Rabbi Howard Morrison

The fourth book of the Torah Bmidbar is called Numbers in English because of all the counting which takes place in the book. The Sages entitle it Sefer Ha'Pekudim - the book of the countings. 

In the opening chapters, the tribes of Israel and the Levites are enumerated. Vivid detail is provided, teaching us that every Jew counts. We need every single one of us. We may be diverse from different tribes and viewpoints, but every Jew counts. 

Our Parsha describes how the various tribes surrounded the Mishkan, or, Tabernacle. Four separate groups, with three tribes on each side, surrounded the Mishkan while traveling in the wilderness. Despite the diversity of each tribe, one from the other, they were united as one people, one nation, in their spiritual purpose. Each tribe also had its own flag, with a unique color and appearance. Why a different flag and color for each tribe? One interpretation suggests when you put all the colors together you get a rainbow, a beautiful projection of the boundless potential of the Jewish people.

The imagery of today's Parsha is as true today as it was almost four thousand years ago. Last Sunday, some 56,000 Jews and other lovers of Israel walked with Israel. Just like the diversity of the ancient tribes with their respective flags,  last week's walk had shuls, schools, and all kinds of Zionist institutions walking hand in hand, many with their particular flags. Just like our ancestors' trek in the wilderness thousands of years ago, the varied colors, the diverse groups, the mosaic of flags - were like a rainbow, a beautiful projection of the boundless potential of the Jewish people. If ever we needed a bold,  proud, and public demonstration of Jewish unity, last Sunday was it.

It is noteworthy that we read Bmidbar during the final days of counting the Omer. We have been counting each day from Pesach to Shavuot because it is incumbent upon us to not only count the days, but to make each day count. In our Parsha today, we learn that there were 603,550 Israelites of draftable age. In another commentary, it is stated that there are exactly 603,550 words in the Torah. Just as the Torah is a unity made up of individual words, the People of Israel is a unity made up of individuals. Remove even a word, and the Torah is incomplete. Remove even one person, Israel is incomplete and cannot receive the Torah. 

On Shavuot, we celebrate the gift of receiving the Torah. We stand as individuals, yes, but even more so as a united community. The challenges of our overall history and the world we are living in right now compel us to respect our diversity and accentuate that every Jew unconditionally is an equal and important partner of Am Yisrael. Only with this recognition can we be a strong people who can endure the challenges we face and live up to the ideals of our tradition.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison