I can’t help but be caught up in the political leadership dramas of the past few weeks all around the world — huge moments that may well define the shape of our world in the months and years to come.

 

The United Kingdom and France and Brazil have seen massive shifts along the political spectrum in their elections, Israel still walks on its crazy tightwire, Canada seems poised to go everywhere and nowhere politically in the next two years. And this week, we finally witnessed a hint of a generational shift in leadership south of our border that opens up different doors and directions for their country in the next few months that will invariably reverberate around the world.

 

When it comes to leadership and political shifts, It’s not always about change for the sake of change. Sometimes and at its best, passing on the mantle of leadership is simply the right thing to do, an intentional decision by voters or by leaders themselves to bring in exactly the right skills and leadership style at exactly the right time.

 

In this week’s Torah story (Pinchas), this is exactly what is modeled for us. Moses, who had been leading the Israelites forever, had passed his “best before” date. He was told he would not cross the Jordan River into the promised land. And now we read that Moses has formally endorsed Joshua to succeed him as leader.

 

Moses was a nation-builder and a spiritual leader. Joshua, in contrast, was a practical leader, a military man who could lead armies. Joshua would unite his people and be tasked to implement the grand plans for a new homeland that had been laid out so carefully in the Torah. In his wisdom, Moses recognized that it was this new set of skills that would be required in Canaan, and he reached out to a leader so very different than him because it was simply the right thing to do.

 

The lessons of old are new again, universal lessons that have incredible currency. I wish for our neighbours to the south the wisdom to find unity and positive purpose. I wish it for our own country as well. I wish it for Israel. And I wish the same for everyone everywhere else.

 

Shabbat shalom.