Leadership Tests
Leadership Tests
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 Israel. Just the opposite, in fact, He set very simple tests. We read in the parasha of Shemot, that Moshe tended Yitro's sheep (Shemot 3:1): Moshe was tending the flocks of Yitro, his father-in-law, the chief of Midian, and he led the flocks into the wilderness, and he came to the mountain of G-d, to Chorev.
On this pasuk the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 2:3) makes an interesting observation - Hashem doesn't give greatness to a person before testing him with a small matter. If he passes the small test, then He will raise him to greatness. Hashem tested two of Israel's great leaders in this way. He tested David with flocks of sheep, and he led them into the desert so that they wouldn't steal from other people's fields. Similarly, Moshe was tested with sheep, and he also took them to the desert so they wouldn't steal.
Whereas we would set tough tests, Hashem set simple tests. Why did Hashem do this? Why didn't he set difficult tests to examine the real potential of Moshe and David?
Rav Dessler writes[1] that you don't learn as much about a person's true character by setting a major test. For a major test a man will make major efforts to achieve well. He'll push himself – perhaps so that everyone will know what he has accomplished, or perhaps so that he himself will know what he is capable of doing. Afterwards, he may settle back down into his usual mode of operation. Hashem wanted to know how Moshe and David would perform with a straightforward, mundane task. There would be no glory attached to passing the test no heroics, no superstar status – just a quiet, modest achievement. If David and Moshe could pass the simple test, Hashem knew that they would pay attention to the basic needs of the people whenever they were needed – he wouldn't just be selecting a leader for wars.
Likewise, in the world of nature, Hashem has programmed His creatures in such a way that the strongest, most powerful individuals aren't necessarily the 'kings'. Take bees, for instance. The queen bee is the bee best able to nurture her colony. She doesn't gather nectar or build the hive like the worker bees do – but by reproducing, and regulating the hive's behaviour, she ensures the whole colony functions well.
None of us can be kings or queens, and not all of us can be leaders, nevertheless, we can all achieve much each day by setting ourselves small tests and achieving little things – Hashem will recognise our achievements however small.
[1] Rav Dessler in Strive for Truth on the Parasha – Shemot.
