The fourth book of the Torah, which we begin this week, is the most eclectic of the five. It contains both history and law interspersed, as well as long lists of numbers. This varied nature of the book is exemplified by the various names given to it in Hebrew and English. The common Hebrew name is Bamidbar taken from the first verse and reflecting the historical nature of a book that narrates events that happened in the wilderness. The English name of Numbers, which reflects the more ancient Jewish designation of ’the Book of the Census’, refers to the long lists of numbers that also dominate the book. It is thus interesting to reflect on the interplay between these two themes that form the basis of this book. On the one hand you have the census of the various tribes both at the beginning and end of the forty years of wandering. On the other hand you have the historical events that effected the people thus enumerated. We may therefore have an opportunity to examine the importance of raw numbers on history or visa versa. If we compare the two main censuses in the book, forty years apart, we can notice an interesting thing. At the beginning of our story the tribe of Shimon was one of the largest tribes with almost 60,000 members. Forty years later we find that they have been dramatically reduced to just 22,000. The Levites, on the other hand, start off with just over 22,000 and end up forty years later with 23,000. Having large numbers, it would appear, is no guarantee of success. The tribe of Shimon, despite starting off with a huge numerical advantage, manage to lose almost two thirds of their population while the Levites, who begin as the smallest of the tribes, manage to hold steady. There are obviously specific historical reasons that lie behind these figures, which indeed makes up the narrative portion of the book, but by bookending this history with two censuses the Torah enables us to reflect on the relevant importance of numbers. We might think that numbers are a primary determinant of both sustainability and vitality. We learn from the book of Numbers that this is not necessarily so. We can have large populations whose numbers do not protect them from fatal flaws and misguided policies. On the other hand, smaller groups can be both stable and successful by efficient use of their resources. We should thus never think that just because we are small we cannot succeed. In the end its not the amount of people you have but their quality and how you utilise them that are the decisive factor.
ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS
Rishon |
The command to number the Children of Israel |
Sheni |
The census. |
|
Shelishi |
The division of the people into four standards. |
|
Revi’i |
The Levites and their duties. |
|
Chamishi |
The census of the Levites |
|
Shishi |
The exchanging of the Firstborn for the Levites. |
|
Shevi’i |
The duties of the Kohathites. |
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Haftorah |
Hosea 2;1–22: Israel should leave false gods and return to G-d. |
Sidra Statistics
Parshat Bamidbar
· has 119 verses;
· is the 1st in Numbers, 34th in the Torah
· 5th longest in Numbers, 9th longest in the Torah
· has no mitzvot.
