Bamidbar in a Nutshell Numbers 1:1–4:20
The name of the Parshah, “Bamidbar,” means “In the desert” and it is found in Numbers 1:1.
In the Sinai Desert, G‑d says to conduct a census of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses counts 603,550 men of (independant adult) age (20 to 60 years); the tribe of Levi, numbering 22,300 males age one month and older, is counted separately. The Levites are to serve in the Sanctuary. They replace the firstborn, whose number they approximated, since they were (a bit of a public disapointment) when they participated in the (open discussian) of the Golden Calf. The 273 firstborn who lacked a Levite to replace them (were stearnly talked to and sent back to work to) redeem themselves.
When the people broke camp, the three Levite clans dismantled and transported the Sanctuary, and reassembled it at the center of the next encampment. They then erected their own tents around it: the Kohathites, who carried the Sanctuary’s vessels (the Ark, menorah, etc.) in their specially designed coverings on their shoulders, camped to its south; the Gershonites, in charge of its tapestries and roof coverings, to its west; and the families of Merari, who transported its wall panels and pillars, to its north. Before the Sanctuary’s entranceway, to its east, were the tents of Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons.
Beyond the Levite circle, the twelve tribes camped in four groups of three tribes each. To the east were Judah (pop. 74,600), Issachar (54,400) and Zebulun (57,400); to the south, Reuben (46,500), Simeon (59,300) and Gad (45,650); to the west, Ephraim (40,500), Manasseh (32,200) and Benjamin (35,400); and to the north, Dan (62,700), Asher (41,500) and Naphtali (53,400). This formation was kept also while traveling. Each tribe had its own nassi (prince or leader), and its own flag with its tribal color and emblem.
Some thoughts from the reading
It was a dark time for the children of Israel. Gone with thoughts of freedom. They had fallen from the frying pan of Egypt into the fire on Sinai. Freedom from bondage now meant nothing. In the beginning of the second year, it was time to solidify the power and everyone got counted. Martial law. No freedom of any kind. Discipline was harsh and direct and there was absolutely no vote or public discussion. Only the will of one person and everyone else was back to slavery.
1
Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 1
1The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, in the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt, saying.
2Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers’ houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names.
3From twenty years old and upwards, all who are fit to go out to the army in Israel, you shall count them by their legions you and Aaron.
This was how today’s writing began. My name is Hillel. I am an apprentice scribe. I write down words so that people can remember what is said. As part of my training, I must be available at the tent of meeting when the great book is written. This is the book of all things, all rules and all histories. This is the government book. It has power over all other books.
I’m not a very good scribe. Sometimes I disagree.
After the session, I went to visit my friend Phaedrus. He was sardonic as always. Phaedrus runs a private apothecary. He is a very good herbalist and sometimes even cures diseases. Most of the time all that is necessary is to get away from town. This is the big secret. Phaedrus can put together a concoction that can make anyone feel great until the potion wears off and then they have to come and buy some more. He is doing a great business even though he knows for a fact that all anyone really needs is to get out of this mess that we were all in.
So, Hillel, you’re in the army now. Congratulations. What does it mean? It means that there is always someone standing above you telling you what to do. You don’t wake up in the morning and ask yourself what you need to do, someone else tells you. By the way, you can’t vote. You can’t argue. You are measured on the degree that you will adhere to someone else’s thoughts. You are like a horse being broken in order to better serve the riders needs. You were not allowed out of bondage in Egypt where someone told you what to do, now you are out in the desert needing to scurry to find enough food to live but yet, you are restricted.
Let’s be fair, Phaedrus. If you’re a guy and you wake up in the morning and ask yourself what you want, you will come to the conclusion of food, sex or more sleep. I’m sure the same is true for women except that maybe sometimes they think for their children or husbands and they think of the same things as being needed. Or ignored.
But now we’re all practicing how to hurt each other. Now I must practice how to kill an opponent with weapons or with really good fighting technique. We practice killing each other and using our weapons. We cannot control our own bodies. You have to ask to use the toilet. Everyone is yelling all the time and the object is bloodshed everywhere.
If you had actual personal choice, would you choose to leave your home and be mobilized? If you had any level of education that said it was your personal life and the people around you, your community, were the people you interacted with, would you join a national service? Would you agree to let somebody else dictate what you should do with your body for the next 24 hours? Would you agree to give up your freedom?
2
Tell me, Phaedrus, how do you like life now?
I don’t like it one bit. It’s bad for business. It used to be that people would worry about themselves and come to me because they couldn’t stand the thought of being physically miserable. Now, people don’t even have control of their own lives. Now everybody is under someone else’s control and they are not even allowed to notice how miserable they are. This is no climate for an apothecary.
Do you care what you give to people?
What? Are you saying that my mixtures are imperfect? Are you saying that I give questionable things to people for their cures?
You are here for the money. Do you make compromises?
He didn’t answer the question but handed me a powder and told me to inhale it through my nose. Suddenly the idea of compromise did not seem so important. What was important was the power. That’s what was wrong. Nobody was powerful anymore, even in their own homes.
3
Maybe this won’t be so bad. If we know the times of the training, I can prepare particular potions and have them ready at certain times of the day. When the soldiers need something to lift them up at the beginning of the day I can be there in the morning and when they need to come down, I can be there in the evening. Perhaps this organization is not so bad.
I can’t stand it. I was forced to write the 10 rules again and again and again. I had to make copies. It was my job. I wrote those rules again and again and again. I don’t understand this mobilization. It is the exact opposite of the 10 rules? We are ignoring property. We are bothering or preparing to bother all of our neighbors. We are going to take their things. How is this in accordance with the rules?
Hypocrisy. It’s interesting. To be a hypocrite is a genuine work of art sometimes. Maybe it’s good intentions gone bad or maybe it’s poor character.
Did we ever have a period of freedom?
Only when he went up on the hill. When he went up on the hill, we were all free to do what we wanted.
Yeah. And then he came back.
4
Do you think it’s possible to buy our freedom?
Not anymore. I think this whole thing is to corrupt for words. I just don’t understand it.
It did seem simple. We were not going to be slaves anymore. Actually, I thought the old place was better than the new place because at least we had some agriculture. We were already growing things. Why did we have to leave?
Hypocrisy. That’s all it is. But maybe you can get ahead. Maybe you are in a good place. You know things. You hear things. You have access to the big guys. Maybe if you play your cards right, you will have great riches.
Phaedrus, I don’t want great riches. I don’t want to control great lands. I just want my own life. I just want to write what I want to write and maybe tell stories with friends in the evenings. I don’t want any of this.
Come on, everybody wants to be rich. Why do you think we’re doing this? Everybody wants to be rich.
5
I don’t. I mean, I’d like a wife. I’d like to have children. I’d like to have my own house and land.
A house? Land? You see, you want to be rich.
No. I just want to have enough. I want to grow food. I want to live in a community amongst friends. I want some fresh air but mostly I just want to be. Do you understand? I don’t want to fight. I just want to live and I don’t mind working but I would rather not work for people.
My friend, it is a shame that you heard the actual words. You had to write the 10 rules and now you believe in them. But that’s not the way the world is. The world is exactly the opposite. That’s the meaning of hypocrisy. The sooner you understand this, the happier you will be.
I’m not an apothecary. I’m not an herbalist. I don’t seek to cure people with powders and potions. I just want people to think for themselves but to be reasonable with their autonomy.
Good luck with that. I prefer to take some money to make them feel good. That’s your problem, you just don’t feel good.
No, I don’t. I don’t feel good here at all.
None of us do. But that’s why I’m in business.
6
They are counting everybody. They are singling out the males. I’ve been organized. I don’t know how I will keep my shop open.
I don’t think they care. I think the state just wants the state to be and they don’t care anything about us as individuals.
It took me a long time to put the shop together. It was a lot of work and it is a lot of work. It’s so hard to find good help and there’s just not enough hours in a day. How am I supposed to keep up my business while I’m doing military training?
They just don’t care.
No, they just don’t care.
7
I’m sorry my friend but it’s time to go. They have finished the writing for the day. I have to copy the words and make sure that everyone gets the proper documents.
What’s it like? What’s it like knowing the truth?
What do you mean, apothecary? You always speak as if you know the truth.
No, I am only speculative. You listen to the words of the leaders. You can see their faces and understand their hearts. You know through physical evidence.
It’s an interesting question. I am listening to lies. Some like to say that there are many truths, as many truths as there are people. But maybe I think there is one truth and many lies. I think we could be free. I think we should be free. But now the people who tell me that I’m free are the ones who are telling me that I cannot stop listening to them or writing down what they say even if I know that it’s a lie. I don’t really understand how wonderful this knowledge is.
That my friend is why we are friends. Here, take this with you. It will make the experience of writing a little easier for you.
