NUM333 The essential reason for most quarrels is a basic human shortcoming: it is extremely difficult for people to accept opinions that differ from their own. Rabbeinu Asher writes, "Do not be unyielding, but rather, bend your will for the sake of others (Orchos Chaim). This quality is exemplified by Rachel Imeinu, who informed her sister Leah of the secret signs that Yaakov will use in order to identify his chosen wife Rachel (as Jacob suspected that Leah might exchange Leah for Rachel.) By doing this, she saved Leah from shame and embarrassment, but lost her chosen fiancé (Derech Eretz Zuta, ch. 1). Everyone is Different. The inherent obstacle in putting this concept into practice is that values and opinions vary from one individual to the next; as the Sages say, "People's opinions are as diverse as their facial features" (Midrash Rabbah, Bamidbar 21:2). Moshe Rabbeinu attached enormous importance to the quality of leaders being understanding of people, as expressed in the verse, "May Hashem, the "God of all spirits and of all flesh, appoint a person to lead the congregation" [this verse]. The Midrash explains that Moshe prayed that his successor be endowed with the ability to understand and tolerate each Jew's personality (Tanchuma, parashas Pinchas). Yalkut Shimoni offers a similar interpretation, explaining that Moshe prayed that his successor's soul be large enough to accommodate the different personalities of six hundred thousand souls, a quality he deemed essential for the future leader of the Jewish people. (This quality will also be shared by the Moshiach.). The Rashba explains that the reason why the Sages stressed that "people's opinions differ" is in order to emphasize one's obligation to accept opinions that differ from one's own.

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NUM334 A righteous person will keep the welfare of others uppermost in his mind even before he dies. As soon as Moshe was told that he would die, he asked God to appoint a new leader. Rashi cites the Sifre which explains that the Torah wants to emphasize the praiseworthiness of Moshe. Even when he was about to depart from the world, his concern was for the needs of the community.

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NUM335 A true leader is one who deals with each person individually. When Moshe was told that he was about to die, he said to God, "You know that the mind of one individual is not similar to that of another. Appoint a leader over the congregation who will be able to deal with every individual according to his mind." (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:15 cited by Rashi). While a public speaker might play a major role in influencing others, he is not a true leader. A true leader is one who understands every person individually and deals with each one accordingly. (Rabbi Chayim Smuelevitz) ... The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:2) to this verse states the following adage: "Just as the facial features of people are different, so too are their faculties of thought." For this reason Moshe requested that God choose a leader who would be capable of dealing with every person according to his individual mentality. Feuds and fights are begun by differences of opinion and the lack of tolerance for the other fellow's views. Rav Mendel Kotzker offered guidance in avoiding this trap with this comment on the above Midrash. No one is ever disturbed by the fact that others do not have an exact replica of his facial features. In fact, variety and individuality have a host of benefits. In the same vein, we should accept that no two people ever agree on all matters. (Emes MaiKotzk Titzmach, p. 130).

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NUM336 Law is about universals, principles that apply in all places and times: Do not murder. Do not rob. Do not steal. Do not lie. Yet there are important features of the moral life that are not universal at all. They have to do with specific circumstances and the way we respond to them. What is it to be a good husband or wife, a good parent, a good teacher, a good friend? What is it to be a great leader, or follower, or a member of a team? When is it right to praise, and when is it appropriate to say, "You could have done better"? There are aspects of the moral life that cannot be reduced to rules of conduct, because what matters is not only what we do, but the way in which we do it: with humility or gentleness or sensitivity or tact. Morality is about persons, and no two persons are alike. When Moses asked God to appoint a successor, he began his request with the words, "Lord, God of the spirits of all flesh" [this verse]. On this the rabbis commented: what Moses was saying was that because each person is different, he asked God to appoint a leader who would relate to each individual as an individual, knowing that what is helpful to one person may be harmful to another (Sifrei Zuta, Midrash Tanhuma, and Rashi to Numbers ad loc). This ability to judge the right response to the right person at the right time is a feature not only of leadership, but of human goodness in general.

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NUM337 A Jewish leader is expected to be at the forefront of the battle. Rashi cites the Sifre which states that the leader should not be one who will behave in the manner of kings who remain in their homes and send their armies to war. A Jewish leader is expected to emulate Moshe who personally led the people in their war against Sichon and Og. The Sifre notes that Yehoshua and King David also led the people in war. Leadership should not be considered a means of attaining honor from the people. Leadership is both an obligation and a burden. The above-mentioned principle also applies to spiritual battles facing the Jewish people. To be considered a true Jewish leader, one must lead the war against ignorance of Torah which breeds assimilation and intermarriage.

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NUM338 See [[NUM341]] Numbers 27:23 hands BOROJMV 96-7

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NUM339 [Regarding] an anomaly in the Torah when the Ten Commandments were given [, w]hen God spoke to the Jewish people, each person heard the same message from God, but in a distinctive manner. That is why the first commandment of the Ten Commandments is stated in the singular, says the Midrash (Midrash, Pesikta Derav Kehana 12:27). Every person learns in a individual way and hears the Torah messages in a manner appropriate for him or her. And because every human being is distinguishable from others, each prophet, charged with delivering essentially the same message from God to the people, delivered it in his or her inimitable way (Sanhedrin 89a). Everyone has his or her "style," and people must be tolerant of those whose "style" differs from theirs. Moses, the leader of the Jewish people, learned this truth through forty years of leading the Jewish people. This is the reason that when Moses was about to die, he asked God to appoint a leader to succeed him who had the capacity to understand that each Jew requires a different type of leadership, depending on his or her temperament. When God chose Joshua, He made sure to inform Moses that the new leader indeed had this quality of understanding each person according to his or her specific needs. (Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:2; Rashi commentary on Numbers 27:18). In keeping with this perspective on the nature of human beings, the Mishna states that one of the most amazing aspects of man's creation is that there are many characteristics of the human being which are common to every person, but at the same time, there are features that make each individual unlike any other person created before or to be thereafter (Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5). Thus, some aspects of human kind unite all people, while there exist to be other components of the human make up that allow each person to remain different and special. The Rabbis understood this, so that even when they enacted laws, they understood that some people would not be able to keep these edicts. As long as most, but not all, of the Jewish people would keep them, an edict was enacted. (Bava Batra 60b; Maimonides, Hilchot Mamrim 2:5).

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NUM340 We must do what we can to increase the influence of Torah leaders. Rashi comments: Appoint a meturgaman (a man to announce the laws loudly) for Yehoshua so that he shall expound the Law during your lifetime; so that people shall not say concerning him," he was not able to lift his head during the days of Moshe." From here we see that a person should do all he can to strengthen the power of Torah leadership. If members of the synagogue who are scholars themselves will attend the Torah lectures of the Rabbi, it will serve as a lesson to the layman that they also may gain by attending.

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NUM341 According to rabbinic tradition, Moses exemplifies the tov ayin, the person whose acts are prompted by a "good eye." A story from the midrashic collection, Numbers Rabbah, points out that Moses generously accepts Joshua as his successor in leadership, never an easy task: "Adonai said to Moses, 'Single out Joshua, the son of Nun, a man who has spirit in him, and place your hand [sic] on him' [Numbers 27:18). But Moses responds with such nedivut that 'he placed both his hands on Joshua' [this verse] (Num. R. 21:15). So too, R. Yose b. R. Hanina teaches: "The Torah was originally given only to Moses and his descendants. But Moses generously shared it with all Israel. Thus the Bible refers to Moses when it says: 'He that has a generous eye shall be blessed' [Proverbs 22:9]" (Ned. 38a). Few of us will have the chance to emulate such extraordinary netivut; however, Yehiel b. Yekutiel provides us with an example of a tov ayin in more routine circumstances: "If a mitzvah presents itself, [such a person] summons his resources so that he may do it with a good eye, specifically including the humility not to do it for the sake of receiving a reward (and therefore being proud in his heart), or making a show of his merit before others" (Sefer Maalot Hamiddot). In other words, a person with a "good eye" recognizes the opportunity to do a good deed as soon as it appears, and then matter-of-factly acts on it.

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NUM342 See [[NUM152]] Numbers 15:2 speak OXFORD 13-4

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