The Torah gives us a fascinating glimpse into this when Moses, the ultimate leader, faces the challenge of delegation.
Imagine: The Israelites are in the desert, a vast multitude, and Moses is their sole guide, judge, and intercessor. It's an impossible task for one person! So, God instructs him to appoint seventy elders to share the burden of leadership. Now, who were these seventy elders? The text calls them men "of novel extraction and of lofty and pious character." They weren’t just any random people; they were individuals of exceptional qualities, chosen for their wisdom and integrity.
Moses gathers them around the Ohel Mo'ed (אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֩), the Tent of Meeting, the place where God revealed Himself. He arranges thirty on the south side, thirty on the northern side, and ten on the eastern side, with Moses himself standing on the western side. The dimensions of the Tent of Meeting are important here: thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide. According to the text, each elder was apportioned a cubit of space. It's a beautiful image of order and shared responsibility.
And then, something incredible happens.
God, pleased with this act of delegation, descends from heaven, just like on the day of the revelation at Mount Sinai! The spirit of prophecy comes upon the elders, gifting them with prophetic insight that would stay with them for the rest of their days. As we find in Legends of the Jews, the spirit God placed upon them was of the spirit of Moses.
But here's the crucial point: did Moses lose anything by sharing his spirit? Absolutely not! The text uses a powerful analogy: Moses was like a burning candle from which many others are lit, yet the original candle's flame remains undiminished. His wisdom, his leadership, his very essence remained intact. He didn’t become “less” of a leader by empowering others; he actually became more.
Even after the appointment of the elders, Moses remained the leader of the people. He became the head of this Sanhedrin (סַנְהֶדְרִין), this council of seventy members, guiding and directing their collective wisdom. The Sanhedrin would later become a central institution in Jewish law and governance.
What does this story tell us about leadership? It's not about hoarding power; it’s about empowering others, sharing wisdom, and creating a system of collective responsibility. True leadership isn't diminished by delegation; it's amplified. It's a lesson that resonates just as powerfully today as it did in the desert so long ago. A lesson that shows us, perhaps, that the best way to lead is to light other people's candles, trusting that the light will illuminate the path for everyone.