And the Lrd spoke unto Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: “Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls. --Bemidbar 1:1-2

Hashem places things in specific order. When the people of Israel came out of Egypt, they were numbered in an orderly fashion. As we read the passage, we see a repeat of the words as each tribe is numbered. It may seem repetitious, but it is imparting the very crucial idea of order.

In the service of the Mishkan, as in the community of Israel, each had his own specific duty. Stepping out of that function, especially concerning the priestly duties, was a sin. Even so, each of us is born unique, with a specific task to accomplish in the world. The greatest achievement any of us can attain is to fulfillment his own purpose. Many times we may think that what someone else is doing looks so much more important or glamorous. With this, we may try to immulate that. However by doing this, we cheat ourselves. Even if we might seem to become quite successful, it is really a failure—a failure to ourselves and to Gd’s purpose for our lives. The most important thing we can ever discover is who we are in Gd. “Who is this ‘I’ inside me? “What is my purpose in the world?” Knowing the answer to these questions, and following this path through life, brings us to the ultimate achievement of destiny in this world. Each person is important. Each one has a special place, a special purpose in the world.

When the tribes camped around the Mishkan, the tent of the meeting, there was a specific order that carried over to the march, as well. The camps were placed on the four sides of the Mishkan: Asher, Dan, Naphtali to the north; Gad, Reuben, Shimon to the south, Manasseh, Ephraim, Benyamin to the west, and Zebulun, Yehudah, Yissachar to the east. The central tribe carried the standard for that certain direction. These standards were symbolic of the four faces of the chayot (angels) under the Throne in Yechezkiel’s vision: Dan the eagle, Reuben the man, Ephraim the ox, and Yehudah the lion. Within the space between the tribes and the Mishkan were the Leviim: the sons of Aharon to the east, the sons of Gershon to the west, the sons of Merari to the north, and the sons of Kohath to the south.

In this picture there is a message of oneness. The four directions, like the various tribes, oppose each other. The Leviim around the Mishkan in the center, brought oneness to the opposing directions, like the hub of a wheel, drawing the opposing sides to the center. The diversity of “four” became unified with the addition of the central fifth element. We can see this farther with the symbolism of the standards. The opposing ox and lion, the opposing eagle and man, underneath the Throne were unified by the factor of the Throne Itself. As the priests of Israel were the unifying factor of the nation, so too, is Israel’s function in the world to bring peace through an understanding of Hashem’s oneness. Israel is thus called the heart of the world with the idea of drawing the diversity of this world into unity that will typify the Redemption.

As the Leviim were counted separately from the nation of Israel, Israel was not counted among the seventy nations. This parallel is another indicator of the place of Israel in the world as the priestly nation. And just as the position of priest did not make the Leviim superior to the tribes, this position of Israel does not indicate superiority in the world. The “chosenness” of Israel is a function, just like that of the priests in Israel.

In Hashem’s order, His oneness brings opposing duality into harmony, composing a magnificent symphony from the clashing voices.

Shabbat shalom,
Miriam