Torah Commentary on Pinchas by Bettijane Eisenpreis

Parshah for July 26, 2024

Torah Commentary by Bettijane Eisenpreis

And he Lord answered Moses, “Single out Joshua son of Nun, an inspired man, and lay your hand upon him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission him in their sight. Invest him with some of your authority, so that the whole Israelite community shall obey. But he shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who shall on his behalf see the decision of the Urim before the Lord.”

Numbers 27:18-21

In the passage above, God is responding to Moses’ request that God appoint his (Moses’) successor, so that “the Lord’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”

The sages said of the Torah, “Turn it, and turn it again, for everything is in it.” True, God does not say to Moses, “You shall hold an election next Tuesday and all citizens over 18 shall vote.” But the Torah is greatly concerned with a fair and peaceful transition of leadership.

Why does Moses have to have a successor? Certainly he has been an inspired leader through all the wandering in the desert. God insists that Moses lost his right to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land when he struck the rock to get water from it, instead of simply touching it with his staff. This has always seemed like a harsh punishment to me. Perhaps God also felt that the time had come for new leadership. The generation that left Egypt was sentenced by God to wander in the desert until they had all died out and a new generation was ready to take up the reins. Moses was the most prominent of that generation. Did not he, of all people, need to be replaced?

But Moses was not so easily replaced. Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel’s secular leader, but he did not become their spiritual leader. God stipulates to Moses, “Invest him with some of your authority, so that the whole Israelite community may obey. But he shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who shall on his behalf seek the decision of the Urim before the Lord.”

The end of Deuteronomy states clearly: “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses.” It is clear that Moses was one of a kind. Following him, God did not want Israel to have an absolute leader whom they would obey unconditionally. Only God could be that leader.

In fact, Israel had not even obeyed Moses unconditionally. They kvetched and moaned, but as former slaves, they needed a strong leader while they learned how to be free people. After forty years in the wilderness, the next generation were more seasoned and ready to participate in their own governance.

The first President of the United States, George Washington, made it clear that he did not want to be a king. After two terms, he retired to Mount Vernon and passed the Presidency on to John Adams. As quoted previously, “Turn it, and turn it again, for everything is in it.” The Bible continues to amaze us with its relevance to our present lives.

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