Bamidbar - Yom HaMeyuchas

Only by embracing humility can we receive the spiritual riches of the Torah.

This Shabbat happens to be a special day on the Jewish calendar that is not widely recognized. The 2nd day of Sivan is called “Yom Ha’meyuchas,”which means "Day of Distinction" or "Day of Distinguished Lineage," stemming from the same root as yichus.

There is debate about why the day is called Yom Ha’meyuchas, because of the obvious irony: the second of Sivan is the only day of the first several days of the month that does NOT have a special significance. It’s sandwiched between Rosh Chodesh, a quasi-holiday, and the Shloshet Yimei Hagbalah, the three days of separation from Mt. Sinai, when the Jewish People prepared to receive the Torah. Those days are followed by Shavuot on the 6th of Sivan (and the 7th of Sivan in chutz la’aretz). The next five days, culminating on the 12th, are considered an extension of Shavuot, a miniature holiday, so to speak, because we were given that extra period to make up for missed holiday sacrifices of Shavuot.

Since Yom Ha’meyuchas has no obvious importance, some commentators believe the name is a consolation prize to compensate for the day’s lack of distinction. Nonetheless, I think it teaches us an important lesson, that while we may at times view ourselves as unimportant, we should always remember Yom Ha’meyuchas. Even if we don’t feel like we’ve achieved prominence in life, we can still attain spiritual stature by dedicating ourselves to Torah as we did at Har Sinai on Shavuot.

This reminds me of a song we enjoyed listening to as a kid, based on the famous Midrash about Har Sinai. It was the smallest of all the mountains and felt defeated because it seemed to have no chance of being selected by God for such a momentous event. But God looked past the more imposing mountains and chose Har Sinai because it was the smallest mountain.

This message also fits with the Gemara’s teaching in Mesechet Megillah 31b, which requires that we read the Admonition in last week’s Parsha before Shavuot. In keeping with that requirement, Tosefot adds that we must also begin the Book of Bamidbar before Shavuot, to create a buffer period between Shavuot and the curses. It must follow that the Book of Bamidbar contains a deeper message about Shavuot.

Perhaps we can discern that significance within the nickname the Sages used for the Book of Bamidbar – Sefer HaPikudim - the Book of Counting. That name was given because Bamidbar begins with a census of the Jewish people and very close to the end in Parshat Pinchas, another census is taken. Christian translators borrowed this name from the Sages, and in their Bibles, they call Bamidbar the Book of “Numbers” because of these counts.

But the name Bamidbar means "In the Desert." What’s the connection between these names: counting, numbers, and being in the desert? I think we could find an explanation based on the Gemara in Mesechet Nedarim 55a, which explains the following pasuk in Sefer Bamidbar:

וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖ר מַתָּנָֽה וּמִמַּתָּנָ֖ה נַחֲלִיאֵ֑ל וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵ֖ל בָּמֽוֹת

And from Midbar to Mattanah, and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth [Numbers 21:18]

Based on the alternate meanings of these places, the Gemara explains: When a person makes himself like a wilderness, which is ownerless and open to all, the Torah is given to him as a gift, as it is said, "And from the wilderness to Mattanah" (Mattanah means "gift"). Once he receives the gift of Torah, it becomes his inheritance from God, as it is said, "And from Mattanah to Nahaliel" (Nahaliel means "inheritance of God"). And once it becomes his inheritance from God, he rises to greatness, as it is said, "And from Nahaliel to Bamoth" (Bamoth means "high places").

Therefore, from the desert—an empty, arid space—we received our inheritance of Torah and the land of Israel, and from that inheritance, we ascended to a high place.

This metaphorical explanation signifies that the Jewish people only reached spiritual heights after traversing the desert, meaning that only if you start from a place of humility can you ultimately receive the spiritual riches of the Torah.

The concept of counting conveys the same message. As we have pointed out in previous years, it is noteworthy that the Hebrew word for “count”, lifkod, and the English word “count” both have the same triple meaning. First, it means to determine the total number of something; second, it means “to matter,” as in the verse

וַֽיהוָ֛ה פָּקַ֥ד אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה

God remembered Sarah (because she mattered to God) [Genesis 21:1]

Third, it refers to a prestigious title, as in “Count Dracula.” Certainly, none of us is simply a number, an anonymous entry in a census. But if we are willing to have humility instead of coveting recognition, we will matter and attain an esteemed spiritual position. And that is the message of Shavuot. Unlike all the other holidays, it has no distinctive mitzvot. But the Torah's richness is inherent, so it needs no embellishment.

I think this lesson also sheds light on the way we should cope with the worldwide epidemic of antisemitism and hostility toward Israel. There are some well-meaning Jews who propose that we emphasize our position as God’s chosen people responsible for spreading light among the nations and contributing so much to the world, which makes us deserving of respect. The situation in Gaza is highly complex, and although we are confident that our cause is just, the rest of the world will not readily concede that we hold the moral high ground. Instead of lauding our accomplishments and emphasizing our value to the rest of the world, we should learn the lesson of Yom Ha’meyuchas: take the path of humility and look inward, focusing on the unique physical and spiritual contributions we can make to the Jewish people to ensure our well-being and survival. That is the only path to our yichus, our treasured distinction of being the Jewish people.

Shabbat Shalom,

Eliezer Hirsch