Parshas Bamidbar
May 30-31st, 2003
29 Iyar, 5763

I am typing this parsha sheet in my small and crowded office. There is hardly any free space on the floor to walk, due to the piles of books and periodicals placed (dumped?) all around, and barely any open space desk space, amidst all the papers and pads, on which to rest my laptop. Torah volumes (shelved in no particular order) crowd the bookcases (and the desk), while numberless files and folders (containing notes from past classes I’ve given) form stacks climbing halfway to the ceiling. Call me the "King Clutter!"

Now, to be fair, I do feel some degree of pride that it is not quite the height of disorder at the present time. It has not been officially designated a "disaster area," thereby becoming eligible for federal cleanup funding. (Before I did my Pesach cleaning a few months ago, it might have been.) But it ain’t a pretty sight all the same, I’m sorry to say. When visitors happen to steal a glance in here--if I forget to shut the door to conceal the shame, that is--, their faces invariably register a mixture of sympathy and deep frustration. I immediately think of some old T.V. commercial showing a deflated housecleaner at the end of her wits (or is it a harried mother desperately trying to get her children to eat their dinner?): "There has to be a better way…"

Why have I revealed to you these details of my home life? Is it only to praise my dear wife, who, unlike me (thank G-d), is a true paragon of orderliness and domestic efficiency--not to mention her myriad other stellar qualities? Is it merely, through a bit of lightheartedness, to attempt to ease her burden in life a bit (when she reads this), for having bravely chosen as her husband and lifelong companion, the "King of Clutter?"

No, my friends, there is something else as well. The topic of orderliness, that trait in which I am admittedly a bit deficient (but trying to improve), is indeed connected to this week’s Torah portion.

The Book of Numbers (Bamidbar) opens with a detailed description of the census that G-d commanded Moshe and Aharon to make just one month after the inauguration of the Tabernacle (Mishkan). Though there had been another count less than a year previously (following the punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf), Hashem wished to have another one at this point.

Ramban explains (among other reasons) that since the Jewish people were supposed to enter immediately into the Land of Israel, a census by tribal affiliation was needed for the impending military action and for the subsequent distribution of the Land. On a more poetic note, Rashi cites the teaching that G-d’s frequent commands to count the Jewish people--when, of course, He full well knows the tally already--is a sign of His great love for us. He wants us to appreciate how precious is each and every individual, and each family unit, in the eyes of the Almighty, and how all are equally essential in carrying out our collective purpose of living as a "holy nation."

Further, our Sages tell us that just as Hashem has His "legions" in the heavens--the countless stars and heavenly bodies--so, too, He has His corresponding "legions" here on earth: the Jewish people, K’lal Yisrael. We are spiritual fighters for Hashem and His Torah in the world, and just as a Commander-in-Chief formally reviews the count of his troops, so Hashem meant to inspire us with a sense of our mission by commanding a census numerous times. (On the topic of "fighters for Hashem," note that this is how some commentators explain our very name, Yisrael-Israel, first given to Ya’akov after he defeated the angel of Esav in that mysterious wrestling match back in the book of Genesis. "Fighter for Hashem.")

An army must be a model of precision and orderliness if it is to succeed. And anyone reviewing this parsha must be struck by the orderliness and precision of the way G-d commanded the Jewish people to be numbered, and arranged, in the wilderness. The census was taken, "of the entire Assembly of the Children of Israel according to their families, according to their fathers’ household." Everyone was encamped with his or her particular tribe, and each tribe stationed in a precise position around the Tabernacle--three tribes on each side of the Tabernacle. "The Children of Israel shall encamp, each man by his banner according to the insignias of their fathers’ household, at a distance surrounding the Tent of Meeting [the centerpiece of the Tabernacle]." They kept these precise tribal positions when they would travel in the desert. (Details of their procession are found later in the book, in the parsha of Beha’aloscha.) The Levites were in charge of transporting the Tabernacle, and its holy vessels, and all the precise details of just how it was to be done are outlined in these opening portions of the Book of Numbers.

Orderliness and precision: without a doubt, they form a key motif of the parsha.

In the beautiful collection of insights on the Torah portion, Lekach Tov, the author explains at length (based on this parsha) the immense importance of orderliness in our spiritual lives! Our great ethical teachers always stressed that orderliness in the "small" details of our external lives--like, er, desks, offices, dressers and the like--is a reliable indication of the orderliness of our inner lives. They understood that you cannot realize your individual potential in Torah and the service of G-d without mastering the trait of orderliness ("seder," in Hebrew). They realized that to acquire this trait (or any other positive attribute), one must apply it in ALL areas of life--i.e., in the way your desktop is arranged and your clothes are laid out, just as much as in the way you arrange (and carry out) your Torah learning sessions.

The great yeshiva of Kelm was legendary for inculcating the trait of orderliness in all one’s affairs. If a student was negligent in this area, it was looked on as a serious spiritual deficiency, a blemish that would inevitably affect the way they studied and practiced Torah. (Not to mention the basic disruption it could cause to their peace of mind in genera.) The story is told that once Rav Simcha Zissel, the "Alter of Kelm" (the leader of the yeshiva in that town), went to visit one of his sons who was studying in another city. Before going to meet him personally, he first would stop by the room where he was boarding to have a look. If he saw that his son’s possessions were in order, and everything was tidy and well-maintained, he was confident--on the basis of that fact alone-- that the boy was progressing favorably!

Our greatest sages were (like my wife!) paragons of the trait of orderliness and cleanliness, down to the "smallest detail" of their lives. (But, of course, there are no small details, spiritually speaking.) The external order achieved by them mirrored--and, I’m sure, helped to reinforce--their internal order.

Please understand. We’re not talking about some neurotic, Felix Ungar-type neatness compulsion. We’re ultimately referring to what is now called, "being centered," an inner sense of having things together, of being in control of the details of one’s life. This is what the trait of seder, of orderliness, is all about.

I’m not saying that we all have to be experts of this attribute (yet)…but that to succeed ultimately in attaining holiness, in scaling the ladder of service of G-d, one needs to at least be working on becoming a more orderly person. The truth is, to become successful at any endeavor requires order and schedule and regularity. Benjamin Franklin, in his famous autobiography (which, by the way, was prized by some of our great ethical teachers of recent generations for this reason), revealed himself to be as precise and orderly as a bookkeeper in seeking to attain the ethical goals he set for himself. Ask any successful business person, and I’m sure you’ll find a similar exactitude and precision in the way things are carried out.

It may be a bitter pill for me to swallow, but I guess I must face the truth. A disordered desk may or may not be a sure sign of genius (as cutesy plaques and knicknacks often proclaim)…but it is, most indisputably, a sign of disorder! And it is also indisputable that the genius (or regular guy) in question would be no worse off, and most likely much better off, if his desk--or office--were neat, clean and orderly.

This is one reason the Torah goes to such lengths to describe how orderly the Jewish people were in their travels, and encampments, in the desert. And this trait relates to the upcoming Shavuos holiday as well (believe it or not). The Torah tells us that the Jewish people were completely unified ("Like one person, with one heart, " Rashi explains) before G-d gave them the Torah. That kind of unity--as Lekach Tov points out--necessitates the ultimate in interpersonal "orderliness." Every individual knows his or her place, and appreciates his or her own potential, while acknowledging the rightful place (and great potential) of each and every OTHER person in K’lal Yisrael. No one tries to invade the space, or appropriate the role, of the other. At the communal level, unity means everything is in its proper place and functioning efficiently, and all members of the Jewish people are at their post--joined in their common goal. (Disputes, on the other hand, denote a departure from proper order and orderliness.) A lean, mean, (spiritual) fighting machine! Such a state of unity, and communal consciousness, was a prerequisite for receiving G-d’s Torah…and it is what we must strive for as we prepare for the upcoming festival.

We have seen how Seder is an attribute, a quality of life and mind, that we should all try to acquire to the best of our ability if we want to realize our potential in this world (which is our ultimate goal).

Hear that, honey? (This is to my wife.) Maybe one day, after some devoted effort, your King of Clutter will become the…Sultan of Seder. I just have to learn to follow your example (in this, as in everything else) a bit better. It’s gonna be the neatest little office you ever saw…and y’all (this is to everybody else out there) will be invited to come by and marvel.

‘Till then…GOOD SHABBOS (AND HAPPY CLEANING)!

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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Rabbi Yosef Edelstein, Savannah Kollel. Phone: 912-351-0469; fax: 354-9923