A Taste of Torah in honor of Shabbat
from Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parshat Bamidbar 5760
June 2-3, 2000 / 29 Iyar 5760

The Link Between Parshat Bamidbar and the Holiday of Shavuot

This week's parsha, Bamidbar is always read on the Shabbat prior to the Shavuot holiday.  This year is no different.  Rabbi Isaiah Halevy Horowitz, author of the Shnei Luhot Habrit, suggests that this Torah reading teaches us important lessons about the holiday.

Parshat Bamidbar presents the names and leaders of each of the tribes of Israel.  It can be suggested that the delineation of the leaders of each tribe is linked to Shavuot as it promotes the idea that the heads of the community should be paragons or teachers of Torah. 

The parsha also describes the way that the Jews encamped around the Tabernacle.  Rav Umberto  Cassuto echoes the similarity to Shavuot as he calls the Tabernacle a "mini-Sinai." We simulated Sinai as we wandered through the desert, constantly reliving the experience of revelation.

Bamidbar begins by telling us that God spoke to Moshe in Midbar Sinai.   Rabbi Nachman Cohen in 'A Time for All Things,' maintains that the confluence of Bamidbar and Shavuot is "to underscore the great significance of the Torah having been given in the desert--no man's land."  Rabbi Cohen points out that the location of the vast expanse of the wilderness is significant for it teaches us that the Torah is not "the exclusive property of given individuals."  Living a desert existence makes us feel vulnerable.  Giving the Torah in the desert also teaches that" Torah can only be acquired if a person humbles himself."

Several weeks ago I heard a talk from a dynamic young rabbi, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky that inspired a final idea.  Perhaps the key relationship between Bamidbar and Shavuot is "counting."  Not only does our portion  deal with the census--the counting--of the Jewish people, but the Torah ,when mentioning Shavuot, stresses the counting of days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot.  In the words of the Torah, "seven weeks shall you count." (Leviticus, 23:15)  This teaches that as important as the holiday of Shavuot may be, equally important is the count toward the holiday.

An important lesson emerges.  Whenever we are engaged in a particular project, whether we are working toward a professional goal or striving to achieve in our personal lives, it is important to reflect and to evaluate how much time has already been spent on the endeavor and what is the time required to achieve its realization.

Evaluating forces us to consider the gift of every moment we have.  Rabbi Joseph Lookstein points out that we must not only realize what the years have done to us, but what we have done with our years.

Hence the confluence of Bamidbar and Shavuot.  Bamidbar teaches the significance of each person and Shavuot teaches the importance of every moment for the individual.  In the words of the Psalmist, "Teach us to number our days." (Psalms, 90:12)

Shabbat Shalom!