Torah for Christians: Accepting Responsibility

TORAH FOR CHRISTIANS

 SEASON FOUR   EPISODE SEVEN

 ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY

Originally published on August 1, 2022

 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses!  Moses!”  He answered, “Hineini (Here I am)”.  Exodus 3.4

           If God asks us to do something, shouldn’t we do it? It’s time to accept that responsibility.

          I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.

MUSIC

The most powerful word in the entire Bible is the Hebrew word Hineini.[1]  We translate it as “Here I am” but it really means so much more. Hineini implies accepting responsibility. Hineini sets one on a holy mission, one unlike anything ever known before. When God told Moses to return to Egypt, Moses said Hineini and so took responsibility for liberating the Israelite slaves.

          Moses rose to the challenge.  He marshaled his resources and convinced a rag-tag and dispirited group of recalcitrant slaves to follow him into the desert.  When he accepted the mantle of leadership, Moses knew that he would have a difficult yet tremendous task in front of him. Yet, he persevered.

     Convincing Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites was only one of his tasks.  Just as important, Moses had to convince the Israelites that they could become free people. He had to teach them about this powerful God, one whom they might not have known before.  When he said Hineini, Moses became responsible for these difficult but vital missions.

          From the story of Moses, we learn four lessons about accepting responsibility.  They are:

• We must embrace the tasks that we like to do.
• We also must embrace the tasks that we do not like to do.
• We must admit both success and failure.
• If we are leaders, then we are also flashpoints.

Let’s talk about each of these points.

We must embrace the tasks that we like to do.

          Moses was a shepherd in Midian. He fled there after he killed an Egyptian taskmaster, a bully of a man who had beaten an Israelite slave.  He enjoyed his life. He was married and living under the roof of Jethro, his father-in-law, who had taken him in when he fled Egypt as a fugitive. He probably would have been happy if he could remain a Midianite shepherd for the rest of his life. He had embraced this life and the work it entailed. 

 We also must embrace the tasks that we do not like to do.

          This is really hard!  Moses had to lead this ragtag band of recalcitrant former slaves on a mindless march through the desert – and know that he would die without entering the Promised Land.  Talk about distasteful tasks.

          Moses was hesitant to become a leader.  He had to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world.  Yet, Moses overcame his fears and embraced the task at hand.  He moved out of his comfort zone and emerged as the paradigmatic leader of the Jewish people.

A personal example will drive home this point. I hate making phone calls.  I especially dislike making calls to people I do not know.  I much prefer e-mail and texting. But if I must call 25 potential members to convince them to join the Temple, I do it.

          I must do the things that I dislike so I can do the things that I do like.  An athlete might hate running laps – but she must run to stay in shape and keep her spot on the basketball team.  A teenager might hate mowing the lawn – but he must do it to get the car keys on Saturday night.  And a sales representative might have to do record keeping as well as selling.

          In his book Reinventing Work, Tom Peters teaches us to embrace the tasks that nobody else will do.[2]   He speaks of a tiny contract located in small-town middle America; who wants to work on that project when a multi-billion-dollar project in Los Angeles is desperate for skilled workers?  The reasons he gives to go to small-town America are interesting: a chance to be the boss, a chance to experiment, a chance to take a risk and a chance to build a track record of success so that the next multi-billion-dollar project falls to you.

          If we do the scut work, we will build a reputation of responsibility that lays the groundwork for future success.  

We must admit both success and failure.

          In Deuteronomy, Moses cites his successes and his failures.  He takes responsibility for the good and the bad.  This shows the high level of Moses’ integrity, a trait that is essential if one is to be a great leader.

It seems obvious to take credit for our successes.  But have you ever noticed at the Academy Awards ceremony that the winners thank everybody?  Of course, a movie is a complex team effort, and many people deserve to be thanked. The real stars though know that they are but the public face of a long and difficult process involving hundreds of others.

          A lot of us cannot admit success.  We try to pawn it off on others.  And, while it is true that others usually deserve credit (we rarely succeed on our own), sometimes we should just say, “Thank you” when somebody complements us and move on.  

          Conversely, nothing succeeds better than admitting failure.  Accepting responsibility for mistakes is one of the most important things that we can do.  When we step forward and say, “It is my fault”, usually we move forward and often find redemption.  We have taken responsibility and, just as important, shown others that we have integrity; they will trust us in the future, even though we have failed in the present.

          Once a person I knew was accused of mishandling funds for a non-profit organization.  There was nothing criminal about his actions; he just made major bookkeeping and disclosure mistakes that led to the cover-up of a large deficit.  

          In front of his board, this person admitted his mistakes and asked forgiveness.  As a result of these admissions, and taking responsibility for the matter, this person’s departure was met with handshakes and hugs – and not the security officer standing over him while he packed his box of personal belongings and walked out the door.  

          When we admit and share our successes and yes, our failures, we defuse a lot of potentially disastrous outcomes. Our response to these events will most definitely change these outcomes.

If we are the leaders, we are also the flashpoint.

          Moses caught a lot of flack from the Israelites.  While battling Pharaoh, he also battled the Hebrew slaves, who clearly preferred their horrible existence in Egypt to the uncertainties of desert wandering.  Taking responsibility means that some people will not like you and work to topple you.  And yes, Moses did face several rebellions, all of which were unsuccessful. Usually, they are not the ones who will assume your responsibilities should you depart; exposing this reality goes a long way towards maintaining and enhancing your position.  Often, the best way to disarm a critic is to offer him or her a position of responsibility.  When push comes to shove, she generally will not push back.

          Like Moses, we must stand up and say Hineini, Here I Am.  When we accept responsibility, good things will happen to us.  Our world, our work, our home, our play places and indeed the world will be a better place – and we will be better people.  When we accept responsibility, the ultimate outcome will be good indeed.  To accept responsibility is the essence of leadership.

The Moses Principles

• We must embrace the tasks that we like to do.
• We also must embrace the tasks that we do not like to do.
• We must admit both success and failure.
• If we are the leaders, then we are also the flashpoint.

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I want to thank you for listening to Torah for Christians. If you enjoyed this podcast, tell your friends, and spread the word. You are the reason for our success. And whether you identify as a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim or even as a skeptic, we are all in this together. So please remember: Hinei Mah Tov… L’hitra’ot, till we meet again. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.

 [1] I am indebted to Dr. Norman Cohen and his work on this subject.  I encourage you to read his book, Hineini In Our Lives (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2005). 
[2] Peters, Tom Reinventing Work (Harper Audio, 2000).