Rabbi's Message
Some Thoughts on Independence Day
As we observe the famous Moses in Scripture, at the end of his life, we might be prone to lament: "Poor guy!" After all, he trudged with his followers for 40 years through the desert - putting up with complaining, rebellion, heat, and hunger - only to be denied entry into the Promised Land. Why?
Actually, it goes back to an incident in the wilderness, lacking water, and Moses' abrogation of God's instruction to speak to the rock from which water would come. "And Moses said to the assembly: 'Hear now you rebels! are we to bring you forth water from this rock?' ... And Moses smote the rock and water came forth."
Interestingly, the ancient Rabbinic commentators stress a far greater transgression of Moses than simply hitting a stone. It involved the very nature of leadership. In the outburst "you rebels!," Moses downgraded his flock as lower than himself. On the contrary, a leader must identify with his/her people and empathize with them. Thus, Moses' stewardship was no longer effective, and he was severely penalized.
At this time of year as we prepare to observe American Independence Day, we think of the many leaders with which our nation has been blessed. True, our political leaders have come from all different walks-of-life. However, we have an amazing phenomenon - certainly contrasting with the monarchal dynasties of so many nations - where many of our leaders came from humble origins, which helped them identify so much with their constituents.
In this regard, I think of such personalities as Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and especially Harry Truman. Yes, I believe that nearly three-quarters of century later, people of different parties look back at President Truman as a good man, feeling that his background as a simple haberdasher in Missouri helped him relate to ordinary Americans on their level, not speaking down to them.
In his epochal biography of Truman, David McCullough concluded: "He was the kind of president the founding fathers had in mind. He came directly from the people ... he never tried to appear as something he was not ... he spoke the common tongue ... he brought to the highest office the language and values of the common American people ... work hard, do your best, speak the truth, assume no airs, trust in God, have no fear." This is the finest kind of leadership - which the Bible teaches-and which our country has enjoyed so often.
