Princes who transgress – Vayikra
The Torah refers to a nasi, a prince, committing a sin (Lev. 4:27).
A Chassidic teacher asks, “How can anyone imagine a prince, a leader of the community, committing a transgression?”
He answers his question by quoting the whole Hebrew phrase, asher nasi yecheta, the initials of which read ani – “I”. If a leader’s ego gets hold of his personality he begins to think only of himself and his own advantage.
No-one should enter upon leadership for personal status or benefit. He should never say, “I want to be a leader because I want to be famous, important, rich or powerful”. Leadership is only genuine if it is a means of serving the cause and the community.
The moment a leader realises that he is thinking of “I” and not “us”, he should step down and resign.
