that although all Jews are required to learn Torah, the king is singled out especially to be told that he must be constantly learning.

The Torah goes on to give a reason why the king must be constantly learning: “so that he would not act haughtily toward his fellows… in order to lengthen the days of his reign, him and his descendants in the midst of Israel” (Devarim 17:20).

When one finds themselves in a position of power, it is very easy to let it change the way they treat others. What is the antidote to this?

There is a new concept that has crept its way into the workplace in recent years called continued professional development. This notion suggests that all employees, despite earning their position at the company through previous study and work experience, must continue to do more training. No matter who you are, you have more to learn. Even CEOs with multiple degrees and decades in industry are included in this.

No-one is held to higher account than a leader. He or she is expected to obey the laws they institute – in fact, to know them better than the layperson. There is no option to rest on one’s laurels. The Torah is telling us that leaders have a duty to constantly remind themselves of their responsibilities and continually advance their knowledge, lest they become lazy and conceited.

The Baal HaTurim (Rabbi Jacob ben Asher 1269-1343) reminds us that this message is not just for kings; we ‘commoners’ still have temptations to act superior towards others in our daily lives. Yet as we have seen time and again on both a personal and a national level, pride comes before a fall.

The secret to longevity in leadership is self-effacement acquired through the commitment to lifelong study. One always has more to learn – and not just through text but also through the knowledge and experiences of every person. Whoever our next Prime Minister is, the Torah’s advice would be to start hitting the books…