Rabbi's Blog - 11/4/14

A Thought on Leadership:
When There’s No Such Thing As “Private Capacity”

11/4/2014

With Pesach imminently upon us, our minds are drawn to the story of the Exodus and all the wonderful custom and ritual we engage in, in order to commemorate and re-enact the events of the past, in keeping with the dictum, “in every generation man is obligated to see himself as though he had left Egypt.”

One of the primary customs on Passover eve is the reading of the Haggadah, which recounts the story of the Exodus. One glaring omission the Haggadah, is any reference to Moses. Moses was the bona fide leader, the trusted servant of G-d who was sent to confront Pharaoh and lead the people Egypt. Why is his name omitted?

Several explanations are offered. One suggestion is that on this sublime night, our attention should be focussed on the Divine protection that has seen us survive against all odds. Referencing Moses might result in attributing too much credit to him, rather than acknowledging the greater reality that “in every generation they rise up against us to obliterate us, but G-d spares us their hands.” Yet another suggestion is that Moses was exceedingly humble and would not want himself referred to in the Haggadah. He only ever saw himself as a Divine emissary entrusted with a sacred task, and while believing in his G-d given ability to achieve, nevertheless retained his humility throughout.

It is this latter point that is most telling about leadership. A leader is great not because of his power but because of his ability to empower others. The subservience of Moses was the key to his success. He understood that his position was inextricably bound with those he was entrusted to lead. Curiously, Moses’ biggest concern when initially resisting the Divine charge was that “I am of uncircumcised lips.” The simple explanation is that Moses had a speech impediment which, he was concerned, would affect his ability to impress upon Pharaoh. Allegorically, the choice term “uncircumcised lips” would imply freedom of speech thus alluding to the fact that Moses understood that once he assumes the mantle he is no longer a private person and that his lips - his speech is circumscribed. Everything he says or does that point forward will be seen in the context of his leadership role.

There was recent controversy over the head of the Jewish Leadership Council, Mick Davis, issuing some harsh criticism of Israel. He was subsequently lambasted in the media before many others came rallying to his support, insisting that his statements were said in a private capacity, and that, that was his entitlement.

No, it’s not, and it is disingenuous for anyone to claim otherwise. If Mr. Davis was a private person making private statements, no one would care much and the media wouldn’t bat an eye in his direction. Frankly, it is even questionable whether he would have made the statement. Is it not after all, precisely because he knows the attention his comments would attract, because of his leadership position that he chose to make them in the first instance?

John Terry was spectacularly stripped of the England captaincy because of his personal shenanigans and bedroom antics. Only the more extreme liberals insisted that what takes place off the pitch is in a private capacity and shouldn’t impact on his football performance. The rest of society and then England boss, Fabio Capello didn’t think so. When you are in the limelight there is no such thing as “private capacity.”

Lord Michael Levy has been in all sorts of key leadership positions for a lot longer that Mr. Davis, serving many communal and national institutions until present day. He was also former PM Tony Blair’s personal envoy to the Middle East. No one was more acutely aware of the dynamics in the Middle East, and it can be safely assumed he will have felt extreme frustration at times. He and I have argued passionately about some of his positions regarding Israel. But never, ever did Lord Levy air criticism in public. He understood that personal opinions and frustrations notwithstanding, as a leader in the community, his remarks would invariably impact on the community. If he had a view, he would know and to whom to express it. Airing it publically is essentially an abuse of the position with which one is entrusted.

It was in 2010 when Mr. Davis, then the chairman of UJIA, launched his initial diatribe against Israel. Then, as now, several lackeys came clamouring to his support. The then Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor, responded by accusing him of using language “straight our opponents’ lexicon,” and calling much of his criticism “unwarranted.” Prosor also observed that we have enough criticism the outside we don’t need further public criticism on the inside.

This Passover, as Mr. Davis sits down to his Seder table and reads his Haggadah, I would urge him to ponder the absence of Moses’ name and consider how he could learn Moses’ example on what real leadership entails. Continue your good work Mr Davis, but please remember you can’t have it both ways. If you want to lead, there is no “private capacity.” .