WRJ Voices: D'varim

This week’s Torah portion D’varim (The Words) opens with Moses, a once reluctant leader, beginning his farewell address to the Israelites at the threshold of Canaan. He reviews their 40-year journey and retells the stories of great battles and encounters with foreign nations. He is focused on preparing the people to enter into the Promised Land as a civil society with good core values. He discusses the appointment of judges and leaders, the allocation of land and of course, the importance of observing the laws of Torah.   

As I read through this portion, I couldn’t help but think about my own leadership journey. I was also a bit of a reluctant leader. When approached several years ago by a member of the Sisterhood Nominating Committee to consider a position on the executive board, my first response was, no way! I thought to myself, I can’t do this, I’m terrified to speak in front of others and didn’t think I had the ability to lead anyone. Yet, something deep inside told me that I needed to step out of my comfort zone to find my true purpose. To help me gain self-confidence, my sisterhood encouraged me to attend a special Speaker Development Training that was being offered in connection with the WRJ Fried Leadership Conference (now known as the Fried Women’s Conference). It was a total game changer! I was put at ease right away after learning that most people feel nervous about public speaking. During this workshop, I was taught skills and strategies to help overcome my fears and use public speaking as a way to encourage and inspire others.  

Throughout my sisterhood leadership journey, I continued taking advantage of the many educational opportunities WRJ provides such as conferences, workshops, webinars, blogs, etc.  These resources have provided me with valuable tools I needed to grow personally, spiritually and as a leader within my community.   

This past May when my term as sisterhood president was ending, I had the bittersweet honor of giving my farewell address. Like Moses, I wanted “the words” to be meaningful and to make an impact. I wanted to tell the stories of all we had been through and share about the women who were so instrumental along the way. I reviewed the ups and downs of the last few years, recapping the various causes we fought for and the difference we made within our community through our fundraising efforts. I spoke of our programming successes and the positive lessons we learned even when things didn’t turn out exactly as we had planned.  Most importantly, I tried to offer words of support and inspiration to the new leaders who were being installed to carry on our mission.    

Likewise, as this portion ends, Moses charges Joshua as leader of the Israelites and offers him words of encouragement, knowing that a new generation is about to enter the Promised Land.  He teaches us that as leaders, it’s our responsibility to mentor others to take our place. Just as Joshua was empowered to be a new kind of leader for a new era of Judaism, so must we empower our future leaders to bring their own fresh ideas and allow them to move us in new unexplored directions. By simply retelling our stories and sharing our history we are helping to provide the inspiration and instill the confidence they need, just like Moses did. 

Susan Singer is a member of the WRJ Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Audit and Finance committee. She is the WRJ Central District West Michigan Area Director and Immediate Past President of Temple Israel Sisterhood, West Bloomfield, MI