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By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield
האנכי הריתי את כל העם הזה אם אנכי ילדתיהו כי תאמר אלי שאהו בחיקך כאשר ישא האמן את הינק (פרק י”א, פסוקים י”ב-י”ג)
Did I [Moshe] conceive this entire people, or did I give birth to it, that You [Hashem] say to me, “Carry them as a nurse carries a suckling”?
Hashem provided the Jews in the desert with מן to eat. When they complained to משה that they wanted to have meat, משה Davened to Hashem. He asked, “Am I their father, that You have commanded me to carry them as an אמן carries a nursing child? Where should I get meat to give all of them?” The מפרשים note, that משה compares his role as leader of בני ישראל to that of an אמן carrying a nursing child. Reb Yosef Shaul Nathanson (known as the שואל ומשיב) interprets the word אמן in this פסוק as one who is given the task of raising and caring for someone else’s child. According to his understanding, משה was saying, “I am not their father. Rather, I am an outsider who must care for them.” The שואל ומשיב explains, that משה was concerned about people speaking ill of him. When a child complains that his parents won’t feed him meat, no one is quick to assume that his/her parents are being unfair, depriving them of meat for no reason. Rather, one assumes that the parents have a legitimate reason for their decision. However, if a child complains that a caretaker who is not the child’s parent refuses to give him/her meat, and will only give bread, people will immediately suspect the caretaker of being stingy and unwilling to spend money to care for the child of another. משה said to Hashem, “I am not their father, that I would be viewed favorably if I ignore their complaints and continue to provide only bread (מן). Rather, people will say that they do not have meat because I don’t care about them enough to get it for them! Therefore, I beg of You to provide meat for the nation, thereby freeing me of any criticism.”
The נצי”ב was known to be an extremely patient person when dealing with others. He was once asked whether he was naturally a very patient person, or if his pious behavior was the result of a consistent effort to improve his character. The נצי”ב replied, “Before you ask me about my so-called pious behavior, let me ask you: Why do you think that my patience is ‘extra credit’? I believe that such a level of patience is required of anyone who is in a position of leadership!” The נצי”ב then quoted this פסוק as support for his statement. “משה said that, as leader of בני ישראל, he was required to bear their burden as a parent carries a young baby. (Apparently, the נצי”ב interpreted the word אמן in this פסוק to mean “parent”.) If a baby were to dirty himself and his mother as well, do you think she would angrily drop him on the floor? Of course not! The opposite is true. With love and care, the mother would patiently wash the child and dress him in clean clothes. Once clean, the mother would scoop up her baby and shower him with love, play with him, and nurse him, as if nothing had happened. A leader is expected to take the same approach when dealing with people, even difficult people. If someone badgers him, challenges him, or speaks disrespectfully to him, he must remain calm. He cannot respond angrily or cynically, and he may certainly not chase the person away. Rather, he must be patient in all his dealings.”
