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 Torah Thoughts
This week we read the Torah portion, BeMidbar (Numbers
1-4:20). It has 159 verses. It does not contain any commandments.
The following Torah Thought will appear in this
week’s Jewish Standard.
A Chorus of Voices in the Wilderness
This Shabbat we embark on the fourth leg of our odyssey
through the Torah as we begin the Book of Numbers. As its Hebrew title,
BeMidbar ("in the wilderness"), indicates, this book treats
primarily the travels and travails of the Children of Israel as their mobile
metropolis meandered through the desert, en route to the Promised Land.
The first chapter opens with the command to take a census of the Children of
Israel. The heads of the tribes are named and each tribe is counted
separately.
In verse 2 there is an anomalous juxtaposition of terminology. The Torah says
"take a census...by the number of the names".
Numbers and names seem to be completely incongruous concepts!
A number indicates conformity to a certain system and framework. Numbers are
ordinal, meaning that there is one before and one after.
Names, on the other hand, indicate individuality and uniqueness. There is no
way of arranging names in a logical, repetitive series. The name reflects the
unique essence of the individual.
The conjoining of these opposing concepts reflects Judaism's unique worldview
vis-à-vis the individual and the broader society of which he is a member.
Western civilization seems to favor the rights of the individual over his
obligations to the group. We are living in a'ME'rica- where everyone looks
out for "numero uno". The frivolous litigious frenzy, a symptom of
an egocentric society, is rendering the medical profession and other sectors
anemic. What profit is there in common sense when one can sue?
On the other end of the spectrum is the Eastern attitude that the individual
is merely a dispensable cog in a gigantic machine. This has been painfully
demonstrated in post-modern times by pawns willing to self-immolate for a
higher cause. Community leaders dispassionately allow children to enter
harm's way to increase casualties and garner sympathy from bloodthirsty media
and their expectant audiences.
Judaism straddles the tightrope between these often polar foci. The
individual is viewed as unique and a world unto himself. He has a name. Yet
that name does not entitle him to run amok over the needs of his fellow
travelers in pursuit of his own agenda. He is also a number. He is a piece of
the mosaic which is the camp of Israel. There is order. Each
individual belongs to a tribe. Each tribe has its place in the camp. Each has
its own insignia and looks to its banner. The tribes travel in a certain
sequence when the camp moves. This conformity gives the individual his sense
of identity, context and mission.
What is the gravitational force that maintains the fragile equilibrium of
self and belonging?
The centerpiece of the Israelite camp was the Tabernacle which contained the
Holy Ark which contained the Torah. The tribes, each in a unique position in
their orbital around the Tabernacle, faced the Torah and drew their strength
and sense of unity from it. It was only AFTER the Tabernacle was built that
the Jewish People could be counted in accordance with their families and
tribes. In the first census conducted after the Exodus, but prior to the
giving of the Torah, names, families and tribes were not mentioned. There was
a possibility that if individuality was emphasized at that point, the nascent
nation would disintegrate.
A verb in the singular form is used in the context of the Jewish People
receiving the Torah. Our Sages, quoted by Rashi, tell us that at this unique
moment, the Jewish Nation was "like one person with one heart".
Suspension in the matrix of G-D's Torah bonds every Jew to his fellow as
they travel forth in formation toward their common destiny. Yet the matrix of
the Torah is fluid enough to allow each Jew to express the unique nature of
his soul with the security of a lifeline. As an individual he is treasured by
the group. The Holy Sabbath will be desecrated to save his life. He will be
supported at the time of his economic or emotional need. Yet his creativity
and individuality are characterized not by "rights", but rather by
an allegiance to the well-being of the community; his obligations to the
group ultimately trump his private agenda.
As we approach Shavuot, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, let us
relive that experience of ultimate unity. Let us refocus on the Torah as the
center and illuminator of our universe. We will then merit to join millions
of our brothers and sisters around the world and Jews throughout the
millennia, past and future, in our common mission to bring an awareness of
G-D into the world; each dedicating his unique gifts and perspectives to the
common cause.
Haftara
The Haftara (excerpt from the prophets) that is usually
read with the portion of BeMidbar comes from Hoshea (2:1-22). The
Haftara opens with the words "The number of the Children of Israel will
be like the sand of the sea..." This is the connection with this week's
Torah reading which gives a detailed accounting of the numbers of the
Children of Israel in the desert.
The prophet Hoshea speaks metaphorically about the infidelity of the Jewish
People. They were unfaithful to their "husband", G-D, and
participated in dalliances with other gods/ false ideologies. This unfaithful
wife felt that her economic well being was dependant upon her paramours. She
was blind to the fact that all that she had came from her Husband.
G-d would confiscate all the possessions he had given her. Her former
'lovers' would abandon her. She would be sent out into the wilderness. From
there she will call out to G-D, as she did in her youth in Egypt, whence the Jewish People
cried out to G-d in their distress.
The Haftara concludes with the beautiful words of hope for our renewed
intimacy with G-D: "I will marry you to Me forever. I will marry you to
Me with righteousness and with justice; and with kindness and with mercy. I
will marry you to Me with fidelity and you will know G-D intimately."
These sentences are traditionally recited when the Tefillin strap is wound
three times around the middle finger, symbolizing our betrothal to G-D.
This week, since Rosh Chodesh occurs on Sunday, we
read a special Haftara for the Eve of Rosh Chodesh from I Samuel (20:18-42).
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
Technical
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