Why Today’s Leaders Fail: Va’etchanan

elected politicians mostly dictate to their populace. ideological driven politicians take their time in office to engage in radical totalitarianism. with either of these “do it because i said so” is often heard. in the most shocking moment, one politician admitted “congress “[has] to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.”

the torah portion va’etchanan shares the moment a great leader became an eternal leader. in moses final speech to the children of israel, he declares “and now, o israel, hearken to the statutes and to the judgments which i teach you to do, in order that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the lord, god of your forefathers, is giving you.”

moses’ leadership was about education and purpose. laws should not only have a goal but should should enable people to live in a society. likewise, laws, if they truly are meant to assist individuals, must be known by the populace.

moses’ influence as an educator cannot be underestimated. his commitment implied that those who would follow his leadership would also bear this obligation. this commitment’s testament is that thousands of years after his speech, throughout the entire world, rabbis and other educations continue to to teach about the statutes and judgments which moses delivered to them. in doing so, students- future citizenry- appreciate the meaning, purpose and understanding as to why we have laws and how to follow them. for example, while charitable acts are required in the torah, the concept requires further development for proper application. the reality is that most people don’t have fields of produce upon which they can leave corners to be harvested for those in need. as such, teacher, showing leadership, have expoused upon the concept.

in contrast, american politicians rarely articulate the fundamentals of the united states’ democratic republic. concepts such as federalism are unknown to most of the populace. first amendment principals are so poorly understood that politicians and their administrators, rather than protecting these principles, feel comfortable violating them with a self of impunity. to them, free speech, other than their own, is to be censored. in california, freedom of religion, under covid-19, wasn tantamount to freedom from religion. government powers targeted disenfranchise churches, synagogues and mosques.

in sum, moses’ legendary humbleness included this willingness to pass down his knowledge to others. his brilliance has led to assemblies of well educated leaders. these leaders, of course, are smart and humble enough, to always point back to the individual who sparked the everlasting flame of torah scholarship.

be well!!

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