The name of our weekly Torah portion is “Nasso,” a word that means “lift up,” “carry,” or “raise.” It begins with the command: “Lift up the head …” In the simple sense, this refers to a census — the counting of the people.
On Shavuot, God’s purpose was to give His people the Ten Commandments, ten things that form the basis of all His Torah, interpretable into the entire life of righteousness before God.
Bamidbar, which means “in the wilderness,” is a portion that is always read in the days before the festival of Shavuot, before the giving of the Torah.
God calls by name and appoints each one He chooses for His purpose. Nowhere in the Bible do we find anyone deciding for himself or herself what to be, in the service of God’s Kingdom.
Who does this land really belong to? Is ownership a matter of power, history and defense — or only a temporary trust?
“The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.”
Torah – the teaching of God brought to us in the first five books of our Bible – is foundational to all else in the Bible and in our life of faith.
At first glance, the Torah portion deals with laws: the laws of the priests, the laws of the offerings, and ultimately also the listing of Israel’s appointed festivals.
The word holiness often sounds far removed from life, because it is associated with the Temple and with rituals, with special moments or extraordinary people.
To simply read the first chapter of our Torah portion this week is enough to humble us, just as it is intended to do.
