Leadership.
As we all know from the Passover story, the Jews were suffering through Egyptian slavery, forced to do backbreaking labor, with no end in sight.
The Midrash tells us the story of how Moshe (Moses) was chosen to lead the Jewish people to freedom.
At the time, he was a shepherd in the land of Midian, when one day one of his sheep ran away. Moshe chased after the sheep until it came to a stream, where the parched lamb drank until its thirst had been quenched.
Moshe thought to himself "I hadn't realized that it had run off because it was so thirsty. Now it must certainly be exhausted from the trip". Moshe proceeded to pick up the lamb, cradling it in his arms and carrying it all the way back to the flock.
It was this compassion that Moshe displayed towards an individual animal that caused G-d to choose him to be the leader of the Jewish People.
Moshe was the quintessential leader, sensitive and caring to the needs of every one of his flock. Recognizing that the sheep who separated from the group did so not for any negative reason, but because it was merely thirsty. It had a unique need to address.
(In Wednesday's Torah Studies we also discussed Moshe's exemplary gratitude for everyone and everything that occurred to him).
We hope and pray that the leader of our nation, as well as anyone who is in a position of leadership, follow Moshe's example; showing compassion, care, and love for every single individual living in our great country.
But of course, there's a message in it for us. Each of us has a spark of Moshe, that leadership quality within us. Each of us has our circle of family, friends, students, colleagues and neighbors with whom we have some measure of influence. Let us each be the true leader we can be, showing genuine sensitivity, tolerance, care and love for each other, no matter how far that individual might have strayed from where we think they ought to be.
May G-d bless the UNITED States of America!
Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Dovid Bush
ב"ה