Parshat Maasei; Numbers 33:1- 36:13 by Rabbi Denise L. Eger

The last Torah portion in the Book of Numbers brings the Children of Israel to the edge of the Promised Land. Their journey is almost complete. The tribes of Gad and Reuben and Manasseh have already requested that their portion be on the eastern side of the Jordan River. God speaks to Moses in Chapter 34 describing the borders of the Land of Israel to them. Then it further describes the leadership who will lead the Children of Israel into the new land.

But in Chapter 33 there is a detailed travelogue of the Children of Israel. The journey is described from their beginnings in servitude in the land of Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land on the plains of Moab. Each place along the way, each encampment is mentioned. Also significant events are recalled such as crossing through the sea, places where there was no water, the site where Aaron died. By recounting the journey through not only all the geographical places but really through the forty years of desert dwelling the history of this people is recited. Why is this important? The generation that dwells on the steppes of Moab is not the generation who left Egypt. Many have died along the way. The generation who will enter the Promised Land and begin the conquest needs to see and to learn that they are part of a much larger historical process. This generation needs to believe that they are fulfilling a promise made to their parents’ generation. This generation must understand that they are now the heirs to the covenant made at Sinai and knowing their own history and their place in history will be critical to fulfilling the next phase of the covenantal promise to enter Eretz Yisrael.

Is this any different for each of us? We as a Jewish people must see ourselves as heirs to this covenant too. Each and every Jew must see herself or himself as an integral part of our people. Each Jew’s actions don’t just affect the individual but our entire People. Thus if we raise our children outside our community and they are lost to the Jewish people—not only is that family diminished but our People diminished. Decisions to affiliate or not with Jewish community institutions are not mere matters of finance or theology but matter to the concept of Jewish peoplehood. And when we know and understand the history of our people and our journey we can better place ourselves in that timeline.

Thus we learn from this week’s portion that knowledge of our past and memory of our history is critical to maintaining a sense of connection and continuity. May each Jew see herself as an integral and vital part of the Jewish people. May each Jew find himself as a valuable and important member of our covenant. And may we understand the awesome responsibility we have to one another in that our actions and decisions affect the entire Jewish people.