The Israeli singer, Yishai Ribo, had a concert this past week nearby. So, as a "thanks" for all her hard work, while her older sister was away, my wife took my second daughter, who's a big fan of his. When she returned, she said they witnessed two "Only in Israel" moments.
At the entrance, as they were walking in, the man ahead of them had a weapon on him. For those who didn't know, in normal times, it's nothing new, and certainly during times of war, it's normal to see people carrying short-stocked M-16s, M-4s, and several other types of handguns wherever they go. As he came to the gate, the security officer said to him, "Listen, if something happens, don't shoot. We have plenty of security, and the more shooters there are, the harder things get to figure out what's going on."
Then, in the middle of the concert, Yishai stops and comments on the heat, saying how somebody forgot to bring a towel with them for him to use. Immediately, a woman shouts outs, "I have baby wipes!" And he responds, "Really? Those will help?" In which a three-minute conversation ensues between them in front of everybody. In the end, she throws up the pack, and he tries it out, and responds, "Wow! These are really great! Thanks!"
Sometimes, it's just one giant family. I think all the more so, when you live outside of the middle of the country, like Tel Aviv and Yerushaliyim (especially Tel Aviv which is it's own country). It's a much broader mix of people, backgrounds, and cultures, who have learned, for the most part, on how to get along, rather than how to waste their time bickering and fighting.
In this week's parsha, Moshe asks Hashem to appoint his successor to lead the Jewish people into Eretz Yisroel. Rav Chaim Flom points out that one of the reasons given for Yehoshua to become the next leader was because he never left the beis medresh and when he wasn’t learning, he was setting up and cleaning up.
With this, says Rav Flom, we can learn one of the signs of a good leader: somebody who is willing to take care of the minor details himself.
Many managers believe in "leading from behind." They stand far away from the "front lines" and tell others what to do. Others get close up, have an idea on what's going on, and personally get involved in solving problems.
A real leader will care of the details of his charge just as much as the general situation. Not only will he care about them, he will personally make sure that they are taken care of.
It's not exactly the same comparison, but just recently a friend of mine's daughter became engaged. I dropped by during the "engagement dinner" that they had to wish a mazel tov, and I spent a few minutes speaking with the former Rosh Kollel. After a few moments, he turned to me with a smile and said, "You have a daughter around this age, no?" Not returning the smile, I quickly retorted, "We have time!"
When I returned home, I told my wife what he said, and I realized, "Ah, here's somebody who cares!" He doesn't know all my children personally, but somehow, he remembered and knew some of their ages and where they are holding in life. Yes, he didn't DO anything per se, however the fact that he cares enough to remember, made me feel good about our relationship.
THAT is what a leader is.
With that, I wish you all a wonderful Shabbos!