The Golden Mean

Naso

Num. 4:21-7:89

 

Précis: The parasha (the longest of the weekly readings) opens with a continuation of the listing of the Levitical families and their duties regarding the transportation of holy vessels. This is followed by a brief commandment concerning restitution for wrongs. The parasha then turns to a mysterious procedure for testing a wife’s fidelity when questioned by her jealous husband. Next, we have a discussion of the laws of Nazerites, and the recitation of the “Priestly Benediction.” The parasha concludes with the presentation of identical gifts by each tribe for the dedication of the Altar.

 

Num. 6:2-21 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink… During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long. Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body…. Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.  There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: … a ram for a sin offering… together with their grain offerings and drink offerings...”

 

Rabbi Sacks (z'l), writing in Covenant and Conversation (6/12/19), discusses the laws regarding the Nazarite, noting that an individual who undertakes this status observes special rules of holiness and abstinence.  He notes that left unsaid in the text is why a person should undertake these vows.  The text is also ambiguous, noting that the Nazarite is “holy” yet must bring a sin offering at the end of the period. This ambiguity created sharp divisions among the sages, as to whether or not the Nazir was praiseworthy.

            Does our tradition endorse such asceticism? That is not a simple question to answer, since at various times, some segments of our People indeed engaged in and prized self-denial.

            It appears that asceticism may have entered Jewish thought from the outside, including various movements at the beginning of the common era which endorsed self-denial, including some Greek and Persian thinkers.

            Our received text, beginning with creation, consistently calls God’s creation as “good” and therefore to be cherished and not avoided. Sacks notes that Maimonides saw that there was in fact not a single way to lead a “good” life, but there were two extremes: the way of the saint (chassid) and the way of the sage (chacham).
            Maimonides suggests that we should avoid extremes, but that a society needs both characteristics. We each should strive to live a “golden mean,” which is a balance highlighted by moderation. As Sacks notes, Maimonides knew that there are twin dangers: too much or too little.

            This is a reminder for us today, in a society which appears to be ever more extreme in its perception of the “other side.” This is not to suggest that we engage in “whataboutism.” To the contrary, we must strive for a life (and a society) of balance. That balance, our tradition reminds us, is to be holy, because God is holy. And holiness is defined in our text as being responsible for one another, and to see to the needs of all.

A wilderness of our own

 

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. The focus of the Book appears to “point to this moment when Israel is poised to take possession of its inheritance.” 

 

Num. 1:1 - 2 “And Adonai spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai… saying, ‘Take the sum of the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their father’s houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls.’”

 

The Israelites are marching through the wilderness. They do not know what to anticipate, and life is suddenly filled with new terrors (What will I eat? What will I drink? Where are we going? Is the enemy going to kill us?). There is no real surprise that the recently freed slaves seek to return to the imagined safety of Egypt.

            So, God tells Moses to take a census of the people. Every person is to be counted, without exception. Therefore, each person counts.

           Americans are once again living with virtually daily reminders of gun violence and massacres. We live in a nation where young men who cannot legally buy a beer can purchase a rifle, and hours later destroy the lives of children and their teachers in a school, or commit the most virulent hate crimes against minorities. There are more guns than there are people in the United States.

            No other nation in the world suffers from this kind of gun violence. Is this how we establish American "exceptionalism?" 

            So, what does this have to do with B’midbar? Moses was ordered to take a census in which every person counts. The dead in our schools, hospitals, places of worship, and shopping marts also count. We are living with two pandemics: Covid and gun violence.  We must, each of us, also count. The polls tell us that an overwhelming number of Americans support reasonable gun safety measures. But we don't seem to vote for politicians who will enact such necessary laws. I am almost, but not entirely, hopeless. The Israelites made it through the wilderness, and I pray that we can make it through this wilderness of our own making.