All should count

 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 parasha begins with the taking of a census by Moses, and yet it is not really a total census: it counts men only, and only of those men who are of fighting age.  It does not count women, children, or the "mixed multitudes" who joined with Israel at the time of the Exodus.

            The tradition of counting ourselves, as I’ve mentioned before, is often cast in negative terms by the Sages. I submit that they are correct in a way they probably would never understand. These days, we often omit many from our "census.'' When we count Jews, we must count every Jew: male, female, old, young, those within our LGBQ+ community, as well as those who identify as Jewish. We also need to count the “ger” (stranger) who lives among us. All are created in the image of God, and all should “count.”

Making Way for the New

 B’Har - Bechukotai

Lev. 25:1 – 27:34

 

Précis: B’Har begins with a description of the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee (Yovel) Year. In the 50th (Jubilee) Year, we are to “proclaim liberty throughout the land” and property is restored to its ancestral owners. The parasha continues with the prohibition against unlimited slavery, as well as the rules for the treatment of those who are slaves.

            Bechukotai, the final parasha in Vayikra, begins with a statement promising blessings if the People follow Adonai’s ways. The blessings are discussed in detail. But, if the People disobey, terrible punishments will be visited upon them, and these, too, are listed in agonizing detail. The Book of Leviticus then concludes (as it opened) with regulations regarding the upkeep of the Mishkan, from voluntary tithes, land gifts, firstborn redemption, and tithes of flocks.

 

Lev. 26:10 “You shall eat old grain stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make room for the new.”

Among the blessings found at the beginning of Bechukotai we find this phrase, telling us that we will need to eat the stored grain in order to make room for the new harvest. Rashi tells us that the threshing floors will be full, but the old storehouses will also be full, and we must eat the old grain for there to be sufficient space for the new harvest. In other words, we need to clear out the old to make way for the new.

Rabbi Esther L. Lederman has suggested (Reform Voices of Torah, 5/23/22) that the idea of eliminating the old to make room for the new also applies to our possessions, and perhaps more significantly, to changes we seek to make in the way we live our lives. We need to let go of the old (be they habits or doing things just because that’s the way we’ve always done them) and embrace the new. 

In a world which many of us live in today, we are seeking greater racial equality, diversity, and inclusion of those we previously called “the other.” What “old habits” need to be discarded to leave space for new ideas and new behaviors?

We have an ideal way of “making room” for the new: Shabbat. When we sing at the Shabbat table together, and we bless the angels who look to our safety and security, we can also ask “what am I open to? What possibilities await?” It is perhaps time to make space for the new grain.