Parshas Beshalach
The Strength of Diversity
By Rabbi Elly Broch
"And they came to Elim and there were twelve springs of water and seventy
date palms." (Shemos/Exodus 15:27)
The Torah informs us that while the
Jewish nation journeyed from Egypt they encountered a place called Elim
where, Rashi explains, the twelve springs they found corresponded to the
twelve tribes of Israel - the families of the twelve sons of Yaakov
(Jacob) - and the seventy date palms were one for each of the seventy
learned elders of Israel. Rabbeinu Bachya (1) elucidates that they were
placed there to show individual honor to each of them.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller (2) notes that the number of springs signified G-d's
plan to encourage each tribe to maintain its individuality. As they came to
draw water, each tribe frequented its own spring placed there to honor
them.
The Talmud enumerates that the tribe of Zevulun had a disposition to
sailing and commerce whereas the tribe of Yissachar were sages and scribes.
The
Torah clearly testifies to G-d's will that differences should persist. When
the People of Israel stood at Mount Sinai, Moshe was commanded to erect
twelve monuments corresponding to the twelve tribes, and throughout their
journeys in the wilderness they encamped separately, each tribe under its
own flag. Further, when Moshe was commanded to make the garments for the
High Priest, certain garments had the names of the twelve tribes engraved
on
them.
Every tribe possessed its peculiar characteristics that were a key
component
to its contributions to the Jewish nation. These characteristics were G-d
given and, therefore, mandated maintenance and cultivation. Thus, like a
single body needs different limbs and organ systems each performing its own
function according to its makeup to enable the survival of the entire
organism, so too the tribes, although unified as one body in brotherhood,
had different talents and proclivities. An additional purpose in
maintaining the individual status of the tribes was that it reduced the
chance of a disloyal innovator seizing power and turning the nation away
from G-d. Since each tribe later possessed its own land and talents this
would prevent a renegade tribe from influencing the rest of the Children of
Israel.
Rabbi Miller concludes that because of this principle, they respected each
other's customs and idiosyncrasies, and they learned to refrain from making
light of the manners or practices of the other tribes. It was obvious to
them that G-d favored these differences and they were united by loyalty to
one G-d and His law.
It is commonly observed that there are still differences between groups of
loyal Jews in their traditions concerning nuances of Hebrew pronunciation,
garb, and details of their outlooks on issues. Some of these differences
may
find their way back to those differences expressed by differing tribes.
However, even for those not traced back to the twelve tribes, we still
understand that there is nothing wrong with differences in tradition as
long
as they were established and in accordance with loyalty to G-d and His law.
Some groups of Jews excel in Torah study, others in prayer, others in act
of
chessed (loving kindness) and we must learn to appreciate the talents of
all
of the groups. We are like one unified body with different limbs. It would
be unthinkable that one should appreciate one of the organs in the human
body but not another. Every aspect of the body is necessary and purposeful.
So, too, with the people of Israel.
Have a Good Shabbos!
(1) 1263-1340; author of a Biblical commentary containing all four modes
of
interpretation: simple text definition, and midrashic, philosophical and
kabbalistic exegeses
(2) 1908-2001; a prolific author and popular speaker who specialized in
mussar (introspective Jewish self-improvement) and Jewish history, Rabbi
Miller commanded a worldwide following through his books and tapes: of the
tens of thousands of Torah lectures he delivered, more than 2,000 were
preserved on cassettes
Text Copyright © 2004 by Rabbi Elly Broch
and Torah.org.
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