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BAMIDBAR

23 May 2009

"In the Wilderness"

Numbers 1:1-4:20

Normally the HafTorah portion is Hosea 2:1-22

Because it is Rosh Chodesh, the reading is

 1 Samuel 20:18-42

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

The Torah teaches us to number our days.

On the Shabbat preceding Shavuot, the festival that commemorates the giving of the Torah, the children of Israel prepared themselves to receive the G-d’s Word by camping together as a single unit at the foot of Mt. Sinai.  They put aside their differing attitudes.  Though they were individual tribes with their own loyalties, they were able to set aside all of those differences for the sake of unity.  1 Corinthians 12 is a good example for the body of Messiah.

In this Torah portion, names of leaders of the tribes are given.  According to the sages, these leaders are linked to Shavuot in that they are heads of the community and, thus, teachers of Torah.

The way that the tribes encamped around the Tabernacle echoes the Feast of Shavuot.  The Tabernacle is similar to a “mini”-Sinai.  We re-live our own wandering through the desert, experiencing the revelation at Sinai-the giving of the Torah.

Another important aspect of the giving of the Torah in the desert at Shavuot is that Torah is given to all.  It is not exclusive to individuals alone, but to the entire community.  Living in the desert teaches us humility, feeling vulnerable and making us ready to receive G-d’s help and instruction.  We are to get out of our wilderness and into the Light.

The key relationship between Bamidbar and Shavuot is “community.”  This portion deals with the census, the counting of the Jewish people.  Also, the Torah, when mentioning Shavuot, remembers the counting of the days between the time of Passover and Shavuot: Leviticus 23, “seven weeks shall you count.”  R. Weiss writes: “We have to number our days, reflect how much time is spent on an endeavor and what requirements are needed to achieve it.”

What do we say when we look back at our lives and see what we have achieved?  What have we accomplished for G-d, His people and the vision He has given to us?

Shavua Tov

Rabbi Z

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