By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — Sefer B’midbar (Numbers) details the experiences of the Israelites as they wandered through the desert. The book begins with a census, “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.” (Num. 1:2) God told Moses to count the number of Israelite males so that Moses would know how many men were fit to fight in the wars that would follow.
Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl tells us that in the way God instructed the Israelites, God emphasized the importance of family heritage. God wanted the census taken “by the clans of …ancestral houses” to teach the Israelites the distinction of their family backgrounds and histories.
Judaism has always put a great emphasis on remembering the good deeds of our ancestors and emulating their lives. Those who came before are inspirations to us. We should make those qualities we loved about them and their good deeds our own. The best way to express our gratitude to those who gave us life is to keep all they valued and cherished whole and alive, and to pass it on to future generations.
But another commentator, the Shla”h, points out that Torah also teaches that it is not enough to live as a mere reflection of ancestors. Each of us is a unique individual as well as the child of our parents. Even though the Israelites were listed clan by clan, they were still counted one by one.
The word the Torah uses for an individual here is instructive. The Torah says that each Rosh should be counted. Rosh literally means “head.” We learn from this that each Israelite should consider him or herself a “head,” a significant entity.
Yichus (family heritage) alone does not determine our fate. Each of us has the power us to make our own decisions, set our own goals, and choose right over wrong. Each of us in our own small way has the ability to change the world.
While it is important to walk in our ancestors’ footsteps, we must never forget to forge our own paths as well.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. You may comment to him at leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website provided that the rules below are observed.
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