Among the movies I could watch 100 times is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I stayed up late the other night when I found it playing on a basic cable channel. Before I got too tired, I watched as the Black Knight denied passage to King Arthur. Combat ensued, but the episode, of course, reminds me of something in the Torah.
King Arthur battles the Black Knight. After losing a limb, he describes it as just a scratch. Even after losing all his limbs, his bravado continues, and he says, “Running away, eh? You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what’s coming to you! I’ll bite your legs off!”
The entire scene is a brilliant comedy bit about absurd stubbornness and denial of reality. Sometimes, seemingly powerful people are unable to fathom their possible defeat. In the Torah, Moses implores the King of Edom to let the Israelites pass, first appealing to his compassion for their travails and later promising not to affect the land. The King of Edom refuses. Rather than engage in battle, Moses wisely skirts the land.
This is that Kenny Rogers moment of leadership, as Moses knows when to fold ’em, knows when to hold ’em, knows when to walk away, and knows when to run. Soon, Moses leads the people to the land held by Sihon. Requests to pass were not only denied, but Sihon led his troops against the Hebrews. Sihon’s men were defeated because this time Moses knew when to hold ’em.
We can glean both personal and political guidance from these stories. Not every affront is deserving of a battle. But an unwarranted attack may require a strong response. The trick is keeping one’s emotions in check. Anticipate the consequences of hasty action.
The Black Knight had no such wisdom. His ego would not permit retreat or even acknowledgment of loss. He fought until he had nothing left to fight with — and still he raged. Leaders who cannot read the moment, who mistake stubbornness for strength, bring ruin upon themselves and those who follow them.
Moses models something different: discernment. He was not timid. He was strategic. He understood that the goal was never the fight itself. Rather, it was reaching the Promised Land. Some obstacles are best walked around. Others must be confronted head-on. Knowing the difference is the mark of mature leadership.
We face our own versions of these crossroads. A difficult neighbor. A workplace conflict. A political provocation. The instinct may be to dig in, to prove a point, to never back down. But Torah and comedy alike remind us: the person still shouting “I’ll bite your legs off!” from the ground has already lost. True strength lies not in the refusal to yield, but in the wisdom to know when yielding serves the greater purpose and when it does not.
Moses walked away from Edom. He stood firm against Sihon. He kept his eyes on what mattered. That is the kind of leadership worth emulating — one limb, or all four, intact.
Rabbi Evan J. Krame
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