The Wrong Leader

וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,

the people gathered against Aaron.” Exodus 32:1

Not everyone is suited for leadership. Some rise to power unprepared for its demands, while others crave authority without the wisdom to wield it responsibly. In times of crisis, the wrong leader can set a people—or even a nation—back for generations.

After Moses’ prolonged absence on Mount Sinai, the Hebrew people grew anxious and uncertain. Their faith wavered, and they turned to Aaron for reassurance. Until that moment, Aaron’s leadership had not been tested. Unlike Moses, he lacked both the ability to inspire the people and the profound connection to God that underpinned Moses’ authority. Recently freed from slavery himself, Aaron was likely ill-equipped to confront the surging panic of the crowd.

Jewish sages have long wrestled with Aaron’s actions, attempting to reconcile his role as a high priest with his failure in this critical moment. His weakness led to what is arguably the greatest apostasy in the Torah. The people had just received the Ten Commandments, which began with the declaration of one true God. Yet, under pressure, Aaron quickly fashioned an idol to appease the restless multitude. This faithless generation of the wilderness was later condemned to decades of wandering.

Idolatry is one of the gravest sins in Jewish tradition. The Talmud, in Tractate Sanhedrin, discusses whether one must sacrifice their own life rather than bow to a false god. Aaron’s choice to yield to the mob’s demands rather than uphold divine law was a failure of leadership.

Effective leaders confront unrest by addressing the concerns of their people with wisdom and resolve. Weak leaders, however, either fuel public frenzy or capitulate to it. When people seek solace in false promises and seductive narratives, deceptive leaders exploit their fears, offering golden calves of greed, pride, and envy.

Perhaps Aaron feared for his life. Fear has long been the undoing of many leaders. Even well-intentioned figures may succumb to the pressures of an enraged crowd. American politics offers the perfect example. Recently, Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, observed that many Republican colleagues were “terrified” of defying Donald Trump—not only due to the political repercussions but also because of physical threats that could upend their personal lives and require constant security. When immoral leaders incite public outrage, spineless legislators cower before the storm.

Aaron, though divinely appointed, lacked the skill to pacify a frightened people without offering them an idol. Today, we face leaders who lack divine purpose altogether. Some shrink from defying threatening crowds. Of greater concern is the leader who actively stokes anger, sews division, offers rage and extols retribution. In doing so, that one leads this nation away from the principles of decency and democracy, with consequences that could last for a generation.

Rabbi Evan J. Krame