Simcha's Torah Stories - Pinchas
Parshas Pinchas
THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
Okay, let's choose up sides for the baseball game.
Who are going to be the team captains?
Shlomie, you can be the captain of our team, and Chaim, you will be in charge of the other team.
Okay, I'll take Yitzy.
I'll take Yossie.
After all of the players are chosen . . .
Okay, who's on first?
I want to play first!
No, I do!
Hmmm. How about second? Any volunteers? None.
How about center field?
Me!
Me!
I want it!
How about right field? Nobody? Listen guys, we're going to have to agree on the positions here. Some of you will have to give in.
Why should I give in? Let him give in?
Hmmm. I see that some people have some very strong opinions here. It is not going to be easy to be captain of this team.
You think this is difficult? This is nothing compared to Yehoshua bin Nun's job.
Yehoshua bin who? What team did he play for? The Phillies? Wasn't he the pitcher who won 20 games?
No, you've got it all wrong. Yehoshua bin Nun was the man chosen to be the leader of the Jewish people after Moshe Rabbeinu, our teacher Moses. G-d Himself hand picked Yehoshua.
Really? What were Yehoshua's leadership qualities?
He is described as "a man who has spirit in him .."
What does that mean?
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, the famous commentator on the Bible and Talmud, who is known to us as Rashi explains that each person had his unique spirit, a unique point of view. A leader needs the patience to relate to each individual person. The other person does not necessarily think the same way that I think. He may not like the same things that I like. Our Gedolim (Torah giants) are all truly great people, who have developed the patience to understand people as individuals, and to get along with each one and his individual preferences. They have the spirit to handle the individual spirits of the people. It begins with little things. This one prefers chocolate, this one vanilla; one likes the front seat, one the back; one likes the window open, the other wants it closed. Yehoshua bin Nun was able to get along with everyone. That is why he became the leader.
Okay guys, let's try this again. Does this team have spirit?
IT SURE DOES!
Is this team going to play its best?
IT SURE IS!
Then this team has to get together and decide on field positions and a batting order.
NO PROBLEM! You're the captain. Tell us what to do. We'll follow your orders. This team has real spirit! That's because the team captain has real spirit!
You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?
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Answer to Last Week's Question
The Question: What is the easiest way to throw a ball, and have it stop, and completely reverse direction after traveling a short distance
The Answer: Throw the ball straight up.
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