God's Army

Parashat Bamidbar (Num. 1:1-4:20) opens as God tells Moses: “You and Aaron must count all those in Israel 20 years old and over, all those fit to serve in the army, by their tribal troops.” (Num.1:3) Rashi explains that God counts the people out of love, just as one might count their treasures frequently. The phrase "by number of names" (Numbers 1:2) tells us that the count is not anonymous. Each individual is recognized by name, face-to-face with Moses and Aaron, affirming not only their presence within the nation but their unique spiritual identity. The Ramban explains that this reinforces the dignity bestowed on each Israelite. Sforno teaches that the census prepares the people for their sacred roles demonstrating how each has been given a sacred task. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch takes it to another level suggesting that each person is a vessel of divine purpose.

Parashat Bamidbar offers more than just affirmation; it paints a dramatic model of cosmic order seen in the placement of the tribes around the Mishkan (Tabernacle)—three tribes in each cardinal direction, with the Levites in the center, attending to the sanctuary. The arrangement is sacred geometry whereby the Mishkan becomes the spiritual axis around which the nation revolves, echoing the structure of the cosmos itself. Here we encounter one of the Torah's most powerful themes: God's plan brings order out of chaos; a principle established during the Creation period.

In this disorderly void the Torah calls tohu ve bohu, matter coalesces into light separated from darkness and division made between the waters and land to create a habitable planet. The Hebrew word for the Torah parasha, Bamidbar, literally "in the wilderness," alludes to where Israel began its formation, shaped from a blank slate into a new nation, transforming desolation into dwelling, of chaos into a covenant of peace. And it all began with the giving of the Torah in an unclaimed no man's land.

This theme of sacred order is found in a remarkable tradition recorded in Tanchuma Bamidbar 12 and cited by later commentators describing the funeral procession of Jacob. His sons served as pallbearers. Their arrangement around the casket was later mirrored in their placement around the Tabernacle. Notably, the Hebrew of the Torah uses the word aron for both a coffin and the Ark of the Covenant. This linguistic and spiritual connection invites profound reflection: just as the Ark carried the word of God and symbolized His presence among the people, the aron carried Jacob, the recipient of the promises made to him by the Creator.

The placement of his sons around his aron not only honored their father but prefigured the ideal arrangement of the Twelve Tribes when they settled eretz Israel, unified around its capital city. Thus, the ark rested in the Temple, representing the centrality of Jerusalem in the life of the nation.

In this sense, Parashat Bamidbar is a vision of life aligned with the divine plan. When individuals are counted by name and the tribes take their rightful place, when sacred space is at the center, and when duties are embraced in service of to the whole, peace emerges from God’s blueprint of ordered harmony. But to reach that goal, God's nation needs to survive and thrive in a world bent on their destruction. That's why Parashat Bamidbar details a census with distinct military overtones. God instructed Moses and Aaron that the census should be taken from,"....all those fit to serve in the army, by their tribal troops.” (Num.1:3).

Only those eligible for military service were counted while the census of the tribe of Levi was conducted separately. The Ohr HaChaim teaches that the act of being counted confers holiness, thus Israel's military represents the Divine order that will ultimately result in Peace, a concept that Torah upholds as the Ultimate Good. We have arrived at a critical point in history that requires an army, not the laughable, ironically-named UN Peacekeepers, but an army of God's people (“Israel is My first-born"- Exodus 4:22)who uphold God’s banner in this world. Pray for our warriors. Israel and all who love peace are counting on them.