Bemidbar Mini Drashes
by Donald Armstrong
Because we have a speaker after my drash who will give us a fifteen-minute refresher presentation on what to do and not do in the event of an attack on our synagogue, you are in for a special treat today. First, my drash time will be limited to five minutes instead of the usual ten minutes. Second, instead of a single, five-minute drash, I will present two mini-drashes.
Almost twenty years ago I gave a drash on Bemidbar. Our older congregants who heard it back then probably won’t remember it today. But for those congregants who have joined Sof Ma’arav over the last twenty years, I will use today’s first mini-drash as an opportunity to once again teach and encourage our newer members on how to successfully drash a parsha. The other mini-drash will focus on the difference between spirituality and religion.
First Mini-Drash
My wife, your President, knows that I am a major league procrastinator. Typically I wait until late Friday morning to read the parsha, eat a meal, fall asleep, and then become very anxious about how I can write a coherent drash before the start of Shabbat. Here are my suggested action steps used to deliver a successful drash:
Required Steps:
1. Read the parsha and do not wait until Friday to do so.
2. Read the parsha commentaries in Eytz Chaim.
3. Very briefly highlight the major points of the parsha.
4. Discuss key insights made by respected Torah commentators.
5. Edit, edit, edit; time your drash and don’t exceed your time limit.
6. Cite the sources that you used in your drash.
Optional Steps:
7. Show the main connection(s)between the parsha and the haftarah.
8. Tell a brief story about your personal connection, or your own insight(s) to the parsha.
Style Points:
9. Tasteful puns and jokes keep congregants engaged (levity and brevity are the soul of wit). For example, how do we make sense of the census in today’s parsha? Everyone counts.
Drash often to develop your own style and voice. The more you drash the easier it gets. And don’t be nervous, embarrassed or apologize before giving your drash. We are a community of friends and students of Torah. Everyone’s contributions are important to making Sof Ma’arav so special and unique. We are not Rabbis or Judges; remember that your Jewish identity is not determined by the quality of your drash. It is determined by your actions that are amplified by the collective actions of our community.
So come to your senses. Each of us is important to our people. Stand up and be counted in our collective service for Hashem. Be a light unto the nations. I pray that each of you will help us to find our way in these difficult and dangerous times.
Second Mini-Drash: Spirituality versus Religion
Todays Parsha, Bemidbar, opens in English with the words: The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai (Numbers 1:1). In Hebrew, Bemidbar means in the desert. However, the English title, adopted from the Greek Septuagint version of Bemidbar is Numbers. This is derived from the second verse (“according to the number of names” regarding the census. The relationship of these two names is instructive: If Jews are concerned merely with our “numbers”, then we are doomed to wander forever in the wilderness.” Rabbi Hillel Silverman, also notes that it is the quality of the Jewish people—and not their numbers—that has enabled us to survive the vicissitudes of history.
Rabbi Goldfarb of blessed memory received a drash on Bemidbar from Rabbi Michael Gold on May 8th 2002.
It focused on spirituality versus religion. Rabbi Gold’s drash begins: I hear these words all the time:
Rabbi, I am very spiritual but I am not religious.” Rabbi Gold notes there is a dichotomy in our modern society between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is good; religion is bad. Spirituality is about one-on-one encounters with Hashem; religion is about institutions and rules. Spirituality is about spontaneity; religion is about conformity. Spirituality is free form; religion is set in its ways. This embrace of spirituality at the expense of religion is part of the American, individualistic, do-your-own-thing culture.
The Torah’s religious ideal is not the individual standing alone before Hashem. Instead, the ideal is the religious community, organized in an almost military fashion, doing Hashem’s work on Earth. The important question is not, “How can I relate to Hashem as an individual?” The question is rather, “How can I join and grow a community to do Hashem’s work on this Earth?”
That is where religion comes in. Religion is about organizing a community of people who share a vision of Hashem and what Hashem wants us to do in the world that Hashem created. Religion is about perfecting ourselves, our community, and ultimately the entire world as a kingdom of Hashem.
Rabbi Michael Gold said, “I often hear people say, “I don’t believe in organized religion.”
My flippant answer is, “Join my synagogue, you’ll find us disorganized.” But the real answer is that people organize with other people to accomplish something important. Religion is people who have organized to transform our world to align with Hashem’s creation. Nothing is more important.
I hope that you enjoyed these blasts from the past. I pray that we will unite to make our world a better place consistent with the teachings of our Torah and Hashem’s divine vision for our future.
