Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

Depression, Adultery and Holiness

Parsha Naso, is Bamidbar (Numbers) 4:21 – 7:89, and it is the longest single parsha in the Torah.  This portion follows weeks of learning the Most High's ways of holiness, being a community,  family and relationships.  As a coin as two sides and is recognized by either side, mitzvot (commandments) have both positive and negative forms (do or do not).  The last two portions emphasized the blessing of following Torah and mitzvot as well as the consequences or curses of chose to not keeping Torah and the mitzvot.  Those truths already known to the people as they answered we will do and hear on Shavout at Mt. Sinai are the foundation of Naso.  Three sobering examples of living and observing mitzvot become clear in this parsha. First, the census isn't taken lightly in Torah.  When done  incorrectly, there are harsh consequences.  This accounting determined who had the job of transporting the mishkan (temple) at a  mature age.  The literal phrase means to “lift the heads”, and is understood to be a census taking.  In other census heads weren't counted but coins were counted as given by the men.  An indirect count of people for the census, yet this census was a “head count”.   Multiple meanings and word pictures are present in Hebrew and this just one example of this playing out and shedding further light on this parsha. “To...