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Weekly Torah LearningEkev08/22/08Torah Portion: Ekev As I stood in line to board a Southwest Airlines flight, I could hear the pilot behind me discussing the stock market with another passenger. As he approached me, I jokingly commented, “I hope your flying is as good as your investing!” He stopped, pulled out a pair of inch-thick glasses and replied, “Don’t worry, with my new glasses I can finally see the runway for landings!” As the flight landed in Houston, one of the flight attendants began singing over the P.A. system, “The first name of my airline is S-O-U-T-H, the last name of my airline is W-E-S-T. . . .” I thought to myself, “these people really like what they’re doing!” It’s not a coincidence that Southwest is consistently among the best airlines in the industry. In the Torah portion Ekev, Moses tries to empower the Israelites to continue the process of people/nation building after they enter the “Promised Land.” He says to them: “Know, then, that it is not for any virtue of yours that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to occupy; for you are a stiffnecked people.” (Deut. 9:6). Do statements like this really motivate one? Maybe in biblical times, but in a “post-modern” era attacks on a person’s (or people’s) self-esteem not only produces negative results but can end in a lawsuit! One of Moses’ greatest attributes is also the source of his greatest weakness: He’s human. As such, he’s given to occasional anger, dismay, and disappointment. After 40 years, he is still not certain this people understand their God, much less their mission in history. He is dismayed and disappointed in not being permitted to finally enter the Land he could only dream of. And, he’s embittered by the fact that this “Stiff-necked people” will enter in his stead. His admonishment of their lack of virtue is understandable, but not acceptable. In last week’s Torah portion we read, “And you shall love the Lord, your God. “ (Deut. 6:5). Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhaki, better known as “Rashi”, explains this verse to mean, “He who serves his master out of fear, if the master troubles him too much, he will leave and go away.” Moses can be forgiven for being human, but a leader will never inspire through fear and intimidation, and neither will an employer. Only love, compassion and understanding are omnipotent. Just as Rashi understood this, so does Herb Kelleher, owner and president of Southwest Airlines. I thank him for teaching me some Torah! Rabbi Howard Siegel Jewish Information Center of Houston Director Click to view the Archived Torah Learnings |