QUESTIONS AND COMMENTARY ON PARASHAT BEMIDBAR
1. These are the descendants of Moses & Aaron
when the Lord spoke to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Numbers 3:1
Why is Moses' name mentioned in this verse since his descendents are not
even mentioned? What is meant to teach us? How is it related to Messiah's
Mandate in Matthew 28:19?
Jason
Commenting on this question
the Talmud says,
R. Samuel said in R. Jonathan's name: He who teaches the son of his fellow
the Torah is regarded as if he had begotten him, as it says, "Now, these are
the generations of Aaron and Moses" (Numbers 3:1) while further on it is
written, "These are the names of the sons of Aaron," thus teaching us that
Aaron begot them and Moses taught them; hence they are called by his name [i.e.
Moses].
b. Sanhedrin 19b
The point that the Talmud is
making is that Moses became the spiritual father of Aaron's children because he
taught them Torah.
The responsibility to act as
spiritual parents by making disciples is not just limited to rabbis and
religious professionals. In fact our Sages tell us that one of the questions we
will be asked when we stand before Heavenly Tribunal after our death is "Did
you work at having [spiritual] children?"(b.
Shabbat 31a). The importance of raising spiritual children is also at the
heart of Yeshua's mandate to us, "Go therefore and make talmidim (disciples) of all the nations," (Matthew 28:19).
Making talmidim out of the younger generations is absolutely essential due
to the spiritual crisis that the American Jewish community is facing. As Eliot
Abrams notes, American Jewry is facing a demographic disaster:
- One-third of all Americans of
Jewish ancestry no longer report Judaism as their religion.
- Only 28 percent of children of
intermarried couples are raised as Jews.
- Jews, who once comprised 3.7
percent of the U.S. population, have fallen to about 2 percent. Elliott
Abrams, Faith or Fear, 1
If we want to help our people
flourish, as well as see our movement grow, we must make a greater investment
in the training and discipleship of our young people. The following is a
beautiful story that underscores this point.
A few weeks before Passover, a number of religious Jews in Bergen-Belsen
requested flour to bake matza. Their
Rebbe, fearing for his life, reluctantly approached the camp commandant for
permission to bake matza in honor of
Passover. Their request was forwarded to Berlin for approval. Surprisingly, a
few short days before Passover arrived, their request was granted.
In haste, they feverishly built an oven and baked the matza fearing the Germans might change their minds. Since they did
not have enough for everyone, it was initially decided that the adult men in
their group, would be given the privilege of fulfilling the mitzva of eating matza. One lone voice dissented arguing that the children should be
given the mitzva to eat, for when God
freed them from their current slavery; it was going to be the children who
would ensure the survival of Torah and the Jewish people. In the end, everyone
agreed that nothing was more important than teaching the children that
Torah/Jewish life must even be observed in the Valley of Shadow of Death. At
the end of the seder, the Rebbe
kissed each child on the head and reassured them that Messiah was coming soon
and therefore their freedom was close at hand. Today, those children who ate matza made with tears are Torah leaders
in America, England, and Israel.
Adapted
from Nosson Scherman, Path through the
Ashes (Brooklyn: Art Scroll, 1986), 33.
Our situation is certainly
not as dire as that of our brothers and sisters in Bergen-Belsen. But, our
situation is severe. Therefore, let us prepare the matza of Torah for our children.
As we prepare for Shavuot, let us not only ready ourselves to receive
the Torah anew, but let us also make the commitment to pass it on to future
generations, by making the necessary sacrifices to raise a new generation of
young Messianic Jewish talimidim for
Yeshua.
2. The book of Numbers begins by specifying that God spoke with Moses "in
the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting" (1:1). Why does the Torah
state so specifically the location of God's conversation with Moses? Would it
not have been sufficient to say that God spoke with Moses "in the tent of
meeting?
Ibn Ezra states that the
Torah specifies that the God spoke to Moses "in the wilderness of Sinai" to
clarify that "Moses did not ascend the mountain of Sinai again after the Divine
Glory had taken up residence in the Tent of Meeting." But why not just state
that God spoke to Moses "in the Tent of Meeting?"
Bemidbar Rabbah interprets
this verse as indicating the character of God's interaction with Israel on
their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Another interpretation - "And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of
Sinai" (Numbers 1:1). This is what Scripture says, "O generation, behold the
word of the LORD! Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of deep gloom? . .
." (Jeremiah 2:31). The Blessed Holy One said to Israel concerning that which
you said to Moses (in Numbers 21:5), "Why did you bring us up from Egypt to
kill (us) in the wilderness?" Was I like a wilderness for Israel? Did I act
like a wilderness with them?
According to the custom of the world, a king of flesh and blood who goes
out to the desert, does he find there ease and security just as he would have
found in the palace - the same food or drink? And you, who were slaves to
Egypt, I brought you out of there, and I caused you to rest on lordly couches,
just as it is said (in Exodus 13:18) "And God led the people by way of the
wilderness." What does "And God led" (vayyasseb)
mean? It means that God caused them to rest according to the manner of the
kings resting on their beds.
The darshan juxtaposes our verse with a verse from Jeremiah 2 in which
God asks Israel if their relationship had been one in which God had acted like
a wilderness, a place of deep gloom, with them? In other words, did God have
malicious intent in bringing Israel out into the wilderness? The answer to this
question is no. God's leading of Israel
in the wilderness did not proceed according to the normal custom of the world,
even the practices of mortal kings who have access to every pleasure when they
are in the palace. But when they are in the wilderness, they are in need just
like everyone else. God, however, provides for Israel in the wilderness like
they might experience life as residents of a royal palace. He "caused them to
rest according to the manner of the kings resting on their beds."
How did God provide for our
ancestors in the desert? He provided for them through the merit of Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam. The darshan goes
on to tells us that through Moses' merit, we received Manna and did not have to
struggle for food in the wilderness. Through Aaron's merit, God surrounded
Israel with the clouds of glory. These clouds shielded Israel from the sun and
prepared the path for them in the wilderness, removing any obstacles from their
path. Through Miriam's merit, God provided water for Israel to drink in the
form of a well which would accompany them on their journeys. Thus this
seemingly superfluous reference to God speaking with Moses "in the wilderness
of Sinai" indicates midrashically that God provided for Israel in the
wilderness better than even the finest royalty could have expected to receive.
Learning 
