Parashat B’ha`a lot’kha
Numbers 8:1 – 12:16
The Israelite encampment finally takes leaves of Mount Sinai and begins its trek toward the Promised Land. Much as we experienced at the Celebrate Israel Parade a couple of weeks ago, there are a lot of organizational logistics that need to be handled in order to get the whole people to move forward in some kind of collective fashion.
The tribes had been assigned places on four sides of the Tabernacle to create the encampment. Now, as they began moving, the rectangular encampment slowly unfurled to become a long line of marchers. First the tribes on the eastern side began walking. Then came the tribes on the south, then the tribes on the western flank. The last were the tribes camped on the northern side. The Torah tells us that this last group, under the flag of the tribe of Dan, was given a special task. It was to be the “m’asef l’khol ha-mahanot – the one who must collect everyone from all the camps.” (Num. 10:25)
This means that, although the people were to march in an ordered line, it was understood that some people would walk faster and some slower. Some would have to pause along the road. The line of marchers would surely fray. How could we make sure that no one would be lost? Indeed, our first tragedy after leaving Egypt occurred because we allowed stragglers to fall behind our march and they were brutally attacked by Amaleq. We were commanded never to forget that tragedy.
Our Torah portion tells us that we learned an important lesson from that horrible event. We learned that remembering the horrible evil that was done to us is required, but it is not sufficient as a response. Instead of dwelling on a sense of victimhood, we learned that we needed to create a system of practical compassion that would take into account the “tired and the weary.” (Deut. 25:18) We learned that it was the responsibility of the entire encampment to make sure that no one would be left behind. The tribe of Dan was the safety net of the Jewish people. May they serve as a reminder for us to learn the lessons we need for today.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi David Greenstein
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image: “Safety Net” © Chad altered and used with permission via Creative Commons License.
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