Moses and Joshua were both tasked with leading the Jewish people and yet their styles of leadership were profoundly different from one another. Reflecting on the loss of his daughter, Rabbi Kenneth Brander suggests that we adopt the leadership paradigm of Joshua and the spirit of collaboration. He argues that our generation wants not only to act as consumers but also as producers – prosumers. As prosumers, we should strive to lead like Joshua in a collaborative fashion by engaging each other as colleagues and partners for change.
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh HaReshet of the Ohr Torah Stone network of 27 educational institutions; leadership development programs; advocacy, outreach, and social action initiatives. Rabbi Brander was Vice President for University and Community Life at Yeshiva University (YU), taught rabbinics at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and served as the inaugural David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future. He served as the senior rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue for 14 years, overseeing its explosive growth from 60 families to more than 600 families. He is a 1984 alumnus of Yeshiva College, received his ordination from RIETS as well as a special ordination from Machon Puah center of medical ethics in Israel, and from then-Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, in the field of medical ethics, reproductive technology, and halakha. Rabbi Brander holds a Ph.D. in general philosophy and comparative literature.
