Korach’s words implied that equality should have been part of the picture, yet he did not actually mean that leadership should not be institutionalized. Rabbi Sacks considers the implications of his statement, assuming that he actually meant what he said. He quotes Gideon, who said that ’neither I nor my son will rule over you, but the Lord will…’. This challenges the concept that the Israelites should have a single, life-appointed leader.
Rabbi Keller reflects that the sages interpreted the problem with the actions of the spies as a perception of their own weakness. Therefore, because they perceived themselves to be weak, they were doomed to wander for 40 more years. He compares it to the “born this way” rhetoric, which implies that “it’s not our fault for being weak”. He suggests that the attitude should be “where are we now?”
Rabbi Barenblat cites the first key theme of the parashah – “raise the lamps”…as in having an Aliyah, ascending symbolically to Sinai. The second key theme is the lights: “going up and shining”. When we left Egypt, we ascended. And God described it as giving light.
Rabbi Sacks questions the rationale behind the actions of the spies – whether they had a failure of faith, or nerve, or both. He cites Hassidic literature, which interpreted the spies’ actions as well-intentioned; they feared success, not failure!
Rabbi Nevins comments on the concept of hereditary holiness – it conflicts with our egalitarian principles. Yet, the mystical ritual of the priestly blessing is something that continues to be highly valued. He continues to discuss the merits, or lack thereof, of the person who today holds the heritage of the kohanim; the Tanakh is clear about the requirement for the kohanim to be honorable in order to fulfill their office.
Rabbi Barenblat relates the census in this week’s parashah, which stipulates that each person matters. She ties the theme to the loss of life from recent anti-Semitic attacks, as well as the violence from the war in Gaza. She observes that, according to the Torah, the death of any human being is the destruction of an entire world.
The role of the Nazirite was to essentially renounce desire; the text is unclear as to why someone would make this choice. The Torah has mixed views on this, whether it is a positive or negative practice. Maimonides even contradicts himself. Rabbi Sacks states that according to Maimonides, there are actually 2 models of a virtuous life, instead of just 1. They result from 2 ways of understanding the meaning of a moral life.
Rabbi Cohen writes of finding meaning in every single life, especially during times of violence. Just as the absence of a single letter renders the Sefer Torah unfit for use, the absence of one single person due to violence prevents us from fulfilling our divine mission. The counting of individuals in the Torah is different from times when people were counted as commodities, or for other nefarious purposes, such as by the Nazis. In Bemidbar, it is a way that God expresses God’s love for Israel.
Rabbi Bouskila writes of Rev Karo and Rav Alkabetz, who heard the voice of the Shekhina on Erev Shavuot, and wrote the Maggid Mesharim. The Maggid Mesharim covered the Creation of the World, the Revelation on Mt. Sinai, and the account of Ezra Nehemia’s return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple: “from exile to redemption”.
The Torah reads like a narrative of events as they occurred, interspersed with commandments: this is what happened, these are the rules. But it is really about truths that emerge through time. Ancient Israel found truth in history, events, and what God told us to learn from them, unlike the ancient Greeks, who sought truth by contemplating nature and reason.