18:17 And Moshe's father in law said to him: "It is not good this thing that you are doing.
You will surely wilt-- you and this nation with you. Because the thing is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone."
What had Moshe been doing? His father in law had observed that "you are sitting by yourself, and the whole nation is standing on you from morning to night."
Moshe explained the many tasks he was involved in.
I deduced from this that Moshe was the ideal person to do these activities.
But there was a problem. If Moshe continued to do all these things, even if he was the ideal person to do them, he was going to wear himself out. That's no good for Moshe and no good for the nation is he caring for.
Substitute "Mommy" and "children" and I've been thinking about this a lot. Moshe was the best person to judge the nation. He had the most knowledge and could consult Hashem. Anyone else delegated to this task would not have those qualifications.
And yet. If you try to do everything, you end up withered. You and the people you are trying to care for.
I read this a while ago:
And if you are a homeschooler, throw in "educate your children." And you still only get two!
| יז וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו: לֹא-טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה. | |
| יח נָבֹל תִּבֹּל--גַּם-אַתָּה, גַּם-הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עִמָּךְ: כִּי-כָבֵד מִמְּךָ הַדָּבָר לֹא-תוּכַל עֲשֹׂהוּ לְבַדֶּךָ. |
I was struck by the same pasuk this week! I was thinking how even all-wise Moshe had to have someone else tell him to delegate responsibility. A humbling idea.
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