Written by Julian Alper
Moshe instructs the Bnei Yisrael that when they arrive in Israel, they should appoint a king over them, but the king must be (Devarim 17:15) one whom Hashem, your G-d, chooses
Suppose you were the chairman of the selection committee appointing a Chief Executive for a major commercial enterprise. How would you ensure that you select the best candidate, a leader capable of galvanizing all employees and improving the company’s profitability? You would probably advertise the post and select the best candidates for a shortlist for interviews and further tests. Or you might employ a head-hunter to draw up a suitable list of potential top-rate leaders. Once you have your shortlist you might look at the past history of the candidates and set some sort of test for them to see how they will perform in challenging situations. A really tough test should show you who the best candidates are.
When Hashem chose leaders to lead Bnei Yisrael, you would imagine he would set really tough tests – perhaps like the Akeidah test he gave Avraham. Well, surprisingly, we’ll see that Hashem didn’t set difficult tests when he chose Moshe to lead Bnei Yisrael or when he chose David to be the King of
