Sermon given June 6, 2026.

Shabbat shalom, everybody.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, this upcoming week is a significant one politically for our state. On Tuesday, Mainers who are eligible to vote will cast their ballots in the state’s primary elections for the Senate race, for the gubernatorial race, and others. And as I’m also certain you are aware, the process up until this primary day has been quite fraught. Across the country, across the state, and within our own TBE community, there are many committed, caring, informed individuals who hold carefully thought-out positions over who should be leading and representing our state for the next few years– and of course, these carefully thought-out positions don’t always match one another.

And that’s OK. Wrestling with complicated issues is a very Jewish thing to do, and politics are complicated. And, talking about the complex issues of our time when we come together in community can remind us that no matter where we land, vote-wise, we are part of a system beyond ourselves, even when we disagree. The disagreeing, and the wrestling, and the debating that go into politics have inherent worth as long as they are deeply grounded in values we believe in, and carried out with compassion and curiosity.   

It may seem odd to talk about an election during a Shabbat service, but as Jews, we know that there is significant overlap between the values in our sacred texts and the issues on the ballot in most every election. Our Torah addresses everything from the importance of educating our children to feeding the hungry, from how crucial it is to support the dignity of strangers and establish fair inheritance laws to condemning murder and larceny; it speaks of war and troop movements, plagues and punishments, laws and advisors, and much, much more– all topics addressed by political candidates and pundits on the news.

Ultimately, both religion and politics have to do with our deepest values. And if we frame our discussions when we are together in community through the lens of these values, we can find common ground, feel guided in our choices, and remember, crucially, that we are not the first generation to feel overwhelmed and worried about the direction our world is going. 

So. As we prepare for election week, I’m going to suggest that we do what we do best– dig deep into the Torah, wrestle with it, and figure out what wisdom it has for us at this particular moment. Specifically, as we Mainers prepare to cast votes for our next leaders this week, those of us here today are going to examine eight verses in this week’s Torah portion that have something to teach us about what constitutes effective leadership.

We’ll start at the beginning. Our Torah portion for the week, B’haalotkha, takes its name from the second verse of the parasha, which says:

דַּבֵּר֙ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֵלָ֑יו בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ֙ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹ֔ת אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת׃

Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.”

You may hear in the word b’haalotkha the ‘alot’, similar to ‘aliyah’, meaning to go up. Rashi explains that this verb is used because, “one must kindle them until the light ascends of itself.” 

This is the first leadership lesson from our parasha: a good leader doesn’t just light the fire in others; a good leader teaches others to nourish their own flames, and the flames of others, so that they can shine of their own volition. In other words: An effective leader isn’t in power just for their own glory. An effective leader wants to lift others up, too.

A few verses later, we find our second lesson:

וְהִקְרַבְתָּ֥ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֖ם לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְסָמְכ֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־הַלְוִיִּֽם׃

and bring the Levites forward before GOD. Let the Israelites lay their hands upon the Levites.

Now, the laying on of hands is a powerful ritual. The commentator Chizkuni explains, “Whenever this procedure is mentioned in the Bible it means that authority is being transferred by the person placing his hand or hands on the person to be appointed.”

This is the second lesson about leadership. Authority isn’t something one person can claim alone– it is about connection and trust with others. Our parasha reminds us that an effective leader is connected to the ones they serve, and does not move away when times are difficult, or think that their success is theirs alone. In other words: our Torah teaches that an effective leader is accessible to those they serve and brings people closer instead of driving wedges between them. 

This reminds us to pay attention to and trust the choices and behaviors of candidates, and to look for patterns– whether those are patterns of connection and respect, or of division.

Moving ahead to Chapter 8, verse 14, we read:

וְהִבְדַּלְתָּ֙ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם מִתּ֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהָ֥יוּ לִ֖י הַלְוִיִּֽם׃

Thus you shall set the Levites apart from the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine.

Our Torah is clear: the Levites, as spiritual leaders of B’nai Yisrael, are indeed held to a slightly different standard than everyone else. Ibn Ezra points out that being priests was a significant honor that was given to the Levites– but in exchange, the Levites had extra rituals and prohibitions placed upon them. These different expectations aren’t a punishment, but they do go hand-in-hand with the extra respect and responsibility given to the Levites as leaders. 

In other words: our third lesson from this week’s parasha is that sometimes, leaders are indeed held to a different standard than those are are not in leadership positions. This doesn’t mean we should expect perfection– Moses is a great example of an imperfect leader who has made real mistakes in his life. But it does mean that an effective leader should consistently strive to live up to the high standard set for them.

This reminds us that it is OK to expect more from those who will represent us on a national stage.   

Our fourth leadership lesson comes at the end of Chapter 8. We read:

זֹ֖את אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַלְוִיִּ֑ם מִבֶּן֩ חָמֵ֨שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה יָבוֹא֙ לִצְבֹ֣א צָבָ֔א בַּעֲבֹדַ֖ת אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

This is the rule for the Levites. From twenty-five years of age up they shall participate in the work force in the service of the Tent of Meeting;

However, the Torah continues:

וּמִבֶּן֙ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב מִצְּבָ֣א הָעֲבֹדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲבֹ֖ד עֽוֹד׃

but at the age of fifty they shall retire from the work force and shall serve no more.

Finally, our Torah concludes this command with:

וְשֵׁרֵ֨ת אֶת־אֶחָ֜יו בְּאֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣ר מִשְׁמֶ֔רֶת וַעֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א יַעֲבֹ֑ד כָּ֛כָה תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לַלְוִיִּ֖ם בְּמִשְׁמְרֹתָֽם׃ {פ}

They may assist their brother Levites at the Tent of Meeting by standing guard, but they shall perform no labor.

The Torah is demonstrating for us that there are indeed certain jobs where age limits make sense, either for being too young, or too old. We can extrapolate from this that talking about age limits for public servants should not be anathema. Having age limits for some types of service is not a new thing to consider– it’s an ancient! However, at the same times, our Torah is clear that having age limits on one type of work does not mean that a person is incapable of serving in other capacities. This reminds us that we must honor and respect leaders of all ages while being honest about the implications and consequences of the physical and mental capacities of those we are considering voting for.   

In Chapter 9, when some of the Israelites could not perform the Passover offering on schedule and came to Moses for advice,

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֖ם מֹשֶׁ֑ה עִמְד֣וּ וְאֶשְׁמְעָ֔ה מַה־יְצַוֶּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לָכֶֽם׃ {פ}

Moses said to them, “Stand by, and let me hear what instructions GOD gives about you.”

This fifth lesson is one of the most beautiful and important reminders about effective leadership in this week’s parashah. Part of what makes Moses such a powerful role model is that though he is a leader of the people, though he defends them and argues with them and advises them and fights on their behalf (including defending them before God later in this parasha), he never loses sight of the fact that ultimately, he isn’t in charge of the world. He knows that there is something greater than him, and greater than B’nai Yisrael, and he is committed to being in service both to his followers and to the bigger picture. 

And this is a tough lesson, politically. We vote for politicians in the hope that they will respond to our preferences, but history has shown again and again that democratically electing someone does not guarantee that that person will do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly (to quote even more Scripture.) It is challenging for a leader to balance their responsibilities to their constituents with their responsibilities to the country, to the world, to humanity, and to history– let alone to God, if they are religious. And yet our parasha reminds us that Moses did attempt to achieve this balance, and reminds us that we can, too. This kind of balanced leadership perspective also means that effective leaders will not prioritize kickbacks, payouts, or other sleazy personal perks in exchange for compromising their stances. This simple, powerful verse of Moses saying “stand by, and let me hear what God has to say” is a reminder that it is OK for us, as citizens, to want leaders who have something– whether they call it God, or the Universe, or justice, or fairness, or equality, or the future– something that is bigger than their own pocketbook or their own ego, to answer to.     

Our sixth lesson is another powerful one, in Chapter 9. We read:

וּכְמִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ כֵּ֣ן יַעֲשֶׂ֑ה חֻקָּ֤ה אַחַת֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְלַגֵּ֖ר וּלְאֶזְרַ֥ח הָאָֽרֶץ

There will be one law for you and for the stranger among you,

The Torah reminds us.

This is another challenging lesson. It’s an issue that our state and our country are wrestling with, as well as Israel and many other countries in this world. The idea that we should aim for consistently applied legal procedures regardless of immigration status, racial or religious identity, or a host of other personal identifiers shows up several times in our Torah, including in this week’s parashah– and an effective leader is one who will honor this directive by identifying marginalized populations and doing whatever is possible to support them. 

OK. Two more. In chapter 11, God says to Moses:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶסְפָה־לִּ֞י שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִישׁ֮ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּי־הֵ֛ם זִקְנֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם וְשֹׁטְרָ֑יו וְלָקַחְתָּ֤ אֹתָם֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וְהִֽתְיַצְּב֥וּ שָׁ֖ם עִמָּֽךְ׃

וְיָרַדְתִּ֗י וְדִבַּרְתִּ֣י עִמְּךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְאָצַלְתִּ֗י מִן־הָר֛וּחַ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלֶ֖יךָ וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְנָשְׂא֤וּ אִתְּךָ֙ בְּמַשָּׂ֣א הָעָ֔ם וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לְבַדֶּֽךָ׃

“Gather for Me seventy of Israel’s elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone.”

This is reminiscent of parashat Yitro, where Moses’ father-in-law reminds him that he does not have to carry the burden of leadership by himself. There is wisdom, Yitro reminds Moses, in sharing power and responsibility. 

Similarly, in B’haalotkha, God reminds an overwhelmed Moses that it is in the people’s best interest and in his best interest as a leader to trust others and to share the load. Our parasha reminds us that an effective leader is one who doesn’t go it alone; who surrounds themselves with people they trust who will challenge them, support them, and work with them as a team. This reminds us that it is worth examining the teams and support structures behind the candidates we consider. Does the person inspire trust? Does the person have long-term allies? Does the person feel comfortable stepping back and letting others have their moment in the limelight?

Which leads me to the final, eighth lesson I will pull from our parashah this week. Later in chapter 11, a commotion breaks out in the camp, and two men, Eldad and Medad, are touched by the spirit of God and begin to prophesy to others in the camp. When Joshua advocates for the men to be restrained, Moses says,

הַֽמְקַנֵּ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לִ֑י וּמִ֨י יִתֵּ֜ן כׇּל־עַ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ נְבִיאִ֔ים כִּי־יִתֵּ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־רוּח֖וֹ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

“Are you upset on my account? Would that all GOD’s people were prophets, that GOD inspired them!”

Similar to the very first quote we looked at from parashat B’haalotkha this week, this final quote is all about the power of lifting others up. In the first quote, at the beginning of this sermon, we were reminded that part of the power of lighting candles is that the flames can grow upwards of their own merit. And our final quote, here, is a literal demonstration of that metaphor– Moses does not try to stop the sacred connections and relationships made by others with God. In fact, he encourages them. He is not threatened in his role or in his power by the fact that God is speaking through Eldad and Medad. He understands, as any good leader would, that strong people lift each other up.

This reminds us that it is OK to want leaders who do the same, and whose main focus is not on themselves, but rather on supporting those around them.

And there it was–a taste of the Torah’s authority-related wisdom, 8 lessons in leadership from this week’s parasha, just in time for the primaries.

My friends– I bless us all with discernment and care as we head towards the primary this week. May we welcome the overlap of our spiritual and political values both as valid parts of ourselves. May we know we are not alone in our wrestling. May we always remember that many humans throughout history did not have the right to choose their leaders, and that is not a responsibility to take lightly. And as we cast our ballots, may we remember the lessons of our ancestors and our Torah, and be honest with ourselves about which candidates speak to the deepest values of our souls. 

Shabbat shalom.