This week, together with other rabbinic and outreach organizations, we gathered at Heaton Park Shul for a conference that was both timely and quietly profound. It was a gathering of shared purpose, at a moment when Jewish communities everywhere are asking what leadership demands of them now.

At the heart of the conference was the honoring of Rabbi Walker. But what stayed with me was not the applause, nor even the stories themselves, but the question they raised: what does Jewish leadership look like at the moment of danger?

The Torah’s answer is surprisingly understated.

Moshe does not begin his leadership journey with miracles or revelation. He begins with empathy. “He went out to his brothers, and he saw their suffering.” The sages note the unusual phrasing.........

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