On the Jewish liturgical calendar, we are reading our way through the Book of Exodus.
There are many styles of leadership illustrated in Exodus. We see examples of power and might with Pharaoh and God. Pharaoh, whose heart was hardened, thought he knew just what to do and wouldn’t listen to his advisors. He tried to trump one set of magic acts over another and used his power to oppress. Moses, filled with righteous indignation over how the Israelites were treated, was a reluctant leader. First, he ran away, then questioned whether he could be a leader, and took his brother, Aaron, with him. Aaron was a great communicator, putting into words what Moses was trying to say. Moses negotiates with Pharaoh, and then, later, with God, to rescue his people.
We see Jethro, a Midianite priest and Moses’ father in law, teach Moses that Moses cannot do it all alone—that he needed help. We see Jethro teach how to delegate. We see Zipporah, Moses’ wife, jump into action to circumcise her son. We see Nachson ben Aminidav have enough faith to wade into the Sea of Reeds, thus allowing it to part.
We see other leaders too—women, all of whom are named, and who bring a different flavor to leadership. We see the quiet courage of Shifra and Puah, the Hebrew midwives, who rescued baby boys from certain death. We see Miriam who followed Moses’s basket and volunteered his mother, Yocheved, to be his nursemaid. Later Miriam led the women with her timbrel in joy and celebration. Who knew that, when they packed so hastily, they should take their instruments with them because there would be something to celebrate! Still later, she openly spoke her mind and protested against something Moses was doing. We saw Pharaoh’s daughter, willing to risk adopting a Hebrew boy and making Moses her own.
Throughout Exodus, these all of leaders can be seen exhibiting real emotions. Positive ones, like love, patience, joy, and relief. Negative ones, like fear, exhaustion, stubbornness, even anger.
So what? What does this have to teach us? I think it shows us that there is more than one kind of leader and one kind of leadership style. The Guide for Junior Girl Scouts, 1994, identifies several types of leaders.
A Director gives very good direction and makes sure that everyone does his or her job. A Director makes certain that the rules are clear. In Exodus, Moses is a director by making sure that everyone understands the 10 Commandments and follows them.
A Coach uses a style that provides both direction and supervision but encourages the involvement of everyone. A coach will explain the work that lies ahead, discuss decisions and answer questions. Jethro acts as a coach to Moses. Miriam may fulfill this when she is leading the women. It represents a more collaborative style than traditional hierarchical, top down model of leadership so familiar to many of us.
A supporter works with other members of the group to set goals and lists the steps to achieve the goals. A supporter encourages everyone to make decisions and gives each member the help they need. Perhaps, we see this most with Aaron supporting the Israelites quest to build a golden calf. It may have been misplaced leadership and not the right thing to do, but it was an effective style.
A delegator gives everyone a share of the work. A delegator allows everyone the chance to make decisions and take on as much responsibility as they can handle. Under Jethro’s tutelage, we see Moses become a delegator, when the Israelites build the tabernacle in the wilderness.
Why is the tabernacle so important that chapter after chapter is dedicated to its exacting description? The beauty is that everyone has something to contribute to the building, and Moses designates a chief architect, Bezalel, to help bring all of the people’s gifts together. That is remarkable, that everyone contributed to building the tabernacle, that everyone has gifts. That is true of us today as well. Frederic Buechner, a Protestant theologian, said that our challenge is to identify what God calls us to do. He said that “The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Wishful Thinking). While the Bible is filled with examples of prophets, including Moses being called, Jews don’t talk about it much. This text demands us to pay attention, to think about what kind of leader we each are and what role we can play.
Every person has gifts to offer. We just passed the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F Kennedy who famously asked, “Ask not what the country can do for you, but you can do for the country.” Pirke Avot says that “Ours is not to finish the task, neither are we free to ignore it.”
None of us can be Moses or Miriam, Shifra, or Puah, Nachson ben Amindav or Bezalel. All of us have a role to play. Once toward the end of his life the great Hasidic leader, Zusia, was asked by his followers what he feared the most. He said that he had learned that: “I will not be asked, ‘Why were you not Moses, leading your people out of slavery? Why were you not Joshua leading your people to the Promised Land?’ Instead I will be asked ‘Why were you not Zusia?’”
This sermon appeared in the Chelmsford Independent on January 27, 2011