By Barack Obama Mandela.
As a member of the World Jewish Congress, I have often thought about the future of Jewish leadership. I also wonder what Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump can learn from the history of Jewish leadership.
What does the phrase “Jewish leadership” mean? In summary, it means leadership by Jewish people. However, in a more profound sense, it means leadership according to Jewish values and in a distinctly Jewish manner.
Within the Jewish Bible there are many examples of leadership. In the book of Genesis we see the leadership styles of Adam (the first human being) and Noah.
In the case of Adam we see an example of misguided leadership that does not accept responsibility. Upon eating the forbidden fruit Adam blames Eve for the transgression. Then Eve herself also does not accept responsibility; she blames the serpent.
Neither Adam nor Eve is willing to stand up and say, “Yes, I take complete responsibility for eating the fruit, and I am sorry for doing so”. If they had taken responsibility, then perhaps God would have diminished their divinely-ordained punishment.
Noah, on the other hand, has a different style of leadership. When God commands him to build the ark, Noah follows God’s precise instructions for constructing the vessel. This is an example of leadership because Noah directs the building of the ark. In addition, Noah successfully convinces his immediate family to join him in the ark. He also spearheads organization to bring animals into the large ship.
In one way, Noah’s leadership is lacking in that he failed to convince his fellow human beings to change their wicked ways and join him inside the ark. Noah had a precise leadership rather than a convincing leadership style. Therefore, Noah’s leadership style is not ideal.
In the book of Exodus we are introduced to the strong and self-sacrificing leadership of Moses. Raised as a prince in the royal Egyptian family he has the opportunity to live a highly affluent lifestyle within the confines of a posh and elegant palace. However, Moses makes the self-sacrificial decision to personally identify with his Hebrew sisters and brothers. His identification with the Hebrews precedes his leadership of the Hebrews.
Moses is known in the Hebrew language as—Moshe Rabbeinu (Our Rabbi)—is also a visionary leader. After the revelation for God Almighty, Moses is led by a vision of confronting the powerful Pharaoh to demand the liberation of his enslaved community. This is an example of visionary leadership. In our contemporary modern world it is important to have visionary and forward-looking leadership.
In many ways, Moses wears a threefold crown of leadership: He serves as priest, prophet, and king. When he mediates between God and the Hebrew nation, he is acting in the role of a priest (although not a Cohen). When he describes the future Land of Israel, he is acting in the role of prophet. When he judges and leads the people, he assumes the role of king. Modernly, Jewish leaders must assume mantles of leadership equivalent to the scriptural roles of priest, prophet, and king.
The example of Moses demonstrates that a leader can also play the role of manager. On some occasions Moses manages the Hebrews such as when they complain in the wilderness. On the other hand, he acts as a serene leader when his provides the Hebrews with a nation-creating set of Torah laws.
Just as Moses led the Hebrews in the past, Jewish leaders must also lead in this manner in our times? These are the keys to success for our Jewish leaders. Moses’s leadership serves as an example for the Jewish leaders of our era
