This week's portion includes many different commandments -- from a system of counting the people for Temple service, to prohibitions on adultery.
One of the most important passages describes the words of the priestly blessing: "May the Lord bless you and watch over you. May the Lord cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you. May the Lord raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace." (Numbers 6: 24-26)
I say these blessings over my children every Friday night. I was also witness to an amazing coincidence involving these blessings at my wedding in 2009.
In a traditional Jewish wedding, prior to the ceremony, the wife holds court on her own, greeting the guests before her groom appears and covers her face with her veil. It is customary for the parents of the bride and groom to bless her.
My parents stepped forward and blessed my bride, in Hebrew. And then, lo and behold, my wife's grandfather, a Christian pastor, stepped forward and gave her exactly the same blessing -- in English. This was entirely unplanned.
It was an incredible coincidence -- or maybe not such a coincidence -- and remains one of my best memories of the wedding. I am able to re-live that memory every Friday night, when I recite those words at my Sabbath table.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
