Making Sense of the Sedra: Vayeleich
Leaders and their legacy
As I write this, we have just witnessed the sad but majestic pageantry following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. As billions of people tuned in to the funeral to pay their last respects to our Queen of 70 years, we looked back on a life of service. A life in which everything, up until her very last days, during which she inaugurated her 15th Prime Minister, centred around her duties and responsibilities towards her country.
Much has been written and said about her role as a queen, mother of the country and leader of a people. When reading the parashah of Vayeilech this week, the parallels are striking. This parashah, the shortest of the year, is one of transition. As Moshe tells his people that his 120 years on earth are drawing to a close, he does two things. First, he leaves them with a legacy. He gives the Levites a Torah scroll written by him, to be kept in the Aron (Ark) of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). This Torah is accompanied by words of encouragement, there for his people to look back on when the going gets tough (as he warns them it will). He prepares them, like a parent preparing their child for their journey ahead, trying to equip them as well as possible for whatever the future may hold. A true leader, he warns his people of the dangers, yet reassures them of their strength, reminding them of God’s presence amongst them.
Secondly, he brings his successor on stage: Yehoshua bin Nun. The Gemara (Bava Batra 75) asks why Yehoshua was chosen to follow in Moshe’s footsteps. A beautiful answer, and a great insight into true leadership, can be found in the Midrash Raba on Bamidbar (21:15), where the Midrash explains that the reason Yehoshua stood out was that he set up the benches in the study hall before Moshe came to teach Torah. He was there early and left late. In doing so, he facilitated Moshe’s leadership. He was a conduit for Moshe’s role, thereby making Moshe the sun and Yehoshua the moon, as the Gemara states. Moshe gives over the crown to Yehoshua and speaks the encouraging words: “Chazak ve’ematz (be strong and resolute),” assuring Yehoshua that he’s got what it takes to lead the Jewish people.
In his final speech, Moshe shows a true understanding of his people. Reading it reminded me of the spark of leadership the Queen left us, up until her last moments. With her personal requests around the funeral, she showed her deep understanding of the nation, involving NHS workers and other key pillars upon which British society stands. These small decisions showed what she was really about: her people.
With the new leader being automatically appointed, our King is facing a road in which he will follow in the immeasurably large footsteps of his mother. Yehoshua showed us, however, that a true leader is one that can be a facilitator, a middle-man, there not for himself but merely in service of the people.
As we find ourselves in this period of transition, a national parashat Vayeilech, may the words of Moshe resound with us: chazak ve’ematz. Be strong and resolute.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
