04 Jun BAMIDBAR: UNITY & IDENTITY

Parashat Bamidbar is almost
always read on the Shabbat
immediately preceding
Shavuot. What is the
connection between
this parashah and Matan Torah,
the event that we celebrate on

Shavuot?
Parashat Bamidbar tells us how Beneh
Yisrael encamped in the desert. Each tribe lived
together in its designated place, with its unique
banner. The Mishkan, where
the Shechinah rested, was situated in the center
of the camp.
This arrangement symbolizes the fact that
although the Jewish People consists of different
groups, each with different ways of doing
things, we are, ultimately, all part of one nation,
of one entity, devoted to Hashem, which must
be at the center of our lives.
I once posed the following question to a group
of young men and women from our community:
If you find yourself sitting on a bus, and to your
right is a Hassidic person, and to your left is a
non-Jew, to which of these passengers do you
relate more?
To my dismay, several of the youngsters

replied that they would relate more to the non-
Jew. They explained that their lives far more

closely resemble those of non-Jews than to the
lives of Hassidic Jews who don’t use the same

technology, who observe different customs,
many of whom speak Yiddish, and who follow
stricter halachic standards.
This mistake, I believe, stems from a
preoccupation with externals, from losing sight
of our core identity.
If we identify ourselves based on our iPhone,
the videos we watch, the kinds of houses we live
in, the vacations we go on, and the clothes we
wear, then indeed, we might find ourselves
feeling closer to our non-Jewish neighbors than
to Jews from different communities and
backgrounds. But this is not how we should be
identifying ourselves.
We are identified by our commitment to
Hashem, by our mitzvot, by the Torah we learn,
by the principles of emunah that we live by, and
by the tefilot we recite. And if this is our core
identity, then we feel a special kinship and
connection with all our fellow Jews, no matter
how different their lifestyle and customs are
from ours. Once our identity is formed by our
belief in Hashem and the Torah, then everything
else is external and of limited significance. If
our priority is Torah and mitzvot, then we feel a
close bond with all others who share this
commitment, even if they express it differently
than we do.
Let us take the example of siblings who find
themselves in a fight. Usually, when siblings
fight, it’s because they are too concerned with

things that shouldn’t matter that much to them,
such as money or personal honor. But when one
of the two quarreling siblings faces some dire
crisis, Heaven forbid, they in most cases come
together and forget about the fight. Times of
crisis redirects our focus onto what really
matters, onto what’s really important. And when
this is our focus, we realize that what we have in
common far exceeds what divides us.
The Torah says that when Beneh
Yisrael arrived at Mount Sinai to receive the
Torah, Vayichan Sham Yisrael Neged Hahar–
they encamped facing the mountain. Rashi, in
one of the most famous and oft-quoted passages
in his Torah commentary, notes that the Torah
uses the singular form – Vayichan, instead of the
plural form, Vayachanu. The singular form is
used, Rashi explains, to indicate to us that the
nation encamped at Mount Sinai K’ish Echad
B’lev Echad– “as one person, with one heart,”
with perfect unity. Previously, the pasuk says,
Vayachanu Bamidbar – “they encamped in the
desert,” using the plural form. At first, they
were not united. But once they focused their
minds on receiving the Torah, and their attention
was redirected onto what really matters, they
bonded together, K’ish Echad B’lev Echad.
When we have our priorities straight, and we
focus on what’s truly valuable and important,
we find that we have so much in common with
all our fellow Jews.

Of course, we absolutely must be respectful,
friendly, courteous and kind to all people, Jew
and non-Jew alike. Every human being is
endowed with the image of G-d and must be
respected. But our fellow Jews must be viewed
and loved as family, no matter how different
they are from us.
This is why Parashat Bamidbar is always read
before Shavuot. We are divided into different
“tribes,” each in its own territory, and each with
its own “flag,” its own unique characteristics
and ways of doing things. But we must feel a
close bond with one another, despite our
differences.
Shavuot celebrates Matan Torah, the event
that gave us our core identity. The Torah defines
who we are – a nation charged with a special
mission. The more we recognize that this is who
we are, that our Torah commitment defines us
far more than our homes, our cars, our clothes
and our vacations, the more closely we will feel
connected with all our fellow Jews, and bond
with them “like one person with one heart.”