Engaging the Next Generation Via Rock Talk

Changing patterns in volunteer and affiliation patterns have amounted to a gigantic wake-up call for the established Jewish community. What has emerged is a dynamic discussion within kehillot (congregations) and many non-profits about how to engage the next generation.

Facebook, Twitter and Web 2.0 have been hailed as the magic pill. Yet we have found that social networking alone merely constitutes tactics for building community, rather than a comprehensive strategy to meet this goal. Furthermore, while many organizations and kehillot have established online platforms, few have mastered how to maximize their impact as part of an integrated engagement initiative.

I recently wrote about Wilfred Drath's theories about "relational dialogue" as the ideal model for leadership in our times. Relational dialogue is akin to community organizing, as it generates ongoing opportunities for meaning-making in communities of practice.

As the book of Numbers winds down, we are sadly reminded that Moses will not lead the people across the Jordan River. Drath's ideas about leadership models, I believe, can help us understand why Moses is punished for not speaking to the rock. His ideas actually complement  those of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, "The Netziv", who was the last Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin in the late 1800's.

As you may recall, as soon as the Israelites leeave Egypt they need water. In the first year of their journey, Moses is told to hit the rock and water comes forth. 

The second time the issue of water arises, God commands Moses to speak to the rock. This new directive, 39 years after the first one, is somewhat perplexing. First and foremost, the thought of speaking to a rock seems strange. Even in 2012 it feels funny talking to Siri on our iPhones, let alone a rock without voice recognition software. More to the point, if hitting the rock worked before, then why does God change course now? 

To understand the new directive, we have to grasp the mindset of those who would witness the miracle. The generation that left Egypt were accustomed to strong leaders (in Drath's "Personal Dominance" model), such as Pharaoh and Moses, who used force as a mechanism to maintain order. Hitting the rock is an act of force to which the recently freed slaves could appreciate.

Thirty nine years later the next generation, born into freedom, God realizes, needs a different experience. God tells Moses to speak to the rock to symbolically indicate that these people are ready for a new leadership and communal paradigm. The next generation are prepared to take part in the conversation about constructing a new society in the Promised Land. Their thirst would be quenched by deciding their own destiny.

Moses' error in judgment is not realizing that the "rock talk" is about showcasing a new model of leadership. Simply put, he doesn't realize that the medium is the message.

We face similar challenges today. There are new ways of reaching the next generation. When we sit face to face either online or in person, it is vital that we make room for the young - and young at heart - to contribute to a communal dialogue about our shared future. By convening our own "rock talk", we invite all stakeholders to play a role in actualizing a vision we create together.