Parshat Shlach, 5th Portion (Numbers 15:8-15:16), June 12, 2014

“14. If a proselyte resides with you, or those among you in future generations, and he offers up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord, as you make it, so shall he make it.

15. One rule applies to the assembly, for yourselves and for the proselyte who resides [with you]; one rule applies throughout your generations just as [it is] for you, so [it is] for the proselyte, before the Lord.

16. There shall be one law and one ordinance for you and the proselyte who resides [with you].”
—Numbers 15

There is conception that Jews don't proselytize. Apparently this came after the Torah when such activity was forbidden. My experience of Reform temples is that they are welcoming to all, so at least in that respect, they are in step with the Torah.

The Torah says that proselytes should be treated like those born into Judaism, and they shall follow the same rituals. In other words, there is to be no difference between the two groups.

This suggests to me we should treat all people equally whether they were born Jews or not, and they are required to follow the same laws. I continue to be bothered that the Torah here and in many other places separates Jews from other people (sometimes by not mentioning others). For example, if I said you should be nice to baseball players I'd be suggesting that there are some you don't need to be nice too. Otherwise, I could just say, be nice to everyone. I'm sure there were reasons for the division of Jew and non-Jew in the past, but also suspect that this separation has caused some of the Jew's plight.

Parshat Shlach, 4th Portion (Numbers 14:26-15:7), June 11, 2014

Lord says to Moses, “How much longer will this evil congregation who are causing to complain against Me [exist]? The complaints of the children of Israel which they caused them to complain against Me, I have heard.” —Numbers 14:27

I see G_d as something not separate from us, but rather a conceptual fiber that connects all things. Given that view, which is a pair of glasses that I created and then put on, the idea being so upset that A complains about B doesn't make a lot of sense. But what I do get from this is what happens when people don't have gratitude, and/or when they don't connect with a spirit greater than themselves. They become lost in their belief that the world is just created to serve them. They are unable to love and unable to give. And because of this, they lead miserable life and need to wander for 40 years in order that they can grow up.

“Your children shall wander in the desert for forty years and bear your defection until the last of your corpses has fallen in the desert.” —Numbers 14:33

And this is what happens when we judge the world in terms of how it fulfills our every whim:

“The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on the mountain came down and smote them and crushed them [pursuing them] until Hormah.” —Numbers 14:45

Parshat Shlach, 3rd Portion (Numbers 14:8-14:25), June 10, 2014

It is curious that the Lord would care that people would believe in him. We think that leaders don't care if they are being followed, but in the case of the Lord this is not true.

It is curious too that G_d, who in this Parshat is said by Moses to be “slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and transgression” would want to “strike them [the Egyptians] with a plague and annihilate them; then ... make you into a nation, greater and stronger than they.”

If I were to pick a G_d, it would not be one who would choose one people over another. Does the expression of this apparent injustice teach us what it feels to exhibit favouritism? 

Parshat Shlach, 2nd Portion (Numbers 13:21-14:7), Monday, 11 Sivan 5774 / June 9, 2014

“The twelve spies went to Hamath to see if the Jews could move to this land. They return and report:

There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.”  —Numbers 13:33

On the other hand:

“6. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had scouted the land, tore their clothes.

7. They spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land.” —Numbers 14:6-7

One would think that if you had 12 spies and 10 gave one opinion and 2 the other, that the majority opinion would be correct. But it was not. Do we learn that fear skews our vision?

The idea of having 12 jurors go back 800 years to King Henry. Or do they go back to these times, though in this case the majority was wrong. In the recent election, many claimed that the majority was wrong. How do we determine who has wisdom?

So many lessons here: Don't listen to others. Our perceptions are tainted by our fears. The truth is not always apparent. Often the lessons in the Torah are in showing us the results of poor behavior or advice.

Parshat Shlach, 1st Portion (Numbers 13:1-13:20), June 8, 2014

“Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst.” —Numbers 13:2

“Moses sent them to scout the Land of Canaan, and he said to them, "Go up this way in the south and climb up the mountain.” —Numbers 13-17

To me, this is about finding one's place in the world. And it is also about our tendency to not see things as they are, but rather as we fear or wish they might be.

Joshua is called to scout as well, and, according to Sotah, Moses prays, “May God save you from the counsel of the spies.” Joshua is warned in the prayer that he may not want to listen to others, but rather to make his independent judgment. So Moses suspects that the spies reports may not be reliable.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 7th Portion (Numbers 11:30-12:16), June 7, 2014

The people ask for meat, and God sends them quail from the sea. And the quail are at chest height so that they can catch them easily. And some of the quail kill the men, for God is angry at their craving.

In the next chapter, we discover that Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because he married a Cushite woman. Miriam learns about this inadvertently, but by relating what happened innocently is still punished for criticizing Moses. Aaron intentionally criticizes Moses which was worse. God gets mad at Miriam and Aaron, and causes an affliction (tzara'ath) on Miriam. Moses cries out to God to heal her. She was confined outside the camp for seven days and then could return.

Lessons: Don't speak poorly of another, even by accident.

And don't complain when you are released from slavery because you don't have meat. Take what you have.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 6th Portion (Numbers 10:35-11:29), June 6, 2014

I like this portion. The people were complaining that they didn't have meat to eat. The Lord was so angry about the complaining that a fire burnt the extremes of the camp.

Why doesn't the Lord like complaining? Why don't your parents like it when you complain? Why can't we express gratitude for what we have rather than complain for what we don't have?

They have nothing but manna to eat. They learned to make different foods with it, like an oil cake.

God speaks to Moses, telling him he wants to speak to 70 of the elders and officers.

And God tells the people that he will give them meat tomorrow. And he says that they should eat it until it comes out of their noses and nauseates them.

God says, “If sheep and cattle were slaughtered for them, would it suffice for them? If all the fish of the sea were gathered for them, would it suffice for them?”

The Lord asks if his power is limited. Does Moses not believe that he has these skills?

The portion describes how Moses picked 70 from the 12 tribes. Why did G_d not say 72 leaders?

My wife keeps saying, “If G_d is so good, why doesn't he ....?”

Finally two men remain after G_d gave his pep talk. Joshua asked Moses to imprison them. Moses criticizes Joshua for being zealous, asking Moses to do something that Moses should have already considered.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 5th Portion (Numbers 10:11-10:34), June 5, 2014

This portion is interesting. The Israelites didn't realize that they'd be 40 years in the desert. They thought they were just three days from their promised land. But because of their complaining that follows this portion, a simple journey becomes a long one.

This is the nature of life. Simple jobs get difficult and difficult jobs are sometimes easy. Part of the determinate is our attitude.

The legions or troops move to the next location one group at a time. We see a well-thought-out plan for the exit. And a cloud followed them as they traveled, believed to be the Eternal.

I think the word the Eternal is problematic because some people take it as a man in the sky, while I take it as the nature of what is. How do we converse when we use the same word to mean something so different?

Parshat Behaalotecha, 4th Portion (Numbers 9:15-10:10), June 4, 2014

We read in this portion how, when the Mishkan was erected, a cloud would cover it, and in the evening until morning, there was an appearance of fire (a sunset). Whenever the cloud left, they would travel, and whenever the cloud settled, they would encamp.

The question I had here is were they superstitious, or did they believe that the cloud was G_d. When we say that God led them through the desert, did we mean by this device?

The departure was to be announced by two silver trumpets. Blowing two trumpets was so that the entire congregation would assemble, and blowing one would call the princes who led the Israelites.

There were a number of different sequences of blowing the trumpets. This would indicate different actions for different groups of Israelites.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 3rd Portion (Numbers 9:1-9:14), June 3, 2014

6. There were men who were ritually unclean [because of contact with] a dead person, and therefore could not make the Passover sacrifice on that day. So they approached Moses and Aaron on that day.

7. Those men said to him, "We are ritually unclean [because of contact] with a dead person; [but] why should we be excluded so as not to bring the offering of the Lord in its appointed time, with all the children of Israel?

8. Moses said to them, "Wait, and I will hear what the Lord instructs concerning you."

9. The Lord spoke to Moses saying:  

10. Speak to the children of Israel saying, Any person who becomes unclean from [contact with] the dead, or is on a distant journey, whether among you or in future generations, he shall make a Passover sacrifice for the Lord.

What is interesting here is that either the Lord became a little more forgiving, or realized how important Passover is. Is this the same Lord that struck Aaron's sons dead for a minor infraction? Or is the Lord a reflection of the maturity of the people. Though, thinking about it, did this part occur before or after the death of Aaron's sons.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 2nd Portion (Numbers 8:15-8:26), June 2, 2014

In this portion we learn the role of the Levites. It says they should work at the Tent of Meeting from the ages of 25 to 50, and then they should work no more.

They are not to provide any services. They are just responsible to do the work in the temple.

What this says to me is that certain people should do certain work. We now call this “one's calling.” Not only do people have a calling, but there is a time for working, and there is a time to no longer work. 

Why would G_d make such a rule? Was it to give others a chance to work? Was it because when you are younger than 25 you are more likely to make poor decisions, and after the age of 50 your hands might be shaky and you might break something? Or perhaps you have paid your dues. 

In the same way that there is a weekly sabbath, there is the sabbath of one's life. 

Studying the Torah was not an avocation then, since it hadn't been written yet. And there were still animal offerings. But I wonder what the ancients would do with their life after 50, as I wonder what I should be doing now that I don't work at a regular job.

Parshat Behaalotecha, 1st Portion (Numbers 8:1-8:14), June 1, 2014

Speak to Aaron and say to him: "When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the menorah." —Numbers 8:2

I read different commentaries on this. I have my own. That the menorah symbolizes G_d. The light ascends to G_d.

Parshat Naso, 7th Portion (Numbers 7:84-7:89), May 31th, 2014

“When Moses would come into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he would hear the voice speaking to him from the two cherubim above the covering which was over the Ark of Testimony, and He spoke to him.” —Numbers 7:89

In this portion we hear about the offerings to comprise the dedication for the Tent of Meeting. This tent, a metaphor for the temples and churches throughout the world, formed the backbone for the community. By everyone giving to the temple they because invested. They were part of the Tent of Meeting. Everyone gave what they could. And the giving was well organized so that the Temple got what it needed as well. We see these people as very disciplined and very organized.

Parshat Naso, 6th Portion (Numbers 7:42-7:83), May 30th, 2014

“One young he goat for a sin offering.” —Numbers 7:46

Lots of offerings for the priests in this portion. I wonder how the Jews could have owned so many animals that they had some to give to the priests. And there must have lots of priests for them to need all the animals and money. 

I wonder if this is a giant con job on the part of the priests. Did the people believe they'd get preferential treatment from G_d for their generosity? 

Were they good Jews or scared Jews? Why do people give so much today to their temples? Is it so they have a home?

Parshat Naso, 5th Portion (Numbers 7:1-7:41), May 29, 2014

In this portion, Moses has finished erecting the Mishkan. Then “he anointed it, sanctified it, and all its vessels, and the altar and all its vessels, and he anointed them and sanctified them.”

It is somewhat surprising that a group of people, recently released from slavery and traveling in a desert, would pay such attention to building a mobile temple. And that they would do it with such attention.

We hear that people pay attention first to their necessities and then to their luxuries. We need to assume that the Jews were having a difficult time in the hot desert with little food and water, yet they paid such attention to the Tabernacle and the offerings that were described later in this portion.

What was the reason for this? Was it that they were afraid that G_d would not support them if they didn't behave accord to his dictate? Is this really love when it is dominated by a quid pro quo with G_d?

Worship was not a luxury or an option. It was necessary for survival.

Is this really different that religious groups today? We even see that they build tents when they don't have brick and mortar structures. And we find that some of the poorest people are the most devout. Is that a quagmire? 

For me, religion is an option. I don't think that there is a being or computer out there that is tracking my actions and who will bring good to me if I follow an organized faith, and punish me if I don't. We have not seen evidence in the past that believers are cared for and non-believers are not.

“11. The Lord said to Moses: One chieftain each day, one chieftain each day, shall present his offering for the dedication of the altar.

12. The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.

13. And his offering was one silver bowl weighing one hundred and thirty [shekels], one silver sprinkling basin [weighing] seventy shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering.” —Numbers 17:11-13