Shabbat Bemidbar 5779
As we prepare to enter Shabbat Bemidbar and Shavu’ot, we are attuned to the sounds of Revelation. The area I’d like us to consider this year is the pitch and tone of those sounds.
Our theme for Saturday night’s Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot is “Women’s Voices in Torah.” In anticipation, I’d like us to consider how our gender might influence the way we read our sacred texts. The test case we will explore on Shabbat morning is the arrangement of the Israelite camp as described in the Torah portion. Three tribes are assigned places in each of the four directions surrounding the Mishkan. Why were certain tribes given particular places? We will look at the grouping of the tribes through the eyes of two Biblical scholars, one male and one female.
During the Tikkun, I will be sharing the insights of extraordinary women on matters of Bible, Talmud and Jewish law. May we enter Shabbat and Zeman Mattan Toateinu, the festival when we celebrate the gift of Torah, open to hearing God’s voice and the words of those who amplify it.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameah,
Rabbi David Wise
