"All the congregation of the children of Israel"(Numbers 1:2) Iyar 26, 5782/May 27, 2022 "HaShem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt, saying. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names." (Numbers 1:1-2) It is the book of Numbers and we are, all of us, in the wilderness. A newborn nation, just one year and one month out of the narrow straits of Egyptian servitude, the world awaits us! We have crossed the Sea of Reeds, received Torah at Sinai, built for HaShem His dwelling place amongst us, inaugurated the Divine service that He so desires, and now we turn our faces, our hearts and our feet toward the holy land, the promised land, Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, the land of our hopes and dreams, awaiting our imminent entry. "Number the children of Israel" may sound very impersonal. We all want to be known for who we are, not simply an anonymous cog in a machine. But that is exactly the goal of the census Israel is commanded to take. By getting a head count of the entire nation, Israel can reassemble itself according to individuals who belong to families, who belong to extended families, who belong to a clan, who belong to a tribe, which all belong to a single united nation, not under HaShem, but alongside HaShem, Who dwells in their midst. Of course the Torah can't indulge in naming every single Israelite, but tribal leaders and family heads are named, teaching us that our names are important, that we as individuals do count, and that, even if our names aren't obviously apparent in the words of the Torah, our names are nevertheless embedded in Torah. We were all at Sinai, we all had a tent in the encampment of Israel. It is incumbent upon us to find our place, to see our name amongst the myriads of Israel. Seek and we shall find! "G-d spoke to Moshe and Aharon saying: The children of Israel shall encamp each man by his division with the flag staffs of their fathers' house; some distance from the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp." (ibid 2:1-2) Each tribe is to raise a unique banner, one that describes who they are, their aspirations, the sum of all their parts. We are told that the insignias they chose were taken from the imagery used by Yaakov when he blessed all his children upon his death bed. These personal symbols, a deer for Naftali, a wolf for Binyamin, and so on, were not superficial designations, but were born of the prophetic insight of their father Yaakov. Further, we are told by midrash, that the colors of the fields of each of the tribal banners were identical to the colors of the twelve tribal stones which were placed upon the Choshen which Aharon, the High Priest bore upon his heart. The tribal banners, their symbols and their colors were not just how they were to be identified and known to the world, they were how they were known to HaShem. While the twelve tribal encampments were arrayed in a perimeter around the Tabernacle, three tribes to the east, three to the west, three to the north and three to the south, guarding and protecting the Tabernacle, it was HaShem's presence emanating from the Tabernacle which was guarding over them. On the inside perimeter of the tribal encampments were the dwelling places of the tribe of Levi, the families of Kohat, Gershon and Merari, protecting the sanctity of the Tabernacle, attending to the service in the Tabernacle, and overseeing its transport, assembly and disassembly as Israel traveled, according to G-d's GPS, across the wilderness. And actively conducting the service within the Tabernacle, the offerings and the ceremonies, were,once again, individuals, each with a name: Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, (High Priest), and his sons Elazar and Itamar. Each of the twelve tribes encompassing the Israelite encampment had an assignment. Each had their marching orders. Each had to work in sync with the other. Israel's travel through the wilderness was exquisitely beautiful, choreographed by G-d, the bumps along that way, (that we will soon be reading about), not withstanding. We are all part of this great adventure, born into a vast expanse, an unknown wilderness, each with our own name, our own flag to fly. We each have our marching orders, handed to us by G-d. It is up to us to find our place among the encampment and to discover our own personal assignment, or own role in this great march across the wilderness known as life. We have all been placed upon this earth by G-d for a reason. It is up to us to discover that reason and fulfill our G-d given mission, even if it takes us a lifetime. Shabbat shalom! |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk as Yitzchak Reuven talks about getting ready for a big Jerusalem Day, the Book of Numbers, in which Israel gets down to earth in the wilderness, and warns you all - don't blink: history is happening on the Temple Mount! This week we read parashat Bamidbar, where the Israelite tribe each gets a flag, and this coming Sunday is Jerusalem Day, when the traditional Israeli flag march is set to garland Jerusalem with the White and the Blue! Jews are praying on the Temple Mount, judges are permitting them and the police are doing their damnedest to put an end to it. Wait, aren't the police supposed to uphold the law, not break it? |
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Parashat Bamidbar, which opens the book of Numbers, names, numbers, arranges and assigns banners and roles to the tribes of Israel. Tribal affiliations and obligations have largely vanished from the world. And while the Jewish world today is not strictly tribal in its formation, tribal associations and responsibilities still play a very large part of Jewish identity. Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1 - 4:20)
Parashat Bamidbar is read on Shabbat:
Iyar 27, 5782/May 28, 2022 |
Haftarah For Shabbat Parashat Bamidbar Hosea, Chapter 2:1-22: "And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which shall neither be measured nor counted; and it shall come to pass that, instead of saying to them, "You are not My people," it shall be said to them, "The children of the living G-d."." |
Today is Forty One Days, which are Five Weeks and Six Days of the Omer Counting the Omer: "Blessed are You, HaShem our G-d, King of the universe, Who sanctifies us with His commandments, and commanded us to count the Omer." Learn about the Counting of the Omer and count for yourself each day! |
The Sanctity Of The Encampments In Jerusalem Earlier in the week we discussed the Israelite encampment in the wilderness, as described in the opening chapters of the book of Numbers, and how it is paralleled both physically and spiritually in Jerusalem. Here we explore all ten levels of holiness in the land of Israel. |
Highlights From A New Academic Conference On Temple Mount Research Last week marked the inaugural “International Academic Conference on New Studies in Temple Mount Research,” hosted on Wednesday, May 18 in Jerusalem’s Menachem Begin Heritage Center. The meeting, which featured speakers from Israel, the UK and the U.S. in person and via Zoom, was promoted by the Temple Mount Sifting Project as “the first time that academic institutions in Israel dedicate a whole conference to the study of the Temple Mount.” |
Judge Rescinds Freedom Of Worship For Jews On Temple Mount (Again) Apparently, expecting the police to do their job and uphold the law is considered a disturbance of the peace. Even when the only people disturbed are the police and their political backers, including the judges who do their masters' bidding. |
Former Head Of Islamic Movement In Israel Not Happy With Jewish Prayer On The Temple Mount Former Member of Knesset Ibrahim Sarsur, who in the past served as head of the southern faction of the Islamic Movement and a member of the Shura Council, on Monday blasted the decision of Judge Zion Saharai of the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, who ruled that Jews may recite "Shema Yisrael" on the Temple Mount and even bow down while visiting the site, saying that doing so is not considered a disturbance of order or a violation of public peace. |
Farmstead From Maccabean Era Discovered In Galilee A salvage excavation uncovers a frozen scene of existential distress during the Hellenistic era and an earlier agricultural community from the Iron Age. What caused a family to pick up and abandon their farm 2,100 years ago in the eastern Galilee? |
Jewish Israeli Policemen Praying On The Temple Mount! Oops! Don't the Israeli police regularly prevent Jews from praying (legally and peacefully) on the Temple Mount? Well, this Israeli police officer got caught red handed, so to speak, filmed as he was concluding the Amida daily prayer on the Temple Mount facing the place of the Holy of Holies. By the voices it is clear that Arab Waqf personnel filmed him. |
Jewish Prayer On The Temple Mount: Police Act In Violation Of Court Orders Police say court erred in concluding saying Shema prayer, bowing on Temple Mount by Jews is not a disruption o the public order.
The Israel Police today filed an appeal with the Jerusalem District Court against the decision of the Jerusalem Magistrate's court, under which Jews are allowed to say the Shema prayer and bow on the Temple Mount. |
Parashat Bamidbar: The Israelite Encampment Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder and head of the Temple Institute, describes the unique configuration of the Israelite encampment described in parashat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20). |
This Week: The Book Of Numbers & The Israelite Encampments Around The TabernacleThis week, here in Israel, (the diaspora is still one week behind in its Torah reading), we begin the book of Number, (Bamidbar - in the wilderness - in Hebrew), in which the tribes of Israel are counted, assigned tribal flags, and arrayed around the Tabernacle, which sits in the middle of the encampment. |
Israeli Judge Confirms: Jewish Prayer & Prostration On The Temple Mount Is Permissible. Do You Agree? Late last week an Israeli judge ruled that "it is not possible to say that bowing and reciting the Shema holds a reasonable suspicion of conduct that may lead to a breach of peace, as required by law," thereby, once again, opening the gates to free, unobstructed Jewish payer on the Temple Mount. The government of Israel immediately filed an appeal. Over the next few days we will be posting responses and further developments concerning this historical attempt to end an historical injustice. |
Jordan Fully Determined To End Jewish Prayer On Temple Mount Amman presents list of demands with regard to the flashpoint site, which includes limiting visits by Jewish groups and replacing Border Police officers with Waqf security. Nevertheless, one Israeli expert says maintaining Jordan's status in Jerusalem is in Israel's interests. |
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! Prayer on the Temple Mount - as sweet as gets! Join us! Hour for non-Muslims, Sunday - Thursday: 7:00 - 11:00 AM; 1:30 - 2:30 PM |
Red Heifer Update March 2022 Over the past six months the Temple Institute has greatly expanded its efforts to raise a red heifer in Israel whose ashes can be used to achieve the highest level of biblical purity which will enable kohanim and ordinary Jews to enter into the areas on the Temple Mount where the inner Temple courtyards and the Temple Sanctuary are located, a prerequisite for the renewal of the Divine service in the Holy Temple. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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