פרשת פנחס
ולא תהיה עדת ה' כצאן אשר אין להם רועה | כ"ז י"ז
Let the assembly of Hashem not be like sheep that have no shepherd
In his tefillah to Hashem to provide a suitable leader for the nation after his passing, Moshe Rabbeinu referred to the possibility of a leaderless nation as צאן אשר אין להם רועה (sheep that have not to them a shepherd), rather than the more concise צאן בלי רועה (sheep without a shepherd).
The קהילת יצחק explains that Moshe Rabbeinu understood that Hashem would certainly provide a leader for the כלל ישראל. So davening that the nation should not become כצאן בלי רועה was unnecessary.
Rather, Moshe Rabbeinu davened for a leader who would be selfless and dedicated to the welfare of the nation, not one who accepted the position for ulterior selfish motives. Hence, the term אשר אין להם is appropriate since his tefillah was that the leader should be להם - for them – dedicated to the nation.
We are all leaders to our students. Our dedication to them selflessly emulates what Moshe Rabbeinu considers the ultimate leader!
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.