Chanukah is about publicizing the miracle of the Jewish people and bringing light into the darkness by doing so. It is about gratitude, Jewish pride, standing tall, and being visibly present. These are all powerful leadership qualities. And yet, when I reflect on what it truly means to be a bright, shining light as a leader, it is not always the public acts that shine the brightest.
One of the most impactful leaders I ever worked with was Rabbi Dr. Daniel Lerner, who, at the time in the mid 90’s, was the Regional Director of West Coast NCSY. He was an inspiring leader to both staff and teens, and many of the ways I lead today are rooted in what I learned from him during those formative years. While he was certainly a visible and powerful presence, there was one moment, quiet and unseen, that shaped my understanding of leadership more than any speech or presentation ever could.
It was 2:00 a.m. on a Saturday night after a large event and concert in a hotel ballroom. It was well past lights-out. The teens were in their rooms, and the staff had turned in for the night. As part of my rounds, I was walking through the hotel to make sure everything was in order and no one was lingering where they shouldn’t be. I stepped into the ballroom, and saw only one person there: Rabbi Lerner.
He was stacking chairs.
I paused, genuinely surprised, and asked him why he was doing it so late at night. “Aren’t there people for that?” I asked. “Isn’t this someone else’s job, certainly not the Regional Director’s?”
What he said became a foundational lesson in leadership that has stayed with me ever since.
“The hotel staff are done for the night,” he said. “This room needs to be cleared for tomorrow morning. I’m available now while everyone else is asleep, so I’m doing it.”
Stacking chairs was not beneath Rabbi Lerner. It simply needed to get done—and he was there to do it. Even more powerful was what he didn’t do: he didn’t keep NCSY staff up later than necessary just because it technically wasn’t his responsibility.
So I joined him. Together, we stacked chairs until 3:00 a.m. And in that quiet ballroom, I learned what true leadership looks like.
Leadership is not about accolades, applause, or being the brightest light on stage. It is about who we are and what we do when no one else is watching. That is where real light is create, and that is how leaders truly illuminate the world.