Parashat Bamidbar

We begin the reading of the fourth book of the Torah, BAMIDVAR, which recounts the wanderings of Am Israel during the forty years in the wilderness. Something interesting that we can appreciate is that when God ordered the people to break camp to go to another place, each tribe was located in a specific place, thus occupying all the flanks of the tabernacle; however, the one who led the caravan was the tribe of Yehudah, and no wonder, since from his descendants would be born the future king of Israel, David. But since Yehudah was not the eldest of Yakov’s sons, what merit led him to go first? Naturally, the qualities of a leader must be courage, oratory, knowing how to lead, making decisions, mental balance. However, there is another primordial quality. When Yosef’s brothers plotted to annihilate him, Yehudah was the only one who reproached them: What will we gain by killing our brother! Yehudah’s piety was one of the qualities that made him a leader. We also find this characteristic in King David, for when he was still a shepherd and took the sheep out of the pen to feed them, he first released the small ones, then the young ones, and finally the adult ones, otherwise, there would be no tender and fresh herbs left for the small ones. Many times we believe that others were wrong, offended, or annoyed us. In those moments, we should remember our leaders, because if they were pious, we can also be pious.