Numbers - Weekly Torah Portion

Often enough it seems impossible for large systems to collapse or move out of a comfortable equilibrium. They have order, organization and so much momentum that any attempt for change looks as if it is doomed for failure. This can be so frustrating that it results in loss of will to continue and attempt change after a small number of tries to do so. It is like trying to cross through a sturdy wall. Wave after wave we break at that wall, achieving no progress at all. Not many will look for another path to bypass the wall, unlike water that will continue to attack the wall until one day, suddenly it unexpectedly collapses. You may just wish to walk by the cliffs of the city of Netanya to see how nature works abut this. The sea slowly but surly grinds at the sandstone that form the ridge of the beautiful Netanya cliffs. State leaders are still debating when it will be time to invest serious money into fixing this. As they so do, the cliffs slowly erode. Soon no decision will be needed…

Order is essential and first and foremost it is important to know who is around the scene of action. This is how the book of Numbers describes the events that happen on the second year after the exodus from Egypt. We therefore learn that the “numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500”, that the “numbered men of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300”, that the “numbered men of the tribe of Gad were 45,650”, and that the “numbered men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.” This count continues for each and every tribe, but for the Levites who “were not counted among them by their fathers’ tribe.” After the counting the tribes are ordered t position themselves around the tabernacle, the Mishkan. In the east the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, for a “total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies.” In the south, the tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Gad, for a “total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies.” The tribe of Ephraim is joined by the people of Manasseh and Benjamin for a “total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies.” In the north the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali, where the “total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600.” The Levites are positioned in the center nearby the tabernacle. When they start moving there is some order to it too, first go the tribes on the east, then south, then west and lastly those positioned in the north. “So the sons of Israel did all this; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their flags, and so they set out, everyone by his family according to his father’s household.” Good order is necessary for a large organization to properly function.

It was a challenging week for the people of the State of Israel following weeks of governmental foolishness. Every wrong decision that could be made was followed by one that made things even worse. When leaders and public figures diminish the role of law and order, mock the judicial system, and incite one group of people against the other, one should not be surprised that this ugly abscess eventually explodes in our faces. The systems seemingly can withstand all of this but the days comes and they rapidly collapse. We should not be amazed or perplexed when this happens. There is nothing that can justify deliberate firing rockets into the heart of civilian populations. We must not tolerate the attack of people because of their religious beliefs, their color of skin or the place where they live at. We should also not think that all of this happened in some remote and faraway place. It happened here, it is happening under our watch, and at a time where our government is full of those who have claimed to have the perfect solution for this situation. However, solutions that mean only locking up or the killing of people should not be the only tools in our arsenal. The solutions have to be such that will take us towards a better future than the future that awaits us if we continue to do that which we know that does not really work. If we do not demand that from our leaders, we will simply continue down the slippery slope that those very leaders have skillfully prepared.

This week the Haftara is from the words of the prophet Hosea, “‘Therefore, behold, I am going to persuade her, / Bring her into the wilderness, / And speak kindly to her. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, / And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope. / And she will respond there as in the days of her youth, / As in the day when she went up from the land of Egypt. And it will come about on that day,’ declares the Lord, / ‘That you will call Me my husband / And no longer call Me my Baal. For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, / So that they will no longer be mentioned by their names. On that day I will also make a covenant for them / With the animals of the field, / The birds of the sky, / And the crawling things of the ground. / And I will eliminate the bow, the sword, and war from the land, / And will let them lie down in safety. I will betroth you to Me forever; / Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, / In favor and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. / Then you will know the Lord.’”

Today the valley may be deep and murky, but if we take it upon ourselves, strive for change and lead the change, we will open the doors of hope for co-existence, living together – the doors to life.

Shabbat Shalom and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 14 May 2021, 4 Sivan, 5781