Torah Bites for Your Table: Parshat Bemidbar

Shabbat Shalom Friends,

This week we begin the fourth book of the Torah, Sefer Bemidbar (Numbers), which begins when the Israelites are standing "in front of the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). In other words, when we begin this book, the Israelites are still standing at the sight of their revelation from God, and they are about to embark on a journey that will take them longer than they ever anticipated, and we will begin the final book of the Torah with them standing on the other side of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land.

One of the favorite commentaries on the significance of Mount Sinai as the mountain which God chose as the site of the revelation of the Torah comes from Pesikta Rabbati, which tells the following story:

"A man's pride will humiliate him, but a humble man will obtain honor (Prov.29:23)." A man's pride will humiliate him - as in Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel, that came from the ends of the earth and boasted, saying: We are tall, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will give the Torah on us. A humble man will obtain honor - that is Mount Sinai, humiliating itself and saying: I am low. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, raised it up by honoring it, giving the Torah on that mountain. So Sinai had the privilege of the Holy One, blessed be He, descending on it and standing there, as it is written, "The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai..."(Pesikta Rabbati, ch. 7, s.v. va-yehi ha-makriv).

In this text, see our rabbis assert that in the revelation at Sinai, a moment endowed with countless meanings, even the choice of the mountain itself was significant. At the same time, it tells us something important about the nature of Sefer Bemidbar, as well.

Up until now, the Israelites are an isolated people, confined to a particular region in Egypt, and entering the desert and receiving a revelation alone in the midst of the wilderness. However, as they embark on the journey that will ultimately lead them to the Promised Land, they have the responsibility of taking God's promise with them, and using it wisely. Therefore, according to this Midrash, the Israelites must demonstrate the same humility that Mount Sinai itself in being chosen by God for this moment of revelation.

The challenge of leading a life of faith is not only the rules and regulations, but the way in which one carries their message. If we do it with a sense of arrogance and otherness, we may believe that we are following the letter of the law, but rather we are perverting it. The challenge for us not only embody God's message through our deeds, but through our attitude. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.

Shabbat Shalom
Josh

1. Parents: How do you balance standing up for what you believe in, without seeming holier-than-thou?
2. Children: What is the definition of the word arrogant? Can you think of a time when someone know acted that way? How did it make you feel?
3. Seekers: If this midrash defines spiritual arrogance for us, how would you define spiritual humility?