Parashat: Bamidbar

Parashat: Bamidbar
Torah Reading: Numbers 1:1–4:20

“Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters] by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.”

— Numbers 1:2

Mazals! We’ve officially made it to our newest book — Bamidbar (or B’midbar, depending on your grammar and pronunciation). The Israelite community is making their first attempt at identifying who’s in the community. Similar to the legal system we set up with Yitro in Exodus, here we’re trying to ensure that each clan/family/tribe is represented. But herein lies the challenge — who counts in the census? In Parashat Bamidbar, Moses and Aaron are expected to only be counting potential fighters who are males, 20 years of age and older. What does this mean, when previously, we defined building holy communities as coming from anyone whose heart was moved to give?

In some ways, the book of Numbers makes us take a second look at how we count and at who’s included in the count. Identifying people who have much-needed skills is important in building up the success of any community, but ensuring that everyone is seen, heard, and included in the community is how special stories really begin to take shape.

— Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss