Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 26 Iyar, 5784– Day 41 of the Omer
Parsha Be-Midbar – “In The Desert”: (Numbers 1:1 – 4:20)
Second Portion: Numbers 1:20 – 1:54

Good morning! As we start a new work week, let’s make it COUNT! Today is day 41 of the Omer. The theme today is: Bonding of Bonding.  From Chabad:

Examine the bonding aspect of bonding. The forms it takes and its level of expression. Every person needs and has the capacity to bond with other people, with significant undertakings and with meaningful experiences.

Do I have difficulty bonding? Is the difficulty in all areas or only in certain ones? Do I bond easily with my job, but have trouble bonding with people? Or vice versa? Do I have problems bonding with special events in my life? Examine the reasons for not bonding. Is it because I am too critical and find fault in everything as an excuse for not bonding? Am I too locked in my own ways? Is my not bonding a result of discomfort with vulnerability? Have I been hurt in my past bonding experiences? Has my trust been abused? Is my fear of bonding a result of the deficient bonding I experienced as a child? To cultivate your capacity to bond, even if you have valid reasons to distrust, you must remember that G‑d gave you a Divine soul that is nurturing and loving and you must learn to recognize the voice within, which will allow you to experience other people’s souls and hearts. Then you can slowly drop your defenses when you recognize someone or something you can truly trust.

For bonding to be possible it must embody the other six aspects of bonding. Successful bonding must also include actualizing the bond in constructive deeds.

One additional point: Bonding breeds bonding. When you bond in one area of your life, it helps you bond in other areas.

Exercise for the day: Begin bonding with a new person or experience you love by committing designated time each day or week to spend together constructively.

What stands out to me here is that “every person needs and has the capacity to bond (connect) with other people, undertakings, and meaningful experiences.”  If we struggle to connect, there are we things to consider:

• Am I too critical and find fault in everything as an excuse?
• Am I too locked in my own ways?
• Am I too uncomfortable with vulnerability?
• Have I been hurt in my past experiences with bonding?
• Has my trust been abused?
• Was I deficient in bonding as a child?

These are all realities we find ourselves in.  And, we have to make a choice. Do we trust our intuition? Or have we just closed it off?  So that we don’t connect in a certain area of our life?  The answer is clear:

“you must learn to recognize the voice within, which will allow you to experience other people’s souls and hearts. Then you can slowly drop your defenses when you recognize someone or something you can truly trust.”

With this, let’s dig into the Torah.  We received the instructions on the census yesterday. Today we see the census numbers:

20This was [the sum of] the children of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

21Those counted from the tribe of Reuben [were] forty six thousand, five hundred.

Reuben – 46,500

22Of the tribe of Simeon, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; his tally, according to the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

23Those counted from the tribe of Simeon: fifty nine thousand, three hundred.

Simeon – 59,300

24Of the tribe of Gad, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

25Those counted from the tribe of Gad: forty five thousand, six hundred and fifty.

Gad – 45,650

26Of the tribe of Judah, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

27Those counted from the tribe of Judah: seventy four thousand, six hundred.

Judah – 74,600

28Of the tribe of Issachar, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

29Those counted from the tribe of Issachar: fifty four thousand, four hundred.

Issachar – 54,400

30Of the tribe of Zebulun, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

31Those counted from the tribe of Zebulun: fifty seven thousand, four hundred.

Zebulun – 57,400

32Of the children of Yosef: of the tribe of Ephraim, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

33Those counted from the tribe of Ephraim: forty thousand, five hundred.

34Of the tribe of Manasseh, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

35Those counted from the tribe of Manasseh: thirty two thousand, two hundred.

Joseph: Broken down into two – Ephraim was 40,500, and Manasseh was 32,200 (Total of 72,700)

36Of the tribe of Benjamin, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

37Those counted from the tribe of Benjamin: thirty five thousand, four hundred.

Benjamin – 35,400

38Of the tribe of Dan, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

39Those counted from the tribe of Dan: sixty two thousand, seven hundred.

Dan – 62,700

40Of the tribe of Asher, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

41Those counted from the tribe of Asher: forty one thousand, five hundred.

Asher – 41,500

42Of the tribe of Naphtali, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

43Those counted from the tribe of Naphtali: fifty three thousand, four hundred.

Naphtali – 53,400

44These are the numbered ones, whom Moses and Aaron and the twelve princes of Israel counted each one [representing] his fathers’ house.

45All the children of Israel were counted according to their fathers’ houses, from twenty years and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

46The sum of all those who were counted: six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

Total – 603,550

Now. These were not everyone, and we need to discuss this.  Who counted? The men 20 years and older.

On one hand, this may seem like it devalues women. The Torah only counts the men. Why? Because they were made for war. The men fought the battles. This was their role. This does not mean the women did not fight. In my opinion, the men went to war physically. The women? They fought the emotional battles. Together, integrated? They worked together to fight the spiritual battles within. Hashem was reminding us – despite our Neshama within us? We are called to live in this limited space and time.

Because we are about to see – the Torah did not count the Levites. So there were men who did not “count” in this count.

47But the Levites, according to their father’s tribe were not numbered among them.

48The Lord spoke to Moses saying:

49Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, and you shall not reckon their sum among the children of Israel.

The tribe of Levi was not designated to war a physical battle. They represented the spiritual one.

50But you shall appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels and over all that belong to it; they shall carry the Tabernacle and they shall minister to it, and they shall encamp around the Tabernacle.

51When the Tabernacle is set to travel, the Levites shall dismantle it; and when the Tabernacle camps, the Levites shall erect it; any outsider [non Levite] who approaches shall be put to death.

The Levites were the only ones who could touch the tabernacle. Anyone else who tries? They would be put to death.

Let’s keep this in mind. We often criticize the Torah and who gets “put to death” – a man who merely tries to help the Levites move and erect the Tabernacle? Death.

52The children of Israel shall encamp, each man by his own camp and each man by his division.

53The Levites shall encamp around the Mishkan of the Testimony, so that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel and the Levites shall keep the charge of the Mishkan of the Testimony.

54And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses thus did they do

So we close here. The physical battle was the men – 20 years and up. The emotional battle was likely the women. And the spiritual battle? The Levites led the way, and likely the men and women together navigated this within each household.

Interesting thoughts. What are yours?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 29 Iyar, 5782

Today is the 44th day of the Omer!

Second Parsha:
The second portion (the one we read today) is the results of the census. Here’s the results:

Rueben: 46,500
Simeon: 59,300
Gad: 45,650
Judah: 74,600
Issachar: 54,400
Zebulun: 57,400
Joseph: Ephraim: 40,500 Manasseh: 32,200  Total: 72,700
Benjamin: 35,400
Dan: 62,700
Asher: 41,500
Naphtali: 53,400

Total: 603,550

The Levites were NOT counted. Keep that thought.

So 70 members of Joseph’s family arrived in Egypt and multiplied to 603,550. That is incredible if you think about it.

Now; why were the Levites counted separately?

Rashi gives us two possibilities:

1. The Kings legion deserves to be counted separately
2. Later on, God foresaw there would be a decree against those counted in the desert condemning them to die in the desert (the story of the Spies). Hashem said “Let these Levites not be included! They are mine, for they did not err with the Golden calf!”

So it was that blessing with the Golden calf that saved them from dying in the desert. Rabbi Schneerson points out to us that the Levites job was to study Torah, while for the rest of us, our spiritual path is dominated by the practical observance of the commandments. The mitzvahs were finite – 613 mitzvahs. The Torah itself is infinite. The Levites were infinite here because of their role; Torah. The rest of us were finite.

Wow. A lot to chew on today! What are your thoughts?