blogs/rabbi-huberman

There was a mystery within my former congregation as to why an elder — let’s call him Abraham — always asked to be called to the Torah on the Shabbat morning coinciding with the reading of B’reshit — Genesis — the first section of the Torah.

For many years, all he would say is that it was a gesture of gratitude to God.

His connection to that Torah portion remained a mystery until one year, at the bar mitzvah of his grandson, he shared that it had to do with the Holocaust — and numbers.

This week, we begin reading the fourth book of the Torah — the Book of Numbers. As the name suggests — it begins with a focus on statistics; more accurately, a census of the Israelites in the desert.

It had been about 13 months since the Israelites began their trek from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. And it was now time to take another step toward confirming our identity as a strong and confident nation.

God asks Moses to conduct a census of males over age 20 to determine the size of a potential army, should the Israelites encounter hostile forces along the way.

A tribe-by-tribe count is taken, which the Torah describes in painstaking detail. A total of 603,550 Israelites are found to be fit for military service.

But what has particularly fascinated rabbis and other commentators, is how the census was conducted.

Each eligible Israelite was asked to come forward and contribute a half shekel — based on eight grams of silver — about $5 by today’s standards.

But why, ask our rabbis, was the amount set at half a shekel? Besides, why didn’t Moses and the Israelite leaders complete the census the way we do in America — by either counting heads or asking citizens to submit a written record?

Our Sages reply: “The census was organized that way to affirm that no one is just a number. Each one of us has a role to play on this earth — something only we can do.” 

Therefore, says our tradition, God wanted everyone to step up as individuals, not as numbers, and to declare Hineni, “Here I am.”

From the beginning of Jewish history, our tradition has shied away from converting living souls into numerical entities. In the Book of Samuel, King David is punished for confirming his military capability by conducting a direct head count.

Our Sages teach that the half shekel was chosen, in part, because of its symbolism — that it is difficult for any of us to accomplish anything on our own. 

Rather, we become whole when we combine our half with that of another.

It was a chilly October morning as Abraham stood shivering outside the barracks of the concentration camp where he was interred. For days, each morning, the Nazis would push and shove Jews into straight lines.

A “numbering” ensued.

“One, two, three…,” the count would go on, and each time the number reached eight, the man cursed to be in that position would be pulled from the row, dragged away and shoved into a line destined for the ovens.

Each day, Abraham — stripped of his name — was forced to call out his identity as somewhere between one and eight; he feared that the end of his days was at hand. But each day, the eighth inmate was pulled either to his right or left.

On that day in October, as the daily culling took place, and the Nazis positioned the inmates in makeshift rows, he realized he was Number 9. At first, his heart soared, and then it sunk, as the person next to him was taken away.

Later that day the camp was liberated. The next count never took place. And that day occurred just as the Book of New Beginnings — Genesis — was being read in many synagogues.

It is why Abraham pledged that for as long as he was able, he would request to be called to the Torah on that Shabbat, addressed by his Hebrew name, Avraham, to confirm in front of God and the Torah — Hineni, “Here I am.”

Furthermore, never would he ever consider another human being as a faceless part of any ethnic or religious group.

“God spared me on that day,” I recall him saying. “I am always reminded on this day that I am not the number tattooed on my arm or someone in a line, I am a human being — and so is everyone around me.”

Most Jews consider it bad form to count people. In synagogue, when determining whether there is a quorum of 10 gathered to pray, we recite a 10-word Hebrew sentence. We never use numbers to count those present, but rather ensure that the number of those present matches or exceeds the words of that sentence.

Throughout our history, many have tried to strip us of our identity. Rulers in many Middle Eastern countries forbad us from riding horses lest we stand taller than non-Jews. 

We have been enslaved, persecuted and defamed. We have been restricted from various types of jobs, colleges and social environments.

But this week’s Torah portion sends us a message instituted by God more than 3,000 years ago: Each of us is unique, each one of us has a name, each one of us can, and must, contribute.

Is it any different this week, as Israel again faces hostile and murderous foes? Our army is assembled in strength. Each Israeli — each Jew — is monitoring events hourly. And, despite often incomplete media reports, each of us stands to be counted through our prayers, our concern and our contributions.

As Abraham shared many years ago, we as Jews are more than numbers and stereotypes. We are individuals never to be numbered — strong, confident and self-assured.

No one can ever take that away from us.

Wherever Abraham is now, I pray for his soul and thank him for his strength.

For he taught me on that day that no person should ever be referred to as a number — or part of a faceless group.

Rather, each of us was created to contribute. Each of us is invaluable. Each one of us must step forward.

Most of all, each one of us counts.

Shabbat shalom, v’kol tuv.

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

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