moshe, true leadership
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

June 19, 2017, Israel

Moshe Rabeinu, Moses our teacher/rabbi. Only Moshe (Moses) has been merited with this lofty title, Our Teacher. Only he is known throughout the generations as "Our Teacher". 

He is regarded by our people as the ultimate leader, the man born to be the redeemer of the nation of Israel, the one to not only take us out of slavery and lead us to the Promised Land but also the one to give us the Law of Moses and to guide us throughout our long journey in the desert. Moshe our teacher is both our political and spiritual leader. He is regarded as our leader and teacher not only for the period of his lifetime, but also beyond, to this very day.

Moshe, the role model for all teachers is described as "the most humble of all men". 

"and the man Moshe was the most humble of any human that is upon the earth. " (Book of Numbers, Chapter 12, verse 3)

וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣ו מְאֹ֑ד מִכֹּל֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃

Being a leader is very very difficult. In Numbers chapter eleven, Moshe is ready to give up, he has had enough of this people; always complaining, nothing is good ever good enough, jealousy, challenges to his leadership, you simply can't please everyone.

I know this feeling all too well myself. 

Even Moshe has reached the point where he wants to give up, he just can't continue anymore. 

So God understands him and gives him 70 elders to help him with this impossible task of leadership. The Seventy are given temporary divine wisdom, "and I shall take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you." (Numbers, Chapter 11, verse 17)

"And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon him and gave it to the seventy elders. And it came to pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied but continued not." (i.e. when the spirit left them they stopped prophesizing).

"And there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other, Medad, and the spirit rested upon them. and they were of them that were written, and they did not leave the tent and they prophesied in the camp. And then a young man ran and told Moshe, and said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. And Yehoshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moshe from his youth, answered and said 'Sir, Moshe, have these men locked up! and Moshe said, 'Are you jealous on my behalf? And if only all of God's nation were prophets and that the Lord should put his spirit upon them." (Numbers, Chapter 11, Verses 25 - 29)

Let us learn from a true leader, a humble leader who does not lack confidence in himself.

Moshe says, Are you jealous on my behalf? You need not be. I am OK, I am secure in who I am, so someone else got a black belt, good for them, I hope everyone earns a black belt. I the entire nation becomes Krav Maga Black Belts. I am secure and confidant in who I am as a person, as a leader. Do not feel threatened on my  behalf. Only the insecure feel threatened. 

But what about us? How do we behave? are we so insecure that we cannot handle the success of someone else? Did someone earn a higher rank than us? or perhaps the same rank as us but we have decided that they did not deserve it? 

The martial arts are plagued by this. 

Why are we so insecure? 

Moshe, the true leader the ultimate leader, the one called "our teacher". He is still teaching us, 3,700 years later. He is teaching us how to live. So someone else earned a rank, a title, so what? Lock them up? No, be happy for them, say I wish everyone would earn a black belt, I am secure in who I am. I earned my ranks, I am not threatened by anyone else's achievements. A secure and confident person is not threatened by anyone else's achievements.

Moshe Rabeinu, Moshe our teacher, guide us in the path of true wisdom and humility, let us avoid unnecessary conflict, anger and jealousy. Let us search our hearts for the true path. And Moshe was the most humble of all men upon the earth...

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