Several Parshiot ago when God appears to Moshe at the burning bush and asks him to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, the following conversation ensues:

“Moshe said, “What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The LORD did not appear to you?”   The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he replied, “A rod.”  He said, “Cast it on the ground.” He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it.”

Moshe is not sure what to do, he needs help.  God tells him to use what you have.   The staff becomes a powerful tool for Moshe, with it he brings the plagues, splits the sea, and brings water from a rock.

In this parsha we find a change:

“Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some men for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.”  Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Then, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set.”

Moshe assumes he will use the staff as he has for weeks, to miraculously beat back Amalek.  But, I imagine, to his surprise it does not work.  He ends up using his hands themselves, not the staff, to help the Jewish people with the war.

The israeli author Yair Agmon suggests that God is teaching a lesson to Moshe.   What worked in the past is not necessarily what will work in the future.  It is easy to get comfortable using a magic staff, but we can not become reliant on one solution.   Human life is vicissitudinous and we must be able to adapt to new times and new situations, and bring to bear new ways of being and new solutions.  This is especially true for Jewish leaders.   The same shul, community or nation is not what it was 1 year ago or 10 years ago.  The verse is teaching us that we can not assume what worked last year will necessarily work this year.

The secret to building the Jewish community and the Jewish people is to balance Jewish tradition on one hand and creative innovation on the other.  Our goals and values must stay the same but all the tools we use to get there will not be.