Individuality in unity
Shabbat Shalom to all our readers.
I am very fortunate to have been selected to participate in the Launchpad Leadership 2022 program. This is the third cohort of 34 senior professionals and lay leaders from a diverse range of Jewish organisations from across Australia.
The program blends Jewish values with technical skills and leadership theory with experiential learning. It is an incredible platform to develop friendships and foster cross-community collaboration.
Going into the program, I was uncertain how a cohort of Jews from very different backgrounds would work together, let alone a group of Jewish leaders.
I was reminded of the story about how Golda Meir, the former Israeli prime minister, once told the American president, Richard Nixon: “You are the president of 150 million Americans; I am the prime minister of six million prime ministers.”
I learned very quickly that our cohort consists of talented and passionate leaders each of whose goal is to serve our community. Each one of us have different skills and experiences to share and we also have areas in which to grow and learn. We are 34 individuals with our unique perspectives that the Launchpad Leadership program has managed to unite in a common cause.
Leading up to Shavuot when we celebrate the date of the giving of the Torah, there is a famous teaching from Rashi regarding when the Bnei Israel camped near the mountain to receive the Torah. The verb used in the Torah is in singular form – “vayichan” – and he camped. Why singular? Rashi explains that the people were united as one person with one heart.
I found a powerful parallel in this week’s parashah, Bamidbar which commences the “Book of Numbers”. It is called “Numbers” because of the two major censuses that are recorded in the book.
Usually the Hebrew word used for counting is “sefirah”. Sefirah is used for counting the Omer, counting the seven years from Shemittah, counting the Jubilee year etc. Yet when counting Bnei Israel the Torah avoids the classic term and uses “se’u et rosh” (Numbers 1:2) and “pakad” (Numbers 1:49).
Both of these terms have other meanings besides to count: “Se’u et rosh” also means to lift up the head and “pakad” also relates to memory. So why does the Torah depart from the usual term “sefirah” and use these ambiguous terms when describing the count of the people?
On the one hand, we count items that we love and cherish because each one is valuable. God wants to count each individual, because each of them is important to Him.
Yet, Jews have an aversion to counting people. As the famous RACV ads used to say, “You’re a member, not a number.” Counting people can strip them of their basic identity and dignity. Nothing dehumanises more than a number; something the Nazis understood very well.
When Hashem counts the Jewish people, it is an elevating experience. Each individual is precious and no matter where they stand in society is counted equally with even the great sages. Every single person potentially has something of infinite value to contribute.
Now we can appreciate the depths of the words the Torah employs for counting people: “Se’u et rosh” and “pakad” – “lifting up” and “remembering”.
Instead of counting the people, we must remember them and lift them up. The counting should remind the people what their inherent and indispensable value is.
There is a famous teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, that if even one letter in the Torah scroll is missing, the Torah is invalid.
So too in Judaism, each individual is considered a crucial part of the people, without whom the entire nation would be incomplete.
I still have a couple more sessions with my cohort at Launchpad. I look forward to seeing the incredible contribution that each one of them makes to our wider community.
Mendy Ajzenszmidt is rabbi of South Caulfield Hebrew Congregation.
comments