"To be a free people in our own land" - Hatikva
Herz's dream, encapsulated in Israel's national anthem, was one which hoped for a national home for the Jewish people. Herzl dreamt of a Jewish nation united in our own land. But if nationhood is such a vital part of Zionism, what does it mean to be a nation?
This week's Torah portion, Bamidbar, finds the Jewish people at an important stage in their journey from Egypt to Israel. Leaving the Revelation at Mount Sinai behind them, they are about to embark on the journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. At all the important stages of the journey G-d orders us to count the Jewish people - after the exodus from Egypt, after the sin of the golden calf, and now at the beginning of a new stage and the beginning of a new book of the Torah.
So, why is it that a census is taken at important stages? Perhaps the answer lies with the very nature of a census. By counting the Jewish people we realise its size, and thus appreciate more its existence. In everyday life we can understand the truism that nothing can be appreciated until it is evaluated. The same is true here. The journey from Egypt to Israel is more that just a holiday trip, it is a process of changing the Children on Israel into a nation. It is not surprising, then, that we should be counting the people during this journey, because it helps us appreciate and define this process.
In Bamidbar, we see a people redefined. The census is taken according to tribe, so that each tribe is given a total number of people. This might seem strange. Why do we not merely give a final total of everyone? It seems that the emphasis on assigning people to tribes is to stress the diversity amongst the Jews. Each tribe was given a flag which represents its own unique characteristic. The Torah shows by the way it counts the census that not only is each individual important, but also that diversity within the whole of the Jewish people is important to maintain.
Yet, this diversity cannot be left unchecked. We are told the exact formation in which the tribes must be in the camp. The tribes are put in groups of three, each group having a specific position. Thus, a diversity of characteristics entails a diversity of prescribed roles. This is emphasised by the fact that the Levites are singled out in the census. These servers in the Temple have no special position and are counted diferent. They have a specific role, yet they are part of the Jewish people nevertheless. Diversity demands diverse roles.
Thus, before the Jewish people can become a nation in their own land, they must find out what it means to be a nation. That means realising the importance and the responsibility of divergence within one people. Anyone visiting Israel today will be struck by the divergence of the population. We witness a true "in gathering of the exiles" from the whole world. Every different type of Jew is represented there, and it is a beatiful sight to behold. This divergence is the true fulfilment of the ancient Jewish dream expressed by Herzl, "to be a free people in our own land."