Beha'alotkha (Part 3) - Numbers 8:1-12:16

The Singing Nuns

Unless you look in the Hebrew page of the text, you would never notice something (which I have circled in red) quite odd that is found in this week's Torah portion.

Traditionally, these pair of letters "nun" are used as brackets on either side of a single sentence. This sentence is considered so important that it is sung by the congregation every time the cabinet (aron) is opened and the Torah scroll is taken out.

It is a verse that is so important that the Talmud declares that if the verse wasn't so  short, that it should be a book unto itself, and according to one opinion, there are SEVEN books of Moses because of that, not just five.

The letter nun looks like a bracket (נ) and some scribes and publishers will actually invert the second nun so it appears more like a bracketing than two letters standing apart. Here is the same text, but me using actual brackets.

The bracketing of this line is a tradition from the current period (CE) and it not, as far as we can tell, from some ancient original. It is possible that a scribe was writing it and went, "Hmmm, this looks interesting. Let me highlight this!" And the tradition was started.

And yet, you have people who see every letter in the Torah as having some special significance, and will use gematria and other odd interpretations to see secret messages from God.

If you want to read how crazy it can get, check out this explanation by one who believes in such things.

But what is this special sentence?

As I said, religious Jews will sing this to the Torah every time it is removed.

"And it would happen that when the ark would travel, and Moses would say, "Rise, Yahweh! Scatter Your enemies! And let those who hate You flee from before You." And when [the ark] rested, [Moses] would say, "Return Yahweh! [Back to the] myriads [of] thousands of [the people of] Israel!" (Numbers 10:35-36)

Remember that, depending on the verse, Yahweh resided above, upon, or within the ark. It depended upon the view of the specific author. It appears that this one has Yahweh within it, and like a magic genie, he is commanded to rise up from His resting place, attack the enemies, and when the deed is done, He is commanded to return to his resting place.

In fact, the entire story seems to describe Yahweh as a sort of magic Genie who will obey those who own His magic box. Sort of like:

And so, when Jews are singing this to the resting place of the Torah while it is being opened up, and it is picked up (rises up) and is brought forth, it is treated with special sanctity. People will reach out and touch it's special garments or crown, and will kiss it. People will stand when it rises up to be in their presence. And when someone stands before it, he is required to bow down before it ("Baruch" - bend knees, "Atah" - bow, "Adonai" - stand erect...). And after it is read, it is dressed once more (unless it is in an ornate carrier, in which case no dressing is needed), crowned, and lifted up for all to point at and declare, "THIS is the Torah that Moses placed before the children of Israel...". They sing to it as it returns to its resting place, and the cabinet is closed, and it is then that people may sit. (Some variances occur depending on tradition).

In other words, the traditions have evolved to the point where the book is almost equal to God. Because when God isn't showing up like the Book claims he did, religious Jews need something to believe in, even if it's just the Book.

So why is this verse so important?

It seems to indicate that God will defend the Jewish people, and when called to do so, He will come out of His hiding place, kill His enemies which is also the enemies of the Jews, of course), and return to His hiding place.

But, of course, that has never happened, especially when it really mattered.

The people still sing the sentences to command God to appear several times a week, but not with as much conviction as they used to.

It's the lesson of the nuns.