No Leader is an Island
In this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, the recounting of the revelation of the 10 Commandments and Matan Torah/The Giving of the Torah more broadly often obscures an equally critical element. The portion fittingly bears the name of Moses’ father-in-law Yitro/Jethro, a Midianite Priest, for he shares with Moses’ sage counsel on leadership with wider implications for the Torah’s impact on the community.
Jethro observes Moses adjudicating all disputes amongst the people, from the most mundane to the most serious. Jethro admonishes Moses that such a process will exhaust both him and the people. But more critically, physical and emotional fatigue endangers the integrity of just rulings, which are even more significant when rooted in divine revelation. Jethro suggests that Moses delegate to a system of judges to supervise lower-level conflicts, saving the most important decisions for Moses himself. Without Jethro’s direction borne of his experience as a tribal leader, the Torah would not have been as well implemented as a blueprint for moral and spiritual guidance and inspiration.
In an era in which conspicuous leaders claim that “I alone can do it,” this timeless wisdom reminds us that collaboration and consensus are the ultimate foundation of a community’s best course.