The Dance of Leaders and Those They Lead

           Parshat B’shalach begins with Moses and Miriam literally singing and dancing for joy. The experience of crossing the Sea and the realization that people who were enslaved for 400 hundred years are now free inspires sheer euphoria. As leaders, Moses and Miriam help concretize this moment of transcendent awe for the whole people through the use of song and dance. We can imagine it cinematically, with the credits beginning to roll as our heroes dance into the sunset.

            Yet, reality sets in almost immediately. The people begin to complain: first for water, then for meat, even demanding to go back to Egypt! Thus begins the real test for Moses, Aaron, and Miriam’s leadership. Can they transform a people bound by the psychological shackles of slavery and dependence to a truly free people able to build a new society, be independent, and determine their own destiny? An effective leader must not only be able to celebrate and help define moments of triumph and success, but also needs to be able to move and guide their followers when the vision or dream seems out of reach.

            When asked which was harder: being a paratrooper and jumping out of an airplane, or being a rabbi, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren responded, “Well, when you jump out of a plane you lead people from the heavens to the earth, but as a rabbi you have to bring people from the earth up to the heavens.”  The challenge of leaders from the time of Moses to today, is whether they can bring us, in both good and hard times, to recognize the opportunities for growth and vision, while at the same time convincing us that hard work, sacrifice, patience and perseverance will enable us to reach our sacred goals. This is not a dance that is easy or without the risk of failure, yet when along the journey a victory can be had, then everyone can join together in celebration and song - “Ashira L’Adonai Ki Ga’oh Ga’ah! - I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!”