Torah: Numbers 30.2-36.13
Haftarah: Jeremiah 2.4-28 & 3.4
Psalm Reading: 49
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” ~UnknownA partial outline of the end for the book of Numbers would be as follows:1. Remembering the Journey (33.1-56) verses 1-37 recall Israel’s journey from slavery in Egypt, verses 38-40 records the death of Aaron, verses 41-49 details the journey to Moav where they are stationed now, & verses 50-56 are directives for the coming future.2. Preparing for the Future (34.1-35.34) Setting the boundaries for the Promised Land in verses 1-15, appointing qualified leaders to oversee land allotment in verses 16-29, & building a just infrastructure in chapter 35 verses 1-34.3. The issue of 5 women with no male relatives having the legal rights to land/financial security. An early form of egalitarian rights in Biblical Judaism.God has been overseeing the leadership of Israel from Moses onward. But now there is a completely new generation of Israel with their parents & grandparents since laid to rest. It will be a newer generation to enter the Promised Land, completing the Redemption from Slavery in Egypt that began 40 years prior. Only Moses, his successor Joshua, & Kaleb remain from the original people who experienced leaving Egypt. Moses will be the final one to die in the wilderness, after seeing from a distance the land he spent a third of his life leading Israel towards. In Deuteronomy, there will not be much narrative until the very end. But even when the Torah concludes, the Life Journey of Israel continues on further in the books of the Prophets.The portion מַסְעֵי describes the creation of the “cities of refuge” (Numbers 35.9–34). Borrowing this metaphor, can we see Jeremiah in the Haftarah this week as suggesting that Israel mistakenly sought refuge in false ideas? What are modern forms of sanctuary today? Which are real? Which are misguided? How do you recommend we avoid the wrong ones?Obstacles: “Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.”~Les BrownThe Haftarah for this week is a direct continuation of the Haftarah for מַטּוֹת “Mattot” which means Tribes, that is read when these two portions are recited separately. [Jeremiah 1.1-2.3] At the start of this week’s Haftarah, Jeremiah asks “Where is the Eternal?” What does asking—or not asking—this question imply about a person? Rabbi Emeritus Sidney Zimmelman of Congregation Ahavath Sholom in Forth Worth once taught me before he retired, “God isn’t out there in the universe hiding from us somewhere…the universe is hiding somewhere inside of God. How much closer could you possibly get?” I doubt that I’ll ever forget that. In our siddur it says of God “You’re closer to us than the air we breath.” When God seems so distant…pause everything, breath deep & remember that you’re hidden somewhere inside of God. That’s how close you are.“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” ~Unknown