YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT …

Parashat Bamidbar

Torah: Numbers 1:1 - 4:20

Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22

Sivan 4, 5785 - May 30-31, 2025

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This d’var torah is offered in loving memory of my father, Martin Flom, whose yahrzeit falls on Tuesday, Sivan 7. Y'hi zikhro barukh - his memory is a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered in loving memory of my grandfather, Jacob Slome, whose yahrzeit falls on Wednesday, Sivan 8. Y'hi zikhro barukh - his memory is a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov. Recently, we have also been learning some Gemara that was omitted from Ein Ya'akov. 
On June 9, we'll be at BT Yevamot 46b - 

 '... אָמַר רַבָּה: עוֹבָדָא הֲוָה בֵּי רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר רַבִּי' - "Rabba said: There was an incident in the house of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Rabbi..."

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
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YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT …

"The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Do not let the tribe of the Kohathite families be cut off from among the Levites. Thus shall you do for them so that they shall live and not die; when they approach the Holy of Holies, Aaron and his sons shall come and assign them, each and every man to his work and his burden.'" Numbers 4:17-19 

Rashi teaches that the Kohathites had the responsibility of carrying the ark, altars, menorah, and other implements. However, if they looked upon the ark when not set up in its proper place, the Kohathites would die. The Midrash, Numbers Rabbah, gives two opinions as to why the Kohathites had to be individually assigned their various tasks. Rabbi Elazar ben P'dat says that the Kohathites were afraid of the danger of carrying the ark, and had to be assigned individually to carry it, in order to assure that it was done. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman says, on the contrary, they all wanted to carry the ark. They had to be individually assigned the various tasks in order to assure that everything else was done! 

Carrying the Ark of the Covenant - Providence Lithograph Company, ca. 1900

We all know that there are mitzvot we like to do, that we run to do, and there are others that we aren't so crazy about. Perhaps they are uninteresting, or we don't understand their purpose or relevance. I suspect there are very few today that are as dangerous, or as rewarding, as carrying the Ark. 

Nevertheless, we should welcome the opportunity to perform any mitzvah, because a primary purpose of every mitzvah is to bring us closer to God and bring more holiness into our lives. As we will see on the first day of Shavuot, God gives a promise and a commandment, immediately before the utterance of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai - "And now, if you hearken to Me and observe My covenant, you shall be My treasure from among all the peoples, for all the land is Mine; and you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:5-6 

Each of us has our work and our burden - to observe the mitzvot to the best of our abilities, bringing holiness to ourselves and our people. We make the world a better place for having done so. That is our mission – and it’s certainly NOT impossible. Do you accept? 

Shabbat Shalom! Chag Shavuot Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1 

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