Shabbat Acharey Mot-Kedoshim

Humility of the leaders

The seemingly boring rituals of the Tabernacle contain a tremendous amount of wisdom about human thinking and behaviour.

The first words of this week’s Torah portion, Aharei mot suggest that the following events are taking place right after the death of Nadab and Abihu. It is the direct continuation of the story of the inauguration of the Tabernacle.

A remarkable ritual is explained here. After the death of the sons of Aaron, he is commanded not to go into the Holy of Holies at any freely chosen time. When he can go there, a complicated ritual has to be performed. Later in this chapter it becomes clear that this happens on the Day of Atonement.

He first has to go in and present his own sacrifices, which will bring forgiveness for his own sins and the sins of his family. Moreover he has to perform and slaughter his own sacrifice before the animals of the people are sacrificed. This was the case also at the inauguration ceremony: the sin offering of the priests preceded the sin offering of the people. The leaders had to look at their own faults, and only then could they deal with the errors of the people. Self examination has to precede the criticism of the others.

Also in other texts, we can see the importance of the humility of the leaders. Aaron refused the eating of the sin offering of the nation during the inauguration. He had to perform it on the day of the death of his sons. It is fairly obvious why he did not have the appetite. But when Moses questions him about his behaviour, he answers: “Had I eaten the sin offering today, would the Eternal have approved?” (Lev. 10:20). By this, he affirmed that he declined to perform the eating ceremony not because of selfish reasons, but rather because of his feeling of unworthiness to release the people from their sins.

Moses, who is a role model for leaders in every generation, “…was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth.” (Num. 12:3)

It seems that leaders have to be careful with their self-image, being in a high position, as human equality is deeply embedded in Jewish tradition. The equal unworthiness of every person is declared also in the morning prayers: “For in your presence are not the powerful as nothing, the famous as if they had never existed, the learned as if without knowledge, the intelligent as if without insight?”

In parashat Kedoshim we can read: “Lo tisah f’nei dal v’lo tehdar p’nei gadol”,,“Do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich” (Lev. 19:15). I would paraphrase this sentence as: “do not respect someone for his power or his powerlessness”.
What is even more puzzling is the repeated usage of verb hadar some sentence later, where we are informed who should be respected. “Mipnei seiva takum, v’hadarta p’ne zaken”, “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old”  (Lev. 19:32). I grew up in a society, where the highest achievements in life are a good salary and a high position earned at a young age. Aging was the worst thing that happened to someone, increasing danger of losing a job and the respect of the society.

I would like to hope that the current economic crisis will lead to an opportunity for a change, not just economically but a change in human values. I firmly believe that for this goal we can find directions in our ancient texts.

Peter Radvansky
1 May 2009