Parshat Be'midbar - who really counts?

-
With this week's parashah/portion, Be’midbar, we begin reading the fourth book of the torah, also called Be’midbar, which means "in the wilderness.  This book of the Torah is known as Numbers in English, for it begins with the counting of the Israelites for a census. Jewish tradition has long taught that counting people can be a dangerous business.  An obsession with numbers can indeed be destructive, yet we still continue to count.

In writing the poetic commentary on this parashah I had in mind two facts:

1) It  has intrigued commentators for years that the individual numbers in the census never seem to add up to the total that is given in the parashah.

2) In his commentary,  R. Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev (19th century) comments on the fact that the Levites are counted in a census separate from the other 11 tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi is the priestly tribe that serves in the Sanctuary, or Mishkan, and will later serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. As  priests, they have a special status.  However, Levi Yitzhak remarks that the separate census for the Levites can also remind us today, that within each of us there can be found  both Israel (the ordinary people) and Levi (the priestly tribe


what really counts

I   you   we are here
to be counted
but I wonder why this is

the counting has begun
it is now completed
it makes no sense

numbers don't add up
     as if they ever do
each of us is remembered
     each of us is forgotten
as we continue to count

should we take a recount
no   it’s  too dangerous
once is enought
that is why
one should not count people
as numbers
we play with them
  manipulate them
    make them say what we want
as if they could tell us the truth

inflation  deflation      all numbers
they mean nothing
    they are not real
they are not the truth
for the truth is that
we are each individuals
adding up to one
there is no
me  you  him  her  them
there is only one

people cry out      the count is wrong
there should more of dan
   less of shimon   more of joseph
the census makes no sense
numbers only serve to confound

but they are missing the truth
there is no more      and no less
there only is what is
but they can only see is what they wish
what their hearts desire

levi cries out
we do not count
we do not belong

the others cry out
only levi counts
he is special   alone
all of this is  foolishness
stupidity  futility  counting
none of this is real
all and none of us count
it is all an illusion
the only real number that matters
is one

yet still  to this day  we count
who is in    who is out
who is with    who against
who remains    who is banished
who matters       who does not

we argue  we fight  we kill
over numbers
          over counting
all of us wanting to be levi
    though all are israel
all bemoaning we are israel
    though all are levi

if we did not count
perhaps the struggle would end
or perhaps not
for the one   the all
the unity of being
is not    cares not     about counting

the one is about
knowing    sensing
feeling connections
but counting is a fantasy
it separates      it divides
it can kill    and  it  does

yet it will continue
until we stop worrying about the count
and remember that we all belong
to the one without number
             without end
        without borders
without separation

that is the truth
we always seem to miss
the only truth
that truly counts




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Parshat Shemot: From Pharaoh to President (a Response to this Past Week's Riots in Washington)

-
This week’s parashah is Shemot (Shemot/Exodus 1:1 - 6:1). Shemot means names and it begins with a list of the names of the Israelites who came to Egypt with Jacob after reuniting with his beloved son Joseph. The Israelites then multiply greatly in numbers until we are told that a new king/Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph. He was afraid that the Israelites were becoming too powerful and so he enslaved them. Not remembering that their ancestor Joseph was the one who saved Egypt from famine he had no problem exercising his royal prerogative to do this. Why did Pharaoh fear the Israelites so much that he enslaved them? Perhaps it was not that he didn’t remember Joseph, but that he chose to erase him from history. Perhaps he intentionally desired to forget the past. He wanted to be in complete control. He wanted to be the only person the people thought about. And knew that the Israelites, not only because of their numbers, but because the people remembered their ancestor Joseph, were a...
Read more

White Privilege, Charlottesville and Our Responsibility

-
Author's note: Usually my posts deal with the Torah portion or "spiritual matters."  Today I am writing my own thoughts in the aftermath of this weekend's tragedy in Charlottesville.   To me, these matters are indeed spiritual, because they deal with the human spirit and what God desires of us all, as created in the Divine image. Though written from my perspective as a rabbi with a Jewish audience in mind, I know that not all those who will read this are indeed Jewish.  However, much of what I wrote applies to white people, and Americans, in general. I believe the issues I raise are essential if we are going to make any progress in the fight against racism and hatred. I welcome comments, whether you agree or disagree.  All I ask is that they remain civil and respectful.  If they are not, I will not post them. L'shalom u'verakha-with Peace and Blessings, Rabbi Steven Nathan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Th...
Read more

Parshat Eikev: Finding our Place within God

-
In this week's parashah /portion is Eikev ( D'varim / Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25), Moses continues to address the people in preparation for his death and their entry into the land of Canaan. He recounts for them what occurred at Sinai, including the incident of the Golden Calf. In addition, he continually reminds them of the blessings that they will receive from God if they obey the commandments and the curses that shall befall them if they do not. He then recounts the miracles that God performed for them in the desert and the promise that God will slowly, but surely, dislodge the inhabitants of Canaan so that they can inherit the land promised to their ancestors. For my commentary I would like to focus on two specific passages: 1) "Remember the long way that YHWH, your God, has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that God might afflict you as a test in order to discover what is in your heart and whether or not you would keep God's commandments...
Read more

Beyond Sandy Hook: The Prophetic Call for Unity and Community

-
This week we wish had never been. We saw America – and humanity - at it's worst and at it's best. We witnessed unspeakable violence against innocent children and adults. Yet, we also heard the stories of the brave teachers who risked and lost their lives saving their students. The stories of 6 yr. olds who grabbed their friends and ran with them to safety, even holding the door for them, while the gunman was still in the building. We read of the neighbor of Sandy Hook Elementary School, who took in the young children he found sitting in his driveway, still dazed and in shock, and cared for them until their parents arrived. And we witnessed the strength of the parents who, in their time of deepest loss, turned not to anger, but instead to love , wanting nothing more than to share who their child was in life, even while mourning their death. These are all humanity, and America, at its best. But after the carnage was over, we began to hear other examples ...
Read more