Why We Structure Our Strategic Planning Like the Five Books of Moses (And Why It Actually Works)
How ancient wisdom meets modern strategy for Jewish organizations ready to write their next chapter
When we tell prospective clients that we structure our strategic planning process around the five books of the Torah, we usually get one of two reactions: excited nodding from Jewish leaders who immediately "get it," or slightly puzzled looks from folks wondering if we're about to require them to study Talmud during budget meetings.
Let us be clear: no advanced Hebrew required. But what we've discovered over years of working with Jewish organizations is that our tradition offers some pretty sophisticated models for navigating change, building community, and leading through uncertainty. The Torah isn't just a spiritual guide—it's also a masterclass in organizational development.
From Genesis to Implementation: A Strategic Journey
Here's how we break it down:
Genesis: Understanding Your Origin Story
Every organization has a creation story. In Genesis, we start by deeply understanding your organization’s unique communal landscape—who are the players, what are their relationships, and how did we get here? We dig into organizational origin stories, examine current realities, and set everything in the context of larger trends in the Jewish community.
Think of this as your organizational archaeology. What values really drive your work? Where do you sit in the arc of Jewish history and culture? What emerging trends could meaningfully inform your approach? Just like Genesis sets the stage for everything that follows, this phase establishes the foundation for all strategic decisions.
Exodus: The People and the Impact
Exodus is all about movement and change—from where you are to where you hope to go. During this phase, we focus on deep community engagement to understand who you serve and where you're collectively headed. We conduct interviews, run focus groups, and create multiple pathways for stakeholders to share their hopes and concerns.
This isn't just data collection—it's relationship building. We're asking fundamental questions: Who is your community, really? What does liberation look like for them? And what's your role in getting them there?
Leviticus: Putting Values Into Action
Leviticus gets a bad rap for being boring (all those detailed rules!), but it's actually about creating practical structures that reflect your deepest values. In our process, this is where we bridge the gap between aspirational vision and actionable strategy.
We conduct systematic gap analyses, develop strategic options, and work with leadership to make key decisions about priorities and resource allocation. It's detailed work, but it's also where the magic happens—where lofty ideals become concrete plans.
Numbers: Charting the Path Forward
Numbers chronicles the journey through the wilderness—all the logistics, challenges, and course corrections needed to reach the destination. For us, this means creating comprehensive implementation plans with clear timelines, success metrics, and resource requirements.
We're building the roadmap here, complete with milestone markers and checkpoint processes. Because even the most inspiring vision needs practical pathways forward.
Deuteronomy: Ensuring the Vision Lives On
Deuteronomy is Moses's farewell address—his chance to ensure the vision survives leadership transitions and generational change. Our final phase focuses on launch preparation, communication strategies, and building the internal capacity needed for sustained implementation.
We document lessons learned, create governance frameworks, and establish monitoring processes. Most importantly, we help build local leadership capacity so the vision can thrive long after we've finished our work.
Why This Framework Actually Works
You might be thinking, "This is cute, but does it actually improve outcomes?" Fair question. Here's what we've learned:
It honors cyclical thinking. Jewish time is cyclical—we return to the same stories, the same holidays, the same themes each year, but hopefully with a deeper understanding. Strategic planning should work the same way. This framework builds in regular opportunities to revisit core questions and refine approaches based on new learning.
It balances idealism with pragmatism. The Torah contains soaring visions (justice rolling down like water) alongside incredibly detailed implementation instructions (how to build the Mishkan, the mobile home for God in the desert). Our process mirrors this—we dream big but plan carefully.
It assumes complexity. The Torah doesn't shy away from difficult questions, competing values, or imperfect leaders. Neither should strategic planning. This framework creates space for nuance and helps organizations navigate trade-offs thoughtfully.
It's designed for sustainability. Jewish tradition has survived thousands of years partly because it builds in mechanisms for adaptation while preserving core values. Our planning process does the same—creating frameworks that can evolve while maintaining organizational identity.
When Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Strategy
Look, we're not suggesting that Moses invented the theory of change or that the ancient Israelites were running SWOT analyses in the wilderness. But we are suggesting that communities have been figuring out how to navigate change and build sustainable institutions for a very long time.
Jewish organizations today face unprecedented challenges: shifting demographics, evolving engagement patterns, new models of community, and rapidly changing social contexts. But they also have access to thousands of years of wisdom about resilience, adaptation, and purpose-driven leadership.
Our Torah-based framework doesn't just structure the planning process—it reminds organizations that they're part of something larger and longer than any single strategic cycle. It connects current challenges to eternal questions. And it suggests that the work of building meaningful community has always required both big dreams and careful attention to detail.
Ready to Write Your Next Chapter?
Whether you're a local service organization looking to re-envision your role in the community, an educational institution navigating post-pandemic realities, or a national nonprofit seeking to deepen your impact, this approach can help you create strategies that are both ambitious and achievable, both innovative and rooted.
Because here's the thing: every organization is always in the middle of its own Torah story. The question isn't whether you're on a journey from where you are to where you hope to be—you already are. It’s whether you're being intentional about the path forward.
And for that, it turns out, our ancestors left us a pretty good roadmap.
Tiny Windows partners with Jewish leaders and organizations to help them tell their story from the inside out. If you're ready to explore what Torah-based strategic planning might look like for your organization, we'd love to hear from you.