Are you familiar with the notion of managing up? It strikes me, reading this weeks’ parsha and reflecting upon many that have come before, that Moses is a middle manager positioned between a distant deity and an anxious multitude. In a managing up scenario, those in positions such as Moses’ try to influence their superiors’ leadership and management to meet the needs of their subordinates. In this week’s parsha, Pinchas, Moses uses a curious turn of phrase in referring to God; he calls God “God of the Breath of all Flesh.” Chasidic master Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev suggests that Moses uses this name in order to remind God of the unique challenges and differences required of those in human form.
Sometimes, God forgets that humanity is so very different from Godself. In this moment, Moses implores God to remember that humanity is a creation made of flesh and blood, mortal, limited, and to deal with us with compassion as such. It is a tender moment in which Moses gently reminds God of the peoples’ needs, while also encouraging God to remember that as creator, God in fact made us this way. In what ways do you find yourself positioned to offer leadership, be it in the workplace, family, or in your broader community? How might you utilize compassion to change the nature of the dynamics at play, as Moses does here?