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Parshat Shemot
2006
The Birth of Jewish Leadership
Shemot is about the birth of Jewish leadership, a type of leadership that may not have come to be if it hadn't been for one brave soul, Moses. This is a story that shows we can all be leaders, no matter how small we may be.
The story begins when Pharoah demanded that all baby girls could live but all boys must be thrown into the Nile River. Moses' mother made a decision to hide him for as long as she could. Finally, she bundled him tight and prepared him for a journey in a basket along the Nile.
One day, when the Pharaoh's daughter came down to wash, she saw the basket and sent her maid to retrieve it. And when she opened the basket, she discovered Moses. Miriam, Moses' sister who had followed the basket, asked if she should fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes," and Miriam returns with Moses' mother.
As Moses grew older, he began to become aware of problems arising for the Jewish people and took the first step toward becoming a leader of what is now a great nation. One day Moses saw a burning bush, but the fire was not consuming the bush. He was puzzled. This is the moment of truth: God appears to Moses at this moment and tells Moses that God had chosen Moses to be the leader of the Jewish people. God explains His plan to Moses and assured him that He will be with Moses as Moses executes the plan. Moses listened to what God had to say but was worried because he had trouble speaking and had little self-confidence. According to the torah commentator Rashi, Moses was so taken aback by God's suggestion that he, Moses, should be a leader that he asked God, "Of what importance am I to be speaking to kings?" God told Moses not to fear that even as a leader, he would never be alone. God promised him He would be there to guide Moses, and that his brother Aaron would also be by his side.
Since joining Hillel in September, I've been privileged to see a wide range of people work together in various forms of leadership. One great example came from the staff of the Schusterman International Center and the entire field, putting down their pens, pencils, cell phones and laptops and going down to New Orleans to help rebuild the area. I was amazed in reading about how universities in Israel stepped up by allowing Jewish students to enroll for the semester. I saw so many e-mails and heard from different people, all taking leadership roles. My own effort was in telling my friends and family about what Hillel was trying to do and thankfully, they donated to the efforts.
The Professional Staff Conference was another time where I witnessed great leadership, especially when seeing some of my own peers that I went to college with who have become leaders. Seeing the many JCSC fellows and directors come together as one amazed me and showed how we can truly work together
Each day, I learn that donors are leaders as well. The donors that we associate with every day are often leaders in their own communities besides what they do for us. Every day I become more amazed with the Jewish leadership here at Hillel.
Moses, the greatest Jewish leader of all, found himself in the right place at the right time for God to choose him for his task. Like Moses, we find ourselves in positions to do great things, but let us also remember that we are never alone. Let's all remember that we can lean on each other's shoulders just like Moses and Aaron and elevate each other to great places.
Prepared by Amy M Coleman, administrative assistant, Hillel's Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Center
Learn More
Additional commentaries and text studies on Parshat Shemot at MyJewishLearning.com.
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