What does leadership look like? Why is our community struggling to find people willing to step up and take action to strengthen Jewish life? What is holding us back from stepping forward at a time when the Jewish people are so desperate for leaders?
The answer lies in this week's Torah portion Beshalach. There, we learn how Moshe split the Red Sea and led the Jewish people through on dry land. Subsequently, Moshe began singing, and the Jewish people responded in kind. Moshe was many things over his years as the leader of the Bnei Yisroel, teacher, guide, judge, ruler, and yes, even singer-songwriter. How could Moshe manage so many different roles? To answer this, we must look at the first moment G-d called him to lead. Hashem asked Moshe to communicate with Pharoah, and Moshe was reticent to do so because he lacked the necessary enunciation skills due to his difficulty speaking. G-d told him, Moshe, don't worry, I will support you throughout, and you will succeed. You only need to step forward and do all in your power, and I will get the rest done. Moshe was trained to understand that his role was to serve the Jewish people; however, G-d deemed it necessary, and in turn, Hashem empowered him to be successful.
We, too, must understand that our job isn't to know how everything will play out; we must only embrace the opportunities that perfectly suit us. If G-d has placed us in a position to be of service to our community and to our people, then we must possess the skills to succeed even if we don't see them. Our job isn't to understand precisely how. Our job is to say yes and let G-d lead the way.
Mission: This week, when a moment presents itself for you to do something positive and make a difference in your community, don't pause to consider if you're the perfect person for the job; just do it!