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Health & Fitness

Do We Really Want True Leadership?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe's 20th Yartzeit is this Tuesday, July 1.

As anyone who knows a bit of Chabad history (or has read Joseph Telushkin’s wonderful new book “Rebbe”) knows, for a full year, the Rebbe declined the offers and even respectful demands that he become the new Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Why?

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Here’s a thought (sure it's speculation, but if a given speculation will help us become a bit more like the Rebbe wanted us to be, it stands to reason that it is to be tolerated):

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True leadership – as opposed to politics, which is more representing than leading – is a grueling, torturous process. And the main reason is because more often than not, you need to lead the people despite themselves.

Good high-school teachers know this feeling. Somewhere not too far beneath the surface of those teenage hearts, there is an awareness that the teacher is right, that the learning is important, and that being uncooperative is self-defeating. The teacher’s task is to guide the student to get in touch with that part of themselves. But guide too lightly, and the student is spoiled. Guide too strongly, and the student rebels. A good teacher finds a way to strike a gentle, perfect balance that holds the student accountable while giving him or her space.

A Rebbe does that with every person of his generation. He has no right to allow people to vegetate and grow complacent. It is his sacred duty to encourage and challenge his flock to grow, grow and grow even more. But how many people are eager to live that way? How many people don’t live in a peaceful comfort zone? How many people are eager to be pushed regularly, and to be told that everything they’ve achieved and become until now is absolutely not enough?

Not many.

And yet a Rebbe has to help everyone. He may not dismiss any individual and the less a person seeks his help, the more that person needs the Rebbe’s help.

What’s a Rebbe to do?

Often the Rebbe ends up virtually pleading with the people to cooperate. The Rebbe must remind the people why they wanted a leader to begin with. The Rebbe must gently remind the people that they should be begging him to teach; he shouldn’t have to ask them to listen.

But that is true leadership. Since the motive from the outset was never glory, the glory is meaningless. The betterment of the people – and by extension, the betterment of the world – is a true leader’s only agenda.

And that agenda is a truly, profoundly difficult one to fulfill.

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And so, one might speculate – and speculation it is – that during that yearlong delay, when the Rebbe resisted taking the position, the Rebbe was sending the Chassidim a message: You folks have to want this. In fact, the only way this has a chance of working is if you want this very, very badly. So ask yourself once, twice, three times: do I want a Rebbe?

Do I want a constant reminder of how much better I can do? 
Do I want to be repeatedly challenged to do more, learn more, care more? 
Do I want to put myself in the hands of someone who really cares about me – usually more than I care about myself? 
Do I realize that disappointing such a loving person will be painful for me? 
And do I realize that in order to not disappoint him I am going to have to dig deep into myself and work harder than I have ever worked before?

Do I really, really want that?

And the answer?

As witnessed by the Rebbe’s joyous and ubiquitous Chassidim, his tumultuous Yeshivas full of young men and women, and his spiritual army of 1000’s of Shluchim couples at 3,000 posts in 65 countries - the answer was a thoughtful, emotional and passionate YES!

Thank G-d.

Shabbat Shalom, Good Shabbos.

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