At the very beginning, our people emerged from a collection of strangers who gathered from various nations around Abraham’s idea. This is how Maimonides explains it in The Book of Knowledge. Abraham was a Babylonian researcher who discovered that all of nature is unified, that there is a single force connecting all individual forces into one integral system. Accordingly, human beings must also reach a state in which they wish to unite above all differences. This is the direction toward which the law of development in nature pushes us.
Abraham taught kindness and love of others and sought to establish peace among all people. Most of humanity, however, did not embrace the idea of unity. The few who felt there was truth in his teachings became his group of students, and from them our people eventually emerged.
From that time onward, the role of leaders, rulers, and judges was to guide the people toward an optimal connection, i.e., to the construction of unity, harmony, and mutual complementarity, up to the level of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This was intended to align with the integral laws of creation and achieve balance with the general force of nature, which is also called “the Creator” or “God.”
Moses was the first leader required to establish a significant judicial system alongside himself. The qualifications for the role were: “Capable men, God-fearing men, men of truth, and haters of unjust gain” (Exodus 18:21).
“Capable men” are those who can contend with their own ego, rise above it, and care for the people more than for themselves.
“God-fearing men” are those who live with an awareness of the general system of nature and constantly strive to maintain balance with it.
“Men of truth” are those capable of judging the people from the standpoint of truth. Truth is the point of balance between mercy and judgment. Genuine development cannot come through either force alone, but only through the middle path. Preserving this middle line between judgment and mercy ensures that their rulings are true judgments.
“Haters of unjust gain” are those who ensure that their own desire to receive—the great egoistic desire that constantly deceives us, which is also called “the evil inclination”—does not mislead or manipulate them. Instead, they remain above it at all times.
Moses surrounded himself with such individuals to help judge the people. Later, he established another system, which was in effect the first government in the history of the people of Israel. It was the institution of the Seventy Elders.
The sages taught: “An elder is one who has acquired wisdom” (Kiddushin 32b). Wisdom is the understanding of the network of relationships among all parts of the complete system.
Moses understood how the mechanism of the general system of reality operates. From this understanding, he knew how the people should be organized in a similar fashion. He therefore established the Seventy Elders, seventy wise individuals who would stand beside him and help lead the nation. In the balance among them was a unique power through which the people could be guided correctly.
Moses selected approximately six representatives from each tribe and formed them into a single cooperative body. Their role was to ensure that their tribe contributed whatever was lacking for the benefit of the entire nation, so that one complete system could emerge.
Mutual complementarity is the way to achieve wholeness, prosperity, and peace. Only when we assemble ourselves into the form of a single body, then everyone has everything they need. Today, by contrast, we are accustomed to seeing representatives who concern themselves solely with the interests of their own sector. In the ideal state, however, representatives of the people are meant to act in an entirely different way.
Moses gathered representatives from every tribe because this reflects the proper, mutually complementary form of connection. Just as the human body contains many vital organs, such as the heart, liver, brain, and kidneys, with each functioning very differently and fulfilling a unique role, they all work for the benefit of the body as a balanced and healthy whole. Likewise, among the tribal representatives, the aspiration for mutual complementarity creates balance and reveals that there is enough for everyone.
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