BEMIDBAR_NUMBERS I:1-IV:20
The Torah was delivered in the wilderness, no man’s land, and from a medium-height mountain, without apparent distinction. From this fact, the Chachamim conclude that the study of the Torah demands modesty and humility. False and exaggerated pride is the mortal enemy of learning. Even Rambam, who always advised the Shevil Ha’emtsa’i, the middle path that avoids extremes, insisted that there is no middle ground in the case of modesty. A half or partial modesty should not be tolerated, because only the person who has acquired knowledge necessarily recognizes the enormity of what he still has to learn and know, which is like a horizon that moves away notwithstanding the distance traveled. Only those with partial knowledge that is always insufficient, boast of their intellectual achievements. The true scholar knows that he does not know it all and is thirsty for study and reflection.
It has not yet been possible to definitively identify the mountain, the Har Sinai that witnessed the revelation of the Divine Will. Ignorance of the place leads to appreciate the Word and Message that were enunciated there, without the temptation to “sanctify” the place. The message is the only sacred element of that extraordinary experience of more than 3,000 years ago.
The name of this fourth book of the Torah, that our chapters inaugurate, means “in the wilderness,” a kind of prediction that man would remain spiritually in a wilderness for an extended period. While in the field of technology advances grow exponentially, in the spiritual field there are continuous advances and setbacks that, due to technological excellence, turn relapses into a greater threat to the survival of the human species.
The quality of humility leads to tolerance – especially of ideas that are different – and respect for an alternate conduct that is also based on the principles of ethics and morality, which do not antagonize, but respect others. Those who claim to be the possessors of the one and absolute truth often fall prey to the fanaticism and fundamentalism that invariably produces intolerance, and this, in turn, translates into physical aggression.
The arrogance of those who “have seen the light” prevents them from admitting justice and truth, because their interest is centered on glory and personal power. This arrogance is the mortal enemy of Torah study, which demands humility before God’s “Supreme Intellect.” Me’od me’od heveh shefal ruach, the Talmud demands, because humility is a requirement for spiritual growth.
Among the possible qualifiers that the Torah might have chosen, Moses is designated as anav mikol adam, “the humblest among humans.” Therefore, in the oral tradition he is known as Moshe Rabbenu, “our teacher Moses“, because humility is a sine qua non in the process of learning and teaching.
These chapters are usually read on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot which celebrates the anniversary of the bestowal of the Torah. It should be noted that this holiday has no date in Scripture: only the count of 49 days, which is 7 weeks, from the second day of Passover, identifies its celebration. Shavuot is anticipated during these days, a fact that led some sages to opine that preparation is many times more important than celebration.
Anticipating the event brings with it greater joy than the timing of the holiday. Similarly, Torah study is a process, not an event. Just as the desert does not recognize pedigree or privilege, because everyone must fight equally to survive in that hostile environment, the Torah is not acquired by inheritance, it does not recognize ancestral privileges. The study of the Torah is, in fact, a way of conducting life with the purpose of learning, which can only be achieved under the premise of humility in the presence of the Eternal Wisdom of the Creator.
