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Seven Principles

of Leadership

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ל”צז

The call for shlichut is, in essence, a call for leadership. In this spirit, we reprint here an essay
first published by Rabbi Sacks in June 2012, on the fundamentals of Jewish leadership.

he phrase “Jewish leadership” is 2 challenge: to persuade the Egyptians to
ambiguous. It means leadership No one can lead alone let the Israelites go, and to persuade the
by Jews, but it also means lead- Israelites to take the risk of going. The
Tership in a Jewish way, according Seven times in Genesis 1, we hear the word latter turns out to be more difficult than
to Judaic principles and values. The first is tov, “good”. Only twice in the whole Torah the former.
common, the second rare. Throughout my does the phrase lo tov, “not good”, appear. Along the way, Moses performs signs and
life it has been a privilege to witness both. The first is when G-d says, “It is not good
So by way of saying thank you for the past for man to be alone.” The second is when wonders. Yet his greatest leadership act
occurs in the last month of his life. He
and giving blessings for the future, I have Yitro sees his son-in-law Moses leading
set out below seven of the many axioms of alone, and says, “What you are doing is gathers the people together on the bank
leadership done in a Jewish way. not good.” We cannot live alone. We cannot of the Jordan and delivers the speeches
lead alone. Leadership is teamsmanship. that constitute the book of Deuteronomy.
There he rises to the greatest heights of
1 Leadership begins with One corollary of this is that there is no one prophecy, his eyes turned to the furthest
horizon of the future. He tells the people
leadership style in Judaism. During the
taking responsibility
ers: Moses, Miriam and Aaron. Moses was
Promised Land. He gives them laws. He
Contrast the opening of Genesis with the wilderness years there were three lead- of the challenges they will face in the
opening of Exodus. The opening chapters close to G-d. Aaron was close to the people. sets forth his vision of a good society. He
of Genesis are about failures of respon- Miriam led the women and sustained her institutes principles, such as the septen-
sibility. Confronted by G-d with their two brothers. The Sages say it was in her nial national assembly at which the Torah
sin, Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the merit that there was water to drink in the was to be recited, that will periodically
serpent. Cain says, “Am I my brother’s desert. recall Israel to its mission.
keeper?” Even Noah, “righteous, perfect During the biblical era there were three Before you can lead, you must have a
in his generations,” has no effect on his different leadership roles: kings, priests, vision of the future and be able to com-
contemporaries. and prophets. The king was a political municate it to others.
By contrast, at the beginning of Exodus, leader. The priest was a religious leader.
Moses takes responsibility. When he The prophet was a visionary, a man or
sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he woman of ideals and ideas. So in Judaism 4 Leaders learn
intervenes. When he sees two Israelites leadership is an emergent property of mul-
fighting, he intervenes. In Midian, when tiple roles and perspectives. No one person
he sees shepherds abusing the daughters can lead the Jewish people. They study more than others. They read
of Yitro, he intervenes. Moses, an Israel- more than others. Of the king, the Torah
he did not. He is the supreme case of one 3 Leadership is about says that he must write his own Sefer
ite brought up as an Egyptian, could have
avoided each of these confrontations, yet
Torah which “must always be with him,
the future
life” (Deut. 17:19). Joshua, Moses’ successor,
who says: when I see wrong, if no one else Leadership is vision-driven. Before Moses and he shall read from it all the days of his
is prepared to act, I will. is commanded: “Keep this Book of the Law
can lead he has to experience a vision at
At the heart of Judaism are three beliefs the burning bush. There he is told his task: always on your lips; meditate on it day and
night” (Josh. 1:8).
about leadership: We are free. We are to lead the people from slavery to freedom.
responsible. And together we can change He has a destination: the land flowing Without constant study, leadership lacks
the world. with milk and honey. He is given a double direction and depth.

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