When I was training to become a chaplain back in 2008, one of my fellow CPE classmates would always remind our group, “more information only leads to more anxiety.” What she meant by that is while we think researching a problem will lead to a solution, the research that we compile often makes combating the problem more difficult. The more we know can sometimes be more of a hindrance, than a help.
We see this peculiar problem play out in this week’s Torah portion Bamidbar, which begins the fourth book of the Torah, one that goes by the same name as its initial portion. Bamidbar, or “in the wilderness,” is called Numbers in English, referring to the long census the people embark on that takes us most of the way through next week’s portion as well. The question being why at this point of the Torah is a census needed at all? Ostensibly, it is to prepare them for the conquest of the Holy Land, but as we know this will not take place in the Torah itself, nor will it involve this current generation of Israelites, who will largely die off in the wilderness. So, why all this fuss about numbers?
Perhaps, it might be helpful to go back to the name of the book itself. While the English name, “Numbers,” is perfect for these first two portions of the book, the Hebrew name is perfect for the rest of it. The wilderness is where we will be living for the next few months, a place of uncertainty, conflict, and a whole lot of anxiety. Similar to our approach to the pandemic, we hope by compiling statistics we will solve Covid-19. And, while certain basic information can be extremely helpful, being bombarded day in, day out with more and more facts, only makes it harder for us to comply. We are in the wilderness, which is confusing and unsettling, and that is okay. We should be confident that we can and we will make it through this difficult time, because human beings are some of the most adaptable creatures on the planet. And, that is something you can count on.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex