Wealth in the desert

I have a soft spot for this parshah because it was my bat-mitzvah parsha. My dad taught me to lain and I lained the parshah and haftorah at my local women's tefillah. (Not minyan!) I think I still remember my first aliyah by heart.

A pretty decent chunk of this parsha is taken up by the different camps and flags of each trip.
A short refresher:


North: Asher, DAN, Naftali
West: Benjamin, EPHRAIM, Menasheh
East: Issachar, JUDAH,  Zevulun
South: Gad, REUBEN, Shimon
Center: Levi and the Mishkan. The different families of Levi had different areas of the mishkan.

 For a chart, please look here.

Something interesting about this? Besides the fact that the descendants of Rachel are all together and the Mishkan is equally accessible to all tribes, look at the East. The tribe of Judah is flanked by the tribes of Issachar and Zevulun. Zevulun, the tribe of merchants who used their wealth to support the learning of the tribe of Issachar, which then produced many outstanding scholars. The tribe of kingship is flanked by both physical and spiritual wealth.  Most of us are descended from Judah.

Looking at this,  I'd say that those from Judah need to balance time spent earning both physical and spiritual wealth. Keep in mind, when Jacob blessed his children, he blessed Zevulun before Issachar. In other words, prioritizing that which allows you to learn and supports that learning over the learning itself.  Physical wealth and resources are meant to be the foundation that lets you pursue learning. Trying to acquire just one kind of wealth leaves you unbalanced.

What about those from Levi? Should they then be only committed to the service of Hashem? Does this analogy apply to them too?

Good question. I'm not completely sure. Offhand, I'd have to say that when the service of Hashem is completely there and the temple is rebuilt, then they should be devoted just to that service. In the meantime, though, Levi and Judah live together.

What about the other tribes? For example, the Bnai Menasheh?

Also a good question. Again, I'm not completely sure. I don't think that the Bnai Menasheh have adopted a system which means they  focus completely on learning at the expense of earning an income.

One of the things that makes me most sad about losing the ten tribes is losing the strengths specific to each tribe. (Another post)
Please remember: who is wealthy? He who is happy with his lot. (Pirkei Avot: 4: 1).


Since this was my bat-mitzvah parsha, I'll leave you all with a bracha: may you accumulate both kinds of wealth, while valuing each appropriately!





- Sparrow