Most people think that leadership means a person (or group) who gets others to follow. A leader knows the destination, or is sure of the path. Through charisma, persuasion, or other "leadership skills", the leader gets out front and moves others.
In Parashat B'haalotcha, we see Moshe trying a much different way of leadership. In the process, he opens himself up to challenges to his authority, and even the misunderstanding that he is not an effective or even a fair leader.
Moshe of course learned leadership first in the house of Pharaoh. Pharaoh's leadership was, to say the least, traditional. Pharaoh decreed, and the people obeyed. When Moshe came of age, he tried it that way. He thought if he saw injustice, he could force it out of existence -- slaying the taskmaster, trying to impose peace on the quarreling Hebrew slaves. It didn't work.
So he ran away and became a shepherd. Sheep don't follow the shepherd. You have to be everywhere -- moving from side to side, front and back, inviting and cajoling and poking.
In B'haalotcha, Moshe's forward march starts to stall. In chapter 11 of B'midbar, the people begin to complain about the bad quality of the food. God instructs Moshe to gather seventy elders at the Tent of Meeting, in the center of the camp, where God would infuse them with the divine spirit. Moshe would thus share the possibility of leadership with these representatives from all the tribes.
Inherently messy, getting so many people involved! Two of the leaders, Eldad and Medad, are not at the Tent. They are out in the camp when God's spirit comes, and they began to display the ability to prophecy. Yehoshua, Moshe's assistant, is worried and perhaps jealous -- he suggests to Moshe that they be imprisoned. But Moshe says: "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord put His spirit upon them" (11:29).
Moshe the shepherd is willing to understand the difference between his leadership and his authority. Ron Heifitz, a professor of leadership at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, makes this distinction in his book Leadership Without Easy Answers. Dr. Heifitz argues that when a challenge is not cut-and-dried, a group cannot be led simply by authority. True leadership helps a group take on its major challenges. Leadership even allows for stress and tension to build, for people other than the authority to take on moments of leadership.
So Moshe does not object to sharing the inspiration of leadership. Obviously, he is risking his unique position. Others will say, why does only Moshe enjoy God's communication, and serve as the authority? Indeed, in chapter 12 his own siblings Aharon and Miryam make that claim. Moshe himself -- humble Moshe -- is willing to live with that question. (God isn't!)
Moshe always maintains his authority. He is the only one who can call on God for miracles, who can gather all the people to speak to them, who knows when there is too much uncertainty and pressure for people to function or move ahead. All that is not leadership in itself. Moshe's authority helps him stabilize situations, and helps him set the stage to lead or to enable others to lead.
Alone, Moshe cannot lead, even with God's help. Other figures, and all the people, will have to change before the Israelites can even move toward the promised land. Moshe plays a key role. Most often as teacher. But he is also there on the side or even in the background, supporting Eldad and Medad, or Yehoshua and Calev, even Aharon and Moshe as they each emerge to help the Israelites grow and learn, so they can understand and complete the march to Canaan.
