Be Cause

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

Among the beloved articles in the Sanctuary was the menorah. The menorah was lit daily and represented the “Ner Tamid,” the eternal flame of the Jewish people. Interestingly, the command to donate oil to fuel the menorah is given twice, once in the Parsha of Titzaveh (Shimos 27:20), and again in this week’s Parsha, Emor (Vayikra 24:2). Why was it necessary to command the Jews twice to bring the oil?

The Ramban explains that the initial call for oil was answered by the Nesiim, the princes of the tribes. The Torah states, “The princes brought… and the oil for illumination.” (Shimos 35:27-28) But the oil that the princes donated had now run out. Hashem now instructed Moshe to issue the directive to the people that, moving forward, they should take this mitzva upon themselves, and donate the oil for the menorah.

This command, as the Ramban explains it, follows the same model that we see often in effective leadership. Initially, the leader forges the way with dedication and vision. But eventually it becomes apparent that the leader’s strength can take the organization, mission, task, or vision, only so far. It is at that time that the call goes out to “the people” to rally in support. If they add fuel to the fire, then continuity can be achieved.

Interestingly, the concept of a leader followed up by followers is not limited to good things. Many crusades, agendas, and “ism”s that we may now view as evil were made possible by followers supporting a leader whose cause was not worthy. The leader on his own could not have brought the movement any meaningful impact. Rather it was the supporters who made it possible. This was the case with Nazism and Communism, and is true in modern times in the case of ISIS, which has attracted a surprising number of youth from western countries.

What is unique about all cases of leadership and followers, both good and bad, is that the follower is not the leader who forges the new idea, or initiates it. Rather, the leader shows that courage. The follower has great energy, and when he or she chooses a cause, he or she allocates to it great strength and resources. In fact, it might be said that the difference between good and evil is not in dedication or commitment. For, it is possible that the followers of good and the followers of evil are equally dedicated and committed to their respective causes. The difference between them is the cause they choose to follow.

I am reminded of a story of a police officer who brought two lazy fellows into court on charges. When the first fellow was brought before the judge, the judge asked him, “Why are you here?” The fellow replied, “I was loitering.” The judge then turned to the second fellow and asked, “And why are you here?” The second fellow pointed to the first fellow and replied, “I was helping him.”

Both good causes and bad causes have leaders and followers. Not everyone is a leader in the boldest sense of the word, but all of us make critical decisions where to place our support and who to help. Picking good causes is an art that takes time, but is well worth the effort. Eventually, one will be asked why he or she picked the causes that he or she did. One hopes to be able to answer more than a thoughtless, “Because,” as in “Why not?” Hopefully, the answer will be that we invested in causes that fulfilled the mandate of Torah values, causes that represents benevolence and truth, as those are the causes that will live on to eternity.

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