Devarim

As Moshe is recounting the years in the wilderness he recalls the time when he appointed leaders over the people. He says, איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם , how can I alone carry your trouble & your burden & your quarrels?

Rashi explains this to mean that the Jewish people were troublesome, rebellious & quarrelsome.

Ramban says that we could learn from these words three things that are incumbent on leaders of our nation. טרחכם, your trouble, that the leaders should trouble themselves to teach the people Torah. ומשאכם , your burdens , that the leaders should carry the nation on their shoulders by praying for them & trying to alleviate any problems that they have. וריבכם , your quarrels, the leaders should try to resolve the quarrels of the people.

Moshe felt that it was his responsibility to see to all of the needs of the nation. The אוצר התורה relates a story that shows how our leaders emulate this trait.

Reb Moshe Weinberger relates this story as told to him by the one it happened to: " I was a young boy when my parents sent me to learn in the yeshiva in Grodno. It was a three day train ride, however, my parents were so poor they didn't even have the train fare, so I had to walk. Supplied with meager provisions & warm wishes, I set out. My parents told me to ask Jews along the way to share their food with me when mine ran out. Throughout the journey I slept on hard benches in the back of shuls, or even on the hard floor & had to beg for food from the kindhearted people along the way. Aside from the dangers of the journey, I was naturally worried whether I would even pass the entrance exam & be admitted into the yeshiva. All throughout the trip I reviewed the page of gemara I prepared, & by the time I got there I knew it by heart.

I finally arrived tired & hungry, but anxious to be tested. I was directed to the home of the Rosh Yeshiva , Reb Shimon Shkop to take the exam. Reb Shimon greeted me warmly & asked where I came from. He then said to me, I have only two questions for you. I was sure the exam was about to begin & I was ready!
Reb Shimon continued, my first question is, "when was the last time you had a hot meal?' I was taken aback by the question, & after a slight pause replied, around three weeks ago. Reb Shimon got up & prepared a hot meal for me himself after eating my fill I was really ready for the test.
Reb Shimon said, now for the second question. When was the last time you slept in a bed? Again the unexpected question & I answered that I couldn't even remember the last time. Reb Shimon went into the bedroom made up the bed & told me to lay down. I slept there all night, only finding out later that he had given me his own bed.
This was my entrance exam to Grodno.

After telling R' Weinberger this story, the student, now an old man, concluded, "Many years have passed and much suffering & pain have come my way , including the loss of my entire family to the Nazis. Throughout all the tragedies, the one thing that kept me connected to yiddishkeit were those two questions - my entrance exam to Grodno!

We can take a lesson from our leaders how much care & sensitivity we have to have for our friends. How to see what is needed without being asked & in that way rectify the sins of שנאת חינם that destroyed the Bais Hamikdash & may it be rebuilt in our days!