Three thousand years
ago, it was Moses...
who brought the
children of Israel
back to the
Promised Land.
Worship And Service
Identify A Nation
Today, it's
JNF...
who develops
the Promised
Land for the
children of
Israel.
RABBI ELIEZER COHEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A
A:-
Photo: Joe Malcolm
A HAPPY AND HEALTHY SHAVUOT
FROM THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
Milton S. Shapiro
Dr. Samuel I. Cohen
Executive Vice President
President
WWI
MODAL
FLUID
Eli A. Scherr
Edward Rosenthal
Regional President
Regional Director
17100 W. Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075
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s the English name of the
fourth book of the Torah
indicates, this, the first
portion, begins with Num-
cepted and tolerated, but actual-
ly commanded and required by
the Torah. The differences be-
tween the tribes indicated differ-
ences in professions and lifestyles,
in talents and interest — and
each was absolutely necessary to
make yup and to complete the
whole — the Jewish people.
Likewise, each nuclear family
as indicated by the census was
the basic unit and the foundation
of the entire nation. Each family
was an absolutely indispensable
part of the nation, making its par-
ticular contribution, each in its
own way, in the service of the
tribe and of the entire Jewish peo-
ple.
bers.
Moses is commanded to count
the males above the age of 20,
tribe by tribe — with the Levites
counted separately, from the age
of one month. This command to
count the men is clear, but the
purpose for this census is not giv-
en and is not clear at all. There
are those commentaries that un-
derstand the count as the num-
bering of the men for the army
but such an interpretation is dif-
ficult: first, because there is no
upper age limit — surely the el-
derly would not fight and, sec-
—
ondly, the term tzava
translated as army is also used
for the Levites, who did not par-
ticipate in the army. The term
tzava can alternatively be trans-
lated as "service" or "multitudes."
It appears to me that the count
of both the other tribes and of the
The tabernacle — the focus of
Levites was for the purpose of es- Jewish worship and of service to
tablishing the arrangement of the God — was at the center of the
camp of the Jewish people as it camp; it was the nexus that uni-
traveled and sojourned in the fied the various parts and gave
wilderness. After the census, the the special identity to the antion.
family at a particular place with-
It is these two aspects of Jew-
in the tribe's camp.
ish life — the diversified and co-
The families of the Levites operative service to each other
camped surrounding the taber- and to the nation as a whole, to-
nacle which was at the center of gether with worship and service
the entire configuration. Thus, to God that make the Jewish peo-
the counting was to establish the ple what it is. These two efforts,
number of nuclear families. Each so intertwined and indivisible in
(for the most part, headed by a the very soul of the people, enable
male) within its tribe, and to es- each Jew and family to actualize
tablish its place in the camp. the sanctity inherent within it-
Once established the camp itself self and the antion as a whole.
took on a special identity mani-
The camp in the wilderness,
festing the sanctity inherent in then, was the model of the Jew-
the Jewish people as indicated by ish people — family by family —
the sending of the ritually impure in its wonderful diversity, serv-
out of the entire camp.
ing God and the nation with co-
Indeed, the mandating of the operation and mutual respect —
camp of Israel in such a regi- truly a holy nation. Li
mented fashion — tribe by tribe
— is somewhat puzzling. It is as
if the tribes were commanded to
Publicity
remain separate and distinct,
rather than joining together to
Deadlines
become one unified Canaan —
The normal deadline for local
each tribe had its own particular
news and publicity items is noon
territory and leadership. Unifi-
Thursday,
eight days prior to is-
cation became the unachieved
sue date. The deadline for birth
goal of Kings Saul and David and
announcements is 10 a.m. Mon-
ultimately the nation fractured
day, four days prior to issue date;
at the death of David's son
out-of-town obituaries, 10 a.m.
Solomon. The Jewish people was
Tuesday, three days prior to is-
in reality a confederation of sep-
sue date.
arate tribes rather than a unified
nation.
All material must be typewrit-
Thus, the camp exemplified
ten, double-spaced, on 8/2 x 11
the diversity within the Jewish
paper and include the name and
people — a diversity, not only ac-
daytime telephone number of
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Young
sender.
Israel of Oak-Woods.
Shabbat Bamidar:
Numbers 1:1-4:20
Hosea 2:1-22.
.