B’midbar
Num. 1:1 - 4:20
Précis: B’midbar
is an amalgamation of the narrative of wilderness wanderings (including the
stories of the spies, Korach’s rebellion, Balaam’s donkey, and the sin of
Moses), sacrificial requirements, the establishment of Israel’s moving camp,
and census data.
As B’midbar (“in the wilderness”) begins,
Moses is directed to take a census (“take the number”) from which the English
name (Numbers) of the Book derives. A detailed listing of the numbers of each
tribe follows; each tribe is apportioned a particular location in the camp. A
listing of the Levitical families then follows, together with the beginning of
a discussion of their duties.
B’midbar, according to Rabbi Plaut,
continues the narrative from Exodus (which was largely interrupted by
Leviticus), and begins about a year after the liberation, covering the
wandering in the desert. He notes that details are provided for only the first
and last years, with the “middle” 38 left mostly to our imaginations. TA time for leadershiphe focus
of the Book appears to “point to this moment when Israel is poised to take
possession of its inheritance.”
Num. 2:2 “The
Israelites shall camp each with his standard, under the banners of their
ancestral house; they will camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance.”
Tradition
tells us that there were three leaders whose presence merited God’s blessing:
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Because of Moses, the Jewish People received food
(manna); because of Aaron, God protected the People with a cloud. Because of
Miriam, the People were given water through the means of a traveling well. As
each died, the blessing associated with his or her life ended.
Today, we are faced with an
unprecedented threat to how we exercise our religious rites because of a
world-wide pandemic. We no longer have Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead us. Instead,
we have Rabbis, Presidents, and Executive Directors who must find ways to help
meet the needs of their “People,” the congregants.
The tradition
regarding Moses, Aaron, and Miriam teaches that power is best if shared,
because through conversation comes wisdom. Only by sharing power (or authority)
can the congregation succeed in its central mission of serving the congregants.
Thus, it is imperative that all of our leaders be open to change required by
the needs for social isolation, even if only on a temporary basis, and allow us
to learn and prayer together as a congregation, even if it is “virtual.”
The leadership of Moses, Aaron and
Miriam is a textbook case of allowing the talents and skills of all leadership to
unite for the enhancement of the communal mission. We must insist that our
leaders follow their example.
