A True Leader
The 7th of Adar is the birthday and yartzeit of the greatest Jewish leader of all time, Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher).
Our Sages compare the conduct of three righteous men: Noah, Abraham and Moses. Noah was completely righteous, yet did little to influence the behavior of the people around him. Abraham, by contrast, was focused outward and spread the knowledge of G-d wherever he went. But Moses embodied the true paradigm of Jewish leadership, going beyond all others in his commitment and bond with the Jewish people.
As Rashi notes, "Moses is Israel, and Israel is Moses." Moses was so thoroughly identified with the Jewish people that however deep his connection was with the Torah, his connection to the Jewish people was deeper. When G-d told Moses He wanted to destroy the Jews because of the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses was willing to sacrifice his very soul. "If you would, forgive their sin," he replied to G-d. "And if not, please obliterate me from the book You have written." Moses' connection to all Jews, regardless of their conduct, stemmed from the essence of his being, and connected with the innermost being of every single individual. By serving as a "shepherd of faith," Moses sustained and nurtured the Jewish people's faith in G-d, prompting the expression of the essential bond all Jews share with the Infinite.
In the thousands of years since, every generation has had its own "Moses," whose role is to act as an "extension of Moshe Rabbeinu" by infusing the Jewish people with a yearning for the Redemption and a sincere longing for Moshiach. When the essential connection we share with G-d and with each other is aroused, Redemption is the natural result. May each and every one of us live up to our potential, and together reach that ultimate goal immediately.
