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VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI
5766-2006
"Lessons of Leadership from the Resume of an Architect"
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald
In
the first of this week's two parashiot, parashat Vayakhel,
Moses selects the craftsmen who are to supervise the
building of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.
Exodus 35:30 reads: "Va'yomer Moshe el B'nay
Yisrael: R'ooh ka'rah Hashem b'shaym, Betzalel ben Uri
ben Chur, l'mah'tay Yehudah." Moses said to
the children of Israel:
See
that G-d has proclaimed by name, Bezalel the son of
Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He [G-d] has
filled him with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, insight
and knowledge, and with all manner of workmanship,
to weave designs, to work with gold, silver and copper,
stone-cutting for setting and woodcarving--to perform
every craft of skillful design. He [G-d] gave him
the ability to teach, both him and Oholiav the son
of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He [G-d] filled
them with wise hearts to do every craft of the carver...
In this statement the Torah clarifies why Bezalel and
Oholiav were chosen to serve as the chief craftsmen. Not
only were they rare talents, skilled in many varied and
challenging crafts, but they also had the unique ability
to teach these crafts to others.
The
commentaries and the Midrashim, however, explain that
Bezalel was not only chosen for his talents and his
ability to teach others, he was also chosen for his
pedigree, his so-called "yichus." That
is why the Torah not only lists him as the son of Uri,
but also as the grandson of Hur, and as a descendant
of the tribe of Judah.
Apparently,
the appointment of Bezalel was, in part, a reward from
the Al-mighty for the family
of Hur who was killed by
the worshipers of the Golden Calf when he attempted
to stop the people from defying G-d. The tribe of Judah
is mentioned as well because they sanctified the name
of G-d more than any other tribe by being the first
to jump in to the Red Sea when it split at the time
of the Exodus.
The
brief scriptural portion announcing the appointment
of Bezalel teaches a number of significant lessons regarding
leadership. Obviously, a competent leader must posses
the required talents, whether scholarship, oratorical
ability, artistic skills, or other skills that may be
needed at that moment. A second important criteria for
a leader is experience and devotion.
I
once asked the world famous glass-blower, Gianni Toso
(who is today an observant Jew), how long it took him
to blow a glass figurine. He answered, "An hour-and-a-half
and four hundred years!" The actual blowing takes
an hour, or an hour-and-a-half, but the skills that
are necessary to do so are an aggregate that he inherited
from his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather,
all renowned Venetian glass-blowers.
Bezalel
was not only the possessor of great skills, he was a
member of an extraordinary family known for their total
devotion to G-d and their legendary leadership of Israel.
As already noted, his grandfather, Hur, gave up his
life resisting the worshipers of the Golden Calf. His
great-grandfather, Nachshon, the Prince of the tribe
of Judah, was the first to jump into the sea before
it split.
The Talmud in tractate Berachot 55a, provides
us with an extraordinary insight about leadership:
Rabbi
Isaac said: A leader must not be appointed over a
community without the community first being consulted.
As it says, "See the Lord has called by name
Bezalel, the son of Uri." The Holy One, Blessed
be He, said to Moses: Do you consider Bezalel suitable?
He replied, Master of the Universe, if You think him
suitable, surely I must also! Said [G-d] to him: All
the same, go and consult them. He went and asked Israel:
Do you consider Bezalel suitable? They replied: If
the Holy One, Blessed be He, and you [Moses] consider
him suitable, surely we must as well.
The
Talmud, in effect, states that in addition to talents,
skills and family legacy, a leader must be one who has
superior interpersonal skills and a winning way with people.
The
Tashbetz (Rabbi Simon ben Tzemach Duran, 1361-1444, famous
decisor of Jewish law in Spain and Algiers), entry numbers
155 and 172, cited by the Torah Temimah (authored
by R' Baruch HaLevi Epstein, 1860-1941, of Pinsk, Belarus)
derives a significant legal implication from the above
quoted Talmudic statement. He states that a rabbi (judge)
or prince in Israel who has been appointed by the king
without the permission and consent of the community has
only limited authority in his judgements. Therefore, if
such a judge erred in judgement, he would have to pay
the aggrieved party for his losses. Whereas an expert
judge who is accepted by the community would not be liable
in the event of a legal error.
It
is rather interesting to note that none of the above
sources cite what are conventionally regarded as some
of the most important qualities for leadership–-a
sense of authority, strong-mindedness, and a willingness
to stand up to criticism. While it is true that Bezalel
was "only" an architect and not a temporal
leader such as a king or president, nevertheless, the
rabbinic sources derive from the description of Bezalel
the qualities necessary for temporal leadership.
Clearly,
the implication is that superior leadership does not
necessarily derive from power, from being strong-armed
or strong-minded, although those qualities may be necessary
in certain circumstances, but rather from the ability
to be acceptable to the community, and to master people
skills.
I
recently had occasion to see a recording of British
Prime Minister Tony Blair defend himself in the House
of Commons while debating various members of Parliament
regarding the environment and alternate fuel sources.
I was fascinated by the free-wheeling style of the British
Parliament, but was even more taken by the gifted manner
in which Prime Minister Blair defended himself. Besides
having what seemed to be encyclopedic knowledge of the
facts at his command, even on obscure issues, Blair
often invoked humor to disarm his opponents. In effect,
he charmed his audience into submission and acquiescence.
It was an amazing display of talent, which explains
why Tony Blair is the longest-serving Labour Party Prime
Minister in the history of England, despite facing some
of the greatest political challenges.
While
I doubt if Tony Blair is familiar with the statement
in the Babylonian Talmud underscoring the need for a
leader to be accepted by the community, it certainly
is reassuring to see how insightful this 2,000 year
Talmudic statement is, and how much it has to teach
us about contemporary life, despite its great antiquity.
May
you be blessed.
This
Shabbat, also known as Shabbat HaChodesh, is the last
of the four special Shabbatot that surround the holiday
of Purim. On this Shabbat a thematic Torah portion concerning
the new month of Nissan is read from Exodus 12:1-20.
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