Last month we began the Jewish New Year of 5783 by addressing the life of Moses, our greatest philosopher and lawgiver.

Now as we say goodbye to 5782, we turn our attention from the theoretical and philosophical to the practical, that is to the deeds that make a society work or fail. We turn our attention to the stories that surround the life of Moses successor: Joshua.

Unlike Moses, Joshua was neither a philosopher nor a great writer. He gave us no great intellectual insights. Instead, Joshuas story is of the tale of a pragmatist. He is the man who turned Moses ideas into everyday realities. Joshua is a technocrat and soldier, more the doer than the thinker, more the pragmatist than the idealist. Joshua leaves no great insights nor quotable phrases. Instead, his is a narrative that echoes throughout both Jewish and world history and impacts our lives even until today.

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The story of Joshuas life is one of a man who has to deal with daily lifes messy details. The Bible tells us that Joshua did not deal with the future but with the here and now, not with great ideas but rather with the myriad of details we call life. His stories are not that of the academic ivory tower but of the basic necessities of survival. A Talmud passage attempts to differentiate Joshua from Moses by stating: The face of Moses was like the sun; the face of Joshua was like the moon (Bava Batra 75a). In other words, the Talmud saw Joshuas shine as a reflection of the work that Moses already had done.

Others might disagree. When we read Joshuas story we come to realize that he was much more than a mere reflection of Moses. In reality, there are two Joshuas. The first Joshua was Moses loyal deputy, the second Joshua only appears after Moses death as he assumes the task of national leadership.

We learn about the first Joshua in Sefer BaMidbar (the Book of Numbers). In the desert, the text calls him Moses mesharet. The Hebrew term mesharet means a loyal subordinate. Joshua is the paradigm of a disciple plus intern; he is also the eternal optimist. When the 10 spies stated that Israel could not succeed, Joshua, along with Caleb, wrote the minority report insisting that Israel should press forward and enter the land of Canaan. The people of Israel rejected their report and for that mistake the Children of Israel would spend some 40 years wandering in the desert.

We first learn of Joshua as a fierce fighter. He fought Israels first battles and won. Not only was he a fierce warrior, but he was also a brilliant general. He taught us that leaders must never lead from behind but must always live by the dictum acharai/after me! From Joshuas perspective, leadership from behind is no leadership at all. Joshua was not only fierce in war but also generous and kind in peace. We know about his professional life yet we know little about his personal life.

After Moses death we meet the second Joshua. This is a Joshua who mixed faith with innovation, and creativity with a generosity of spirit. Our second Joshua is a person devoted to both the past and to the future. He is a leader willing to take calculated risks, to listen, and to act. Joshua taught us not to fight the next battle based on the last battle. He understood that a nation dare not base its military on the superficial but must understand its future challenges and prepare itself to meet them. Joshua taught that leaders who do not keep their focus on the here and now tend to fail themselves and their nations.

Joshuas life is one that raises many questions. He first enters the Biblical stage as a warrior. The Bible never reveals to us the reasons that Moses picked Joshua. What we do know is that long before Joshua became Israels second leader he demonstrated his leadership capabilities. During the years of aimless wandering in the desert, all who were a part of the post-Exodus generation would perish and a new generation would be born into freedom. It was this new generation that would be tasked with entering into the land of Israel. Of the 12 who scouted the land, only Joshua and Caleb would survive and cross the River Jordan. By the time they entered into the land of Israel, they were old men with young ideas.

Joshua was also lucky. Moses had to struggle to succeed and often failed; Joshua seems to have been above the fray. During his term of office, we read of no major criticism, and the people generally tended to do what he asked. Had Israel learned the lessons of the golden calf? Was Joshua the savvy politician, actor or both? Was he simply lucky? The text is silent.

Unlike Moses, Joshua was a leader who had crossed the River Jordan both physically and mentally. Joshua was Israels first leader of a now independent and less immature nation, one whose destiny would be in its own hands. By crossing the river, Joshua became a leader who by necessity would have to deal with lifes less exciting but practical issues. Joshua took us from national childhood to national adulthood.

In typical Biblical fashion we see Joshuas positive and negative qualities. Joshua was a strong and optimistic leader. Yet he never appointed a successor, and after his death the nation would have to deal with a political vacuum. Is the text teaching us that strong leaders prepare their replacements? Does Joshuas life remind us of how dangerous it is for a nation to be burdened with a weak line of succession?

Joshuas life teach us who live many millennia later much about leadership and war. Did Israel suffer because it quit its battles too early? Is the text telling us that a premature peace may hold dire consequences later and that leading from behind is a formula not for peace but for disaster?

These are open questions raised by Joshuas life and leadership. They are questions to be debated for all eternity. Perhaps this is the reason that the story of Joshua contains no lofty pronouncements or poetry. His tale is a story that teaches us that war is a dirty business, sometimes necessary but never glorious. Joshua taught us that at times nations must do what is necessary but never celebrate anothers suffering. These are essential lessons to consider as we enter the New Year of 5783.

Peter Tarlow is a police chaplain for the College Station Police Department and the Rabbi Emeritus of Texas A&M Hillel Foundation. Tarlow is a member of the Texas A&M Faculty of Humanities in Medicine, and the director of the Center for Latino-Jewish Relations.

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Peter Tarlow column: Story of Joshua is of a by-the-book leader - Bryan-College Station Eagle