I suspect there would be no greater cliche than saying that the purpose of Schechter is to educate students to become Jewish leaders. Yes, part of our mission is to help shape Jewish students in such way that they feel confident to go out into the world and take hold of what needs fixing. At same time, an equally important part of our mission is to teach children the self-awareness of understand their own strengths and weaknesses to know when it is right for them step forward and be a leader.
Few parshiyot provide us greater opportunity to debate the nature of leadership than Parshat Noah. Our rabbis engage in extensive debate as to whether or not Noah should be seen as a righteous individual of historical significance, or merely the best option amidst a wicked generation. What I would like to suggest is that regardless of where we place Noah in the pantheon of leaders in the Torah, Noah’s leadership style can teach us something significant of about what it means to be a self-aware leader.
Regarding Noah, the Torah states, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his age; Noah walked with God” (Bereishit 6:9). Rashi’s commentary asserts that the statement “Noah walked with God” actually alludes to Noah’s spiritual deficiency, for Noah needed God’s guidance through episode of the flood, in contrast to Abraham, who could fulfill God’s mission independently. Rashi states:
“Noah walked with God”: “And regarding Abraham it says “Walk before God.” Noah needed support to bear him up, but Abraham would strengthen himself and walk in his righteousness on his own” (Rashi on Bereishit 6:9).
According to Rashi, Noah was a righteous figure, yet one whose personality required that God support him directly, as opposed to Abraham, who could walk “before God,” independently of God’s presence.
Upon a first reading, Rashi’s commentary appears to be yet another attempt to denigrate the leadership of Noah, assuming that Noah’s qualities would not place him in the pantheon of righteous individuals in the Torah. However, we can read Rashi’s commentary in a such a way so that we might identify how Noah’s personality represents a hidden brand of strength we too often overlook.
Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev writes in the Kedushat Levi that Noah’s need to walk “with God” is rooted in Noah’s humility that lead him to believe that he could only save himself and not others. Rabbi Levi Yitzhak states:
“There are two types of tzaddikim who serve the Creator: there is the tzaddik who serves God faithfully and believes that he has the power to direct the cosmos according to his will...There is another type of tzaddik who serves the blessed Creator but who is so very lowly in his own eyes that he thinks to himself, “Who am I that I should pray to annul the decree?,” and therefore does not pray to do so…
Now even though Noah was a great and blameless tzaddik, he was very small in his own eyes and did not have faith that he was a powerful tzaddik with the ability to annul the decree of the flood. In fact, he thought of himself as being equal to the rest of his generation. He said, “If I am to be saved in the ark, and I am no more righteous than the rest of this generation, they too will be saved.” Therefore, he did not pray to save the the people of his generation…” (Kedushat Levi on Bereishit 6:9).
For the Kedushat Levi, Noah could have walked independently of God, yet Noah took at humble stance when considering his place within the world in which he lived. Because Noah took that humble stance, he saw himself as no better than the rest of his wicked generation, stifling his willingness to put himself out on the limb and speak truth to others. While we might criticize Noah’s silence, the commentary of the Kedushat Levi can also teach us how Noah’s silence can remind us of the tension many of us experience when choosing whether or not to take a public stance that might be controversial. Regarding this, Rabbi Arthur Green writes:
“...there are times when we need to stand tall and take action because we have talent, power, or opportunity to make a difference. Whether or not we frame such expectations in miraculous terms, each of us has the potential to change reality in big and small ways. The question is whether we choose to stand up and act for the good, even while knowing that we may not succeed and that our actions will be imperfect” (Arthur Green, Ebn Leader, Ariel Evan Mayse, Or N. Rose, Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings from around the Maggid’s Table, Vol. 1, 90).
Criticizing Noah for not speaking up for his generation takes a far too simplistic approach to Noah’s character, for it was precisely Noah’s silence that reflected his style as a leader. While we might argue that a more aggressive approach could have been warranted, all of us can recognize how the tension experienced by Noah is reflective of the tension any emerging leader will experience.
At Schechter, our hope is that each student will ultimately develop their own leadership style, their own approach to tackling the challenges facing the Jewish Community and the entire world. Perhaps one child will be an Abraham, always willing to step forward and take charge, and perhaps another child will be a Noah, one whose strength lies within, but may not always know the right moment to take charge. No matter the person, each leadership type has a moment appropriate for that approach, and our challenge is to celebrate the Abrahams, the Noahs, and every other type of emerging leader who walks through our doors.
Shabbat Shalom!
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