Rabbi's Derasha

This is the political scientist’s Parasha.  The Seforno identifies this as the Parasha of leadership.  We hear about four types of leaders: the judge, the Kohen, the prophet and the king.  

The judge’s job is to know the relevant law and to apply it fairly.  We’re told we have to support the Kohen so that he can maintain a level of Kedusha, or holiness.  The prophet is supposed to reel the nation in if it has lost its way.  And the King’s job is to supply a high level of executive function when it comes to things the nation would not be able to accomplish except at the national level.  The two most prominent of those projects is the prosecution of war and the building of the Beit HaMikdash.  The king must unite people in order to accomplish these national projects.

If we are looking for hints at the governing principles of the Hebrew Republic,  we see that there is supposed to be some kind of separation of powers.  The leaders are supposed to stay in their lanes.  It’s not a strict separation in all cases.  A Kohen can be a judge.  It is assumed that the Kohanim, as they are supported by everyone else, will accumulate knowledge and share it with others.  But there is a strong suggestion of separation in some cases.  The Kohanim are not supposed to be Kings, for example.

R’ Dukhovny spoke at Seuda Shlishit last week about the separation of powers as the explanation for one of the stickiest issues in trying to figure out whether the Torah prefers a monarchy or some kind of republic.  The Torah certainly accepts the monarchy in this week’s Parasha.  But there is a tension between the prophet Shmuel and the elders when they suggest the appointment of a king.  Why is the prophet so hesitant?  R’ Dukhovny cited the Ran’s opinion that the problem was not because the elders request a king but because they want a king who will also be a judge.  Now, a king can serve on a Beit Din.  That we know from the Gemora in Sanhedrin.  But they were looking for the King to be THE judge, as though he would be both the king and the supreme court.  There has to be at least that much separation of powers.

Some of this topic has to be left for a larger treatment.  Foremost, what we read today leaves it open whether the appointment of a king is an obligation or merely an option.  Both positions can be defended and figuring that out is part of the political philosophy lesson of the Parasha.  I want to tackle that on Tuesday night in Beit Midrash, especially because it relates to something very relevant to this time of year.  

But when we review this list of leaders at this point of the year, it becomes a useful rubric for all of us.  We all have at least something to do with these functions.  We have to carry them out with humility but it’s all there.  Every one of us has to dispense Torah at some level.  To family, to friends, sometimes to co-workers.  People sometimes shy away from this because they are worried that people will ask them questions they cannot answer.  But even “I don’t know” can be a thoughtful answer.  The Torah is supposed to be learned and shared.  

We all have a duty to try to pursue holiness as well.  We should hold ourselves to a standard when it comes to modesty, to refinement.  This is the holiness every Jew should strive to attain and to maintain.  

The prophets had to deliver difficult news sometimes.  Their job was to comfort the afflicted AND also periodically to afflict the comfortable.  But it was always in the service of bringing back to what people are supposed to do.  That’s why the section on the prophets in the Parasha invokes the scene at Har Sinai.  All prophecy evokes the ideal at Sinai.  Everyone has that role at times.  

Finally, there is the role of king.  The king unites everyone in pursuit of the big things that only a large and focused group can accomplish.  If we’re not the king, there is still the role we have to play in advancing the big projects.  That’s part of being a piece of a larger whole.  It helps when the leader is someone one wants to follow.  But there are projects that have to go forward regardless, and fitting in is part of understanding kingship.

This is a handy rubric of the roles that belong to all of us.  As we approach the beginning of the year, it’s a good way to start to think about what we need to be doing.