Standing Strong |
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Nasso— Make an Accounting
Numbers 4:21– 7:89 Judges 13:2– 25 Luke 1:5– 25 2 Peter 2:12– 22 |
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Isaiah 11:6 2 Thessalonians 2:15 |
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A synopsis of the reading first:
Completing the head-count of the Children of Israel taken in the Sinai Desert, a total of 8,580 Levite men between the ages of 30 and 50 are counted in a tally of those who will be doing the actual work of transporting the Tabernacle.
G-d communicates to Moses the law of the "Sotah", the wayward wife suspected of unfaithfulness to her husband. Also given is the law of the Nazir who forswears wine, lets his or her hair grow long, and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body. Aaron and his descendents the Kohanim are instructed on how to bless the people of Israel.
The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel each bring their offerings for the inauguration of the altar. Although their gifts are identical, each is brought on a different day and is individually described by the Torah.
This week’s Parasha has a lesson in each of these three portions. In the first portion we see a difference in the ages of those counted for service in the temple and the ages used last week in counting those who were able to go to war for Israel. To go to war, the ages stated were from the age of 20 and up. There was no maximum age limit, unlike today where people over 30 are told that they can not enlist in the armed services in the USA, or when a person is over 45 years old the IDF turns down the new Olim who wish to serve. But, there is a minimum age. A person does not serve until they are 20 years old. I believe this is based upon a level of maturity that is reached by that age. There is still so much to learn and put into practice in your life when under 20 years old. While the signing up for the military in the USA is allowed at 18 years of age or even younger with parental consent in some cases, G-d’s word gives a lower age limit of 20. The age limits for transporting the Temple, the very physical and special job that took the right spirit and the right physical abilities, is from 30 to 50. While a person might have lived enough of life to serve the nation, to serve the L-rd as a Judge or as the King took higher levels of preparation. I think this is the reason why the lower age limit is 30. But why is there an upper age limit of 50? A person was allowed to go to war with no age limit on the older end. Why is there an older age limit in service in the temple? I think it is because a person will often continue in a role beyond the time of doing the best possible job. We value the work done by the priests. After a period of 20 years of serving the L-rd by transporting His tabernacle, or other such duties, it is right to give honor and respect such as to allow a priest to retire and enter the role of teaching the word and the lessons he has learned while in the L-rd’s service.
The second section is one of the most amazing parts of the establishment of the Court of Israel. If a woman is suspected of shtut, going astray with out being caught in the act, the Lord has a procedure through which He will reveal whether the woman is guilty or not. Drinking barley water does not cause a person to have the stomach swell and their thigh to rupture in normal circumstances. The L-rd is taking upon Himself the way to reveal to the judges whether the person is guilty through a supernatural action. G-d is very actively involved in the daily activity of His people and He reveals things to them supernaturally as well as through normal means. The sin that He is choosing to reveal through His own specific intervention must therefore be especially horrific; it is that of marital infidelity. Maybe it is because it is a mirror of serving other G-ds when a person acts unfaithfully to their spouse whom G-d has joined together with them. It is further interesting that the word shtut reveals that a person does not sin unless losing sense of their better judgment. How might this occur? A person does not sin unless a spirit of folly enters into him. (The word the Torah uses for the sotah's "going astray," shtut, also means "folly" and "insanity.") (Talmud, Sotah 3a) And lastly, the third section in which the methods of behavior for someone taking a nazarite vow is given with the end being a person of each tribe who is a nassi comes forward and makes his tribe’s offering to the L-rd. Each gift is the same but each is described in detail. The same gift for each tribe indicates no one tribe is more important than another regardless of size differences. It also shows that every one’s gift, even if the same as someone else’s, is special to the L-rd G-d.
So now that we have studied G-d’s revelation on these topics, how do we put this to action?
One – we realize that various tasks are only accomplished within certain ages and there are levels of maturity that are required for certain tasks. We respect those who have picked up wisdom over the years and put them in positions whereby we can learn from them.
Two – we don’t forget that G-d does intervene in our lives. His Spirit is not something that is a new creation but has been active ever since the Spirit of G-d hovered over the waters of creation. We must be willing to do as G-d directs and trust in Him to show us the way by looking for exactly what He says He will do and when He says He will do it.
Three – we must never look down upon our gifts or the gifts of others given to the L-rd. Every gift is special and is to be given with a free heart. G-d loves a cheerful giver and we are not cheerful when we are looking to see how our gift lines up with the gifts of others. Even if all gifts were exactly the same, each one is special to G-d and treasured by Him when given with the right attitude. As I have learned, the words in Hebrew are not that G-d loves a cheerful giver but that G-d loves a hilarious giver.
So let us all give with a joy that bubbles over into every aspect of our lives as we look to He Who is receiving from us.
Selah |