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A leader, like a shepherd, must not be remote but must take an active role in guiding the community. Lessons for Today
Moses spoke to the Eternal, saying, “Let the Eternal, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that the Eternal’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.” And the Eternal answered Moses, “Single out Joshua son of Nun, an inspired man, and lay your hand upon him.” (Numbers 27:15-18)
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The Hebrew phrase ruach, translated above as, “an inspired man” is literally, “a man in whom there is spirit.” Rashi explains the meaning of the phrase this way:
“just as you have asked, a person in whom there is the spirit of God, so that he knows how to approach each person according to his own spirit.”
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Sforno describes “a man in whom there is ruach” as “one who is prepared to receive the light of the living king’s countenance (based on an understanding from Proverbs 16:15), similar to ‘And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom’ (Exodus 31:6)”. Sforno quotes the text on Exodus following a discussion in the Talmud (Berachot 55a) where Rabbi Abbahu states, based on Exodus 31:6, “The Holy One of Blessing gives wisdom only to one who already has wisdom.” Sforno applies to Joshua the understanding that God’s light and inspiration demands a vessel which is worthy and capable of receiving it. That is why God assures Moses that Joshua is indeed such a man - one in whom there is already spirit, and therefore he will be able to receive additional spirit and wisdom.
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At this point in our story, Moses has been told that he will not be allowed to enter into the Promised Land, and that the end of his days is rapidly approaching. After forty long and arduous years as the leader of the Israelite people, and despite the fact that the journey from Egypt to the Land of Israel has not been an easy one, Moses is still very concerned about the welfare of his people. So Moses makes a request to God: appoint a new leader for the people, a hands-on leader; a leader who will know the people and be concerned about them and get involved with them on a very intimate level. Moses wants his successor to be someone who will truly care about the people.
In response to his plea, God identities Joshua, Moses’s right-hand man, as the appropriate new leader. God describes Joshua as a “man in whom there is ruach - “spirit” or “inspiration” . This spirit is usual understood to be the spirit of God, one who has special gifts or talents, but also one who maintains a true relationship with God. It is a matter of the right man for the right job, and, in this case, the right man to lead the people into the Promised Land is Joshua.
So what are these gifts or talents that Joshua possesses to head up the Israelite people as the commence on this new chapter in their story?
Rashi, following on the Tanhuma (4th century midrashic collection), suggests that Joshua’s distinct quality is that he knows how to approach each individual according to their own spirit. According to the midrash, Moses urged God to appoint a leader that was able to relate to every Israelite - even those with whom he disagreed. Joshua was chosen because he was a man who had been active in many ways throughout the arduous journey. He knew the people well - where they had come from (he was one of only a few who left Egypt and was allowed into the Promised Land) and he knew with eyes wide open where they were going. Joshua possessed many of the same qualities that made Moses great, but also developed into very much his own man. Joshua was known as one who worked for and, perhaps more importantly, with the community. He was a guy who got things done. Joshua was a man of God, but also, as a leader, he was a man of the people,
Lessons for Today
This is the mark of a true leader. A leader, to be great, must be able to relate to the community in all of its diversity. By knowing well his people, the differences in their attitudes and abilities, and the range of their needs and desires, Joshua could lead them. His gift was the ability to communicate to each person where they were at, so that each person could understand. As the one charged with conquering the land and building a new nation, it was imperative that Joshua have all the people on side.
But, as we learn from Midrash Numbers Rabbah, Joshua not only related to the people, he was willing to get involved: "Part of the new leader's greatness lay in his willingness to perform any, even menial, tasks. He would petition forcefully for the needs of the community." (Numbers Rabbah 21:14).
And from another midrash (Sefer Aggadah 101:134) we learn:
(The Eternal chose) "Joshua, the son of Nun"... to be the new leader.... (saying) "You know how long Joshua has served you, how much honour he accorded you, how he came early and stayed late in your meeting place, arranging benches and spreading mats."
Great leaders relate to the people where they are at, and they pitch in and help. As a colleague of mine recently reminded me, Golda Meir, one of Israel's most famous and revered Prime Ministers, often held her late night cabinet meetings in her home, around her kitchen table. There, while they all discussed national policy and matters of state, she served coffee and food, making sure everyone was comfortable and well cared for. She, like Joshua, a great builder of a nation and a defender of Israel’s right to the land, concerned herself with her people on all levels. The Torah instructs us that a great leader must be with the people, leading them in daily ways, as well as leading during the difficult and perplexing times. A leader, like a shepherd, must not be remote but must take an active role in guiding the community. The leader must be sure, "that Eternal's community... not be like sheep that have no shepherd" (Numbers 27:17).
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