Shepherds vs. Farmers

Background:
We had a lively discussion on the virtues of Shepherds vs. Farmers on the Avodah List

One of my Professors at YU - IIRC Dr. Irving Agus - extolled the virtues of Shepherding as breeding more idealistic people, with more time on their hands to contemplate the Divine.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a similar ideal promoted by RSR Hirsch in Breishis re: Hevel vs. Qayin.

Here was my first post on this thread:

«FWIW R. Hirsch Breishis 4:2 S.V. "Vayhi Hevel Ro'eh Tzohn" strongly support the widely held POV that pastoral life is more conducive to spirituality and contemplation than is agricultural Life.»

A lively debate ensued.

Dear Readers: please note that I exhort you to read R. Hirsch - as much as is possible - in the new edition of his Humash; and to NOT draw too many conclusions from my posts! IOW I am trying to simulate MORE learning and research into this topic, so please don't shortcut that!

Based upon the shaqla v'tarya [give and take] I had a flash of insight that I would like to share:

Assuming Arguendo
That - Hevel as Ro'eh tzohn is superior to Qayin and Noah as anshei Adamah...

Drasha:
Then, Let's posit that the Avos and the Shevatim were all superior to the farmers in Egypt when the "70" descended to Mitzrayin and SHOULD have been on a very high Madreiga.

What Happened?

This exalted level was compromised somewhat when
The Brothers grew jealous of Yoseph and some wished him to even be executed. They then adopted Qayyin's evil trait of Violent Jealousy and compromised [at least some of] their moral superiority

Nevertheless when the "70" went to Egypt they remained on a high enough level to be equal to Par'oh, and far above that of the average Egyptian.

Woefully, after 210 years, The Israelites descended to the low level of average Mitzrim.

Intervention:

At this point HKBH was "matzileinu miyadam" both physically and spiritually. And
While most credit for the G'ullah must go to HKBH, who is our corresponding human "rescuer"? Is it not Moshe - the ro'eh Tzohn? Isn't he the one chosen to elevate the now depressed Israelites and to restore them to become "spiritual nomads" - after their "redu shama" descent?

Moshe's Successor

How does Moshe pray to HKBH. Send a leader lest they be:

"Katzohn - asher ein lahem ro'eh."

While Yehoshua was the immediate response to this request I suggest that the long-term solution was not Yehoshua bin Nun!

Rather the ultimate Roeh Tzohn was David Hamelech! It is he who founds a dynasty as a ro'eh tzohn, revitalizing the Nation that had slipped under Sha'ul WRT Amaleik and ITS kol hatzohn!

Thus we have modeled our leadership in the mold of the 7 Shepherds

Avraham
Yitzhak
Ya'aqov
Yosef
Mosheh
Aharon
David

Paradigms of Jewish Leaders And Shepherds all.

KT
RRW