Let's dive into a story from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, that explores just this.
The story goes that God tells Moses to gather seventy men to help lead the Israelites. Sounds straightforward, right? But Moses faces a real dilemma. "If I choose five from each tribe," he wonders, "I only get sixty. If I pick and choose different numbers from different tribes, I'll create jealousy and resentment!" Talk about a leadership challenge.
So, what does he do? He comes up with a lottery system. He prepares seventy-two notes. Seventy of them say "elder," and two are left blank. He mixes them all up and has each candidate draw a note. If you get "elder," congratulations, you're in! If you get a blank, well, it wasn't meant to be. As Bamidbar Rabbah tells us, Moses reassures those who drew blanks, saying, "There is one note there on which 'elder' is written, had you been worthy to be appointed it would have entered your hand."
But here's where it gets even more interesting. Among those present are two men, Eldad and Meidad. They humbly exclude themselves, saying, "We are not worthy to be included in the appointment of the elders." Now, you might think that would be the end of their story. Au contraire! Because of their humility, they end up surpassing the other elders in five significant ways.
How so? The appointed elders only prophesied for the next day, as the verse says: "To the people say: Prepare yourselves for tomorrow" (Numbers 11:18). Eldad and Meidad, however, prophesied about events that would occur forty years in the future! Specifically, as Bamidbar Rabbah notes, some say they foresaw the downfall of Gog, while others say they predicted Moses' death and Joshua's leadership. This is alluded to in Numbers 11:26: "Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad…and they prophesied in the camp."
And who reported this prophecy to Moses? According to our story, it was Gershom, Moses' son. As the text says, "The lad ran and told Moses" (Numbers 11:27). And Joshua himself seems concerned, urging Moses to restrain them, as we read: "Joshua son of Nun spoke up…[my lord Moses, restrain them from prophesying]" (Numbers 11:28).
Furthermore, the elders didn't enter the Land of Israel, but Eldad and Meidad did. Bamidbar Rabbah identifies them as Elidad son of Kislon (Numbers 34:21) and Kemuel son of Shiftan (Numbers 34:24). The names of the other elders, interestingly, are not even mentioned.
Another key difference? The elders' prophecy was drawn from Moses' spirit, while Eldad and Meidad's came directly from God. As it is written, "I will draw from the spirit that is upon you" (Numbers 11:17), referring to the elders, versus "The spirit rested upon them" (Numbers 11:26), describing Eldad and Meidad.
Now, does that mean that Moses' prophecy was diminished in any way? Absolutely not! The text makes a beautiful analogy. It's like a candle. You can light many other candles from it, but the original candle's flame doesn't become any weaker. Moses' prophetic power remained undiminished, as Deuteronomy 34:10 emphasizes: "There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses."
So, what can we take away from this story? It seems to suggest that humility and a focus on serving God, rather than seeking positions of power, can lead to even greater spiritual heights. And even when leaders are chosen, the spirit can manifest in unexpected places, reminding us that leadership isn't just about titles, but about being open to divine inspiration, wherever it may be found.