In this week’s parsha the pasuk tells us: וימסרו מאלפי ישראל – “They were delivered from the thousands of the Children of Yisrael…” (31:5). Rashi comments:
להודיעך שבחן של רועי ישראל כמה הם חביבים על ישראל, עד שלא שמעו במיתתו מה הוא אומר? "עוד מעט וסקלני" (שמות י"ז), ומששמעו שמיתת משה תלויה בנקמת מדין לא רצו ללכת עד שנמסרו על כרחן.
“This teaches us the praise of the leader of Yisrael, and how beloved he was to Yisrael. Before he was destined to die, what did they say about him? “A moment more and they will stone me”, however, once they heard that when the war against Midyan would be complete he would die, they no longer wanted to go, and they had to be coerced to go into war.”
From the lashon of Rashi, it seems that even the comment about them wanting to stone Moshe Rabbeinu (עוד מעט וסקלני) is also included in his praise. The obvious question is, how is nearly being killed by the people a credit to a leader?
R’ Yosef Sorotskin shlita in his sefer Megged Yosef brings a peshat from his father: A leader’s role is to be ready to rebuke. Such rebuke inevitably generates resentment and the desire to be rid of him. However, a leader who never arouses such feelings is simply not doing his job. The Gemara in Kesubos (105b) says this explicitly: אמר אביי האי צורבא מרבנן דמרחמין ליה בני מתא, לאו משום דמעלי טפי אלא משום דלא מוכח להו במילי דשמיא — Abaye said: A Talmud Chocham who is beloved by his townspeople, it is not because he is being good, rather, it is because he is not rebuking them enough in heavenly matters.” Popularity, in other words, is a red flag.
But a true leader must also possess the wisdom and inner strength to withstand the resentment and hold his position. There is a folk saying which captures this very point: “A rav nobody wants to remove is no rav; a rav who actually gets removed is no mentch.” Moshe Rabbeinu rebuked at every turn, was nearly stoned more than once, yet he never abandoned his post. When his death hung in the balance, the people finally recognized that his rebukes had been the words of a loving father. That is the highest praise: to earn both the anger and the love, with neither canceling the other.
