Who Is a Leader? The issue of national leadership is grabbing headlines around the world. What better time for learning the Torahs view of leadership than this weeks Parsha ― which tells of Pharaoh and Moses leading their respective nations. Lets first look at Pharaoh. God sends one plague after another against the Egyptian people, trying to convince them to Let My people go. The water supply is ruined (blood), the animals die (pestilence) and the crops are destroyed (hail). The people themselves are subjected to lice, boils, darkness ― you name it. And as the months of plagues wear on, the Egyptian people become more and more convinced that it is in their best interest to let the Jews go! Everyone is convinced except Pharaoh. Why? Because for Pharaoh, this is not merely a pragmatic issue of saving the country. This has become a personal battle between himself and God. Pharaoh had spent years building up his image as an immortal god; he wasnt about to be upstaged by the God of those lowly Jewish slaves.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:45:02 +0000