A Man Of Spirit
By: Rabbi Shalom Rosner
Hashem said to Moshe, “Take for yourself Yehoshua bin Nun, a man of spirit, and you shall lay your hand upon him.” (Bamidbar 27:18)
In Parashat Pinchas Moshe asks Hashem to appoint his successor. Hashem informs Moshe that his successor will be Yehoshua. Why did Yehoshua merit to be Moshe’s replacement? The Ramban (Bamidbar13:4) suggests that when the meraglim are listed they appear in the order of their greatness and Yehoshua is listed fifth (behind Kalev). If there were other individuals who may have been more worthy, why was Yehoshua selected to fulfill this task?
In Sichat Musar, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz suggests that the secret to Yehoshua’s greatness for which he merited to become the leader of the nation, lies in the description of Yehoshua in the pasuk cited above: “ish asher ruach bo, a man of spirit.” Seforno interprets this phrase to mean: “mi she-muchan lekabel or penei melech chayim, one who is ready to receive the light of the living king.” In other words, one who is not content, but constantly strives to attain more knowledge. That is what distinguished Yehoshua from his contemporaries, his thirst for knowledge. He shadowed Moshe in order to learn as much as he could. When Moshe ascended Har Sinai, Yehoshua remained at the foot of the mountain eagerly waiting for Moshe to descend so he could learn from Moshe as soon as possible (although he knew Moshe would not return for forty days).
In Parashat Ki Tisa, Yehoshua is referred to as a “na’ar” (a youth or “lad”): “His attendant, Yehoshua bin Nun, a lad, would not depart from the tent” (Shemot 33:11). Yehoshua was in his late fifties. Why is he referred to as “a lad”?! Because of his youthful attitude. He shadowed Moshe and served him so that he could learn and constantly improve. Life is like going up a downward escalator. If you do not constantly climb, you will drop. There is no “coasting”—one must continually strive to grow.
As people get older, they often retire and are not interested in changing anything in their lives. Judaism does not have that attitude. Regardless of our stage in life, we focus on future growth. We need to constantly seek to accomplish more. (I once heard Rav Asher Weiss state: “You don’t stop having fun when you get old—you get old when you stop having fun.” It’s all in one’s attitude and mindset.) A person can be 110 years old and have the attitude of a na’ar. Age is a number, and it may change annually, but our youthful attitude of constant growth and self-improvement should remain with us throughout life. Similarly, with learning Torah, a knowledgeable person is referred to as a “talmid chacham” (a smart student), who can continue to attain greater knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge never ends.
May we keep this in mind and retain our youthful attitude, constantly striving to enhance our pursuit of Torah and growth in our observance of Torah and mitzvot.
Rabbi Shalom Rosner is Rosh Beit Midrash of the Machon Lev English speaking program and Rabbi of the Nofei HaShemesh community. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (Mizrachi.org/speakers).
