Moshe’s Successor

When Moshe was told that it was time for him to die, he was shown the Land of Israel and its unique spiritual side. He could not leave this world without knowing that a proper successor was chosen to replace him.

He told Hashem that He needed to choose a courageous leader, who would lead Israel in battle. He needed to be a person of great spirit, who would be able to tolerate the various personality types in Israel.

He needed to be holy enough to be worthy of consulting the Urim and Tumim on the breastplate of Elazar, the new High Priest.

Yehoshua was chosen for the task and possessed all of the qualities that Moshe was seeking.

There are commentators who believed that Yehoshua was chosen mostly because of his loyalty to Moshe.

There is a Midrash that says that Yehoshua was the first one to arrive each morning to set up the benches for Moshe’s Yeshiva. Some mocked him for doing such menial tasks. There was nothing beneath Yehoshua in faithfully serving his Rebbe.

This incident is to teach us how important this trait of loyalty really is. This is the trait that will ultimately yield the greatest reward. You may not become the leader of Israel because of your loyalty. But ultimately, it will produce great respect between you and your spouse and your children, and all with whom you have contact. Loyalty is a very special and noble character trait.