Bicephalism

So many of the relationships we have in our lives can be characterized as "bicephalous." I first heard that word in a political science class; France's governance is bicephalous in that both the Prime Minister and President have distinctly marked responsibilities, and were the two to come from different political parties, or factions, it inevitably leads to friction, and difficulties in governance. Two-headedness can be dangerous, or even a recipe for disaster, in any matrix or hierarchy where power is shared. 

A husband who is as equally dominant as his wife, or vice versa, two chairmen who share power equally, two heads of state - each with veto power - or a head of armed forces who makes short shrift of the directives of the Minister of Defense are true and tried examples of such situations where the dynamics can be rife with tension. 

What then, is the secret, for managing, or finessing such a complicated situation? It is one we face regularly, where two people with different life orientations have to find the middle ground, or each, individually speak for the other. 

In this week's parsha, Moshe and Aharon, are in a similar situation. In fact, Moshe only concedes to being the leader, when he learns that Aharon is at peace with such a decision, "For Aharon, your brother, is coming to greet you," Hashem tells Moshe at the burning bush. But, in this week's parsha, it faces a reality test when repeatedly Aharon is asked, or directed to do things in Moshe's stead. Aharon acts, and Moshe stands by. What then is the secret? As the verse states, both Moshe and Aharon were commanded for example to bring blood upon Egypt, only one acted though, and that singular act was considered to have been done collectively by both Moshe and Aharon. Like in a marriage, both acted on behalf of the other, and then the action became theirs as a whole, though it was only performed by one of them. 

"Moses and Aaron did just as Hashem commanded: he lifted up the rod and struck the water in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and all the water in the Nile was turned into blood."

When one acts on behalf of two, with the other's best interest in mind, then the action performed is essentially the action of both parties. This is the language we find in the dualism of Moshe and Aharon, a collective mindframe that always takes the other's best interest in mind, and the overarching goal, what Hashem has commanded.