Leader of One

Friday February 6, 2026/19 Sh'vat 5786/Parashat Yitro

Hevre/Friends,

In a world wracked by so much chaos of so many kinds, we ache for leaders. Moral, political, spiritual leaders on whom we can depend; who steady our fear and anxiousness with dignity, with courage and competence; who bring us hope. We look outside ourselves for clarity and direction. But there’s somewhere else we ought to look first.

One of the most meaningful pieces of Torah from the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, is his insights into leadership. Among his seven principles of leadership, the first and most foundational one involves taking responsibility. That means looking not to others but to ourselves, recognizing that we have the freedom and the capacity to do something about the crises unfolding around us. 

As Rabbi Sacks explained, the primary qualification for leadership isn’t a person’s ability to motivate or inspire others to action. Rather, it’s our own ability to live with eyes and hearts open to the world around us. When the Sages taught, “kol yisrael areiveim zeh bazeh/all Jews are responsible for one another” they emphasized not just that we should act on behalf of someone else, but rather our more fundamental self-understanding that we have the freedom and power to do something about what ails the world.

Rabbi Sacks illustrated this by noting the differences between the narratives of Bereishit and Shemot. In Bereishit, no one takes responsibility: Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the snake; Cain asks: Am I my brother’s keeper?; Noah saves himself and his family but doesn’t advocate for others who will perish in the flood. The first families resort to banishment, deception and competition to solve their issues. Think of the conflicts between Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael; of how Abraham pretended Sarah was his sister to protect himself; how Jacob tricked his father with Rebekah’s support; the deceptions between Jacob and Lavan; the rivalries between Joseph and his brothers. The path to responsible self-awareness was circuitous and damaging.

In Shemot, Moses lived a privileged life in Pharaoh’s palace, but he acted when he saw the Israelites suffering cruel oppression and when he saw them fighting with each other. He responded when Yitro’s daughters needed help by the well. When he saw injustice, he attempted to help. While we think of leadership as our capacity to engage others, in truth leadership begins with our capacity to engage ourselves in the work of contributing to the healing of the world’s pain.

Yes, we need leaders who can use their power and influence to lead us beyond these dark times. But we also need the resources and capacities that we each carry within. Do we have relationships which can be useful towards building effective coalitions? Do we have financial assets to support efforts underway to address pressing issues? Do we have time to give towards advocacy? What can we personally bring to the battles raging around us?

And don’t forget that the contributions needed aren’t only those that focus directly on taming the tensions erupting, like attending protests and campaigning for political candidates. What’s equally valuable and impactful are our own day to day choices which can help build the world we wish to inhabit once change finally comes.

On this Shabbat when we read Parashat Yitro, the highlight of the Ten Commandments is actually a curious text. After Moses climbs and sweats and stumbles to the top of Mount Sinai to meet God, the great revelation at those spiritual heights is not the secrets of the universe or the meaning of life. Instead, what he receives -and what he’s directed to transmit to the people - are instructions on how to be a mensch and live peacefully with other people - our own families and our fellow citizens.

Showing compassion and kindness to those who need it and treating those we encounter on the street, in a store, on the subway, at a restaurant, on the ski hill, with respect and patience are the building blocks of the society we know we have the potential - and the responsibility - to create. On this front, we are all leaders and ought to behave that way. As Rabbi Sacks concluded: “At the heart of Judaism are three beliefs about leadership: We are free. We are responsible. And together we can change the world.”

With blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Dini

(Photo by Ronen Avisror)