Note: In this essay I arrogate the privilege of arguing that leadership is not for old men, from the perch of a 78 year old (next month) relic, despite being – at least I convince myself – of peak mental acuity.

I. The forced retirement of Moshe – the case against gerontocracy

II. Yes, there is a link between the haftarah of Vaethanan and Shabbat Nahamu

III. Observing Shabbat takes work

The forced retirement of Moshe – the case against gerontocracy

God rebuffs and rebukes Moshe for his repeated requests to lead the Israelites into the Land of Israel. Yet Moshe does not seem to accept any responsibility for this seemingly cruel decision, going so far as to blame the Israelites for his misfortune.

וַיִּתְעַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה בִּי֙ לְמַ֣עַנְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֵלָ֑י וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֵלַי֙ רַב־לָ֔ךְ אַל־תּ֗וֹסֶף דַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלַ֛י ע֖וֹד בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃

But God was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. God said to me, “You have had enough! Do not speak to Me of this matter again! (3:26)

I would suggest a different translation here, namely; וַיִּתְעַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה בִּי֙ – and God passed over me – לְמַ֣עַנְכֶ֔ם – for your sake.

In other words Moshe acknowledges, perhaps grudgingly, that God has decided he is no longer the man for the job. That after forty plus years of leadership, the aged leader is no longer up to the task of energizing and guiding a nation as it invades, conquers and establishes itself in its new home. Fresh blood is needed. Younger blood … Men in their prime who are less rooted in nomadic ways, more technocrat and field marshal.

Hence the question is what to do with Moshe. After all, the Torah has no mandatory retirement age, nor does it offer any rules of succession during a leader’s lifetime. This would naturally lead the Israelites into a gerontocracy that can result in political, religious, economic and military sclerosis.

So what then would the Israelites do with an aged Moshe looking over the shoulder of the younger Yehoshua, second-guessing his every move?  What would Yehoshua do with his revered, but no longer able, mentor breathing down his neck? How would the Israelites handle the inevitable conflict of being torn between the desire for progress and the love and adoration for a relic from a different reality?

Thus Moshe accepts, albeit bitterly, the fact that he is being permanently sidelined for the sake of the Israelites, and not (only) because of any past missteps, be they his or those of the Children of Israel whom he prefers blaming.

Today we live in eerily parallel times, when the State of Israel is effectively paralyzed by not one, but two, gerontocracies. For this is true in both the haredi bubble and in the political seat of power.

The leading sage of the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)