Miryam's Space

Adon olam asher malach; Shechinah ashar Malka;  Hu echad v’ain sheini (Master of the Universe who reigned, Feminine G!dly presence who reigned, is one and not two!)

From Sefer Yetzirah Ten inscriptions:

For the Creator is one

And has no second

And before one,

What are you counting? (translation Rabbi Jill Hammer)

G!d is one, yet also containing feminine and masculine sephirot , or facets, within! G!d is One, not Two, yet there is much duality in the world.  Until now, the song is all I knew of Age of Aquarius! According to Rabbi Lee Moore, who teaches Jewish Trending into the Age of Aquarius, for two millennia we have been in the age of Pisces, which is a very dualistic time, symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions. That this is changing, we are entering a new age, G!d willing a kinder and gentler age. Rabbi Moore teaches that we have a role to play with how this will pan out. What can we do to unify conflict and duality?

The parashah this week, B’haalotcha. Has SO MANY dualities, or twos in it, opposing forces. But if you look there is a pathway to one-ness to redemption to be found each time within the text.  

In Chapter Ten, Numbers, there are to be two silver trumpets made. Why two? One trumpet to summon the leaders, Two are played to summon the kahal, the ordinary folks.  And two ways to play the trumpets – the Short blasts for war, which represent brokenness according to Penine Halakhah, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, The solution: a Tekiyah, a single long blast for peace, for Shabbat.  See Source Sheet linked here

G!d dwells among the people in the wilderness in two forms the cloud covering the Mishkan/Tabernacle, appearing as fire by night. And as long as the cloud could be seen, we’d rest, if not perceived, we broke camp! When we’d break camp (interesting we use “break”!) Moshe would call out Kumah– arise G!d and scatter our enemies.

The resolution? When Moshe would call : Shuv return. And S’forno explained that Shechinah would once again rest with Yisrael

Two prophets ran out (Numbers 11:27) and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!”  Joshua says “restrain them.” The resolution? Moses answers: Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD put His spirit upon them!”

Moses will take a second wife, and both his siblings will criticize him for it, although only Miriam will pay a price.  El Nah Refah nah is the answer, Moshe’s prayer, “Oh G!d, please heal her!”

My favorite though is the law for a Second Pesach, Pesach Sheni (Numbers, chapter 9) You see this law was not originally in the Torah given to Moshe at Sinai.  A group of people who could not offer the Pesach offering approached Moshe and Aharon at the tent of meeting.  It’s not fair, they complained, we want to draw close to G!d too! (Now, you guessed it, there is actually a second time of complaining – “we don’t want manna, we want meat”! with a different motive, that tale has a very different ending.)

This is an appeal to justice and to the desire to approach G!d, and so Moshe says “Stand by!” literally.

And G!d spoke to Moshe saying: they are right. And here’s the new law, a second chance, a Pesach sheni, and not just for them, they were tamei because of a funeral, but for those who are too far away on a journey. And for the Ger, the stranger who resides in your midst. There shall be one law for the stranger and for the native born.

An amendment to the Torah! Was it imperfect to begin with? 

Rather, perhaps it was a test! G!d was waiting for them to say, “what about justice, what about a chance for me to be a part of the people”, and they passed the test, G!d reached out and included others under the tent. There shall be one law for the stranger and the native born. And right after these words in the text, Shechina rests upon the tent.  Maybe G!d is still waiting for us to take the first steps to unifying the dualities!