Rabbi Howard Morrison

The book of B'midar is called Numbers in English and begins with a series of countings. The commentator Rashi suggests that God counts the people of Israel out of love for them - when they leave Egypt, after the golden calf, and when God rests the divine presence upon them.

The book of B'midbar starts with a census counting the tribes and the Levitical clans. The very end of B'midbar details a counting of all the stopping places made during the years of wandering in the desert.

While Scripture has God counting our people out of love, Jewish tradition has us counting out of love for God. Each day of the week is counted as a particular day towards Shabbat, God's gift of rest to us. 

 At this season of the year, we count the forty-nine days of the Omer, a seven-week period of counting from the day of freedom (Passover) to the day of receiving the Torah (Shavuot). Alternatively, we count these seven weeks which connect our courtship with God (Passover) to our wedding with God (Shavuot), with Mount Sinai as the Chuppa, the Ten Commandments as the Ketuba, and the angels as the witnesses and guests.

Many people count that which they love: coins, stamps, the days toward a significant occasion, and more. 

As we begin to read the book of B'midbar and anticipate Shavuot next week, may God and the Jewish people continue to count on each other out of love for one another.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison