...from last week

Time

Time and Time Again

What does time mean to us - the Jews of the 21^th CE? What has it ever meant to us? And why do I ask these questions? What is it about time that “matters”? We, intellectually, know that ‘Before the Creation’ - before the ‘Big Bang’ that time did not exist? So... why are we consumed with time at “this time”? We’re early, or we’re late... or we’re just on “Jewish Time”.

Now, here’s the ‘skinny’: I was just looking at the parshat for this week and, while there are a lot of things going on - from Miriam’s death and Moshie striking the rock to the famous “Red Heifer” - but the first thing that caught my eye is the people arguing with, and fomenting against Moses when just last week we saw what happened to those (Korach) argued against Moses. So, I says to me-self, what kind of timeframe are we talking about here?

THIS... is something that we seem ever to overlook when we read the Torah each week. These things did not happen “over night” [or even next week] - so what is the time differential? And that lead me to a search to find out just how far apart these two event were spaced out in our conception of time.

I found out that it was on Rosh Chodesh Iyar 2449 that we first entered HaBamidbar, and it was on the 29^th of Sivan (same year) that the spies began their 40 day espionage trip. Then came the 17^th of Elul - when the spies died. So does that mean that 8 or 9 weeks after Korach’s ill advised adventure that we find the Israelites arguing with Moses?

Well.... no. We have a difference of opinion as to when that actually happened (of course). Ibn Ezra says that it was while we were still as Har Sinai (when Aharon became Cohen Gadol); Shaaray Aharon says that it follows the ‘mekoshaish‘ who violated the second Shabbos; Rashi says that it was either directly prior to Chatzeiros [this is the encampment where Miriam spoke lashon hora] or directly after the ‘spies’; and, finally Batei Midrashos claims it was in the fortieth year! The time that is agreed upon is that Parshat Chukas occurred in the year 2487.

If it was at Har Sinai (which makes some sense to our thinking) that would be long before Korach. If it was during the fortieth year, that would make little sense as we would be about to enter Eretz Israel and that involved a whole different set of leadership. And, according to Rashi, if it followed the episode of the spies; that too makes little sense (to us) and also precedes the events with Korach. Placing this ‘maloikus’ prior to Chatzeiros raises certain questions also. In any event it appears that the Parshat for this week occurred some 38 years after we first entered into our 40 year journey (which is closest to the claims of Batei Midrashos.

Now back to our original questions- what, exactly (or even generally) does it mean for us to be concerned with time down to nano-seconds and smaller? [OK most of us are not that concerned - but we still keep time down to a minute or two - if for no other reason than for turning on the TV in time for the latest session of Dancing with the Stars] Here we question the sequence of events that occurred over 3283 years ago - when we did not have CNN cameras on site (but if we had - then perhaps, just perhaps, people like Helen Thomas would have some (SOME) knowledge of where the Jews came from!!!). Science and scientists aside, time [thank you Albert] -is-relative.

But... does this beg yet another question? Was the Torah written (solely) by men? Was it ‘dictated’ to Moses? Was it the creation of a [G-d help us!] a committee? How, when, where did it come into being? According to Abraham Joshua Heschel, it was Ibn Tumart, a Berber, from Morocco, who (in the 9th CE) - in effect - rewrote the Koran and developed his thinking - that still permeates the thinking of the Muslim today. That was only some 300 years or so after the “prophet” Mohammad first wrote his ideas and that was just about the same time that the Christian “thinkers” and “fathers” were writing - and rewriting - the Torah into what they (chose to) believe.

And so, where does all this lead you this week? I’m going to leave you with a few more questions than I did last week... WHAT? You thought that I was just going to provide you with all the answers? Ha! We are seekers together? Perhaps, collectively, we will gain some knowledge, wisdom and understanding. [or collectively develop 17 or 25 new and different ways to knowledge]

Shabbat Shalom

7 Tammuz 5770

Beth Shalom HaBamidbar CA