Mama, Mama, Many Worlds I've Come Since I First Left Home (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Brokedown Palace")

           The United States observance and celebration of it Thanksgiving signal the beginning of the holiday season. If Christmas decorations have not yet appeared in storefronts, they do so now. Individual homes and town centers begin cleaning up and decorating acknowledging Christmas and Chanukkah. We all begin shopping for gifts for family and friends. Of course, all the Christmas specials are re-broadcast on television. Our family’s favorite Holiday season movie is Frank Capra’s 1946 film It’s A Wonderful Life.  I have watched the movie since I was a kid. With each passing year, with each phase of my life, I have seen Jimmy Stewart’s character, George Bailey, in a different light. As he went through different phases of growing up, getting married, and raising a family, I have done the same. As he struggled with his existential angst, so have I. This year, for the first time in 32 years, I have no children in my house. Instead, they are living their lives, on their own, following their path. As a result, I experienced the movie just a bit differently than before.   During one particular scene Jimmy Stewart’s character George Bailey sits at the dining room table with his mother, his father, and his younger brother, they discuss George’s future plans. He expresses his need to leave and go out on his own: “I just feel like if I don't get away, I'd bust.” I smiled to myself because, in my mind, it seemed like yesterday that I felt that way in terms of my parents. Now I am at a point in my life where my kids have all adopted a similar mantra. For the first time, I identified with George Bailey’s father, the parent offering guidance to the child who prepares to go off on his own. 

          This Shabbat we read from Parsha VaYeitze. The focus of the narrative is on Yaakov. For the first time, Yaakov will find out what it means to be alone in the world.  He has left his mother, Rivkah, and his father Yitzchak, for the first time. In fleeing his brother Esav, Yaakov now embarks on a new phase of his life. For the first time, but certainly not the last time, he will have to face being alone. He will learn to be an independent individual. Yes, Yaakov will meet his future wives, his cousins Leah and Rachel. He will work for his father-in-law, Lavan, and he will have children. The narrative will focus on Yaakov’s life from young adulthood to becoming a responsible father, earning a living, and all the trials, tribulations, and tensions of career and family. As Yaakov makes his way in life, hopefully, he will learn more about himself. With each event, with each adventure, Yaakov has an opportunity to become better connected, better connected to himself, and better connected to a covenant that his father bequeathed to him. Yet throughout the narrative he will learn to be alone, he will learn to become independent, and he will learn, through trial and error, to whom he should spiritually cling: Esav, his parents, Lavan, his wives, and God.

           At the conclusion of the previous Parsha, Parsha Toldot, we read that Yitzchak and Rivkah instructed Yaakov to go to Padan- Aram, to the house of Bethuel (Rivkah’s father’s home) and take a wife from there. We would expect Parsha VaYeitze to begin with Yaakov heading to Padan- Aram. Instead, VaYeitze begins: VaYeitze Yaakov M’Beer Sheva VaYeilech Charana – Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva and went toward Charan. Why doesn’t VaYeitze, say that Yaakov departed and went to Padan Aram? Why do we need to be told that he went to Charan? What’s in Charan? Yaakov has never been away from home. Although he is heading toward his mother’s family; even Rivkah knew enough to leave her family of origin. Now Yaakov, in order to preserve his life, must leave his family of origin. In Toldot, Yaakov was described as Ish Tam  Yoshev Ohalim – a simple man of faith who dwells in tents (Gen. 19;27) The Talmudic Sages explain that Yaakov’s dwelling in the tents meant that he spent time in his parent’s tents studying and learning. However, no learning would prepare him for what he would contend with when dealing with Rivka’s family and particularly her brother Lavan.  Rabbi Kamenetsky, (1891-1986), explained that prior to arriving in Paddan Aram, Yaakov stopped in Charan to learn from Shem and Eber. Shem was Noah’s son and Eber from the generation of the Tower of Bavel. Both were considered righteous and wise men who lived in unsavory environments and managed to retain their sense of righteousness. Yaakov sought their practical wisdom prior to his encounter with Lavan and dealing with becoming independent in an unsavory environment.  He will also need the wisdom of Shem and Eber to help him eventually return home. As a result of Yaakov’s diversion, Yaakov understands that he must maintain a relationship with God, and he understands that he will need to find his way home when the time is right.

          In It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey’s desire to leave home was symbolized by his request and his “wish to never been born”. Indeed, when George cries out “I want to live again” he is asking to return home. For Yaakov, he needed to leave his physical home, but clearly, he took with him the values and the learning that he acquired from his family. He took God with him as well as the sense of the land. He took with him a desire to return home. Yaakov and George Bailey derive an aspect of their independence from not only leaving home but leaving home with a code as well has to have the courage and humility to return home. Indeed, our children have all left home, however, our children also know that whenever the need arises, the doors of the home are always open, and their parents' arms are also open to hug them when they walk in the door

Peace
Rav Yitz.

And There's Nothing Left To Do But Count The Years (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Black Muddy River"

  This past Mother’s Day seemed bittersweet. When our four children were younger, they would wake up early and help me make coffee and breakfast for mommy. Carrying breakfast, cards, and presents, we would walk into mommy’s bedroom, wake her up,  serve her breakfast in bed, and give her Mother’s Day cards and gifts. Well, we are down to one child in the house, our grade 12 son who turns 18 in August and will be studying in Israel for the 2022/23 academic year. So this past Mother’s Day, our son brought in a hard drive and showed mommy, family “movies” of when he and his sibling were much younger. Instead of breakfast in bed, at mommy’s request, we went out for breakfast. As we sat outside in the Toronto spring sunshine and my wife looked at our son and commented that this was the last Mother’s Day with any of her children home to share the day. She verbalize what we both have known the day we became parents. Our kids grow up and then eventually leave home. Instead of viewing that as an accomplishment, that we raised four kids who have turned out to be pretty decent young adults, she lamented that she felt old. I am five years older than my wife, so I chuckled and reminded her that she neither looked old and suggested that instead of looking at our respective ages through the lens of “old” or “young”, we look at our age in terms of quality, what we have achieved in terms of raising our children. If we do that, then our jobs as parents have not concluded but rather entered a new stage and a different type of parent/child relationship. 

           This Shabbat we read from Parsha Emor. In the four chapters that comprise Emor, the first deals with the Kohanim and their very different way of striving for holiness as compared to the rest of the B’nei Israel. For example, because of the Kohen’s function within society, he must remain in a perpetual state of purity. He is restricted in terms of who he can marry. He is restricted in terms of whom he mourns. He cannot go to a cemetery. He cannot make sacrificial offerings if he has physical abnormalities. The second chapter reminds B’nai Israel that all animal offerings must be blemish-free. These offerings must come directly from the individual making them and not from “the hand of a stranger” (Lev. 22:25). Both chapters deal with the holiness of certain people, the Kohen and his family, and certain animals, those designated for sacrificial offerings. The third chapter of the Parsha deals with the designation of Holiness in regards to seasons and the calendar including Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. Then the fourth chapter offers a narrative in which the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man gets into a fight with another Israelite. During the fight, the son pronounces the forbidden name of God and is charged with blasphemy.

          Since the second night of Pesach, the Jewish people have been counting the Omer. The commandment to bring the Omer and count the days in which the Omer is brought occurs in Lev.23:9-16. The first five of the seven total verses explain what an Omer is, how it is prepared, and how the offering is made. The final two verses, 23:15-16 actually discuss the Mitzvah of counting the Omer.  וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת  תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks.עַ֣ד מִֽמָּחֳרַ֤ת הַשַּׁבָּת֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תִּסְפְּר֖וּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֛ם מִנְחָ֥ה חֲדָשָׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃ you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD.  The counting occurs in terms of days, fifty days “from the day in which you bring the sheaf offering”. That counting is represented by an absolute number: “Today is 3 days”, “Today is 12 days”, or  “Today is 30 days”. We also count in terms of weeks, “you shall count off seven weeks” reflected in “2 weeks and 3 days” or “4 weeks and 2 days”.  The first counting method reflects a number reflecting the number of days. However, the second method suggests that the number of days appears within the context of a week. 

          Sefirat HaOmer (Counting The Omer) focuses on two aspects of counting. First, we are always interested in numbers, in data, in the idea of the linear.  There is a starting point and there is an endpoint. , We began counting four weeks ago and we will conclude in approximately three weeks hence. We count in terms of days as well as weeks. In doing so, we acknowledge that the result of counting is twofold. First, we are reminded that counting yields a piece of data, a number. Second, we are reminded that the data, the number indicates how far we have come and how far we still have to go. From that perspective, we can evaluate how far we have come how far we have to go, and the quality of the journey. As my wife and I both realize that this was the last Mother’s day with any of our children living with us, we both understood how far we have come. We can only hope that Mother’s Day in the future, while different, will still remain meaningful and purposeful just like those Mother’s Days when our kids would help me make breakfast, and serve mommy breakfast in bed.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

TryTo See What's Going Down Lord, Try To Read Between The Lines (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Bertha")

On a typical weekday evening, after Mincha/Maariv (the afternoon and evening services) have been recited, and the final carpool has been driven, I usually walk in only to be inundated with every problem and issue that is plaguing my wife and our three teenagers. “This is broken”, “can you fix this”, “can you help me with my algebra”, “can you help me with chemistry”, or “can you help me study for my Talmud test”? After I perform a few minutes of triage and calm people down; we eat dinner. At that point, everyone views these few minutes of family mealtime as an opportunity to share every hurt feeling, every social slight, and “issue” that each teenager seems to be dealing with. Honestly, it seems like I am watching my wife and children’s lives as soap operas. Sometimes it can be exhausting. I try to get away from it by working out for about 45 minutes. Admittedly, they are all quite respectful of this, otherwise, they know that I won’t have the patience to help them.  For the next few hours I help with household chores, I help with essays, math problems, test, and applications. By 11pm, I am ready to sit on the sofa with a cup of tea and watch my news show and catch up with the world. Unfortunately, I encounter another soap opera of political intrigue, investigation, fragile egos, nuclear tension, and the constant venting of emotion via Twitter. I had hoped that my cup of tea, and listening to the news would have calmed me down, provided some perspective and allowed me to settle myself down for a quiet peaceful sleep.  

This morning we read from Parshah Vayeishev. The focus of the narrative now shifts from Yaakov (aka. Israel) to his most beloved son Yosef. Contextually, Yaakov is at a point in his life where he has finished his spiritual and personal struggles. He now is at a calm and settled point in his life, hence the name of the Parshah: Vayeishev – and he settled. We learn that Yaakov, like his parents, played favorites. He showered Yosef, Rachel’s son, with a beautiful Kutonet Pasim – Coat of Many Colors. Yosef was a bit arrogant. This was manifested in his dreams that portrayed his greatness and the subjugated his brothers and his parents to his power. Needless to say, no one appreciated his dreams, neither his brothers who wanted to kill him nor his father who sent Yosef back to his brothers knowing that they were angry with him (Gen. 37:10-14). Yosef is then removed from a pit, sold as a slave and worked in the home of one of Pharaoh’s courtiers. The parsha concludes with Yosef being sent to prison.

Phew! Yosef’s life sounds like a soap opera. Yosef’s life is full of ups and downs. Yosef was up as a favored son, down when he was admonished by his father. Yosef was down when he was thrown into a pit by his brother, and then he was quite literally up when he was removed from the pit.  Soon after, Yosef was quickly down when he was sold into slavery. However, he went back up again when, as a slave, he was also the manager of the courtier’s business dealings. Yosef was then literally brought down by the courtier’s wife, and then went further down when he was thrown down into the prison. Yet even in prison, he enjoyed an elevated status because of his abilities. Yosef’s life has a certain roller coaster quality to it. He is an individual who has enjoyed success and experienced failure. Frequently, we read of Yosef going up and going down, ascending and descending in terms of direction and not only his spirituality. VaYishlcheihu M’Emek Chevron V’Yavoh ShChema – So he [Yaakov] sent him [Yosef] from the depth of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem. Hebron is in the south and Shechem is in the north, so from the perspective of direction, Yosef’s going from south to north would usually be categorized as “up”. However, the phrase Emek Chevron is very problematic. Rashi, the 11^th century French commentator, explains that V’Eilah Chevron B’Har, “VYaalu B’Negev Ad Chevron (BeMidbar 13:22) – Hebron is situated on a mountain as it says in Numbers 13:22 ‘they ascended in the south up to Hebron’. Clearly, the language appears confusing. Clearly, the text is geographically challenged. Maybe those two simple words, Emek Hebron, and those contradictory concepts Emek Hebron are supposed to teach us something about the nature of Yosef’s life and our lives.

            Maybe it is too much for me to wish my children’s lives to be quiet and boring. While “quiet” and “boring” suggests calm and even peacefulness; the reality is that human beings are far too complex to have “quiet and boring”. We engage in relationships, we are social beings, and we are spiritual beings. We think and we feel. Life will always have its ups and downs. We don’t even need to look for the ups and downs; it will find us. Of course, this begs the question why leaders go out of their way to “make news”; to do behave and lead as if life was a soap opera or a reality TV Show. As a parent, it is exhausting when a child’s life has the ups and downs of a soap opera. As a citizen, it is exhausting to constantly read about soap opera leadership while there are serious news stories and serious issues that need to be dealt with. Yosef, a spoiled son, a dreamer, a leader and an incredibly talented young man, demonstrates that sometimes a perceived down might really be an up and a perceived up might really be a down. It seems that the key is how we look at the ups and downs and how we handle those ups and downs. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz

I Can Tell Your Future, Whoa Just Look What's In Your Hand (Robert Hunter, Bob Weir & Mickey Hart - "Playing In The Band")

Well it is a big holiday weekend for North America. In the United States it is President’s Day Weekend. This is the weekend that the United States celebrates the birthday of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the first and sixteenth Presidents respectively. Here in Toronto, we are celebrating Family Day Weekend.  Given the state of the U.S. Presidency; my family is more than happy to be celebrating Family Day Weekend. To enhance our Family Day Weekend, our eldest daughter decided to spend the long weekend with us. Besides the excitement of their oldest sister coming home to visit; there has been quite a bit of tumult in our house. Our high school age daughters had to pick their courses for the upcoming school year. One of the factors that our daughters needed to consider was their anticipated  college/university major. Their school guidance counselor suggested that they ought to think about what they might be interested in terms of academic study  as well as a career. As a result,  all week the anxiety and the concern about the future has been palpable. “What am I going to do with my life?” “I need to know now what I am doing for the rest of my life.”  Our daughters  grew more overwhelmed with the future, our son chimed in and reassured us that we didn’t have to worry about him. "I just wanted to be wealthy enough to afford a Porsche, and a mansion." That was a real load of my mind. For our daughters, however,  no simple advice or mantra diminished their anxiety. “Keep your options open”, “Choose your courses based on your interests", "Choose your courses based upon the instructor”, “Stop worrying, you will change your mind fifteen times between now and when you declare a major during your second year of college”. Of course our daughters greeted my advice with disdain.  "Dad, you don’t know what you are talking about", " Maybe that's what it was like a long time ago when you were a kid." "Well you grew up in the U.S., welcome to Canada, its very different here." To a certain extent my daughters are right. I am old; I grew up in a different educational system and from their perspective I probably am too stupid to help them. However as a parent, I look at my children, all my children sitting and talking and laughing and I wonder about their future, their impact upon all that they encounter, their neighborhood, their community, and the lives that they will eventually touch.

This week's Parsha is Yitro. Named after Moshe's father in-law, who happens to be a Midianite priest, the Parsha begins with Moshe leading B'nai Israel toward the wilderness of Midian. In this wilderness, Moshe meets up with his father in-law, his wife and his two sons. After spending some time with his son-in-law, Yitro sees Moshe working very long days as a judge and growing exhausted and worn down. Yitro suggests a legal bureaucracy whereby others adjudicate the small everyday legal issues. More difficult legal issues would be adjudicated by Moshe.  God commands Moshe to bring B'nai Israel to Mt. Sinai. For three days they will purify themselves, clean their clothes, not have marital relations, and purify their souls for a revelation. Smoke emanates from Mt. Sinai and thunder billows from the heavens, God begins to speak. Fear and awe grip B'nai Israel, and they beg Moshe to go up the mountain as their Shaliach (appointed messenger). Moshe ascends the mountain and receives the Aseret HaDibrot (the Ten Commandments). Then Moshe descends from the mountain. Upon his descent he tells B'nai Israel the Aseret HaDibrot. The Parsha concludes with B'nai Israel readily accepting the Ten Commandments, Moshe re-assures the people not to fear the thunder and the flames, God attests to the fact that B'nai Israel accepted these commandments, and then commands Moshe to build and altar of earth.

                Prior to the actual Revelation and giving the Aseret HaDibrot, and prior to the instructions for B’nai Israel to prepare for the revelation at Sinai, God shares an incredibly intimate moment with Moshe. God shares his hopes for the new relationship and his hopes for the impact this revelation will have upon B’nai Israel and all humanity. V’Atah Im Shamoah Tishmu B’Koli Ushmartem et Britit Vi’HiYitem Li Segulah MiKol Ha’Amim Ki Li Kol Ha’Aretz. And now, if you hearken well to Me and observe My covenant, you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for mine is the entire world.  V’Atem TiHeYu Li Mamlechet KoHanim V’Goy Kadosh –You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers (priests) and a holy nation. R’Ovadia Sforno, the Italian Renaissance Rabbi and biblical commentator, explains that a ‘nation of priests/ministers’ understands and teaches the entire human race that all shall acknowledge God. It appears that God looks to B’nai Israel and sees potential. God explains that Israel's “treasured nation” status is a function of its mission. B’nai Israel will bring The Aseret HaDibrot,  the words and the teachings that accompany these Ten Commandments to all of humanity. B'nai Israel behavior and observance will elevate the words and deeds to a higher degree of holiness. Sforno explains that as long as B’nai Israel adheres to the covenant and brings these teachings to the world, it will remain an Am Kadosh, a Holy Nation that will remain constant in this world. Even before the actual revelation, God empowers these former slaves. God establishes more than just a convenient with B’nai Israel. God links a sense of purpose a mission by instructing these spiritual “Children” to make a difference in the world, to impact the world for goodness and holiness.

                Yes, seeing all my children together, talking and laughing with each other gives me pause. One child isn't a child anymore; she is an adult. Two teenager daughters are in high school anxious about life's choices. Indeed, they have become aware that the world is full of possibilities,  and that they can have an impact on their community. Finally one prepares for Bar Mitzvah and afterward, I assume he will begin working towards that Porsche he talks about . As I watch them, I worry and I wonder how well they have learned the lessons that their mother and I have tried to imbue upon them. Will they be guided by a sense of purpose, a sense of mission, a desire to do “good” in the world? Will they be guided by a sense of purpose, a sense of mission, to make a difference, to elevate the world in holiness (or at least that part of the world that they touch)? I watch my children, I smile and I wonder about their future, their decisions and whether they will bring their light and their learning to all they encounter.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Built To Last While Years Roll Past Like Cloudscapes In The Sky (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia "Built to Last")

It seems that this has been a week of counting. It seems that this has been a week of counting down towards the end of one phase and the beginning of a new phase. Earlier this week, the TV show “Mad Men” counted down to its final episode.  The Dave Letterman Show has been counting as well. The final show, after more than 6000 shows is scheduled to end on Wednesday.  17000 was the number counted of those who marched in the Walk for Israel Parade here in Toronto.  18000 was the number in attendance for the Tribute to Jerry Garcia “Dear Jerry Concert” at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland.  Two days were the number of days that the grandparents came to visit Toronto to see their grandchildren. 5 were the number of lectures my father gave to his grandchildren and they paid attention.  Yes, all this counting, counting of episodes, counting of shows, counting of supporters of Israel in Toronto, and Deadheads in Maryland, counting of Grandpa’s lectures to his grandchildren all had meaning beyond the numbers themselves. More interesting are the questions that these numbers and acknowledgment of the end of these phases pose. Will there be a noticeable influence in television and television writing as a result of “Mad Men”? More impressive than Dave Letterman’s run of over 6000 shows, is the influence that he had upon a generation of comedians, talk show hosts and our lexicon “Stupid Human Tricks” or “Top Ten” lists. More important that 17000 people marching to support Israel on a beautiful Victoria Day in Toronto is whether those 17000 can influence more people to publicly support Israel. More impressive than 18000 Deadheads attending a Jerry Garcia tribute concert is the influence that Jerry Garcia’s music had upon generations of musicians and whether his music can transcend time. More important that my father lecturing our children on various life issues is whether our children will learn from those talks with Grandpa and remember those lessons in order to lead good lives.

This Shabbat we begin the fourth book of the Torah, Sefer Bemidbar, by reading the first Parsha, Bemidbar. Literally meaning “In the Wilderness”, this fourth book of the Torah resumes the narrative format with B'nai Yisroel preparing to leave the foot of Mount Sinai. For the past year, B'nai Yisroel has essentially camped out at Har Sinai and listened to Moshe and Aharon teach all the laws found in VaYikrah (Leviticus) including Tamei/Tahor –Purity and Impurity, Kodesh – Holiness and Korbonot, sacrificial offerings. Prior to B'nai Yisroel’s embarking on the remainder of its journey a census is required. In fact, Parsha Bemidbar consists of three types of census. The first census counts all men over the age of twenty that come from all the tribes except for the Levites. This first census tells Moshe the size of the B’nai Yisroel’s army as it prepares to make its way into Eretz Canaan.  The second census focuses only upon the Levites. Since this tribes’ sole function is to operate and manage the Mishkan, ascertaining the number of workers in the Mishkan suggests the importance of the Mishkan to the everyday life of the B'nai Yisroel. The third census focuses upon the organizational placement of each tribe around the Mishkan while traveling. Each census has a function and the numbers revealed indicate a superficial sense of preparedness for the mission at hand, whether the size of the army or the size of the Priesthood, or population of each tribe.

After the tribes have been counted and their designated positions around the Ark of the Covenant had been determined; the census of the Levites is set to begin. However just prior to the taking of the Levite Census we read four odd psukim (verses) that begin Chapter 3. V’Eilah Toldot Aharon U’Moshe B’Yom Dibeir Adoshem Et Moshe B’Har Sinai – These are the offspring of Aaron and Moshe on the day Hashem spoke with Moshe at Mt. Sinai. V’’Eilah Shmot Bnai Aharon Habechor Nadav Avihu Elezar V’Itamar – These are the names of sons of Aaron, the firstborn Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar.  These were the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed Kohanim whom he inaugurated to minister. Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem when they offered an alien fire before Hashem in the Wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; but Elazar and Itamar ministered during the lifetime of Aaron, their father.  While there are legitimate questions that one could ask regarding the 3^rd and 4^th verse; the first two offer a valuable lesson regarding influence upon the next generation. Chapter 3 begins by preparing the reader to be reminded of Aaron and Moshe’s sons.  However the next verse only mentions Aaron’s sons. In fact, Moshe’s sons aren’t mentioned here. They won’t mention until the actual census of the Leviim and they will only be mentioned in the context of Moshe’s father Amram. Why does the Torah first tell us that “These are the sons of Aaron and Moshe”; and then just provide the names of Aaron’s sons names? Certainly Aaron is the biological father, why does the Torah suggest that Uncle Moshe is also a “Father” to Aaron’s sons? The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin 19b reminds us that for the past year, Moshe has been teaching Aaron’s son’s their priestly responsibilities. While two of Aaron’s son’s did not learn Moshe’s lesson’s particularly well (they died); two of Aaron’s son’s learned their lessons from Uncle Moshe very well. One of the boys will eventually succeed his father, and then his son, will learn and eventually succeed his father. Moshe, in a sense has become the spiritual father to his nephews. The Or HaChayim (Chayim ben Moshe Ibn Attar – 18^th Century Talmudist and Kabbalist) goes a step further. At Sinai, Moshe became a spiritual father to Aaron’s sons since Aaron gave up any possibility of that designation after his role in the episode of the Golden Calf.

The implication is clear. Moshe not only was a father (biologically) to his sons, the grandsons of Amram. Moshe was a figurative father to his nephews and to all of B’nai Yisroel since Moshe taught Torah to the entire community. Over 600,000 received his teaching. As a result, Moshe was a spiritual father to all those preparing to leave Sinai and enter into Eretz Canaan.  More important than the number 600,000 is the fact that Torah continues to have a profound influence throughout the world for generations from Sinai until today. As a result, the actual census taking, the actual counting of the group is a fairly easy endeavor.  A father could have lots of children or very few children. However the influence that father had upon his children, the influence that the teacher had upon her students, the influence that the leader had upon his disciples becomes more important than just the numbers.   

Peace,

Rav Yitz