We meet the Israelites this Shabbat at a very important moment. Moses and Aaron have been given their instructions, and it is time for the real march to the Promised Land to begin. The Book of Numbers is a chronicle, in many ways, of the beginnings of this trek. But first, as we read at the very beginning of the portion, we need to find out who is going, thus, a census. After all, the Wilderness is a dangerous place and enemies lurk, so best to find out who would be able to be called on to defend the group. Yet, before we begin, a decision is needed on how to march. Do we proceed as a mass of people unorganized, or with some sense of order? So, we come to chapter two.
This chapter outlines, in detail, the structure of how the Israelites were to be organized in camp and in their march. We read at the very opening: “God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying The Israelites shall camp each with his standard under the banners of their ancestral house; they shall camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance”. (1:1,2) On the surface this seems like a simple direction. However, let me suggest that, in a way, these verses and the chapter can teach us something about life as we grow older. Leadership understood that without some sense of order and organization, there would be a very real chance of chaos. So, acting on God’s instructions, Moses and Aaron set out to assign each tribe their own section. That is how they would go forward, each in their own section, yet part of the larger group. We meet again this traditional understanding that in our own individuality there is uniqueness, but as Jews, we are also part of that larger whole. As one commentator put it: “The Torah’s unique description of the ordered encampments teaches us that while each of us is unique, we acquire and express our unique abilities precisely when we function as parts of a larger order.” (Rabbi Avi Fertig in “The Musar Torah Commentary” p.216)
This reflects the “midah” in Musar called “seder”, or order. Yes, we know that word from Passover and the “seder” which is the “order” of the service. This portion is telling us that to maintain a life of focus, we need order and the realization of that, let me suggest, comes with age. Now, notice that the encampments, according to their tribes, are to have, as the center of the camp, the Tent of Meeting. Another clear message for us perhaps! In our uniqueness, as we live as part of the larger Jewish community, we are asked to keep Torah as our center, our moral compass, so to speak. The Israelites are asked, as they are about to begin their journey, to keep the sacred at their center. So too with us, as we begin every day, a new part of our life’s journey, this portion is reminding us that a life focused on Torah and order can bring meaning and fulfillment.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Richard F Address
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
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