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What Moses and the Torah Can Teach Us About Leadership Today
Moses Breaking the Tables of the Law (1659), by Rembrandt. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Over and above the spiritual and ritual laws of the Torah, there are themes of leadership that run through all five books, sometimes overtly and sometimes subtly.
An obvious example are the chapters we have been reading (Bemidbar from Chapter 11 to Chapter 28) in which the leadership of Moses was constantly challenged.
There were mass protests against Moses (Bemidbar 11). And then (Bemidbar 11:26) two men, Eldad and Medad, were prophesying outside the Tabernacle.
Joshua saw this as a challenge to Moses, and wanted to get rid of them. Moses replied that he would be happy if everyone was a prophet and had the Divine spirit. Then Miriam and Aaron attacked Moses (Bemidbar 12), publicly claiming that God spoke to them too and throwing back at Moses his own words: “We are all holy and God has spoken to us too.”
After the failure of the scouts to recommend invading Canaan, the people then threatened to stone Moses (Bemidbar 14). There followed a rebellion over food and manna, and Moses had to justify himself by insisting he had never personally gained anything from his leadership. The most serious challenge was from Korach (Bemidbar 16). Yet even after Moses was vindicated, there was another rebellion over water — and then Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it. This led to his death before entering Canaan.
These incidents show the constant challenges that Moses had to face. They illustrate the nature of leadership and its pitfalls — and how quickly admiration can turn sour. Moses is very much a reluctant leader and pleaded not to be given his role. Yet he stepped up to the challenge and struggled constantly with the stiff-necked children of Israel who on the one hand accepted his remarkable persona, yet time and again, wanted to appoint another leader and go back to Egypt.
It is amazing that only twice did Moses lose his temper (at least as recorded in the Torah). God’s punishment — that Moses could not enter Israel — can be understood as a lesson that nobody, however great, is indispensable, and that we all have our limitations.
There are other examples of Moses being willing to deal with specific requests and issues when necessary. And he is described as being a man of humility, the humblest of men (Bemidbar 12:3).
When Moses is sentenced to die, he immediately concerns himself with succession and turns to God (Bemidbar 27) and describes the qualities of leadership — “appoint someone from the community who will go out before them and come in before them and lead them forward.”
A man of the community and yet above them. Yet he did not ask for his sons to succeed him. God replied that such a man was Joshua. He led the battle against Amalek. He was with Moses at Sinai, and he had apprenticed himself to Moses to learn from him. and saw when to be aggressive and when to be compliant.
This theme of leadership and its challenges, recurs throughout the Bible particularly with regard to King David — and the challenges of authority as well as the family. We learn when to stand firm and when to accept one’s limitations — to be humble, not arrogant and not take advantage of one’s position. But the ideal is to combine spiritual with physical strength and humility.
There is no perfect political system, just as there is no perfect leader. Throughout our history we have found different ways of governance and different forms of leadership — different schools of rabbis, sects, and subdivisions. Now probably more than at any other time in our history, we need leaders with humanity, humility, and the strength to lead us into a new promised land.
The author is a rabbi based in New York.
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Support for Israel Holding Strong Among US Public, Growing Among Young Voters, Poll Finds
Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
American support for Israel in its war against Hamas has reached its highest level since the conflict began and includes a surprising surge of support among younger voters in Gen Z, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll.
The poll, conducted from July 6–8, found that 77 percent of registered voters say they support Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, while just 23 percent back Hamas. That marks a continued trend of stability in pro-Israel sentiment across the U.S. public. In June, the poll revealed that 75 percent of the US public supported Israel over Hamas.
Among Americans aged 18 to 24, support for Israel now stands at 60 percent, compared to 40 percent for Hamas. That’s a notable jump from 52 percent support for Israel in March and could suggest a broader generational shift. The increase is particularly significant given Gen Z’s reputation for progressive activism and skepticism toward traditional US foreign policy allies.
Support for Israel rises with age, reaching 92 percent among voters 65 and older.
The poll also found a strong majority of voters, 80 percent overall, say that “Hamas must release all remaining hostages without any conditions or face serious consequences.” Even among Gen Z, 61 percent agree, suggesting a broad rejection of Hamas’s actions, despite more nuanced generational divides on broader policy questions.
While older voters remain more hawkish, favoring strong Israeli military action and opposing any deal that leaves Hamas in power, Gen Z respondents were more open to negotiated outcomes. Still, the overall direction appears to show a consolidation of support for Israel as the war continues.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris survey polled 2,044 registered voters online and has become one of the most closely watched monthly trackers of public opinion on foreign policy.
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US Senators Led by Ted Cruz Reintroduce Legislation to Label the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization
US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking at a press conference about the United States restricting weapons for Israel, at the US Capitol, Washington, DC. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, legislation that would classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who spearheaded the effort, is calling on the Trump administration to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a move that would trigger sanctions and stricter restrictions on its assets, travel, and financial networks.
The Texas senator described the Brotherhood as “a terrorist organization” that provides material support to proxy entities, including Hamas, a Palestinian offshoot of the global Islamist movement. He cited the group’s extremist ideology and noted Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, describing the attack as “the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust” during which “at least 53 Americans” were killed or kidnapped.
“American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization,” Cruz said in a statement, urging the US to “do the same, and do so expeditiously.” The bill is co-sponsored by several Senate Republicans, including Sens. Tom Cotton (AR), John Boozman (AR), Rick Scott (FL), Ashley Moody (FL), and Dave McCormick (PA).
Cotton echoed Cruz’s assessment, saying the Brotherhood “preaches death to Israel, the United States, and other Western governments,” and argued that such rhetoric warrants a formal terrorist designation.
In the US House of Representatives, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) introduced companion legislation, citing similar concerns about the group’s global network and ideological influence.
Labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as an FTO would mark a significant shift in US counterterrorism policy. Such a designation would enable the US government to freeze the group’s assets, impose visa bans, and criminalize support for its activities. It would also likely increase scrutiny of affiliated organizations and individuals both inside and outside the United States.
Governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Austria have already banned the Brotherhood, arguing it poses a threat to domestic and regional stability. But critics of Cruz’s bill warn that such a sweeping measure could backfire, potentially targeting progressive political efforts and fueling perceptions of US hostility toward Islamic political participation.
The legislation will now be reviewed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While supporters push for swift passage, its fate remains uncertain amid concerns over diplomatic fallout and domestic civil liberties.
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US Federal Judge Allows Antisemitism Lawsuit to Proceed Against Powerful Lawyers Union
A view of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Photo: Chip East via Reuters Connect
A US federal judge ruled on Tuesday that an antisemitism lawsuit accusing the powerful Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) union can continue over the objections of the organization’s formidable legal counsel, which attempted to have the case dismissed by arguing that it is “self-serving” and “anti-democratic.”
On Wednesday, officials from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which is representing the aggrieved parties, hailed the procedural victory in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York as a testament to the veracity of the allegations of which the ALAA is accused.
“We are enormously gratified with this ruling vindicating our clients’ federal labor law rights to oppose antisemitism in their union, including their right to sue over a virulently anti-Israel resolution proposed just weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack,” Brandeis Center chairman and founder Kenneth Marcus said in a statement. “The Brandeis Center will defend Jewish and non-Jewish union members who stand up for themselves and against antisemitism and with all the lawful tools available to them.”
Brandeis Center senior counsel Rory Lancman added, “In standing up for what it is right, these courageous legal aid lawyers faced expulsion and a campaign of demonization that has taken an enormous toll on then, both professionally and personally. We look forward to proceeding with this case and fully vindicating their rights under federal labor law.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the union for New York public defenders allegedly degenerated into a “cornucopia of classic modern antisemitism” in the months following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. Just weeks after the massacre, the ALAA passed a virulently anti-Israel resolution which made only a passing reference to Hamas’s atrocities and launched a smear campaign against Jewish members who opposed it. Following that, the union facilitated the filing of “formal charges” against Jewish and Zionist members, attempting to expel them from its ranks.
Antisemitic conduct in the ALAA took other forms, the complaint alleged. Members commended Hamas’s violence, chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and denied that the terrorist group had murdered women and children. In one incident, someone allegedly asserted that Zionist beliefs would prevent Jewish attorneys from “zealously” defending Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs and lead them to conspire against them and sabotage their cases.
“If they support Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, why would they not have a reason to collude with prosecutors and other adversaries to deprive our clients of justice in the courts,” ALAA member Marlen Bodden wrote in an “officewide” email on Nov. 16, 2023.
“It is a legitimate question,” Monica Dula responded.
A ranking official attempted to stop the conversation from descending into a pitch and catch of antisemitic tropes, but the idea that Jews would work against their clients had allegedly been planted weeks earlier. On Oct. 13, 2023, Saara Ashid suggested that a Jewish attorney would not “stand up for Black and Brown folk in the same way,” according to the lawsuit. She added, “I’m starting to worry about all of your clients.”
By Nov. 17, ALAA was scheduled to vote on a resolution that the complaint describes as a “1,147-word diatribe against the existence of the Jewish state, replete with deceitful blood libels designed to arouse the most ancient antisemitic hatreds.” Resolved to stop it from taking place, several Jewish members, accusing the union of breach of contract and fostering a professional culture that would discourage Jews from seeking legal counsel from ALAA affiliated attorneys, sought and were granted a temporary restraining order which delayed the proceeding.
Angered by the ruling, their colleagues allegedly sought to expel them from the union entirely, with one member accusing them “of snitching behavior.” A volley of similar comments were launched in an email thread over the next several days, the lawsuit notes, with Emmanuel Garcia writing “if you are a snitch please do us a favor and kill yourself” and David Tobias commenting “careful, snitches are in this thread, they might snitch on you and air strike your home with your family in it.”
ALAA then moved to file charges against its Jewish members, accusing them of attempting to “interrupt a democratic process on an internal union matter” and violating the union’s “core” mission. The anti-Israel resolution has since been passed, and a trial of the members is forthcoming.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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