Working together is the answer
Shabbat Shalom to all our readers.
In my home, making school lunches with the children is one of the “entertaining” activities that take place each day. It does happen, occasionally, that we forget to get it done the night before, and the following morning all pandemonium breaks out when we try to complete the task before we head out into the morning traffic! In the kitchen, everyone is rushing to get their lunches packed and ready to go! It looks like a Wall Street trading session! In the commotion of this morning rush, each child starts “fending” for themselves and trying to stuff an infinite amount of food into one small lunch box!
One morning, however, something extraordinary happened. Initially I thought I was dreaming, but after pinching myself, I realised I was watching something that was actually happening. Rather than acting as if tomorrow would never come, the children collaboratively set up a game plan. As a team, they decided each person would prepare a part of the lunch. “You make the sandwiches, you’re good at making them, and I’ll pack the snacks and then I can cut the fruit and you can cut the vegetables.”
These words were music to my ears. By working together, they were able to accomplish the task quickly, calmly, and effectively. My heart leapt with joy and I hoped that this would become a standard mode of operation and not a once-off appearance by the elusive Loch Ness sandwich monster.
A phenomenal episode occurs in this week’s portion, Parashat Yitro. Having heard of all the developments benefiting B’nei Yisrael under Moshe’s leadership, Moshe’s father-in-law, Yitro, visits the family. Daily, he noticed long lines of people waiting to see Moshe, and he observed that this wasn’t pleasant for Moshe or the people. As any good father-in-law would, he provides advice to Moshe.
As Moshe is serving the needs of the people, Yitro suggests that he recruit others to assist him. Moshe had been doing everything on his own to date. Having others assist Moshe in answering questions could alleviate the long lines that would make him stand all day and night answering questions.
Sure, there would be certain questions and areas that only Moshe could resolve, but the vast majority could be handled by others. Moshe once again showed his wisdom by listening to this advice. As a result, Moshe develops a new system for responding to questions and queries. This is now a far more manageable process for Moshe and the community.
When people are willing to put aside their egos, personal agendas, or any other possible reason for working as individuals, and work together, things are accomplished faster and more efficiently. Working together often makes things less stressful for everyone.
It does not mean we should delegate everything to others. Moshe and Yitro clearly understood that Moshe would be needed in the areas only he was qualified to handle, but such occasions aside, Moshe would be able to serve the people more effectively if he acted in coordination with others.
Fortunately, as mentioned above, when my children adopted this sage advice when making lunch, the experience went from disastrous to delightful (well, perhaps delightful is a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.)
The message for us is quite clear. Consider all the aspects of your life and ask yourself if you are employing the advice Yitro gave Moshe or if you are trying to achieve everything on your own. Using Yitro’s advice in any aspect of our lives will make things better without a doubt. You will be able to work more productively, show greater self-care and be far more helpful to the cause or role you are trying to serve. After all, as the old adage tells: “Many hands make light work.”
Daniel Rabin is senior rabbi, Caulfield Hebrew Congregation.
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