Jewish Navigation. Inspired direction from the Portuguese shores.
The Jewish Heart
In this week's Torah portion we primarily find a discussion of the census, of the counting and reckoning of the Jewish people in the wilderness. In amongst all this discussion of numbers and size, the great Portuguese Rabbis bring us some fascinating comments not only about the Jewish body corporate, but more importantly about its heart.
The Abarbanel (b 1437 in Lisbon) tells us that one of the reasons for this census was that it led to the discussion of the literal formation/arrangement of the Jewish people for purposes of travel and encampment. After discussing which tribes stood where, we get to the key point, which is that at the center of it all went the Mishkan (the Tabernacle or portable Temple with the Ark) - because the Mishkan is the heart of the Jewish people. It is not our outer flanks and battle formation that protects us when we travel, but our heart. This is the source of our sustainment.
Further on in the parasha there is a discussion about how the tribe of Levi was counted separated from the rest and singled out. Rabbi Avraham Saba (1440-1508, in Portugal 1492-1502) comments that the reason for this is that the Levites were the heart of the Jewish people because their function was to help the rest of us serve Hashem.
Maimonedes, in the end of Hilchot Shemita, tells us, that all of us- not just the tribe of Levi- have the potential to perform this function. There is no monopoly on being the heart and helping others, quite the opposite. Anyone who is moved to serve G‑d and help others can do so and become like a heart to them, helping connect them to the greater source.
This is the Jewish heart. The connection to Hashem and the Torah, whether through physical centrality or the agency of the Levites, this is what sustains us. The Jewish people are a single body dependent on the Jewish heart.
Portuguese Jewish history is a rich tapestry of accomplishment and challenge spanning the centuries. Portugal's shores have produced and housed some of our greatest Rabbis and leaders. From statesman, leader and scholar Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel to Shulchan Aruch author Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 15th century through to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's time in Lisbon in 1941, Portugal has enabled tremendous developments in strengthening community and Torah. It is in recognition of the timeless nature of these commitments, and in honor of all of those Jews who have called Portugal home through times of brilliance and darkness, that these Torah insight's from Portugal's great Rabbis is produced - here in Portugal.