Yehoshua’s Ascendant Subservience
Rabbi Reuven SchrierAs Moshe Rabbeinu realized that his life was drawing to a close, he immediately, in his inimitable selfless fashion, thought of Klal Yisrael. Who would lead the people after his passing? He asked HaKadosh Baruch Hu to appoint a leader capable of guiding Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. To his great satisfaction, Hashem informs him that his beloved student, Yehoshua, was exactly the right person for the role (see Ha’amek Davar to Bamidbar 27:18).
As he ascends to leadership, Yehoshua is granted a stunning degree of authority. Halachically, he is treated as a melech, a king who possesses almost unmitigated physical control over the nation (see Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 1:3).
In fact, the punishment for moreid b’malchut – rebellion against the monarchy – is derived from Yehoshua himself. In the opening chapter of Sefer Yehoshua, soon after Moshe’s death, the tribes of Gad and Reuven reaffirm their commitment to fight alongside their brethren to conquer Eretz Yisrael proper. They close with a declaration of loyalty to their new leader, condemning any who would dare defy him to death:
כל איש אשר ימרה את פיך ולא ישמע את דבריך לכל אשר תצונו יומת רק חזק ואמץ – Every man that shall rebel against your words and will not listen to your commands in all that you order him shall be put to death, only be strong and have courage.
The authority vested in Yehoshua is absolute. Yet when commanding Moshe to appoint Yehoshua, Hashem deliberately uses an unusual phrase:
וְהַֽעֲמַדְתָּ֣ אֹת֗וֹ לִפְנֵי֙ אֶלְעָזָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְלִפְנֵ֖י כָּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה וְצִוִּיתָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם – And you shall stand him before Elazar the kohen and before the entire congregation, and you shall command him in their presence.
What does “stand him before” mean? Is this mere ceremony, an expression of pomp and circumstance underscoring Yehoshua’snewfound authority?
This formulation – of standing a chosen party before the kohen – has appeared before. When Shevet Levi was designated for sacred service, they too were stood before Aharon HaKohen, Elazar’s father (Bamidbar 3:6). And there, this phrase’s meaning is explicit:
הַקְרֵב֙ אֶת־מַטֵּ֣ה לֵוִ֔י וְֽהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣ אֹת֔וֹ לִפְנֵ֖י אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וְשֵׁרְת֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ – Bring forth the tribe of Levi and stand them before Aharon the kohen, that they may serve him.
Standing before Elazar and the congregation, Yehoshua was not being elevated – he was becoming subservient. Ironically, all of his power and authority were invested in him to serve those over whom he was appointed. Unlike secular monarchs who wield power for their own prestige, the king of Israel is enthroned
precisely to serve the Divine mission. As Rabban Gamliel, descendant of Dovid HaMelech and Nasi of Israel, taught his students, a position of “authority” is truly a position of servitude (Horiyot 10a).
We know that Jerusalem served as the capital city where the king of Israel resided. At first glance, the coincidence of the royal throne and the Beit HaMikdash in the same city might appear incidental, perhaps simply a matter of geography.
But the Netziv points to a far deeper explanation (Ha’amek Davar, Bamidbar 27:19-21). The melech is appointed to serve the kohanim and facilitate their divine service. Upon his inauguration, Yehoshua is immediately stood before Elazar HaKohen to symbolically accept this role of service. His power exists solely to increase kavod shamayim and to support Divine service. There is no clearer way to express this sacred duty than dedicating Yehoshua before Elazar, just as the Leviim were dedicated before Aharon. In this moment, Yehoshua becomes the ultimate fulfillment of Moshe’s final hope: a leader who is not merely a ruler, but a servant of Hashem and His people.
The king’s placement in Jerusalem is deliberate. His rule must be centered in the holy city, but his throne is not Jerusalem’s center. The Mikdash, with its Divine service, remains the true focal point – and the king’s role is to be its servant. Jerusalem reveals that true leadership lies in the art of rising only by serving, seeing every blessing of success as a renewed opportunity to serve Hashem and His nation.
