Math in the Torah

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Friday, May 11, 2007

As we witnessed this morning, through the wonderful Divrei Torah, this was a great Torah portion to put before a group of attorneys, history buffs, and committed social activists.

It is also a great Torah portion for those who like math. Mathematical calculations come into play in both the first and the second sections of this combined Torah portion, Behar Bechukotai.

In Parashat Behar, the first portion, we find a complicated calculation of land prices based on the number of years remaining until the jubilee. This is because in ancient times, the goal was to enter the land and to settle on it.

Rabbi Eric Weiss points out that often in modern times, we more often enter in order to move on. We buy one house in order later to leverage that and buy another. We take one job as a stepping stone to something else. We do not fully psychologically invest in what we are doing, because we sense that we will move on.

I think that sometimes spills over into other experiences in our lives including our experience in a congregation. Those who “enter to settle” have a much more positive experience. One of the virtues of the Adult B’nai Mitzvah experience has been to give many past and present participants a sense of truly being at home in Judaism and settling in to our congregation.

A second place where math enters our portion is through the concept of marbit, advance or accrued interest, which we are forbidden to charge for personal loans.

Explaining why this is so, the rabbis are concerned that the charging of interest causes us to see time as merely a money making opportunity rather than recognizing it as the most valuable resource we have. Rabbi Zalman Zortkin reminds us that time is what puts everything else into perspective.

Your investment of time, through this Adult Bat Mitzvah, in something that at first seemed way too difficult has paid off with interest.

In this connection, the Jewish Outreach Center’s article on this week’s portion includes the story of Isidore and Nathan Straus, extremely rich men, who visited Israel in the early years of the 20th century. They found a poor, undeveloped land, full of disease and danger. Isidore felt that conditions were just too difficult and he decided to return to America for an easier life. He made his way back to Europe, and chose to travel back to the US in luxury aboard the grand liner the Titanic. Nathan stayed and worked, shared his great fortune with others and for him the city Netanya, gets its name.

Finally, there is the strange proportionality found in the Blessings in Parashat Bechukotai: “5 of you shall give chase to 100 and 100 of you give chase to 10,000.”

Vechama Leibowitz argues that the proportions differ purposely.

“The impact of the virtuous few gains momentum that is disproportionate to their increase in numbers. We know that one person cannot hope to fight two opponents his equal in strength. On the other hand, ten against 20, and certainly a hundred against two hundred, have a much better chance.”

The 7 of you on the bimah this morning are small but mighty. By your teachings this morning and by your example, in doing what you have done, you have inspired this larger group – the 200 members of Shir Hadash, family and friends who are gathered here. And these 200 will inspire the 1,200 who are our adult congregational community and as we have seen in our social justice work, our community of 1,200 can go out to influence the society in which we live.

On this special morning, we wish you Mazal tov.

We hope through this experience you feel settled in and will inspire others to invest themselves in Judaism and in our congregation.

May your investment of time, reap interest as have your efforts towards today’s Bat Mitzvah. You can be proud, way that your words and example, influence our community and our world.