(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כָּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כָּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם
(1) On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying: (2) Take a census of the whole Israelite community by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.
(א) כל יוצא צבא בישראל אמר כן במנין השני "תפקדו אותם" - ענין "פקידה" זכרון והשגחה על דבר כלשון וה' פקד את שרה
We see this in the Hebrew word "pakod," "tifkedu otam" - the meaning of "pekidah" signifying memory and watching over a people or a matter, as we see in the case of HaShem "remembering" Sarah.
Questions for Reflection
1. What does it mean to "be counted?" and what is the practical, emotional, and spiritual difference between counting people, counting things, and counting time?
2. Rashi and the Ramban both argue that G-d counts G-d's children with a nuanced intention. What is that intention, and where do we see this playing out in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, in Jewish history, and in our own lives?
3. Do you feel that you are "counted" or "remembered" by G-d? How so?
(ג) ו'שבועות' הוא יום 'מתן תורה'. ולהגדיל היום ההוא ימנו הימים מן המועד הראשון אליו - כמי שממתין בוא הנאמן שבאוהביו שהוא מונה היום וגם השעות. וזאת היא סיבת 'ספירת העומר' מיום צאתם ממצרים עד יום 'מתן תורה' שהוא היה הכונה והתכלית ביציאתם - כאמרו "ואביא אתכם אלי".
(3) The Feast of Weeks is the anniversary of the Revelation on Mount Sinai. In order to raise the importance of this day, we count the days that pass since the preceding festival, just as one who expects his most intimate friend on a certain day counts the days and even the hours. This is the reason why we count the days that pass since the offering of the Omer, between the anniversary of our departure from Egypt and the anniversary of the Lawgiving. The latter was the aim and object of the exodus from Egypt, and thus God said, "I brought you unto myself" (Exod. 19:4).
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubovtich
It is customary that on the Shabbat before a wedding, the bridegroom is called to the Torah. Shavuot, the festival which coincides with the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, represents the marriage of G-d and Israel; this is why the Torah portion of Bamidbar is usually read on the Shabbat before Shavuot
Questions for Reflection
1. The Rambam alludes to, and the Frierdiker Rebbe provides clarity on the special counting that takes place from Pesach to Shavuot, illustrating a divine wedding between G-d and Israel on Shavuot. What parallels to a wedding do we see with this holiday?
2. Why do you think this holy wedding take place at Shavuot and not at Pesach, Yom Kippur, or any other significant day in the Jewish calendar?
3. What is the theological significance of Israel being married to G-d? What makes you comfortable and what makes you uncomfortable with this theology?
(כא) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים לַמִּקְרָא, בֶּן עֶשֶׂר לַמִּשְׁנָה, בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת, בֶּן חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַתַּלְמוּד, בֶּן שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַחֻפָּה, בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים לִרְדֹּף, בֶּן שְׁלשִׁים לַכֹּחַ, בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים לַבִּינָה, בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים לָעֵצָה, בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים לַזִּקְנָה, בֶּן שִׁבְעִים לַשֵּׂיבָה, בֶּן שְׁמֹנִים לַגְּבוּרָה, בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים לָשׁוּחַ, בֶּן מֵאָה כְּאִלּוּ מֵת וְעָבַר וּבָטֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם:
(21) He [Yehudah ben Teima] used to say: Five years [is the age] for [the study of] Scripture, Ten [is the age] for [the study of] Mishnah, Thirteen [is the age] for [observing] commandments, Fifteen [is the age] for [the study of] Talmud, Eighteen [is the age] for the [wedding] canopy, Twenty [is the age] for pursuit, Thirty [is the age] for [full] strength, Forty [is the age] for understanding, Fifty [is the age] for [giving] counsel, Sixty [is the age] for mature age, Seventy [is the age] for a hoary head, Eighty [is the age] for [superadded] strength, Ninety [is the age] for [a] bending [stature], One hundred, is [the age at which one is] as if dead, passed away, and ceased from the world.
Questions for Reflection
1. Why do you think the census in Bamidbar has a specific age frame in mind? Does that fit into the wedding theology? Why or why not?
2. On Shavuot, we will all prepare to renew our vows. What will you do differently this year to implement the idea of "sfirah" and "pekidah?"