How Trustworthy was Moses?
Who is the most trustworthy person in the Torah?This was the question I asked to a group at morning Minyan this past week. The answers, as you might imagine, were varied: Sarah, Abraham, Joseph. Each person who answered gave a cogent reason for their selection. The Torah itself appears to have weighed in on the question a few weeks ago when we read Parshat Vayakel. After all, God entrusted the Tablets, God's revelation to our people, to Moses. Even after Moses broke the tablets in a fit of anger God was willing to entrust Moses with a second set. In this weeks portion of Pikudei we are shown why Moses was so deserving of God's and the people's trust.
Moses was a man who understood the importance of public trust when it comes to leaders.
The final portion of Exodus focuses on the completion of the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle that the Israelites carried through their wanderings and ultimately into the land of Israel. Portion after portion has concerned itself with each and every detail of this holiest of building enterprises. The Mishkan was built from precious materials that the people had donated for the purpose of creating an indwelling place for God.
The people had given "Yidevenu Libo" from their very hearts to build the Mishkan. How could they know if their contributions were used properly? But who could doubt Moses, their beloved leader. Who would dare ask for an accounting of the man who had stood before Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Israelites, or demanded mercy for the people after the incident of the Golden Calf? It turns out that it was Moses himself who called for the accounting.
21 These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, which were drawn up at Moses' bidding (Exodus 38:21)
It would appear that Moses himself had determined that any leader who has the public trust must not only act with integrity but be willing to show that they are above reproach. Note that God did not request the audit, nor did the people, rather, it was Moses himself who made the records public. From this, our tradition created a series of safeguards to always ensure the public trust. A person collecting Tzedakah was never allowed to go alone so as to not raise suspicion. In addition, those who collected funds for the community were not allowed to have pockets in their clothing. Those who made incense for the Temple were not allowed to wear perfume lest anyone think that they got from that which was to be used in the Temple. It was Moses who set the precedent: people who have the public trust must earn it each day.
Would not that this lesson be learned in our own age. This past week a revolution took place in the Ukraine. It was a popular revolt against an overly aggressive and punitive Russian regime that has taken punitive economic measures to keep the Ukraine as a satellite. It is also a revolt against a government that seems powerless to turn a moribund economy around. After the President fled the country the people had a chance to see how their leader was living. He had created a palace whose garish opulence has shocked people around the globe. A private restaurant in the shape of a pirate ship said it all to this people who have suffered so many economic hardships. The pained look on the people's faces as they walk through the Presidential palace made it abundantly clear how betrayed they felt by their leader.
Public trust must never be assumed by a public official, it must be earned each day. While I am quite sure that there were many who wondered why Moses was so diligent about an accounting, after all, who would doubt someone of Moses' stature? Moses set an example of leadership that all those who serve others would do well to remember. As President Reagan once said: "Trust but verify". If we want to create spaces worthy of God's presence transparency on the part of our leaders is a good place to start.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Michael Siegel
Senior Rabbi
