"All who are fit to go out to the army in Israel "(Numbers 1:3) Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5784/June 7, 2024 Today is Forty Five Days of the Omer Parashat Bamidbar, the first Torah reading of the book of Numbers, presents us with a departure from Leviticus' focus on the Tabernacle/Temple service, the kohanim who perform the service and a host of issues related to the Temple service. The subject of the book of Numbers instead are the experiences of the newly formed nation of Israel throughout its thirty nine year desert sojourn. The book features a number of ups and a number of downs concerning the Israelites on their way toward the promised land of Canaan. And while there are no small number of outright disasters that await Israel, the book starts off on a very optimistic note. "On the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt," (Numbers 1:1), that is, just one year and two weeks after stepping out of Egypt forever, HaShem speaks to Moshe at the Tent of Meeting and instructs him to "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. From twenty years old and upwards, all who are fit to go out to the army in Israel, you shall count them by their legions you and Aharon." (ibid 1:2-3) Israel has made it to Mount Sinai where she received the Torah, her eternal covenant with HaShem, and the next order of business is to create an army and reformulate the tribal encampments accordingly. The time has arrived to prepare for the next stage in Israel's transformation from an enslaved people to an independent nation under the banner of G-d, to entering into and conquering the land of Canaan, the land HaShem promised their forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov many years ago. The excitement within the camp must have been great. No doubt nervous anticipation must have gripped the people. The land that G-d described as "flowing with milk and honey..." What was it really like? And the nations dwelling there they had yet to meet let alone conquer, what were they like? But with G-d as their Commander-in-Chief, what had they to fear? G-d was seeing to every detail, instructing Moshe to number the eligible conscripts, arranging them in twelve encampments along the periphery of the Tabernacle, dividing the twelve encampments into four divisions, each made up of three tribes and each division with a single tribal leader overseeing it. The newly formed army was charged not only with the eventual conquest of Canaan, but also for self defensive purposes throughout their perambulations in the wilderness. First and foremost, the Israelite army was responsible for the well being of the Tabernacle, where G-d's presence resided. And while the army of Israel watched over the Sanctuary of HaShem, HaShem watched over the nation of Israel. But forming an army was just one aspect of the preparations necessary for entering into Canaan. The Tabernacle itself, and all its sacred vessels, also needed to travel with the encampment. To facilitate the performance of this enormous task, G-d assigned specific responsibilities to the three families of the children of Levi, Kehat, Gershon and Merari. The Levites, which, of course, included Moshe and Aharon, and Aharon's son, the kohanim, therefore were exempt from military service. Their role, of course no less essential, was the performance of the Tabernacle service, its upkeep, and disassembly, transport and reassembly, every time G-d lifted up His cloud of glory from the Tabernacle and commanded Israel to strike camp and move forward. We can only imagine the enormity of this task. The Tabernacle was a major structure, its wooden beams and silver sockets, and its many curtains must have weighed a considerable amount and they all needed to be treated with the utmost care so that they would not become damaged as they were being moved. The Tabernacle vessels, including the copper altar, the golden incense altar, the golden menorah and golden showbread table all needed to be packed away, wrapped in skins and wool dyed with the sky blue techelet. And, of course, the Ark of the Covenant! What an awesome responsibility was placed upon the shoulders of the Levites, whose job it was to perform all these tasks! And what an awesome feeling it must have been marching forth knowing that the welfare of these precious vessels so dear to HaShem, were under your care! Parashat Bamidbar does not speculate on these questions. On the contrary, it is a rather dry, strictly to the point account of the reorganization of the band of fugitive slaves into a well oiled and well organized nation on the move. One detail does stand out, which may suggest G-d's appreciation for His people to whom He has assigned such great responsibility, itself an expression of His love for His children. "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 2:2) Each of the twelve tribes were instructed to raise their own unique banner above their encampment. G-d does not, however, instruct them as to the design of their banners. This expression of identity was left up to the tribes themselves. These flags and their individualized insignias would define the different tribes for all time, and that would be for the tribes themselves to decide. Despite the depersonalizing effect of counting the people and assigning numbers to them and arranging their newly formed divisions according to the overall good of the nation, G-d did not forget that the nation is made up of individuals, of families and of tribes and that the strength of the nation depends upon the strength of their own unique identities. As we proceed throughout the book of Numbers we will see that the very best of intentions and the most well thought out plans and preparations would not always overcome the machinations of disgruntled individuals nor the mass meltdown of national will at the most unlikely of moments. We all have heard it said that "man plans and G-d laughs," but throughout the Torah we also see, almost from the moment that G-d formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into his nostrils, that even G-d's best laid plans are often scuttled by man's fickleness. What we can say of the book of Numbers is that it presents us with an ongoing account of a work in progress. Eventually Israel would enter, conquer and settle the land of Canaan and turn it into the land of Israel. Eventually they would subdue their enemies and build for HaShem a Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And these great accomplishments would be followed by equally great backsliding and folly. Sovereignty would be followed by exile. Just this week, the newly born nation of Israel, just seventy six, (and three thousand) years old, celebrated the reunification of Jerusalem and the liberation of the very place where that Temple stood, built so many years ago by our ancestors. And with all of Israel's accomplishments and all the challenges that face her, we can take comfort in the story that the book of Numbers has to tell us: We are still, all these millennia later, a work in progress, but the future is bright, and G-d's promise endures forever. . |
Shavuot In The Holy Temple! The one-day pilgrimage festival of Shavuot celebrates the wheat harvest with the bringing of the newly harvested wheat crop to the Holy Temple, where it was prepared and used in the baking of the two special Shavuot loaves. Likewise, pilgrims brought the firstfruits from their own fields and orchards, of the seven fruits of the land of Israel mentioned in Deuteronomy: Figs, grapes, dates, pomegranates, olives, wheat and barley. Despite being at the height of the growing season, when the physical demands upon farmers was great, the pilgrims joyfully gathered their firstfruit offerings, and set out for Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. We celebrate Shavuot next Tuesday evening. Learn how Shavuot was celebrated in the Holy Temple! |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven rants on about Joe Biden, pyromaniac, and about Jerusalem day: celebrating the eternal capital of Israel and about parashat Bamidbar and the preparations for entering into the land of Canaan! Joe Biden has proven over and over again that he is dead set on the destruction of Israel. Every policy that he attempts to impose on Israel, every surrender that he demands of Israel in its existential war against savage genocidal terrorists funded by the very same fascists government of Iran that Biden insists on playing footsie with, is intended to bring Israel to its knees and and pave the way for the genocide of the Jews of Israel. Biden is a pyromaniac obsessed with the burning of Israel. Today, the eve of Jerusalem Day, celebrating the 1967 liberation and reunification of Israel's ancient capital Jerusalem, is a good time to remember G-d's promise that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those that curse Israel will be cursed. Joe, you've made your choice. |
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Shavuot & the Book of Ruth It is traditional on the holiday of Shavuot, which is coming up next week, to read the book of Ruth, the Moabite woman who became an Israelite and would become the great-grandmother of King David. Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1 - 4:20)
Parashat Bamidbar is read on Shabbat:
Sivan 2, 5784/June 8, 2024 |
Haftarah For Shabbat Parashat Bamidbar Hoshea 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...'' |
Sefirat Ha'omer: Today Is Forty Five 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." 1 Sivan: Today is Forty Five Days of the Omer. (Tiferet within Malchut ) |
Rosh Chodesh Sivan - Chodesh Tov! Today is Rosh Chodesh Sivan - the first day of Sivan, the third month of the Hebrew year. Sivan is the month of the one day pilgrimage festival of Shavuot, the festival of first fruits, the twin loaves offering and the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai! Chodesh tov - have a good month! |
Jerusalem Day With The Temple Institute's Levitical Choir! On Jerusalem Day 5784/2024, celebrating 57 years since the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem, Israel's eternal capital, the Temple Institute's Levitical Choir gave a rousing performance of the Hallel Prayer, (Psalms 113-118), which has been sung by a Levitical Choir on Israel's holidays and occasions of great celebrations, givng thanks to HaShem for His miracles, since the days of the Holy Temple. |
Breaching Status Quo, Ben Gvir Says It’s His Policy To Let Jews Pray On Temple Mount National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tells Radio Galei Israel that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the contested Jerusalem holy site. “I am also happy that Jews went up to the Temple Mount and prayed there today,” said the minister, who took part in the annual Jerusalem Day flag march through the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. “It is very important. My policy is very clear on this matter, Jews can be anywhere in Jerusalem, pray anywhere.” |
The Ark Of The Covenant The Divine Presence that dwelled amongst Israel manifested itself through the Cherubim located on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark of the Covenant, the two tablets of the commandments were stored. There is a Talmudic discussion regarding the contents of the Ark, One opinion states that both the first Tablets (that were broken by Moshe) as well as the second Tablets, and the Torah scroll written by Moshe, were all housed in the Ark. |
Jerusalem Day Greetings From Our Soldiers In The North! IDF Soldiers stationed on the northern border between Israel and Lebanon serenade us with a lovely rendition of Yerushalayim shel Zahav - Jerusalem of Gold! |
Jerusalem Day Greetings From Rafiach! Our brave soldiers are sending messages of Yom Yerushalayim Sameach - Happy Jerusalem Day - from the last Hamas stronghold in the city of Rafiach (Rafach), Gaza's southernmost city on the border with Egypt. “Be united, just as we soldiers are here. There's no left and no right. We are all together and united. These past weeks we have been destroying Hamas' terror infrastructure, underground and over the ground, and we want to wish all Am Yisrael - Yom Yerushalayim Sameach - Happy Jerusalem Day! This day that Jerusalem was united we are busy taking down Raphiach. We will not rest until we have returned the last hostage. Thank you Am Yisrael - we love you!" |
Jerusalem Day Prayer At The Western Wall Not only was there song and prayer and holiday joy on the Temple Mount, thousands also gathered together at the Kotel - the Western Wall of the Temple Mount - for prayer and celebration. |
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel: Six Day War Reflections In 2009, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the founder of the Temple Institute, shared with us on film his experiences of the Six Day War. In the 1967 Six Day War, Rabbi Ariel was an IDF paratrooper who took part in the liberation of Jerusalem's old city and Temple Mount. |
More Temple Mount Joy On Jerusalem Day! More than 1,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount today to celebrate Jerusalem, the beating heart of the nation of Israel. The singing of songs, including HaTikvah, (The Hope), Israel's national anthem, and the waving of flags expressed the sheer joy of being on the Temple Mount on this historic day. |
Jerusalem Day Singing On The Temple Mount! Celebrators of Jerusalem Day broke our in song today while on the Temple Mount:
"Let the Holy Temple be rebuilt, Zion be filled with people, that we may come up singing a new song." The verse is part of a classic song, Tzur Mishelo, sung by generations around the Shabbat table. |
1967: The Israel Defense Forces On The Temple Mount! Historic footage from 1967 shows thousands of Israeli soldiers on the Temple Mount after its liberation from Jordan. The song being sung is Yerushalayim shel Zahav - Jerusalem of Gold. The song was written by Naomi Shemer and is bring sung by Shuli Nathan. The song was first sung publicly just two weeks before the outbreak of the Six Day War, and expressed the longing for the old city of Jerusalem and its holy sites. The song immediately became popular and to this day is among Israel's most beloved songs. |
Day Of The Passing Of Samuel The Prophet Samuel the prophet, whose mother Channah's fervent prayers for a child at the Tabernacle in Shiloh set the precedent for all Jewish prayer since then, passed away on this day, the 28th of Iyar. Samuel led the Israelite tribes for ten years when they approached him asking him to appoint a king. He did so, against his own better judgment, and appointed Saul, whose failure at eliminating the nation of Amalek and its king, caused Samuel to look for a replacement for Saul. |
Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day! Israel today celebrates 57 years of Jerusalem, liberated and reunited, and with it, the return of the heart of the nation of Israel and the people of Israel the world over - the Temple Mount - to Israeli sovereignty for the first time in 2,000 years! |
Jerusalem Day On The Temple Mount! Tomorrow (Wednesday), Jerusalem Day, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Jews, are ready to ascend the Temple Mount to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Temple Mount's liberation during the 1967 Six Day War. May our prayers for the return of our hostages and for the crushing of our enemies in the north and in the south be heard by the G-d of Israel Whose chosen city is Jerusalem and Whose chosen house is the Temple Mount! |
Parashat Bamidbar: The Camp Of The Levites In this week's Torah reading, Bamidbar, the Torah describes the encampments of the Israelite tribes which encompass the Tabernacle from the east, west, north and south, forming the perimeter of the Israelite encampment in the desert. The camps of the families of the sons of Levi, Kehat, Gershon and Merari, form an inner encampment, adjacent to the Tabernacle, in which they will serve, and which they will transport from station to station in the wilderness. |
Parashat Bamidbar: The Flags Of Israel! One aspect of the creation of an Israelite army at Mount Sinai that would lead the nation into Canaan, was HaShem's instruction for each tribe to raise its own unique flag above its encampment: "HaShem 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." (Numbers 2:1-2) |
Mikdash Monday - Omer/Shavuot (Part 5)
"...when you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an omer (first fruits) of your harvest to the kohen." (Vayikra 23:10)
Omer - one-tenth of an ephah.
Ephah - a little over a bushel. |
The Foundation Stone In the center of the Holy of Holies stood the Foundation Stone that was placed there by David and Samuel. The Hebrew name Even Shetiya (Foundation Stone) refers to the tradition that the world was created and emanated from this place.
The measurement of the stone was three "fingers" high. |
This Week: Parshat Bamidbar: The Israelite Encampment This week we begin Bamidbar (Numbers), the fourth of the five books of the Chumash, (Genesis-Bereshit, Exodus-Shemot, Leviticus-Vayikra, Numbers-Bamidbar, and Deuteronomy-Devarim). Bamidbar picks up "on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt" and tells the story of the Israelites’ next thirty nine years in the wilderness. |
Shavua Tov from the Temple Mount! "Who will ascend upon HaShem's mount and who will stand in His Holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken My name in vain and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from HaShem and charity from the G-d of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your presence - Yaakov, forever." (Psalms 24:3-6, the Song of the Day sung by the Levites in the Holy Temple. Shavua tov - have a good week! |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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