Quotes that matter- Parshas Bamidbar

“I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me”

 As we start the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, the parsha starts with: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Mishkan, on the first day of the second month (Iyar), in the second year after they had come out the land of Egypt.” 

Throughout the Torah, Hashem speaks to Moshe countless times, and never specifies a date, why now does Hashem specify a date? Throughout history, Hashem has been extremely disappointed with many of the generations, the generation before the flood, the generation that rebelled after the flood, the generation of Sodom, and the generation of dispersion. So to, because of Hashem’s disappointment in them, He glosses over creation and destruction of those generations.

 However, regarding the Jews, Hashem tells Moshe that the Jewish people are different from all the other nations of the world because they are children of Abraham, Yitzkak, and Yakov, who were ever so faithful to Hashem; therefore, Hashem knows that later generations of Jews will uphold the same level of commitment to Him.

 Moreover, because of this displayed faithfulness to Hashem, Hashem tells Moshe, “Record in the Torah the exact day, month, year, and locality when I elevated them to greatness (Bamidbar 1:1).” In other words, by specifying the exact date and place that Hashem addresses Moshe, this gives us insight that the contract made between Moshe and Hashem was similar to that of a ketuba- a marriage contract. When they received the Torah, the Jews received a ‘marriage contract’ with Hashem.

 We are all married to Hashem, so to speak, in one-way or another. The entire Jewish nation received the Torah simultaneously, and Hashem chose us to be His bride, and we chose Him to be our groom. Like any good spouse, we should constantly give into their needs and requests (ie. follow Hashem’s laws and Torah) and like any good marriage, Hashem will give us our needs and requests. But like any thriving marriage, one must strive to stay committed, through thick and thin, because the result of all the effort is truly priceless.