Mitzvah d'var

The portion I just chanted from the Book of Numbers is the first portion from that book and is called B’Midbar.  It opens by telling us that on the first day of the second month two years following the exodus from Egypt, G-d orders Moses to take a census. It is not a census that will count every Israelite including men, women and children, but instead it is a specific census to count all of the men who are twenty years old and older who can bear arms.  The purpose of getting information is not only to know how big an army they can organize in order to fight any unknown enemies they might come across but also as a way to intimidate those same potential armies.  

While you may not have noticed, in the middle section of the Torah Portion I seemed to be repeating a particular tune as I chanted.  I was chanting the names of the twelve tribes, the representative from each tribe, and the name of that representative's father .  G-d is very specific about how the Israelites should be counted and makes it clear to Moses that the count should be organized by the ancestral homes – which in this case are each of the families in each of the twelve tribes. G-d names the representatives from each tribe, and Moses and Aaron keep track of their numbers which total 603,550.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am someone who likes to ask a lot of questions. It was not different as I prepared to write this Devar Torah.  

Here are some of the questions I had about this Torah portion – Why did G-d ask Moses to take a census? – why were just those who could bear arms counted and who were they preparing to fight?

But I didn’t just have questions about my Torah portion- I also have questions about G-d, religion, Torah, and science.

For instance I wanted to know if I have to believe that G-d spoke to Moses directly throughout the Torah and if G-d didn’t, does it ruin the entire Torah. Does it mean I am not a good Jew if I prefer to believe in science and not in G-d? The answer to that question – according to Rabbi David – is absolutely not. Being a good Jew, like being a good scientist, means asking questions and agreeing and disagreeing with others with respect and an open mind. In fact in Judaism we have a long tradition of Rabbis throughout history discussing, agreeing and disagreeing with each other about what is right and wrong, what certain details in the Torah mean and even in modern times, whether G-d even exists.  According to Rabbi David, before modern times, all rabbis would say that G-d does exist.  Nowadays, there are some rabbis who would say G-d doesn't exist or would at least question that assumption or come up with their own way of thinking of G-d that respects our traditions and makes the conversations interesting. 

Take my Torah portion for instance and the questions I had about it- especially the question “why did G-d ask Moses to take a census of the Israelites in the first place– Rashi, an eleventh century Rabbi argued that G-d counted the Israelites because he loved them-- arguing that  humans  count the things that are precious to them.   His  grandson Rashban, teaches us that the census was a strategic move because  G-d meant to prepare the Israelites  for battle against any enemies they might encounter on the way to the promised land. According to Ramban the census is a system of organizing the Israelite men and preparing  them for battle because as a nation we can’t always depend on miracles from G-d to protect us. We need an army. This difference of opinion is an example of three esteemed Rabbi’s disagreeing about the same events as described in the Torah portion.  Does it matter that they disagreed– no -because that is what Judaism is all about.  My question was - why did they count the men, and these are three legitimate answers.   

This is what is called Eilu v’eilu divrei Torah, which means  “these and these are both the words of the living G-d as reflected in the Torah.  What “these” means is that while it is acceptable to ask many questions as a Jewish person it is also acceptable to have many different answers to those same questions.  Sometimes there is no absolute truth,- there are only different perspectives on the same question. 

Personally I am not a big fan of Eilu v’eilu.  I am a person who likes definitive answers.  That’s one of the reasons why I like science.  But I will tell you I really enjoyed learning how to read and chant Torah and mastering the prayers so I could lead this service today.  I found it challenging and yet it was a challenge I could overcome.  It was straightforward - there is only one way to pronounce a Hebrew word correctly and I worked hard to master that.  Adding the chanting to the reading of my Torah portion was another straightforward way to connect to my Jewish ancestors who have studied and chanted Torah before me.  So while I studied the different interpretations of my Torah portion and shared them with you today in my Devar, what makes me the proudest is the fact that I stand here today, having led you in prayer, and having chanted my Torah portion ready to assume my place in the JCOGS community.   Shabbat Shalom.