Parshat Beha’alotcha Numbers 8:1-12:16

Parshat Beha’alotcha
Numbers 8:1-12:16
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This past week U.S. Senate Candidate Rand Paul from Kentucky made headlines because he criticized the Civil Rights act of 1964. Paul, the son of libertarian darling, Ron Paul, said that the government should not enforce civil rights. Backed by the Tea Party, he won a primary race for a Kentucky Senate seat and immediately came under fire. He hastened to state that if he had been there at the time he would have voted for it. But his contradictions hung out in the media like a shooting flare. He spent the weekend trying to distance himself from the tinge of racism. In his libertarian glee and enjoying the spotlight Rand Paul doesn’t understand the symbolic nature of his words and the damage he inflicts with his words.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to build a basis for equality in this country and began to smash the blatant and overt second class status of blacks in this country. Racism still exists as is evident in so many corners but without the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it would have been impossible to image an African American President less than 50 years later!
I cite this most recent headline because this week’s Torah contains a story where the words of a leader create hurt and pain. Miriam one of the leaders of the people makes an accusatory comment about the color of the skin of Moses’ wife. She spoke against Moses because of the “Cushite woman he had married” (12:1). Cush was the name of then Ethiopia. She was joined by Aaron in this moment, in part challenging Moses’ leadership of the people but doing so through hurtful and hateful remarks. Moses’ wife (Tzipporah) skin color was dark. But she was faithful to the covenant at Sinai and made sure the sons of Moses’ were circumcised. Moses our portion tells us was a very humble man.
And so God calls Moses and Aaron and Miriam to the Tent of Meeting and speaks to the three of them. God praises Moses. “I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. (Num. 12:6). God affirms Moses’ leadership and that Moses is the chosen of God. This is a rebuke of Miriam and Aaron. But God doesn’t stop there-as God’s Divine Presence withdraws from them in a cloud, Miriam turns scaly white. Her words, dripping with racism has turned upon her as God sends a message loud and clear that this kind of slander and hatred is not permitted.

Aaron seeing what happened pleads on behalf of himself and his sister. And Moses intercedes. He acts above their jealousy and hurtfulness and prays to God, “El na rafah na la” Please God, heal her.” The healing is not just for physical healing but healing her from the hurtful language that she used.
God agrees to heal but wants Miriam and everyone to learn a lesson. And so Miriam turned white is shut out of the camp for seven days before the people are able to march onward.
Healing of body is important but in this case –the lesson of the damage of hurtful words matter. This is what must be healed. Rand Paul has learned the hard way that words matter. Especially around the issue of race. It is a lesson we all should learn and re-learn.
If you grew up using derogatory language about race—even if it was in Yiddish, it must stop. We create an environment of pain, an environment of hurtfulness and we set back equality each time we speak it. So let us learn by Miriam’s example and watch our words. And pay attention to how we speak about one another.

Parshat Naso Numbers 4:21-7:89

Parshat Naso
Numbers 4:21-7:89
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

At the end of this week’s Torah portion, Naso, in the book of Numbers, Moses finishes assembling the Tabernacle. The tribes have been given their station around the Tabernacle. At the beginning of the portion the three different classifications of Levites, the Merarites, the Kohathites and the Gershonites each are given their tasks in relationship to setting up and taking down the Tabernacle. And then the Tabernacle, the altar, and all of the utensils used in the sacrificial worship are dedicated and consecrated by Moses. “On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle; he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils” (Numbers 7:1

With great ceremony this was conducted. But having Moses put the finishing touches and dedicating the altar and Tabernacle is not enough. Then each of the tribal leaders who were named in last week’s portion and who helped take the census of the Israelite men over the age of twenty, brought dedication offerings for the altar. Each leader is named again and each on behalf of their tribes brings exactly the same offering. It is spread out over the period of the next 12 days, one tribe a day. And it is a huge offering: a silver bowl and silver basin, a gold ladle filled with incense; on bull one ram and one lamb in its first year; one goat; two oxen; five rams, five goats and five yearling lambs. It took the whole tribe to gather this kind of offering. Not just the leader who presented it.

Why is it important to have the tribal leaders participate in the dedication of the altar? Isn’t it enough to have Moses dedicate the altar and consecrate it and then say open for business?

Not only do the tribal leaders represent their tribes at the dedication the tribes had to work together to gather this kind of might offerings. All had brought offerings to build the tabernacle in the desert, all had worked hard to build and create the various parts of the Tabernacle and now they worked as a tribe to gather the resources to bring the dedicatory offerings. They worked collaboratively and cooperatively to create their sacred institution-the very home of the Divine Presence in their midst.

This teaches us a very important principal about community that is still applicable to the Jewish community today. It takes us all to create the institutions of Holiness! Leaders and the people working together collaboratively and cooperatively makes the Divine Presence dwell in our midst. It can’t just be leaders; it can’t just be the people. But when we work together and hear the call of holiness then we create Tabernacles of meaning and experience that touch our souls!

Whether the tabernacle of old, the synagogue of today, or the other Jewish community institutions that connect us and transform us, when we dedicate ourselves to working together rather than each tribe by its self-then we can strengthen one another and the Jewish people!

Parshat Bemidbar Numbers 1:1 – 4:20

Parshat Bemidbar
Numbers 1:1 – 4:20
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

We begin a new book of the Torah with this week’s portion, Bemidbar. We begin the book of Numbers which is how this book gets its English name. The Hebrew name means in the Wilderness and the narrative of this book tells of the years of wandering from Sinai to the Promised Land. But the English name of the book, Numbers, comes from the accounting in this week’s portion. This week God tells Moses to count the Children of Israel and take a census. This is exactly what is happening in the U.S. right now. We are in the midst of the every decade census. Forms were sent to each household to be returned to the Census Bureau. But for those households that did not return their Census2010 form, home visits are now taking place trying to collect the necessary and very basic information about the size of each household and number of people in a household.
The every decade census is important because it determines the shape of our government and captures very important information about our people. I sat this past year on the California Complete Count Committee which was a statewide, governor appointed committee that tried to ensure that every resident of California was counted. We devised strategies and did outreach in all kinds of communities to make sure that California would not have an undercount. This happened in the 2000 Census. Estimates are that California was undercounted by more than 8 million people! Ouch! This impacts everything from Congressional representation to federal funds for schools and roads.

That is why if a census worker comes to talk with you it is important to answer her or his questions.
So too in our Torah portion it was important to know how many Israelites there were and in particular as the Children of Israel made their way to the Promised Land how strong an army they would have. Thus this counting of the men over the age of twenty becomes critical as the Israelites transform from a group of slaves into a nation and into force to be contended with as they make their way north toward Eretz Yisrael. The census is necessary to also figure out the taxation base that would support the priesthood and the tabernacle service. An undercount would have severe implications for the Israelites.
The numbers they come to in the Torah are staggering; over 600,000 male Israelites over the age of 20! This would mean that if you added the women and children—are there over a million or two million people that were part of the Exodus? And the census in a later part of Numbers gives different figures for the same tribes. These kinds of numbers would intimidate every enemy. And would fulfill the Egyptian notion that the Hebrews were fruitful and multiplied.
But 600,000 is still a huge number and one theory explains that the word elef-which means thousand in Modern Hebrew –may not mean this in the ancient dialect. The word elef might simply mean tribal unit and then the numbers of the Israelites on the journey dramatically decrease the numbers of those in the wilderness. Nevertheless it would put the fighting force of men at over 5000. Still an impressive army in the ancient world.
The divine counting recorded in this week’s portion helps set the stage for the organizing of the Israelites into troops and into a nation. Moses and Aaron and the representatives of the chieftains have their task before them. And out of this chaos of the wilderness will come a nation-and an organized force, echoing the Creation—out of the tohu v’vohu the chaos and void came the Universe.
So for those of you who have trouble with organized religion—remember-it comes out of the chaos and void and is the attempt by both the Divine and humans to make sense of the world around us. Is it perfect? No. But it is an attempt.

Parshat Behar-Behukotai Leviticus 25:1 –Leviticus 27:34

Parshat Behar-Behukotai
Leviticus 25:1 –Leviticus 27:34
Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This double portion ends the book of Leviticus. With 36 blessings and 49 curses contained in this portion, the third book of the Torah ends. The double portion takes place at Mt. Sinai—behar—at the mountain. And the closing verse of Behukotai tells us (Lev. 27:34) “These are the commandments that Adonai gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai.” These blessings and curses are wrapped in the knowledge that we heard them from on high at the covenantal moment.
The number of the blessings and curses are interesting. There are 36 blessings in this portion. Thirty six is of course double chai-2 times life. The blessings in this portion are indeed about the promises of life and security in the land when one observes the covenant. The perspective of the Torah portion is the promise of God’s goodness and reward when the Torah commandments are observed. This brings overflowing blessing and grants a double portion of life.
The curses or rebukes that are in this week’s portion number 49. This is also a significant number because of the cycle of the years that is outlined at the beginning of the portion; seven times seven years leading to the 50th year of Jubilee. The 49 curses or rebukes are directed at the children of Israel if they stray from the commandments and their responsibilities as a holy nation. The further Children of Israel move from God-God hides from them. In many communities these rebukes are read by the rabbi of the community because no one wants the “aliyah” the honor of this section.

But at the beginning of the portion we also read about the Jubilee year—a year of remission of debts and a year that returns everything back to an original state-the land that has been sold-reverts to its original owners, slaves are released and the world is put right according to the Biblical order of things. So too with each of these rebukes or punishments. There are 49 of them—but in the end we are assured that God’s covenant cannot be broken. There is hope that God will be with us no matter what. And the land eventually will atone for our iniquities and God will remember the covenant.
While the reward and punishments listed in the Torah are tied to the land—the truth is if we turn away from God and our tradition then we further alienate ourselves from the system of meaning making that is our inheritance. The idea of God and the holy breath of life that connects all humanity can help shape our realities. But we have to honor and recognize this and honor and recognize the mitzvot that help us live upright and holy lives. When we reject this holiness that is within us and we move farther and farther into idolatry then we can poison our own existence-we don’t have to wait for a punishment. The choice is always given to us. Blessing or curse? Which to choose? Death or life? Therefore Choose life-teaches another part of our Torah.
And as we end the portion-and end the book of Leviticus we ask that our lives be strengthened—Chazak Chazak V’nitchazek. The words we state at the end of a book of Torah. And so may we be strengthened by the blessings and chastened by the rebuke and seek to draw closer to the holiness of life that we call God.