Leadership Week - by Morah Miriam

As the leader, so the generation; as the generation, so the leader.

 (Talmud Yerushalmi) Arachim 17a

This week our school celebrates Leadership Week. Our 10^th grade is celebrating our Biblical Leaders since the beginning of the scholastic year.

We reviewed Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and began our “Bible Tour” with Moshe Rabeinu, our Biblical and universal leader par excellence. We explored, analyzed and compared Moshe Rabeinu’s actions, finding the ones that are applied in the Seven Habits, and discovered that Moshe had it all figured out from the beginning. (Of course Hashem played an important role in it too. Remember, He instructed Moshe and most of our leaders). Moshe, the son of a slave, a humble shepherd with a speech impediment, became the greatest leader of all. Moshe was Proactive, Began with the End in Mind, Put First Things First and Synergized.  

Joshua succeeded Moshe, leading the new generation into the Promised Land and settling the tribes into their inheritance territory. Again here in the Book of Joshua, we found the great qualities and habits in our leader Yehoshua. 

From the Book of Joshua, we traveled to the Book of Judges. We learned how the people of Israel, the third generation after the Exodus from Egypt, living among the Canaanites struggled, to stay faithful to Hashem. During more than 200 years, they were trapped in a cycle of “sin” – worshiping idols,“punishment”- God sends enemies, “repentance” -  the people of Israel pray to God for help, and“salvation” - God sends a Judge-leader to save the people. Over and over again the cycle repeated itself.   

Here, the students showed their own leadership taking charge and teaching the class about the lives and leadership of five different Shoftim - Judges of Israel: Deborah, Gideon-Yerubbaal, Abimelech, Yiphtach and Samson.   

Their preparation showed mastery of the material to be presented. Students used for their lessons the latest technology learned, presenting it with confidence to the class and making me the proudest teacher in the room. Yashar Koach, and may you go from strength to strength, leaders of the future!

We are looking forward learning more about our next leaders: Samuel the Prophet, and the Kings: Saul, David and Solomon.