Around me were twenty-five other fresh-faced seventeen-year-olds, four wise faculty, two caring counselors, and two brilliant directors. The words of Pirkei Avot became our constant companion and inspiration throughout our summer together. A mentor-mentee relationship is no ordinary connection. In our Torah portion, Mishpatim , we get a small window into such a relationship through the example of Joshua ben Nun and Moses.
After leaving Egypt, a few parshiyot ago, we first met Joshua when he guided the Israelites to victory against the Amalekites, thereby achieving glory and the gratitude of both Moses and God. The next time we encounter Joshua is in Mishpatim. The trust between the two is so great that Moses brings Joshua up to keep watch before his meeting with God at the top of Mount Sinai. Joshua is willing to wait alone for forty days while Moses witnesses the glory of God.
In spite of the difficulty inherent to the task of staying high up on the mountain alone for forty days, Joshua is prepared to wait for Moses. Mentors have a profound power over their mentees, a power that can be transformative when wielded with both care and sensitivity. Moses was worth waiting for. In the Talmud Sotah 46b there is sugya section that picks up where Rashi left off.
In it, we learn the various mutual responsibilities between teachers and students:. The quote in Sotah surfaces the tension between what a student may want to do and what is appropriate for him to do; the limits of devotion and how each party has a responsibility for maintaining boundaries.
After all, Moses is the distinguished teacher par excellence! It would then follow that Joshua could follow Moses to any ends that Moses wishes. Joshua is asked to stay below Moses on Mt. Sinai; of his own volition he elects to stay there. But why else would Joshua wait for Moses? We have to imagine Joshua finding this trial a pleasant one, or at least one replete with personal meaning. This is what made that summer with twenty-five other fresh-faced seventeen-year-olds, four wise faculty, two caring counselors, and two brilliant directors so special.
