07-03-2022, 02:03 PM
I was reading this weeks Parsha and the following stuck with me -
This relates to leadership.
With power, the more we share, the less we have.
With influence, the more we share, the more we have.
As our Sages wrote and is expanded upon by Rabbi Sacks (Covenant and Conversation on Numbers, Parsha Korach) -
The transfer of influence is like "lighting one light to another". When we take a candle to light another, the first candle is not diminished. Likewise, when we share influence with others, we do not have less than before. Instead, the sum total of the light is increased.
Power, however, is different. It is like "pouring from one vessel to another". The more we pour into the second, the less is left in the first. Power is a zero-sum game. The more we give away, the less we have.
Yes, some power is needed, but it must be used in the correct way.
It is one thing to force people to behave in a certain way; it is quite another to teach them to see the world differently so that, of their own accord, they act in that way.
The overuse of power diminishes others; the exercise of influence enlarges them. That is one of Judaism's most humanizing truths. Not all of us have power, but we all are capable of being an influence for good.
This relates to leadership.
With power, the more we share, the less we have.
With influence, the more we share, the more we have.
As our Sages wrote and is expanded upon by Rabbi Sacks (Covenant and Conversation on Numbers, Parsha Korach) -
The transfer of influence is like "lighting one light to another". When we take a candle to light another, the first candle is not diminished. Likewise, when we share influence with others, we do not have less than before. Instead, the sum total of the light is increased.
Power, however, is different. It is like "pouring from one vessel to another". The more we pour into the second, the less is left in the first. Power is a zero-sum game. The more we give away, the less we have.
Yes, some power is needed, but it must be used in the correct way.
It is one thing to force people to behave in a certain way; it is quite another to teach them to see the world differently so that, of their own accord, they act in that way.
The overuse of power diminishes others; the exercise of influence enlarges them. That is one of Judaism's most humanizing truths. Not all of us have power, but we all are capable of being an influence for good.