EXOD76 Moses defended the people. Did he like them? Did he admire them? Was he liked by them? The Torah leaves us in no doubt as to the answers to those questions. Yet he defended them with all the passion and power at his disposal. Even when they had sinned. Even when they were ungrateful to God. Even when they made a Golden Calf. He risked his life to do so. He said to God: "And blot me out of the book You have written" (Exodus 32:32). According to the Talmud, God taught Moses this lesson at the very outset of his career. When Moses said about the people, "They will not believe in me" [this verse], God said, "They are the believers, children of believers, and in the end it will be you who does not believe" (Shabbat 97a). The leaders worthy of admiration are those who defend the people--even the non-Orthodox, even the secular, even those whose orthodoxies are a different shade from theirs. The people worthy of respect are those who give respect. Those who hate will be hated, those who look down on others will be looked down on, and those who condemn will be condemned. That is a basic principle of Judaism: midda keneged midda. The people who are great are those who help others to become great. Moses taught the Jewish people how to become great.