Pinchas & Aspirations

Through the desert, and the parchment, and the ages, Torah speaks to us clearly.  At once eternal and also precise, it blasts us with the voice of a shofar and whispers in our ear like a friend.  It is an ever-unfolding miracle, a rose revealing its mysteries to all who pause long enough to take a deep breath.

On my last Shabbat in Auckland, we read a description of the end of the Nazarite’s holy service in the portion Naso.  This week, as I take my place on Temple Emanuel’s bimah, we read Pinchas, including a description of new leadership.

Moses is reminded that he won’t enter The Land with the people, and he asks God to appoint a new leader for the community.  God names Joshua son of Nun, “an inspired leader,” to the role [Numbers 27:18].

What does it mean to be an inspired leader?  The Hebrew (“eish asher ruach bo”), just like the English, includes the idea of wind or spirit—a force that’s undeniable and yet intangible.  Moses has just called God “Source of the Breath/Ruach of All Flesh,” [Numbers 27:16] so it’s clear that the spirit isn’t generated within the leader, but rather by the Divine.  It’s something far greater than the leader, and that moves through him or her.  The inspired leader partakes of Inspiration well.

In my experience,

·         An inspired leader understands that she is not the source of all that’s worthy, but rather knows how to gather the ideas, energy, resources and contributions that can serve the community. 

·         An inspired leader makes sure everyone’s included.

·         An inspired leader stitches together a vision—or visions—for a community.  By sharing the vision and inviting others into it, he helps the community grow towards it.

·         An inspired leader asks good questions.

·         An inspired leader is able to see the macro and the micro, values the group’s needs and well as an individual’s, and holds them both at the same time. 

·         An inspired leader brings herself to the game, fulfilling the role and also being her fully-human self.

To be inspired, then, is to inspire:  to channel the flow of air and energy so that it catches the wings of others, helping them lift themselves to new heights.

Eloheinu v’elohei avoteinu v’imoteinu, Our God and God of our ancestors, Source of the Breath of All Flesh, be with me, please, as I become rabbi to this community.  Inspire me to become the rabbi I aspire to be.