d’var torah
Enter the Wilderness
Rabbi Linda Holtzman
B Parshat Bamidbar
amidbar is a fascinating book.

Starting with the word bamid-
bar, in the wilderness, we
learn just how wild the wilderness can
be. The English name of the book,
Numbers, describes the counting of
the people that takes place as we
enter the text, but that doesn’t do the
book justice.

Imagine a book that tells tales of
rebellion and fiery Divine punishment,
of leprosy and struggle, of spies and
uncertainty, of battles and killing, of
women’s rights and of women’s punish-
ment by magical potion if they are
accused of adultery, and, of course, a
in the surprises that are in store for us.

Going to the midbar means looking
below the surface of our lives: our
personal lives and the life of our
community. Being in the midbar is
being honest with ourselves; nothing
is there to limit our vision.

Is there something we have been
wanting to do that we keep putting off
because of worry or fear? Are we satis-
fied with our work or our relationships,
and are we afraid to face the possibil-
ity that we are not getting all that we
could out of either? If we let ourselves
fully enter the midbar, there is nothing
that stops us from seeing the truth,
from acting with courage.

This is true in our community as well.

Can we see the ways that the Jewish
community, either here or in Israel, is
not living up to all that it could be? If
been working and see who has a plan
that has vision and creativity. If we are
open to facing the truth about this city,
our votes can change the future.

And if we pay attention to what the
hundreds of thousands of protesters in
Israel are saying, we can stand with them
to demand change. What does it take for
us, the American Jewish community, to
look at what is happening beneath the
surface and to face it honestly? It’s time
for us to take the risks to see the truth
and to stand in solidarity with our Israeli
siblings who are determined to live in a
country they can be proud of.

It does take counting and studying
the numbers, both here and in Israel,
knowing the hard facts and taking
them in. And then, it takes our willing-
ness to enter the wilderness that can
open us to new possibilities and to
new opportunities for growth, in our
personal lives and in our communities.

May we be deeply inspired as we
dive into the wilderness of Bamidbar. ■
Rabbi Linda Holtzman is the director
of student life at the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College and the rabbi of
the Tikkun Olam Chavurah. 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.

Is there something we have been
wanting to do that we keep putting
off because of worry or fear?
talking donkey who is willing to go out
of his way to save a man’s life.

Entering the wilderness opens the
people to a wide array of magic and
violence and terror; and there are
always numbers, the counting of the
people more than once. I have always
loved Bamidbar for these startling and
provocative tales and have loved how
it takes me into a fantastical realm that
fires my imagination.

Yet Bamidbar is not just a grand
fantasy. As we read this extraordinary
book, we are inspired to allow ourselves
to move into whatever wilderness we
need to inhabit. Entering a wilderness
means that we are willing to take a
risk, to relinquish the safety of a clearly
boundaried life. Entering a wilderness
is opening ourselves to whatever may
happen and finding ways to live fully
we let ourselves see the truth, then it
is our responsibility to act, to stand up
and “speak truth to power,” letting our
governments and our leadership hear
what we are seeing.

On May 16, there was an important
election in Philadelphia. There were
many candidates for mayor and for
council representatives. Even though
this was just a primary election, the
results will matter. It is up to us to do
what Bamidbar teaches us.

Look beneath the surface. Don’t be
swayed by the glitzy advertisements.

Don’t let our hopelessness about this
city and its high levels of violence and
its challenging public school system
stop us from believing that we can
make a difference. Listen to all that
the candidates were saying beneath
the slogans. Focus on what has not
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