B'midbar

Numbers 1:1-4:20

This week’s commentary was written by Rabbi Charles Savenor 

B’midbar, the fourth book of the Torah, opens with a demographic and geographic description of the Children of Israel. After taking a census of the people, God teaches that the camp will be arranged with the Mishkhan, the Tabernacle, situated in the center. This mobile, holy site is flanked on four sides by first the Levite families in an inner layer and then the twelve tribes in an outer one.

Reading these seemingly mundane administrative details, we wonder what can be learned from the census and the physical layout of the camp. Is there a relevant spiritual lesson for our contemporary Jewish community?

From an urban planning perspective, one appreciates the rationale of conducting a census before organizing the camp. With exact and intimate knowledge of the population, the camp can be set up in a way that distributes the people evenly, allowing every Jew not only living space, but also access to the Tabernacle. Dwelling in the wilderness for what will turn out to be two score years, this layout provides a secondary benefit, namely defense. The Levites living closest to the Tabernacle and the twelve tribes immediately behind them constitute two lines of protection for the Tabernacle and its holy vessels.

Another way of understanding this arrangement of the Israelite camp relates to crowd control. Unfortunately, as our ancestors trek from slavery to freedom they backslide on many occasions, most notably at the foot of Mount Sinai when they construct the Golden Calf. Some commentators assert that the Tabernacle is necessary as a physical manifestation of God in the world, assuaging the Israelites’ fear and anxiety. That the Tabernacle is situated in the center of the encampment and visible from every corner of the camp may signify its dual purpose as a deterrent for rebellion.

Since transforming the Israelites from slaves to free people and a “nation of priests” represents the central mission of the Exodus, it is hard to believe that God took the Children of Israel out of Egypt merely to suppress and repress them. By contrast, I believe that the Exodus and its miracles, the giving of the Torah, and the encampment’s layout down to the last detail are all intended to inspire our ancestors to new spiritual heights.

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