THE SOUND OF MUSIC One striking difference between the service in the Temple and our prayer services today is the absence of instrumental music. In Temple times, the Levites accompanied the sacrificial service with a full orchestra: lyres, flutes, trumpets, harps, and cymbals. So essential was the music to the atmosphere of the service that the orchestra even performed on Shabbat. The spiritual energy of the Temple was so intense that there was no concern that a musician might forget it was Shabbat and violate it by repairing a broken instrument. After the destruction of the Temple, our prayer services—whether...
THE SIX-FOLD BLESSING Two tiny silver scrolls are the oldest surviving biblical texts. Dated to around 600 BCE, the time of the prophet Jeremiah, they were discovered in 1979, when archaeologist Gabriel Barkay was examining ancient burial caves at Ketef Hinnom. This is just outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the area now occupied by the Begin Heritage Centre. A thirteen-year-old boy assisting Barkay uncovered a hidden chamber beneath the floor of one of the caves. There, the team discovered nearly a thousand ancient artifacts—including these two silver scrolls, no more than an inch long. Once deciphered, the scrolls were...
LIFE BY NUMBERS This Shabbat we begin the fourth book of the Torah, commonly called Bemidbar, “In the desert,” a key word from the opening verse. In Rabbinic literature, however, it is referred to as Chumash HaPekudim — “The Torah-book of Counting.” This parallels the Greek title in the Septuagint, Arithmoi, meaning “numbers.” The ancient Latin translation adopted the title Numeri, which then passed into English as “Numbers.” Why such an emphasis on numbers? Two censuses take place in this book — one in our parasha and another later in Parashat Pinchas. The book of Bemidbar is full of many...
NOTICING WARNING SIGNS Recognising the early signs of a problem and addressing it before it escalates is a vital lesson we learn from this week’s parasha. “Should your brother become poor and is struggling, vehechezakta bo—then extend him support.” (Vayikra 25:35) The Hebrew phrase vehechezakta bo comes from the root chazak, meaning to be strong. Our response must be to offer chizuk—strength and support—not only once the person has fallen, but ideally beforehand, when we first notice that they are beginning to stumble. Rashi illustrates this with a powerful analogy: imagine a donkey laden with a heavy load. If the...
MAKING EACH DAY COUNT This week’s parasha includes the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer—Counting of the Omer—a commandment that directly relates to the period we are currently in. What’s striking is that we are not merely asked to know what day it is, but to say it aloud. This Shabbat, we declare: “Today is the 34th day of the Omer, making four weeks and six days.” Verbalising the count is essential. The Kabbalists take this mitzvah further. They teach that each day of the Omer reflects a unique combination of Divine attributes, or sefirot. There are seven emotional sefirot. Each week...
