Our parasha opens with God commanding Moses to take a census of the Israelite nation prior to the nation marching together from the wilderness of Sinai to the land of Canaan. The parasha states:
"The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, in the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, saying: "Take a census of the entire congregation of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names"" (Bemidbar 1:1-2).While most biblical scholars view the census in Parshat Bemidbar as a head-count of those will be able to serve in the Israelite army, a strand of rabbinic commentaries assert that this census is taken because of the relationship between God and the Israelites. Although his commentary looks at our parasha contextually, Rashi points out that the taking the census might have ulterior divine movies. He writes:
"The Lord spoke... in the Sinai Desert... on the first of the month": Because they were dear to Him, He counted them often. When they left Egypt, He counted them (Exod. 12:37); when [many] fell because [of the sin] of the golden calf, He counted them to know the number of the survivors (Exod. 32:28); when He came to cause His Divine Presence to rest among them, He counted them. On the first of Nissan, the Mishkan was erected, and on the first of Iyar, He counted them (Rashi on Bemidbar 1:1).While Rashi points out that God counted the Israelites at several different points in the Torah, making the census in Parshat Bemidbar only one several throughout the Israelites' journey, Rashi's opening that God counted the Israelites frequently because "they were dear to Him" raises the possibility that God commanded this census for a deeper purpose than mere military conscription.
In a modern commentary, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch argues that the census in Parshat Bemidbar attempts to elevate the entire congregation of Israel by means of counting each of them, for counting each person ensures that every person knows that they count. He writes:
"When instructing Moses our Teacher to count the children of Israel, the Divine words were carefully chosen to avoid misinterpretation of the symbolism of the desert. "Elevate the heads of the entire congregation of Israel." Every individual should be aware that he is capable of being elevated and can reach the greatest heights. In the last Parasha of Vayikra, we learn of the mitzvah of taking off every tenth cattle and designating it as holy. However, when it comes to counting the children of Israel, we must know that every individual is sacred" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Torah Gems: Bamidbar, page 7).HIrsch's commentary emphasizes the communal aspect of the census, for making note of how many people are in the community is a subtle reminder to the community of each's person value. While previous and future censuses might be limited to specific groups within the Israelite nation, this all-encompassing census provides an opportunity to draw attention to the sum of all the nation's parts.
However, in taking a spiritual and even mystical approach, the Sefat Emet argues that the taking of the census is not for the purpose of counting individual people, but for recognizing the whole of the Israelite nation is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts, and this infinite whole should draw us to the study of Torah. He writes:
"The Torah that lies before us is the garb of Torah. It is by means of study that we arouse the force that lies within it. That is the real power of Israel: to awaken the root of Torah...the Midrash refers to this counting of the children as being "like the scribe's count." Just as the Torah has words and letters that are subject to counting but its root is high above, beyond all count, so, too, are the souls of Israel countable in this world, while in their root they are beyond all number. Thus the holy books say that the 600,000 Jews [who came out of Egypt] are parallel to the 600,000 letters in the Torah" (Sefat Emet Bemidbar 4:6).In other words, the Sefat Emet argues that lest we think that census someone implies that each Israelite is a mere number to be included in an inexorable list of names, one must recognize that each member of the Israelites is endowed with the ultimate sanctity given to the Jewish people. Furthermore, because the Torah is a book consisting of words and letters whose ultimate whole is greater than the sum of its parts, one must emphasize the way in which Torah study makes the Jewish people as individuals feel a part of something greater.
Next week, our Upper School be preparing for the holiday of Shavuot with two special events. First, students in our tenth and eleventh grade bible classes, under the direction of Mrs. Becky Friedman and Ms. Esther DuBow, will be teaching students from grades six through nine about Jewish texts regarding Torah study, Torah values, and Shavuot. Second, after all the students study together, we will come together to welcome a new Sefer Torah into our community, dedicated by the Zarabi Family. In each case, our Torah study and Torah education provide powerful educational moments if and only if the individuals in our community come together and engage in the communal celebration and learning that makes our community greater than any individual. May each of us always feel counted in our learning at Schechter, our community's great Beit Midrash, drawing together one another so that we might make Torah a part of each of us.
Shabbat Shalom!
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