Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate!
Torah Portion: Numbers 4:21-7:89
Numbers 4:38–49
4:38 Those who were counted of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers’ houses, 39 from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old—everyone who entered into the service for work in the Tent of Meeting, 40 even those who were counted of them, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty. 41 These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Hashem.
42 Those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, 43 from thirty years old and upward, even to fifty years old—everyone who entered into the service for work in the Tent of Meeting, 44 even those who were counted of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred. 45 These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of Hashem by Moses.
46 All those who were counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting, 48 even those who were counted of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty. 49 According to the commandment of Hashem, they were counted by Moses, everyone according to his service and according to his burden. Thus, they were counted by him, as Hashem commanded Moses.
Today’s Meditation:
Thousands of people between the ages of 30 and 50 are available to help take care of the Tabernacle and its surroundings. It just dawned on me that there were so many, many men available. Obviously, they must have been on some sort of rotation. And even then, the work must have been done quickly, given the many available hands. Can you imagine why Hashem would appoint so many thousands of men for this task? To ensure there were plenty of people available during times of war, sickness, change, and other circumstances. It makes me think that being prepared (the Boy Scout motto) was Hashem’s motto first. So, shouldn’t we always be prepared?
Today’s Challenge:
Hashem commanded Moses, and he counted. I’m sure he did not ask Hashem why He was doing things the way He was. Again, it is about authority. And this is the highest authority in the universe. Hashem asks Moses to do something, and he does it. And we will learn later, when Moses begins to question, that the penalty is severe (hitting the rock instead of speaking to it).
Do we question our authority? Do we do what they ask without offering our own suggestions? Sharing ideas is important, but there is a time and place for it. My challenge to you today is to review how you are responding to those in authority in your life. Are you quickly obeying? You may need a minor adjustment in this area. Today is the day to make that adjustment, especially if it concerns your attitude.
