Bamidbar: Numbers by Division

While Mt. Sinai’s covenant was a unifying, the Torah Portion Bamidbar’s happenings were dividing. With the nation’s birth-sanctified with a community of code of conduct- the Ten Commandments – unity was abound. In Bamidbar, a nation’s realities are confronted. The Torah Portion Bamidbar is about organization, allocation, and bean counting; it is the moment uponContinue reading “Bamidbar: Numbers by Division”

Vayishlach:The Line

At that time many who sought righteousness and justice went out into the wilderness… 1 Maccabees 2:29 Do societies have breaking points? Can there be immovable cries of ‘enough is enough!’? If so, are leaders involved? Do these leaders possess unique capacities and characteristics? The answers to these questions begin with the Torah Portion Vayishlach.Continue reading “Vayishlach:The Line”

Bamidbar: Superorganism?

To understand the Israelite class structure, the concept of a superorganism should be considered. A superorganism is neither “super” nor is it a mere “organism,” rather, it is the recognition that a species or group can depart from individuality. Superorganisms are societies which function as an organic whole. A biological concept tied to it isContinue reading “Bamidbar: Superorganism?”