The book of Bamidbar starts out with a count of the nation of Israel just before they begin their sojourn in the desert. In addition to counting the nation, Moses is ordered to appoint heads for each clan. The Torah then goes into a discussion regarding the arrangement of the camps around the Mishkan. The book of Bamidbar continues on to discuss the journey of the Jews through their 40 years in the desert.

While the name of this book is Bamidbar loosely translated as, “in the desert,” our Sages give this book another name, “Sefer Hapekudim” or the Book of Counting. This is reflected in the English name for this book, the Book of Numbers. While the name Bamibdar seems an apt name for the book, the title Numbers only seems to apply to the first Parsha and is not a good description of what happens through the remainder of the parshiyot, essentially the travails of the Israelites as they move through the desert. The title of this book raises a number of questions:

• First, why is this an apt name for the book?
• Second, why does God count the Israelites prior to them embarking on their journey?
• And last, why is the appointment of the leaders and the details of the Mishkan mentioned here?

To answer these questions we start with the word “lifkod,” the word used in this book to mean count. The word lifkod is found in multiple places in the Torah. We read, “VaHashem pakad et Sara,” “And God remembered Sara” (Bereishit 21:1). This was an introduction to the events that would lead to Sara giving birth. At the end of Sefer Bereishit, Yosef speaks to his brothers and tells them that although their children would undergo a harsh and long period of darkness and slavery, “pakod yifkod etchem,” God will eventually remember/redeem them (Bereishit 50:24). Even in this parsha, God says “V’ata hafked,” “And now, appoint,” in discussing the anointing of the Levites to assume the work of the Mishkan (Bamidbar 1:50). Rabbi David Fohrman, director of the educational website Aleph Beta, connects all these usages and suggests that lifkod means more than just to count. It is a word meant to show people that they are being noticed and remembered. He points out that at this point in the story of the Jewish nation, the Israelites are a people just redeemed from slavery, a state of being in which people are taught that they don’t count and are not worthwhile. Now, as they begin to travel through the desert to solidify themselves as a nation, they need to learn that they do, in fact, count. The word lifkod as well as the counting itself achieves that goal. The counting is thus not so much a singular event as the beginning of the story of the Jews as a free nation.

The Sfat Emet on Bamidbar 2, using the verse in Yeshayahu 27:5 (“If he holds onto my fortress, he would make peace for me; he will make peace for me”) explains that humanity’s creation serves the purpose of bringing God’s life force and holiness into all aspects of existence. This is reflected in the detailed counting of Bnei Yisrael, which underscores each person’s unique role in serving God.

The psychological perspective of a slave is that of someone who does not have faith in their own unique role. Here, God is telling the Jews that in order to embark on the journey to become a nation they must realize the significance of their own contribution. 

To become aware of one’s own role, to better understand one’s own abilities, is tremendously rewarding and one of life’s main goals. But it is not without pain and not without difficulty. To fully appreciate one’s uniqueness is also for that individual to understand that they are different, separate, complicated. The human soul is a place of mystery and secrets, and exploring it without support can be very difficult, even dangerous. It seems to me that the imagery of the desert is quite apt here. The desert is a place of barrenness. It is scary. In the desert we can lose ourselves to the forces of nature. We can allow the lawlessness of the place to affect our own sense of morality. Or we can use the space and emptiness to turn ourselves inward and become more introspective and understanding. 

Perhaps this is why, prior to embarking on this defining journey God both counts the Israelites and provides precise instructions for the camps and the Mishkan. He also makes clear who the leaders of each tribe are and installs the Levites as intermediaries between himself and the Israelites. I think with this instruction, God is telling the Israelites that although they must each go through the scary process of finding their own identity, there will be community and structure to help them. Although the desert is vast and empty, they do not go alone, but rather with the support of their leaders and their community.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks remarks on the journey of the Jews through the desert. He explains that the last time the Jews were counted, in Sefer Shemot, they were going to escape from something, namely slavery. However, in Parshat Bamidbar they are being counted on their way to journey to something, namely their destiny as a nation. While other cultures have the idea of a journey undertaken by a hero, here we have the idea of a journey undertaken by an entire people.

Ultimately, using the title Numbers for this book is a way of both speaking to an individual and a collective counting. It is saying that each of us is important, called upon, remembered. As Sara was remembered. As Yosef requested to be remembered. Even as Moses, after decades, was finally called upon. But it is also saying that in the wilderness of the desert we are formed as a people and a collective. It is through this individual introspection and bonds with each other that we are able to join forces to dispel the chaos around us.