It’s crazy, but this week we begin reading from the 4th book of the Torah, Bamidbar (or Numbers).
Bereshit (Genesis) tells the story of the beginning of the world and of the Jewish people.
Shemot (Exodus) tells the story of the exit from Egypt, but the entrance in to a brit (covenant) with G-d.
Vayikra (Leviticus) tells us *how* to be in that covenant, with laws and guidance.
Bamidbar (Numbers) charts the journey for Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) to nearly entering Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. We make some mistakes, and end up spending a bit more time in the desert than we planned (hence the name, BaMidbar meaning “in the desert”).
And Devarim (Deuteronomy) … well we’re not there yet. Don’t want to spoil anything ;P
So now we begin our journey through Bamidbar, Numbers. The English name is Numbers because Moshe (Moses) is commanded to take a census at the beginning and the end of this sefer (book of the Torah).
It’s not like Moshe realized he needed an accurate census count so he could reapportion the House of Representatives… (which is one of the main reasons we have a census in the US). And G-d definitely knows how many people there are, so why take a census?
A census in general sees to it that all are counted equally. Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, comments that G-d continually counts the Jewish people out of fondness for us. Other commentary in the Midrash teaches that each person was like a precious pearl to G-d, all equally valuable and worthy like the feeling one has toward their children.
Aw well that’s lovely! Everyone being equal!! Our modern Western minds loooooove that!! Except that it wasn’t everyone counted equally… it was just men over the age of 20.
Ok practically we’re counting people who can be part of a fighting force, which women and children were excluded from in those times. But I can’t help but feel not-seen by this.
I have been feeling un-seen in relation to other things, too.
For example, the rampant false information that has been spread on social media in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this week. In that, I have felt very un-seen. Our modern western world is terrified of being considered not-progressive, and so they hop on the bandwagon of condemning a complex geopolitical situation they have no stake in.
It’s as if the very WHIFF of being considered un-woke is enough to push everyone to the other side of the conflict.
Though the majority of the progressive / left-leaning world has turned on Israel in the wake of this craziness, as is to be expected when you have no stake in the game… interestingly enough, Jews (on the whole) have remained steadfast. A Pew report came out this week https://www.pewforum.org/2021/05/11/jewish-americans-in-2020/ and had some interesting findings — 71% of Jews (total) identify or lean Democrat / to the left, so it’s not like everyone suddenly ticks a different box.
In regard to Judaism, progressive Jews, when reading parshiyot like the current one, can become uncomfortable. But at the WHIFF of female oppression do we denounce our Judaism? I feel like the answer is no.
Cont’d…
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