A word of Torah:

      This week we begin reading the book of Numbers, which derives its name from the census taken of the Israelites in the desert. Just the word “numbers” feels laden with meaning in this time. How many have died, how many infected, how many hospitalized, how many unemployed? Yet counting in the Torah must be done in a way that doesn’t lose the individuality of every person. In the time of King David taking a census resulted in a plague! Life isn’t about counting people, it is about making people count. Each life matters, not just to the person and to their loved ones but because each individual is also a part of society.
      The Hebrew name for the book is be-midbar/in the desert. After receiving the Torah at Sinai and building the portable sanctuary, the Israelites are finally ready to make the journey to the Promised Land. They expect to get there quickly but find themselves be-midbar, wandering in the desert. A desert lacks landmarks. The way ahead is unclear. Mirages can lead you astray. Some complain about the hardships in the desert and want to return to Egypt. Some have already rushed ahead, with disastrous results.
      We too have entered a desert--the wilderness of the Coronavirus. We too thought we would soon find our way through to the other side. Now we feel like lost wanderers in a strange and threatening land. We would happily follow any path that would lead us through but there are no clear road signs.
      Be-midbar could be imaginatively read bam-davar— “in it, there is a word or thing.” For the truth is the desert is not empty. It is filled with life and death. We notice that the letters that make up davar can be read as dever/pestilence but only through a narrowing of our vision.
      The desert has manna--moments of unexpected grace when people make noise nightly to thank the health care workers. It has burning bushes that urge us to slow down enough to see the miracle of a bush or a life on fire but that is not consumed. We are meant to be not wanderers but wonderers, knowing that all journeys travel toward an untrodden landscape known as the future. What shall we pack in our bags for this journey? What is the davar/ the inspiring word or a cherished thing such as love or hope that we can bring with us? What is the generosity of heart that each of us will offer to build the sanctuary/society that will accompany us on our way? What is our Torah/teaching?

      Ve-dibarta bam-you shall speak them when feeling at home and when adventuring on the road, when you feel downhearted and when you stand up against injustice. These words shall be expressed by your actions, be the vision in your eyes; they shall be the themes of welcome to your home and be made of the new gates you shall open up (based on the Shema, Dt. 6:7-9).