Take a number, please

“I feel like I’m just a number” is not a great feeling.  We each have a name and an individual personality,  and yet, the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, seems to reduce us all to numbers!  

The English name for Bamidbar is “Numbers,” though the Hebrew translation means “in the desert.”  Nevertheless, in the Yom Kippur liturgy, we refer to it as “Chumash Hapekudim” - the Book of Numbers.  It would seem, therefore, that the idea of numbers is central to this book.  What is so great about being a number?

We each have individual qualities and unique abilities.  Each of us was created and chosen by Hashem to fulfill a unique mission on earth.  We get credit for what we accomplish as individuals, and we strive to make specific contributions to our family, our community and the world.

But there is another dimension to us.  This is our inner core, the essence of our soul.  On this level we are all equal.  Think of a parent who appreciates their children’s talents and takes pride in their accomplishments.  One child may accomplish more than another, and the parent may derive more “nachas” (joy)  from one than the other.  Nevertheless, you can’t say that one is more a child than another.  Each child is equally a child of the parents, and no matter what, in the end a healthy parent will love and care for each of their children.  

So when we are being counted, we are not being “reduced” to a number.  The Torah is telling us that we are being raised to the level of our essential connection to Hashem, on which level we are all equal.  

Another point here:  there is a concept in Jewish law of “bitul” – nullification.  In certain instances, if a small amount of non-kosher food (for example) gets mixed with a much larger amount of kosher food, it becomes nullified and it is as if it does not exist (It’s complicated - there are many details to this law, and in a specific situation a knowledgeable Rabbi should be consulted.  This is one of the things Rabbis are trained for.).  However, there are exceptions to this rule.  One is that something that is counted cannot become nullified.  So for example since eggs are sold by the dozen an egg would not become nullified even in a thousand eggs.

On a mystical level, by counting us, Hashem was infusing us with the strength to never become nullified among all the nations of the world, even though we are a tiny minority.  This Parsha is always read right before the holiday of Shavuot, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah.  (It will be Friday and Shabbat next week.)  The Torah is what has kept us through the ages, and it is the count that has lifted us to connect to Hashem on an essential level.

As we approach the holiday of Shavuot, it is appropriate to strengthen our bond with Torah, and to think about ways we can increase our Torah observance and study.  There is a traditional blessing for Shavuot:  may you receive the Torah with joy and internalize it.