MAKING IT COUNT

MAKING IT COUNT

Our Torah portion this week is Bamidbar, the first chapter of the book of Numbers. It begins with G-d asking Moses to take a census of the people of Israel; to count the men over the age of 20. Men of 20 years old and up were considered old enough for military conscription in ancient times. The opening chapter of Bamidbar counts all the men from all the tribes, organized by their lines of descent and gives the numbers of each who are able to bear arms.

Counting is a big part of our Jewish culture, particularly this time of the year. From the beginning of Pesach through the next seven weeks culminating in the festival of Shavuot, we are counting the days during the evening prayers. At the conclusion of the 49-day period, we celebrate the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. During this period of time, there are to be no haircuts and no marriages except on the day of Lag B’omer. By our continued observance of Shavuot, we not only celebrate the holiness of our ancestors receiving the Ten Commandments, but we can also bow our heads in humility as we stand in synagogue to reenact this moment today.

This year, in conjunction with the VBS Day School administration, we have taken on a counting project as well. Since January, Cantor Baron and I have been working weekly with the Fourth Grade class to teach them Torah Trope. We created a curriculum that would introduce the children to all the trope groups, and then reinforced their learning by color-coding groups, creating “code” words and sometimes, even by hand movements to make sure that they were singing the patterns correctly. Then, we had the children make up silly sentences to sing with the trope patterns. Contests and matching games took place every week, with lots of giggles, fun, and most of all, learning. The fourth graders were excited every week to learn something new.

The children practiced from Parashat B’reshit in class to solidify their trope reading. Since Pesach, they have been working on the reading for the 2 nd day of Shavuot, where they will participate with the entire congregation. Our fourth graders are looking forward to reading the Torah for the Day School, and for the Congregation during services. As a congregant, hearing the Torah being chanted by our 9 and 10 year olds is a special thrill! To see our children having the knowledge and the confidence to lead the congregation is proof positive that Judaism is living L’Dor V’Dor. As educators, we are counting on the next generation to carry on our Jewish traditions and heritage. As parents and grandparents, we are filled with pride as our children take beginning steps towards Bar/Bat Mitzvah and their lives as Jews. As a kahal, we will stand together on Shavout to celebrate our people receiving the Ten Commandments. By following G-d’s commandments, all of us can take daily steps to make it count.

Mazel Tov to our fourth graders for mastering Trope and reading from the Torah. Kol Ha’Kavod!

Cantor Toby Schwartz