Can You Be a Leader Without Being a Ruler?

Last week, elections were held in Israel, and this week, the United States held its midterm elections. Two celebrations of democracy and freedom that we should never take for granted. After all, most generations before us never had the opportunity to choose their leaders. Or did they?

Democracy has accustomed us to associating leadership with political authority. But does every leader need to hold an official position? This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, and Rabbi Saadia Gaon’s Arabic translation of the Torah offer an intriguing perspective.

When Abraham approaches the Hittites to purchase a burial plot for Sarah, they respond:

“Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us” (Genesis 23:6).

The Hebrew word for “prince” here is nasi (נשיא), a term familiar to us from modern politics, where it means “president.” But already in the Bible, it is also used to describe leaders and tribal chiefs. For example: “All the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses” (Exodus 16:22).

In modern Arabic, the president of a country is called رَئِيس (raʾīs), a word closely related to the Hebrew rosh (ראש), meaning “head.” But Rabbi Saadia Gaon (Rasag) chooses an entirely different translation:

اِسْمَع مِنَّا يَا سَيَّدَنَا اَنْتَ شَرِيفُ اللَّهِ فِيمَا بَيْنَنَا

Which means, approximately: “Hear us, our lord; you are an exalted person of God (sharif Allah) among us.”

The word شَرِيف (sharīf) comes from the Arabic root ش-ر-ف (sh-r-f), which conveys honor, nobility, elevation, and high social standing. The same root gives us the word أَشْرَاف (ashrāf), meaning dignitaries or nobles. In some Islamic contexts, the title also refers to descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Incidentally, despite the phonetic similarity, the Arabic word sharīf has no etymological connection to the English word sheriff, which comes from Old English and originally referred to an official responsible for administering a county.

But back to Abraham.

Rasag does not choose a word that explicitly means “ruler” or “governor.” Instead, he chooses a term that emphasizes honor and social standing.

Interestingly, this choice is not unique to our verse. Rasag also uses sharīf to translate other occurrences of the Hebrew word nasi in the Torah, including its plural form, ashrāf, even when referring to leaders who clearly exercised political authority among the Israelites. This is particularly noteworthy given that, in Islamic culture, the term also acquired a special meaning as a designation for descendants of Muhammad.

In other words, it seems that, for Rasag, the concept of nasi is defined not only by governing authority but also by the elevated status and respect associated with it.

Another fascinating linguistic connection appears here. The Arabic root itself links honor with physical height and elevation. A sharīf is, in a sense, someone whose standing is elevated above that of others.

Of course, the Hebrew word nasi does not necessarily imply political authority either. Rasag’s translation, therefore, does not necessarily change the meaning of the biblical text. Rather, it highlights one of its possible dimensions.

Abraham is not the king of the Hittites. They have not elected him to any position, nor does he exercise political authority over them. Nevertheless, they recognize him as a person of exceptional standing and honor.

At the same time, Abraham humbly describes his own position: “I am a stranger and a resident among you” (Genesis 23:4).

Here lies an interesting paradox: Abraham enjoys tremendous respect, yet his social standing does not automatically grant him property rights. He must still seek the Hittites’ consent to purchase a burial plot.

We will save Rasag’s fascinating translation of Abraham’s description of himself as a “stranger and resident” for next year.

Perhaps this is one of this Torah portion’s most important lessons: formal authority and leadership are not the same thing.

A person may hold a senior position without earning the public’s trust, while another may command respect and influence without holding any official title.

Leadership does not derive solely from the authority granted to a person, but also from the recognition and respect that others freely bestow upon them.

More than a thousand years ago, Rabbi Saadia Gaon produced his monumental Arabic translation of the Torah, known as the Tafsir (تفسير), an Arabic word meaning “interpretation” or “explanation.” His choice of words allows us to uncover additional layers of meaning in the biblical text and explore how Hebrew and Arabic can illuminate one another.

In this weekly series, we select a verse from the Torah portion and explore what new insights we can discover through Rasag’s translation.

Special thanks to Rabbi Yom Tov Gindi of Kfar Chabad, who made the Tafsir accessible in a modern edition printed in Arabic script, opening the door for all of us to embark on this journey.

Shabbat Shalom, and see you next week!