Shabbat B'midbar

Written by Dr Helena Miller Tuesday, 15 May 2007

I am a compulsive counter. I think it’s as a result of having taken children, and now educators, on trips for many years. You are always counting to make sure everyone is on the bus, everyone is off the bus….

I also count people in shul and in class, I love to analyse numerical information and I do sudoku puzzles. In addition, this time of the year provides a daily counting opportunity to mark time through the Omer from Pesach to Shavuot.

So this sedra fascinates me, because it begins with God commanding Moses to take a census of the entire Israelite community. All males over the age of 20 are counted, and a total of 603,550 are reported. Interpreters call attention to the words of the instruction given to Moses: “Seu et rosh” can be translated as “take a census” but literally they mean “lift up” or mark the head”. Nachmanides tells us that these words mean to teach us that we are to honour those who are pious and generous. We learn however, that there is a secret meaning in these words. They are also the words of the executioner, who says “take off his head” (cf. Gen. 40:19). He says that in the Torah these words teach that if the people of Israel are worthy of good deeds they will keep their heads and live; if not they will lose their heads and die! (Numbers Rabbah 1:11)

This is not the first time mention is made of a census in Torah. In Exodus 30: 12-15 Moses is told to record the names of each person 20 years or older and require payment of half a shekel as an offering to God. By contrast in this census in Numbers, no payment is mentioned or required.

In fact God commands Moses to count the Israelites four times: three times in Exodus and once in Numbers.  Rashi explains that each version of the census is a sign of God’s love for the people of Israel. The rabbis explain that the Eternal is like a king who possesses a fabulous treasure. He counts it repeatedly to make sure that nothing is lost. Rashbam, Rashi’s grandson, disagrees. He suggests that the census has nothing to do with God’s love for His people, and argues that the head count is a strategic issue. The census is merely to determine how many soldiers will be available for the military challenge facing them in the wilderness. The Ramban (Nachmanides) agrees and says that the census is an illustration of the Torah’s warning against relying on miracles. The people will all have to fight to reclaim their land. The counting is a means of organising the people. It makes it clear that victory will depend on each and every one of these people.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh argues that the census is more than a means of acknowledging each person’s worth. First, as indicated in the Exodus version of the census, the half shekel required from each individual is for the up- keep of the sanctuary. A Jew is only “counted” as belonging by contributing to the sanctuary. This is a way of demonstrating support for the community. As well as its military potential, this census in Numbers is a model of community responsibility. Hirsh tells us that every member of the family is counted so that each one joins the whole, conscious of the importance of his personality to the group.

But there is a paradox here, because of the sources in our tradition which actually forbid direct counting.  Hosea (2:1) writes “…and the number of the Children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can not be measured or numbered”. Rambam (Maimonides) codifies this prohibition in Laws of Daily and Additional Sacrifices (4:4) and says it applies even when counting a minyan. Rashi adds that the evil eye (ayin hara) has an influence over anything that is counted. This alludes to Taanit 8b, which teaches that a blessing does not rest on anything measured or counted. Counting people directly fails to take into account each person’s uniqueness. A person literally becomes just a number. But Judaism does recognise that refraining altogether from counting fails to acknowledge the importance of numbers. So, an indirect form of counting was devised which most commonly is to count according to the words in a Scriptural verse, usually Tehillim (Psalms) 28:9. This is a way of honouring the individual: each word in a sentence is unique and without it, the sentence would lose its meaning.

So next time I am counting a group of senior educators on or off a bus in Israel, rather than counting one, two, three…..I will try the rather beautiful words of David, the Psalmist, King of Israel: “Hoshiah et-amecha, uvarech et-nachalatecha, uraym v’nasaym ad-haolam” “Deliver and bless your very own people; tend them and sustain them forever”. Hopefully, I won’t lose anyone.