Shabbat Shalom and good morning. Thank you all for being here, in person or online. You are all witnesses as I affirm my Jewish identity. 

 My Torah portion is ‘Naso’ from the book of Numbers. Parashat Naso concludes a census from the first chapters of Numbers with a counting of the Gershonites, Merarites, and Kohathites, as well as a description of their unique jobs in the sanctuary. 

 What was God's motive for commanding Moses to carry out this census? This question stood out to me in preparation for today. Many Jewish commentators shared their thoughts on this mystery, and every explanation seems within reach. 

 First, I researched Rashi’s interpretation of the census. Rashi is one of the most influential Jewish commentators in history. He was born in Troyes, France in the year 1040. His commentary on Naso suggests that God commanded the census out of love and admiration for the Israelites. Rashi explains that the census was a sign of god’s love for and reliance upon the people of Israel. God treasures and relies on every Jew to assist in the task of tikkun olam, or “improving and enhancing the world.” Rashi takes the census as a sign that God not only loves the Jewish people, but counts on them to make the world a better place. This interpretation showed me that counting everyone is crucial. God would never want any of the Israelites to be left unaccounted for, and my own teacher, Mrs. Tomion did not leave a single little soul out of the head count on the bus to the aquarium in third grade. Counting is a way of keeping people safe and expressing how much you care for them.

 Many commentators disagree with Rashi’s interpretation. For example, Rashi’s grandson, Rashbam, sees it differently. Rashbam followed his grandfather's path in becoming a biblical commentator, but their styles differ greatly. His commentary suggests that the census has nothing to do with god’s love for the Jewish people. He argues that the census is instead a strategic matter. The Jews are preparing to enter Israel, and need an army ready for battle. He believes that the census is taken in order to determine how many men are able to participate. 

 Nachmanides, or Ramban, agrees with Rashbam’s view of the census. He was born in Gerona, Spain in 1194 and lived there for most of his life. In Nachmanides’ biblical commentary, he writes that the census is a warning against relying on miracles. The people of Israel must work together and fight to reclaim their land. Nachmanides explains that the census is a way to organize and enlist the Israelites. The census makes it clear that victory depends on the Israelites’ individual effort, and not on a miracle provided by God. 

 The idea of the Israelites relying on miracles reminds me that we rely on our government to handle issues. We trust that they will do right by us and others. It may be harmful to trust the government so much. Shouldn’t we question their actions? Shouldn’t we push them to do what’s right by every individual? What is our government doing when we aren’t looking, in places like the Mexican-American border? Are they doing right by the children whose families are being thrown back into the chaos they tried so hard to escape? God warns the Israelites that they will not be given a miracle. They must learn to fight for what they want. We cannot rely entirely on our leaders and expect them to do what we want. We should take issues into our own hands and advocate against the injustices that we care about.

 Nachmanides also suggests an alternative view of the census. He explains that it may have a more psychological than practical purpose. God may have commanded the census in order to build confidence among the Israelites. To further this claim Nachmanides provides evidence to support it. He illustrates that Moses conducts the census in a special manner. The people taking the polls are instructed by Moses to number the people in a manner that gives honor and importance to each individual. Moses also directs the polltakers not to ask the head of each family how many people are in each family, but instead to invite each person to pass by and have their name taken down. This makes each person feel honored to be a part of the census. By numbering each person, Moses encourages pride and self-confidence. 

 The importance of counting every person is reflected in today’s world. In September of 2020, President Trump made an order to exclude undocumented immigrants from a population count that would determine the number of seats in the house of representatives. A federal court unanimously decided against this order. They came to the conclusion that this would lead to an inaccurate representation of the people in our country. Undocumented immigrants are people, just like any legal citizen. They still have an important role in our society that many people don’t want to accept. Everyone should be counted in a census because everyone matters.

 Contemporary interpreter Nechama Leibowitz emphasizes the importance of Nachmanides’ approach. She points out the danger of political, social, economic, and religious principles that, quote, “subject the individual to the mass and see the individual as a cog in the machine of the state, assuming that if one human being is destroyed there will always be another to take his place.” She comments on Nachmanides’ emphasis that the census was personal and individual, expressing the worth of “each and every soul”. 

 In the US, more than 560 thousand people have died from Covid-19. This number means so much, but it also shows so little. We need to look deeper into what that number really means, because a number doesn't express the gravity of these deaths. 560 thousand people in about 13 months of a pandemic. Each of these people had lives and families. Each of these deaths were personal and painful for someone. And this number, 560,000 is all we see. On the news, in conversation, in our thoughts. It cannot even begin to express how impactful each death was. Nechama Leibowitz’ view shows the importance of recognizing the worth of each individual person. 

 Through studying my Torah portion, I learned many important lessons. One lesson I learned is that each person is different and we should all be treated as individuals. Numbers cannot express the uniqueness of any one person, and we shouldn’t be subjected to a group of people that we share something in common with. I learned to look past labels and learn about what makes someone different from other people. We should stop looking for commonalities, and start looking for dissimilarities. 

 From my torah portion, I’ve also learned of the urgency in our current world to take issues into our own hands. We need to begin asking questions and taking charge. The world is far from perfect and hiding in our own bubble will only make things worse. We can’t expect our leaders to fix all of the world’s problems, and we certainly can’t turn a blind eye to their flaws and mistakes. 

 I’ve talked a lot about other people’s interpretations of my torah portion, but it’s equally important to discuss my own. I agree most with Rashbam’s view that the census was a means of organizing the Israelites. Censuses are great ways to organize groups of people. They can help determine what is needed in order to help people, or they can serve as a push to move a population towards their goal. In this situation, I think that God was using the census to pressure the Israelites into planning and organizing themselves. In order to reach their goal of entering Israel, they had to assemble their people and assign jobs to accomplish the task at hand.

I’m sure you all know that due to the pandemic, my bat mitzvah has been postponed several times. I’ve realized that this was both a blessing and a curse for me. When we first postponed my bat mitzvah, I was immensely disappointed. I had just finished learning my haftorah, and I was eager to show what I had learned that year. We had been planning a big party with all of my family and friends. We eventually postponed it to today, and here we finally are. I am very, very ready to be he

I think that I’ve grown a lot since last year, and that has affected my bat mitzvah in how the experience impacts me, and how it impacts you all. During quarantine, I matured and changed a lot. Sitting in my room for hours on end, I got the chance to explore and learn about myself. Through this change, I feel that my bat mitzvah’s significance in my life has changed. I understand the meaning of becoming a Jewish adult better, and I’m glad that I no longer have to worry about the party. Although it's not completely ideal to have the majority of you on zoom, I’m glad it’s finally happening.

I want to thank my parents for pushing me to do my best, and for planning out this day perfectly. This wouldn’t have happened without your help, and I love you. Regretfully, I’d also like to thank my older brother Vijay for his advice and support. I want to thank my Hebrew tutor, Tracy, for sticking with me after I basically forgot my torah portion over quarantine. Thank you to the rabbi for helping me prepare, and my Hebrew school classmates who showed me that I wasn't alone in postponing my bat mitzvah date. Thank you to my friends, the temple, and the rest of my family for showing me continuous support. Finally, I want to thank you all for being so supportive and coming today. 

The world is an incredible place. We are all a part of something extraordinary, and through becoming a bat mitzvah, I learned that being a part of something extraordinary means actually taking part in it. I want to enter Jewish adulthood with the knowledge that our world is dependent on each individual person making a difference. As a Jewish adult I also want to remember to take the time to get to know someone for who they are, rather than getting to know them based on the groups that they fit into. 

Thank you for coming and shabbat shalom.