This morning we begin the 4th book of the Torah,
Bemidbar, the Book of Numbers. While some exciting
stories are contained in this book, it begins in a seemingly
tedious way with a list of the numbers of each tribe and
family group among the children of Israel. It ranks right up
there with the “begats” of Genesis.
There is a difference, however. The genealogical lists
in Genesis are of interest to us when we consider that they
deal with one of the two biggest concerns of that first book
of the Bible: progeny. (The other is land.) It is a tragedy
when a wife is thought barren. Just consider what happened
when Sarah thought she couldn’t bear children. All the
modern tsuriss with Abraham’s other children might be
said to have stemmed from the relationship between Sarah
and Hagar! Or, note how Isaac prayed on behalf of Rebecca
when she had trouble conceiving. Check how Rachel
lamented when her sister Leah and even the handmaidens
out-produced her! So, while we may intuit from reading the
names of the generations that our ancestors were favored
by God, this information doesn’t necessarily teach us how
we, too, should live in order to be so favored.
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You might think that the census numbers of the tribes
are about as compelling as those begats, especially when
the information is presented twice within one Torah
portion! The first time, in a section that Bev has read on
other occasions, the names and numbers are set forth in a
census for war. But this time, Bev wanted to explore a
different passage in the same Torah portion. This time we
read part of the deployment instructions that list where each
tribe should encamp and how they should order themselves.
Coupled with the beautiful words of the haftarah, this
section carries an inspiring message.
There were more than 600,000 men of fighting age
accounted for in our parashah. That figure doesn’t take into
account the Levites or women and children or non-Israelite
members of households. Conservative estimates put the
total of people following God and Moses at over 2 million.
For now, don’t let the huge number bother you. The point
is that each one of the congregation had a place where he or
she belonged that was set in such a way as to allow the
Mishkan, the place where God’s presence was situated
amidst the camp, to be visible. The tribe of Levi, although
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they were not counted for purposes of battle, had individual
tasks pertaining to the sacred tent and its objects, especially
when the people were on the march. What were the
responsibilities of the rest of the tribes? To surround the
Mishkan as they had once surrounded Sinai. To keep God
at the center and to carry out the laws they had all accepted
during the great Revelation.
Back in the late forties and fifties, after WW2 in this
country there was a period of tremendous growth in Jewish
communities, especially in the suburbs as people moved
out of cities to settle in places that afforded them a share in
the American Dream. I think many of us remember the
types of synagogues and Jewish centers that grew up at that
time. Where country clubs might still resist Jewish
membership, the synagogues provided acceptance, a place
for elegant social and charitable events, a track to run on
and often, a pool to swim in! The youth group movements
burgeoned and offered wonderful opportunities for Jewish
teens to mix with other Jewish teens before going off to
college and into the workforce. The synagogue was truly at
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the center of Jewish enclaves in suburbia and even in some
rather urban areas.
Slowly, as we became more accepted, more mobile,
more assimilated into the larger American culture, and as
values seemed to change, people began to turn from the
huge synagogues that had served their parents or
themselves as children. Other interests competed with what
seemed the provincialism of the synagogue. Other social
venues were more attractive. Other friends outside “the
tribe” claimed some of our time. Sometimes those who
remained active in synagogue life became exasperated or
worse with those less committed, with those for whom the
synagogue was not at the center.
According to the lore of B’nai Harim, the vision of its
founders was to create a synagogue where no one was
judged on the basis of wealth, no one was overlooked when
walking in for the first time, no one was made to feel
unwelcome or not loyal enough. Too many of the founders
had left synagogues feeling snubbed and unappreciated and
they would not be part of such an institution again. I’m sure
many of you, whether of the first generation of members or
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not, have either experienced this type of treatment or heard
about it.
One of the intentions of the leadership of B’nai Harim
has been to offer each member a sense of place and a sense
of purpose. This is exactly what is suggested by our Torah
portion. The Israelites lived fairly harmoniously despite the
huge numbers. Even Balaam, the foreign prophet called in
to curse the people had to exclaim at the excellence of their
community. As long as they took their places with an eye
toward the center of their being—their spiritual power—
their tents and dwelling places were “goodly”, as we sing in
the Ma Tovu each Shabbat.
But, many times we lose sight of our spiritual center
and the values that preserve our integrity. Each year we
reflect and regret the loss of connection with the sense of
the divine within us and within the world, determined to
renew the bonds that hold us together. But something has to
respond to our yearning. We need to feel the presence of
God in our lives today. We need to know our purpose.
In the haftarah that Bev chanted for us, God starts out
exasperated with the Jewish people. We have been disloyal,
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we’ve assimilated, we’ve been ungrateful. In one breath,
God condemns the relationship we’ve had, threatening to
disown, embarrass and abandon the very people God had
treated with such special favor. But in the next breath, God
remembers the loving relationship of the past, a time when
the eyes of Israel were on God and God responded
generously. God sings tenderly: V’eiristich li l’olam “I will
espouse you forever: I will espouse you with righteousness
and justice and with goodness and mercy, and I will
espouse you with faithfulness. Then you shall be devoted to
the Lord. In that day, I will respond, declares the Lord.”
We have a place in God’s esteem as our ancestors had
a place in the wilderness. There is orderliness. There is a
centrality of spiritual concerns. There is a part to play.
There is a connection with what is lasting, good, faithful
and loving If we will accept it as our gift from God and let
it always be manifest it in our community.
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