Next in Line

The first intimations of the succession in Jewish leadership can be found in the Torah portion of Pinchas. The section begins with a description of the laws of inheritance, followed by God revealing to Moshe the locale of his eventual death. Moshe then addresses God (Bamidbar 27:15-17 ):

“(15) Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: (16) Let the Lord, the God of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, (17) who will go forth before them and come before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

We can first note the unusual situation of Moshe addressing God, rather than the “usual” God speaking to Moshe. The impetus certainly was intuitive. Moshe sensed his time as leader was coming to an end, thereby necessitating a discussion concerning succession. Rashi elaborates on the initiative:

“Let the Lord… appoint: When Moses heard that the Omnipresent told him to give Zelophehad’s inheritance to his daughters, he said, “It is time to ask for my own needs-that my son should inherit my high position.” The Holy One, blessed is He, said to him, That is not My intention, for Joshua deserves to be rewarded for his service, for he “would not depart from the tent” (Exod. 33:11). This is what Solomon meant when he said, “He who guards the fig tree eats its fruit” (Prov. 27:18).”

Per Rashi, the instructions concerning inheritance encouraged Moshe to speak his mind to God. What stands out about this exchange is the assumption Moshe had that his son would be the one to take over. It is hard to imagine Moshe was unaware that his greatest student, Yehoshua, was not the ideal candidate. How could Moshe have assumed his son should be anointed in his place? In contemplating the next leader, it would be natural to assume the only factor would be the traits of the next person in line. Yet the transitional process is one that can be quite traumatic, and a lack of familiarity with the next leader could produce a significant degree of insecurity among the people. Having his son inherit the role would be perceived as an extension of Moshe’s leadership, an important consideration due to the unique mission Moshe undertook. God responds to Moshe’s concern with an assurance it would be Yehoshua.

There is one other point here. Rashi focuses on the incident with the daughters of Tzlofchad and the subsequent laws of inheritance as that which nudged Moshe to approach God. Yet there was an additional recorded communication prior to Moshe’s address to God. God commands Moshe to ascend Har Avarim, the eventual place of his death. He reminds Moshe that due to his sin, there would be no future heading of the Jewish nation. One might assume, then, that the impetus for Moshe’s conversation with God concerning succession was due to his knowledge of his impending death. There is no better reason to discuss who will be taking over then the clear indication of Moshe’s death. And yet, Rashi chooses to focus on the laws of inheritance as being the drive.

The Torah could be pointing out how sensitive Moshe was to the fragile period involving his replacement. Moshe was known as the humblest of all humans, but that did not mean he had no sense of how important he was to the Jewish people. Moshe did not want his death to be viewed as a loss in leadership, with someone else trying to replace him or step into his shoes. The people would always characterize the next leader as attempting to live up to previous expectations. Rather, the focus should be on the process being natural, where the first phase of God’s plan was complete, and a new leader would step forward for the next phase. A “regular” succession, such as inheritance, would project a greater sense of independence in the future leader, a critical consideration for Moshe.

Moshe then describes the qualities of leadership he considered critical for the next in line. The final verse above can be divided into two. The first concerns the physical position of the leader (going out, coming in, etc.) while the second is a plea the Jewish people not be without a leader. The Sages, through the tools of Midrash, offer an elaboration of Moshe’s considerations. The first part is recast in the framework of a military leader. Often, a king would send his army into battle, while he remained behind in his palace. The Jewish leader needed to lead his people to and from battle, thereby being a constant presence. Often a king would begin with a formidable army, but sacrifice his troops as needed for the sake of victory (referring to leading them out and bringing them back in). Moshe wanted to ensure the next leader would not see his army as expendable. The Sages reframe the second part as well, as it would seem self-evident the Jewish people would be lost without a leader. Moshe questions God’s system of justice when taking the Jews out of Egypt. It would seem inconceivable for the plan to be that God would bring the Jews out of Egypt, they sin, and then God destroys them. Rather, the Jews would sin, and He would forgive them. The role of producing repentance would be up to the leader; thus, Moshe was focusing on the trait of the leader being a liaison to God.

While being a good military leader seems to be an important trait, why does Moshe treat this as essential? The same should be asked of beseeching God on behalf of the Jewish people when they sin. While no doubt this is important, does it need to be the primary focus?

Moshe was certainly emphasizing the critical facets required of his successor. In the first part, Moshe was focusing on how the leader needs to view himself relative to the people. Being the leader was a unique role, but one should not conclude the person was intrinsically different than the rest of the nation. The Jewish leader is required to view himself as part of the nation. It may seem simple and obvious, and yet so many leaders have ignored this dictum. Leading troops to battle reflects this trait. It was not just important for the next leader to make sure he saw himself as one of the people; he also needed to view each member of the nation as an individual. Treating every life as sacred, in contrast to the general who throws his troops in to be butchered, was critical to the success of Moshe’s successor. Every person had to sense the ability to forge a bond with the next leader.

Moshe’s analysis was not complete, as his successor needed to be well-versed in the ideas of Divine justice and God’s relationship with the Jewish nation. The next leader would carry the nation on his shoulders, and therefore needed to be worthy of being the ideal representative to God. To reach such a level was a supreme challenge, and Moshe understood only a unique individual could fit the role. Thus, Moshe is pointing to the dual role of the next leader. He would need to be both a part of the nation as well as their liaison with God.

Time was running out for Moshe, as made clear in this week’s Torah portion. He understood all too well the precarious situation, knowing how important the process of succession was to the future of the Jewish people. Once again, we are privy to witness the greatness of Moshe, emblematic in his devotion to ensuring all was set for the next step.