Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Bamidbar: Can Israel Be Counted?

Moses took a tally of [the Israelites] in the Sinai Desert, as God had commanded him.
—Numbers 1:19

The Great Wealth Debate

In a small town, two boys were locked in a heated argument over whose father was the wealthiest.

“My dad’s the richest man in town,” declared the first boy, puffing out his chest like he owned half the village. “Every time he walks by, his pockets jingle like a tambourine. You hear him coming before you see him. Coins, coins, coins. He’s practically a walking bank.”

The second boy gave a slow, knowing nod. “That’s true,” he said, “your dad does make a lot of noise.”

“But my father? He carries a little velvet pouch. No jingling, no clinking. Just a quiet clunk when he sets it down. Inside? Diamonds. Tiny ones. They don’t look like much, but each one is worth more than all of your father’s coins put together!”

Can Israel Be Counted?

The book of Numbers begins, as its name suggests, with a census of the Israelites. But this isn’t merely about tallying heads. It’s a lesson in understanding who we are and what it means to belong to a unique community.

The weekly Haftarah chimes in with a dramatic flourish: “The number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor counted” (Hosea 2:1).

At first glance, this sounds poetic: a nation beyond measure, as infinite as the grains of sand. Beautiful, right? But hold on. There’s a paradox: How do we talk about the number of the Jewish people if they can’t be counted?

Jangling Coins or Rare Jewels?

The Talmud offers a tidy solution. When the Jewish people live according to God’s will, they’re like the sand on the shore—uncountable, limitless. But when they stray from God’s commandments? Well, then they’re just another nation—limited, finite, measurable.

A nation disconnected from its purpose is like a pocketful of jangling coins. Easily counted, easily replaced, indistinguishable from any other.

But when we live up to our potential, when we embrace the Torah and its ideals, we become something different. We transcend mere numbers. We become rare, priceless jewels. Even if you try to count us, our true worth will never be captured.


(The Wit and Wisdom of the Dubno Maggid. Adapted from Mishlei Ya'akov, pp. 304-305). Yoma 22b.