I recently had the opportunity to offer the invocation at a session of the San Jose City Council. As it turned out, they were recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. There were a number of Holocaust survivors present, who were presented with plaques by Mayor Chuck Reed. Our long-time member Jack Tramiel spoke briefly and movingly. So it was nice that the invocation had a Jewish flavor. Whenever I am asked to give an invocation at a public event, I use it as an opportunity to teach an appropriate Torah text. I’d like to share what I said.

In Jewish tradition, we begin events and meetings with a D’var Torah—a text from our tradition to provide a proper framework for the occasion. Judaism offers a rich body of teaching on leadership and governance, since we view the Bible and its commentaries as concrete principles for creating a just and well-ordered society.

In that spirit, I’d like to offer one of my favorite texts. It comes from Sifrei Devarim, a 2^nd century commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. The book begins with Moses reminding the Israelites that before they received the commandments, he set up a system of government—delegating and distributing authority. After all, without a system of implementation, laws are just words on a page. Moses then says, And I charged your judges at that time — judges in Biblical governance filled both judicial and legislative functions—, saying, “Hear the causes between your brothers, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger who is with him.”

The comment on the words “And I charged your judges at that time,” understands Moses to mean: “In the past you were independent, but now you are the servants of the community.”

2,000 years ago, our rabbis understood that the Bible affirms the model of servant leadership. In our times, this idea has been well articulated by Robert Greenleaf. He urges leaders to evaluate their motives and goals against the ideal of the servant leader. “The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?”

There is much cynicism today about government and public officials, but, as the Bible affirms, no society can do without them. My personal experience has been that most are dedicated and very hard-working. So I suggest that, instead of calling our elected leaders “politicians,” a tarnished term, we use “public servants.” In a democracy, that is certainly the right model and the essential aspiration. For city councils, which deal daily with practical, street-level issues and services, challenged by limited resources and conflicting constituencies—how much more so!

So I offer the prayer that this council, as servant leaders, will be granted the wisdom, the strength, the inspiration—and the resources!— to meet their challenges in governing this great and complex city. May God crown their efforts with success and, as the blessing of the Psalmist, may San Jose go from strength to strength. Amen.

Links:

Daniel Elazar was a great scholar of both the Jewish idea of covenant and American Federalism. You can find a long, but fascinating paper here: http://www.jcpa.org/dje/books/kincon-ch1.htm

And a fine article about Jewish concepts of leadership: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Caring_For_Others/Ethical_Behavior/Leadership.shtml