d’var torah
Does the Power of G-d
Still Exist?
Rabbi Elyssa Cherney
T Parshat B’ha’lotecha
his week, our Torah portion
literally means: when you rise
up. It refers to rising the seven
lamps before the Tabernacle but also in
the rising before G-d to offer sacrifices.

It used to be that G-d spoke and the
people listened. They followed that
which was commanded because they
believed in the power of G-d. There
are times in our society today when
power is certainly attained through the
organization of people and money.

But is there still a reciprocal relation-
ship with G-d such as the Israelites
had? The Israelites — specifically
through the Levites — would offer
sacrifices and obey G-d’s teachings in
exchange for divine protection of their
people. This past Shavuot, I was struck by
the changing nature of the people’s
relationship with G-d from when they
received the Torah and now. The words
found in this week’s Torah portion,
B’ha’lotecha, are no different.

G-d’s words are specific and infor-
mative, as G-d instructs Moses on how
to tell the Levites to offer sacrifices to
G-d. The boundaries around sacrifices
and consequences for failing to do so
are clearly laid out and expected to be
followed. The idea is that the owner-
ship of everything we have is truly
G-d’s — not ours.

As such, the Israelites acknowl-
edged their reliance on G-d by having
a system in which G-d was given the
first fruits of their labor. This created
a system in which the Israelites had
ongoing humility toward a greater
power. Therefore, the society was
sustained by a communal belief and
shared actions.

Today, the mental image of G-d
has transformed into one that would
be unrecognizable to Moses, Aaron
and Miriam, who awaited their divine
instructions. Talking to G-d is no longer
a two-way relationship — rather, G-d’s
voice can be heard in the self-reflec-
tion of those who seek G-d’s wisdom.

Prayer acts as a common form in
which to have set times and words with
which to connect with G-d and human-
ity. The actions of giving sacrifices
toward a shared belief and power have
significantly altered.

our behalf. We do have the ability to
give of that which belongs to us — our
own form of sacrifices.

G-d uses this Torah portion to set
out the guidelines by which we should
create our society. It makes me think
about how much more our commu-
nities would thrive if we were willing
and able to give them the best of our
personal resources. Not only finan-
Perhaps, if we put our belief back in
each other to offer the best of ourselves,
we could create a major shift for our
communities. There are many Jews who give their
time and money to support the commu-
nities of which they are a part. Yet, I
don’t believe it’s due to fear of G-d’s
consequences or to maintain a specific
relationship with G-d but rather to help
the community thrive.

In B’ha’lotecha, a certain structure
of how sacrifices are carried out is put
in place. The emphasis is put on who
is close enough to G-d to carry out
the sacrifices on behalf of the commu-
nity. Numbers 8:22 — “Thereafter
the Levites were qualified to perform
their service in the Tent of Meeting,
under Aaron and his sons. As G-d had
commanded Moses in regard to the
Levites, so they did to them.”
Moses and Aaron prepare the Levites
for the task of communal service to G-d,
and this becomes their ongoing job.

They are to serve in the Tent of Meeting
from age 25 for 25 years, and then
their service is excused at the age of
50. In turn, the community cares for the
Levites, and their service ensures G-d’s
protection of the whole community.

We no longer have set sacrifices that
we participate in or Levites acting on
cial sustenance for our organizations
which act for the benefit of all but
for our expertise, too. Many have
the resources of our education and
specialized training at our disposal.

Perhaps, if we put our belief back
in each other to offer the best of
ourselves, we could create a major
shift for our communities. Our self-sac-
rifices may even cause us to feel the
power of G-d once again. ■
Rabbi Elyssa Cherney leads life cycle
rituals for couples and families in
Philadelphia. She runs the organiza-
tion TacklingTorah to help everyday
people connect their Judaism to holy
moments in their lives. The Board
of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia is
proud to provide diverse perspectives
on Torah commentary for the Jewish
Exponent. The opinions expressed in
this column are the author’s own and
do not necessarily reflect the view of
the Board of Rabbis.

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