Parshat Tetzaveh:
There is a section of the Malbim’s commentary on this week’s Parsha that gives an insight as to what leadership and governance should look like for the Jewish people.
Regarding the golden Cherubim that were formed on the cover of the Ark, he writes, “This taught the people about leadership. We know that the two tablets of stone were placed in the Ark; on one tablet were written five commandments between man and G-d, and on the other tablet were written five commandments between man and his fellow man.
“There were two types of leaders in Israel, the political leader or king who was appointed by G-d to uphold justice regarding interpersonal laws, and the High Priest and religious leaders who were appointed to teach the people and to oversee the service of G-d and the keeping of the commandments between man and G-d.
“Symbolizing these two types of leaders stood the two Cherubim, one with its wings covering one side of the ark, where the tablet containing the interpersonal commandments was placed, and the other with its wings covering the other side where the tablet containing the commandments between man and G-d was placed.”
The verse tells us that the Cherubim spread their wings ‘above‘, while they faced each other. The Malbim explains, “It was necessary for the two Cherubim to spread their wings up high, symbolizing that the leaders must do everything for the sake of Heaven, and rise above all material matters and their personal desires.
“And He commanded that they should face each other, so it should be clear that the king and the high priest should help each other, not as it was in the days of the wicked kings of the times of the Second Temple who humiliated the honor of the priesthood,d and not like the wicked priests who rebelled and raised their hand against the honor of the kingdom. Instead they should face each other, as it is written in Zechariah, ‘The counsel of peace shall be between them both.’”
This is what leadership of the Jewish people should look like. Two leaders working face to face, in tandem; one in charge of upholding the social law framework and the other leading spiritual growth and connection to Hashem. Both would be doing the work for the sake of Heaven, to bring Hashem’s name and glory into the world. And their every interaction would be respectful and peaceful.
We are unfortunately so so far away from this beautiful ideal. While we can never be sure, it is unlikely that we have political leadership that is acting for the glory of Heaven, who have put their ego aside and are driven primarily to bring Hashem into the world. We also do not have political and spiritual leaders seeing eye to eye and working peacefully together for the good of the people.
But perhaps we get the leaders we deserve. Can we honestly say that we have such great unity between us to then be worthy of a unified leadership? How is it that after more than a year of war and suffering, which followed a period of tremendous rifts in our nation, we still haven’t learnt? Why is it that it takes the brutal murder of a young mother and her two beautiful precious children, to truly remind ourselves that nothing else really matters, we are brothers and sisters, we are family?
Unity doesn’t mean that we all agree. I’ve never met a family that agrees on anything! It means that even though we disagree, we still love and respect each other, ‘face to face’. It means that even though we disagree, we are all working for a Higher Goodness, with our wings spread high, reaching up to make the world a greater and kinder place.
Is it really too much to ask?