Parshat BeMidbar

Parshat BeMidbar

Numbers 1:1 - 4:20

The story of the Children of Israel in the desert continues after digressing through the book of Leviticus. The parsha (and sefer) opens during the second year after the exodus from Egypt. A census of all the males above the age of twenty is taken. This information will be needed in the event of a war. Each person was to place a coin into a vessel and the total count of coins would tally the number of eligible males. A total of 603,000 are accounted for using this method. The arrangement of the tribes, with their standard banners, is discussed. The Levites are excluded from this mustering and assigned duties related to the Mishkan. Elazar, one the sons of Aaron, is designated the overall supervisor and is also assigned the task of tending to the ner tamid (eternal lamp) oil, the mincha offering, as well as the incense for the altar.

The parsha begins with the phrase:”And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness (bemidbar) of Sinai…” This is an interesting way for the Torah to begin. The events are not described as having taken place at Mt. Sinai, but in the “wilderness of Sinai”. Why did G-d wish to give the Torah to the Jewish people in the desert? Surely He could have given it to them at anytime and anyplace. The sages write that after the yitzias mitzraim, the Israelites could have been led to the land of Canaan by a much more direct route across the Sinai peninsula. This would also lead them through populated areas with obvious provisions for food and water. Yet G-d chose to lead the Israelites on a wandering path for forty years. The reason, say the sages, was that the moral decay of the people was so low, that other nations might have corrupted them. Israel was not yet a Nation.

There are several analogies that might help. If a person is suffering from a disease that suppresses their immune system, any contact with the general population might lead to contamination and infection. The same is true for a newborn baby.

When any professional is trained, they are grouped homogeneously so that their training can concentrate on the basics. When they have matured in their trade, then they can be released among the general public and workforce to develop their own style. Nobody appreciates clones, but a certain amount of structure and organization is needed for a community of workers to succeed.

In the same way, the Israelites were led away from the general population centers because they had a suppressed “spiritual” immune system. During that time, they would be free from contamination as their national identity was forged. A master ironworker knows how to temper steel. He heats it until it becomes pliable enough to mold. It is then pounded, folded, cooled, and then heated again. This process is repeated several times over and the final product is one that has enormous strength and integrity. The Jewish people were molded in much the same way by G-d in the forge of Sinai. They were shown how everything they derive from life comes from G-d. They would be taught how to live with one another and what their religious responsibilities would be once they settled in the land of Canaan. The manna, the water, and their guidance were use dto develop a sense of emunah and bitachon (faith and trust) in G-d. The moral codes of the mishpotim and chukim would enable them to function on the world stage like any other nation. They would engage in commerce, establish a government and justice system, and protect their citizens from harm. A spiritual nation was formed as well as a physical one!

The Torah was given in “bemidbar Sinai”; in the “wilderness of Sinai”. A wilderness is a vast emptiness and a wide expanse. This description can apply to a spiritual as well as a physical existence. The Torah was given in such a lowly place to teach us that G-d’s Torah can exist anywhere at anytime. We each live in our own “midbar”. The Talmud writes: “Exile yourself to a place of Torah”. The Talmud also writes: “Do not exclude yourself from the community”. Are these two statements contradictory? I do not believe so. By exiling yourself to a place of Torah, one can simply designate a special room or place to study Torah at a special time, away from outside distractions. To others, it might mean literally exiling yourself to a place of study, like a yeshiva. It is told that Rabbi Akiva often left home for many years to study in Bene Barak. For the Jews of Eastern Europe, leaving for America was akin to exile in a midbar where, as my great-grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Fleischer said, “It’s hard to be a Jew in America”. He actually wanted to return to Russia, after spending three or four years in New York City, at the end of the nineteenth century.

The second statement reminds us that even if we need to retreat to a quiet place, Judaism requires us to live in a community. A prayer group consists of a quorum of ten Jews called a “minyan”. Without a minyan, certain prayers (such as the Borchu and Mourner’s Kaddish) cannot be recited.

The sages refer to the Torah as “white fire written with black fire.” The Torah is also referred to as “water”. Just as water seeks its own level by flowing from high to low, so can the knowledge of Torah seek its own level and flow out to all branches of life and reach each person at his/her own level. Yet water extinguishes fire. Are these two statements contradictory? In the desert, the Torah was given amidst fire and thunder from the clouds. A pillar of fire guided the people throughout the years. The people complained about water and a well would appear or it would flow from rocks. It seems that fire and water accompanied the Israelite throughout their travails. Remember, an iron worker forges and steel with both fire and water!

The Torah has the power of life (water) and death (fire). In parsha Bechukotai, we learned that the rebuke given to the people was based on a choice. Just as water gives life to the wilderness and the world, so does the Torah give spiritual life to people in their own wilderness. Fire can also be a source of light and warmth. The Talmud tells us to warm ourselves by the light of the sages. In the same way, water can also be a source of death. G-d destroyed the world in a great flood. People can drown in the ocean. When G-d decides to destroy the world in parsha Noach, He could have used any means possible. By using water to destroy the wicked, we learn that Torah can be used as a weapon against the wicked and the yetzer hara. In the Talmud, G-d says: “I created the yetzer hara; and I created the Torah as its antidote.” Through study and the performance of mitzvos, we are armed with a weapon that can sustain us in any physical and spiritual wilderness.

“And G-d spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai…” The words “bemidbar Sinai” can also be read as “b’midaber sinai”. The word “b’midaber” means “with words”. The word “sinai” is not only a location (as in Mt. Sinai), but it also means a “learned man”. The word “sanhedrin” is derived from the same root. The opening verse of the parsha can thus be interpreted as saying: And G-d spoke to Moses with the words of a learned man…” We know that at the red sea, the Talmud says that G-d appeared as a mighty warrior. Now, after the mattan Torah (the giving of the Torah), G-d appears to Moses in the form of a revered sage, teaching Moses both the written and oral Torah. Moses, in turn, transmitted this knowledge to Aaron, Joshua (his successor), and to the Elders. This became the “Mesorah”, or traditional Torah chain down through the ages.

The Talmud writes that the “Mesorah is a fence around the Torah”. Tradition and interpretation have changed the practice of Judaism since the institution of Rabbinic Judaism. Without the Holy Temple, we no longer offer sacrifices and make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. This is especially true for the diaspora Jews. However, the Torah is unchanging and the tradition to teach the laws to our children remains an unbroken chain of faith.

When the Torah states “And these are the sons of Moses and Aaron…”, the Torah proceeds to list only the sons of Aaron! The sages learn from this that anyone who teaches a child Torah, is in a sense acting like their father (in a spiritual sense). There is a story about a poor man who brought his only son to a yeshiva. “Please take care of my boy, since he is my only child”, the man pleaded with the Rosh Yeshiva (head of the yeshiva). “He may be your only child”, said the rabbi, “but I have over one hundred ‘only children’ since they are all my sons!”
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	Oceanside Jewish Center Weekly Parsha By Jonathan Wolf
	Parshat BeMidbar Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 The story of the Children of Israel in the desert continues after digressing through the book of Leviticus. The parsha (and sefer) opens during the second year after the exodus from Egypt. A census of all the males above the age of twenty is taken. This information will be needed in the event of a war. Each person was to place a coin into a vessel and the total count of coins would tally the number of eligible males. A total of 603,000 are accounted for using this method. The arrangement of the tribes, with their standard banners, is discussed. The Levites are excluded from this mustering and assigned duties related to the Mishkan. Elazar, one the sons of Aaron, is designated the overall supervisor and is also assigned the task of tending to the ner tamid (eternal lamp) oil, the mincha offering, as well as the incense for the altar. The parsha begins with the phrase:”And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness (bemidbar) of Sinai…” This is an interesting way for the Torah to begin. The events are not described as having taken place at Mt. Sinai, but in the “wilderness of Sinai”. Why did G-d wish to give the Torah to the Jewish people in the desert? Surely He could have given it to them at anytime and anyplace. The sages write that after the yitzias mitzraim, the Israelites could have been led to the land of Canaan by a much more direct route across the Sinai peninsula. This would also lead them through populated areas with obvious provisions for food and water. Yet G-d chose to lead the Israelites on a wandering path for forty years. The reason, say the sages, was that the moral decay of the people was so low, that other nations might have corrupted them. Israel was not yet a Nation. There are several analogies that might help. If a person is suffering from a disease that suppresses their immune system, any contact with the general population might lead to contamination and infection. The same is true for a newborn baby. When any professional is trained, they are grouped homogeneously so that their training can concentrate on the basics. When they have matured in their trade, then they can be released among the general public and workforce to develop their own style. Nobody appreciates clones, but a certain amount of structure and organization is needed for a community of workers to succeed. In the same way, the Israelites were led away from the general population centers because they had a suppressed “spiritual” immune system. During that time, they would be free from contamination as their national identity was forged. A master ironworker knows how to temper steel. He heats it until it becomes pliable enough to mold. It is then pounded, folded, cooled, and then heated again. This process is repeated several times over and the final product is one that has enormous strength and integrity. The Jewish people were molded in much the same way by G-d in the forge of Sinai. They were shown how everything they derive from life comes from G-d. They would be taught how to live with one another and what their religious responsibilities would be once they settled in the land of Canaan. The manna, the water, and their guidance were use dto develop a sense of emunah and bitachon (faith and trust) in G-d. The moral codes of the mishpotim and chukim would enable them to function on the world stage like any other nation. They would engage in commerce, establish a government and justice system, and protect their citizens from harm. A spiritual nation was formed as well as a physical one! The Torah was given in “bemidbar Sinai”; in the “wilderness of Sinai”. A wilderness is a vast emptiness and a wide expanse. This description can apply to a spiritual as well as a physical existence. The Torah was given in such a lowly place to teach us that G-d’s Torah can exist anywhere at anytime. We each live in our own “midbar”. The Talmud writes: “Exile yourself to a place of Torah”. The Talmud also writes: “Do not exclude yourself from the community”. Are these two statements contradictory? I do not believe so. By exiling yourself to a place of Torah, one can simply designate a special room or place to study Torah at a special time, away from outside distractions. To others, it might mean literally exiling yourself to a place of study, like a yeshiva. It is told that Rabbi Akiva often left home for many years to study in Bene Barak. For the Jews of Eastern Europe, leaving for America was akin to exile in a midbar where, as my great-grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Fleischer said, “It’s hard to be a Jew in America”. He actually wanted to return to Russia, after spending three or four years in New York City, at the end of the nineteenth century. The second statement reminds us that even if we need to retreat to a quiet place, Judaism requires us to live in a community. A prayer group consists of a quorum of ten Jews called a “minyan”. Without a minyan, certain prayers (such as the Borchu and Mourner’s Kaddish) cannot be recited. The sages refer to the Torah as “white fire written with black fire.” The Torah is also referred to as “water”. Just as water seeks its own level by flowing from high to low, so can the knowledge of Torah seek its own level and flow out to all branches of life and reach each person at his/her own level. Yet water extinguishes fire. Are these two statements contradictory? In the desert, the Torah was given amidst fire and thunder from the clouds. A pillar of fire guided the people throughout the years. The people complained about water and a well would appear or it would flow from rocks. It seems that fire and water accompanied the Israelite throughout their travails. Remember, an iron worker forges and steel with both fire and water! The Torah has the power of life (water) and death (fire). In parsha Bechukotai, we learned that the rebuke given to the people was based on a choice. Just as water gives life to the wilderness and the world, so does the Torah give spiritual life to people in their own wilderness. Fire can also be a source of light and warmth. The Talmud tells us to warm ourselves by the light of the sages. In the same way, water can also be a source of death. G-d destroyed the world in a great flood. People can drown in the ocean. When G-d decides to destroy the world in parsha Noach, He could have used any means possible. By using water to destroy the wicked, we learn that Torah can be used as a weapon against the wicked and the yetzer hara. In the Talmud, G-d says: “I created the yetzer hara; and I created the Torah as its antidote.” Through study and the performance of mitzvos, we are armed with a weapon that can sustain us in any physical and spiritual wilderness. “And G-d spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai…” The words “bemidbar Sinai” can also be read as “b’midaber sinai”. The word “b’midaber” means “with words”. The word “sinai” is not only a location (as in Mt. Sinai), but it also means a “learned man”. The word “sanhedrin” is derived from the same root. The opening verse of the parsha can thus be interpreted as saying: And G-d spoke to Moses with the words of a learned man…” We know that at the red sea, the Talmud says that G-d appeared as a mighty warrior. Now, after the mattan Torah (the giving of the Torah), G-d appears to Moses in the form of a revered sage, teaching Moses both the written and oral Torah. Moses, in turn, transmitted this knowledge to Aaron, Joshua (his successor), and to the Elders. This became the “Mesorah”, or traditional Torah chain down through the ages. The Talmud writes that the “Mesorah is a fence around the Torah”. Tradition and interpretation have changed the practice of Judaism since the institution of Rabbinic Judaism. Without the Holy Temple, we no longer offer sacrifices and make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. This is especially true for the diaspora Jews. However, the Torah is unchanging and the tradition to teach the laws to our children remains an unbroken chain of faith. When the Torah states “And these are the sons of Moses and Aaron…”, the Torah proceeds to list only the sons of Aaron! The sages learn from this that anyone who teaches a child Torah, is in a sense acting like their father (in a spiritual sense). There is a story about a poor man who brought his only son to a yeshiva. “Please take care of my boy, since he is my only child”, the man pleaded with the Rosh Yeshiva (head of the yeshiva). “He may be your only child”, said the rabbi, “but I have over one hundred ‘only children’ since they are all my sons!” .