Naso: ¡Adios, mis amigos!

The Torah likes to repeat itself. Personally,

I don’t like to repeat myself, but the Torah does indeed like to repeat itself. It feels tedious, doesn’t it? If we heard it once, why do we need to hear it again (and again and again)? We could just dismiss this phenomenon as sloppy editing, but our ancient rabbis taught us instead to pause and ask questions. A guiding principle of Biblical exposition, also called exegesis, is that nothing is superfluous. If something appears extraneous, it is our job to figure out - or at least interpret - why. Our parashah, Naso, offers us a prime opportunity to be good exegetes. The Israelites dedicate their Tabernacle in the desert, to which they will bring sacrifices and supplications to God, and each tribe presents its own dedication offering. The text could easily have said: “Each tribe brought precisely the same offerings.” That is not, however, what we see. In Numbers, chapter seven, from verse 12 to verse 88 (so 76 verses!) the Torah lists the contributions of each and every one of the twelve tribes, despite them being essentially identical. Why?

As some of you may already know, I am leaving this week on a mission trip through the Conservative Movement of Judaism and The Gladstein Fellowship, to visit the Jewish communities of Latin America. Over ten days, I will be seeing Jewish life in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile. No doubt services will largely be conducted in Hebrew, members will be wearing tallitot and kippot, and we will learn about support for (and vitriol against) Israel, as well as hearing about the problems of anti-Semitism and attrition in synagogue membership. Jews all around the world deal with some of the same challenges, and sometimes it can seem like those ancient sacrifices; just more and more of the same. Yet each Jewish community is marvelously and fascinatingly unique, isn’t it? I listed some (likely) similarities above, but I am certain there will also be many exotic, intriguing, and unfamiliar customs among the South American Jews that are wildly different from our own. Even as each tribe brought the same gifts to the Tabernacle, I imagine them each adding their own flare, their individual tastes, and their unique mannerisms. 

The full richness of our Jewish heritage cannot be found in books, pictures, or other people’s accounts alone. Parashat Naso appears to be repeating itself over and over. Yet I imagine if we were there, we would see twelve tribes with twelve special ways of representing themselves and their Jewishness. That’s what I picture in my mind anyway… and now I’m about to observe that uniqueness for myself. A different “tribe,” perhaps, but 100% my people. I can’t wait.