Equal, YesBami74ar Artson 1

TORAH-FAX BAMIDBAR SERMONETTE

BAMI74AR
EQUAL, YES - BUT NOT IDENTICAL
BY RABBI BRAD ARTSON
One of the most deel! "herished #eliefs of the Ameri"an eole is the equalit! of
all human #ein$s% &'e hold these truths to #e self-e(ident that all men are "reated
equal%& 'ith those stirrin$ )ords, the foundin$ do"uments of the *nited +tates
asserted that ,od made e(er!one of equal )orth, and that this assertion is so
o#(ious as to require neither roof nor ar$ument% -he equalit! of all eole is self-
e(ident%
-hat ideal, rarel! a"hie(ed in a"tualit!, still thrills )ith its romise of a )orld
transformed% Ima$ine if )e too. to heart the in/un"tion that no one )as of $reater
)orth than an! other0 that all eole ha(e an equal "laim to di$nit!, to the
fundamental ri$ht to e(er! other erson% 'hat a )orld that )ould #e1
One )a! of su#(ertin$ that no#le ideal is siml! to hold that eole are not of
equal )orth, or to sa! that indi(iduals do not ossess intrinsi" )orth% Often, our
Ameri"an distri#ution of #enefits #ased on in"ome or linea$e ends u loo.in$ li.e
)e don2t a""et the equalit! of human #ein$s0 that some seem more equal than
others%
But the se"ond )a! to o#(iate the equalit! of all is to insist on the sameness of all,
and that sill! notion has $ained roonents of late% 3ot onl! is e(er!one of equal
)orth, #ut no one should ha(e a""ess to an!thin$ that another erson doesn2t% 3o
idea is #etter than an! other idea, no (alue s!stem is suerior to an! other s!stem%
I2m o.a!, !ou2re o.a!0 this is ri$ht for me, that2s ri$ht for !ou%
Equal, YesBami74ar Artson 4
-oda!2s -orah ortion su$$ests a different aroa"h% 'hile still insistin$ that all
eole are made in ,od2s ima$e, the -orah toda! sho)s se"ial "onsideration for
the 5ohathites, one of the 6e(iti"al "lans assi$ned se"ifi" tas.s in the
maintenan"e of the Mish.an 7the -a#erna"le8% -he -orah re"ords ,od2s se"ial
soli"itude on their #ehalf% &9o this )ith them, that the! ma! li(e and not die )hen
the! aroa"h the most sa"red o#/e"ts%&
-he ra##is of Midrash Bamid#ar Ra##ah as., &'hat reason did the :ol! Blessed
One see for "ommandin$ $reater "are in re$ards to the families of the 5ohathites
than in re$ard to the other families;& In other )ords, shouldn2t equal )orth
translate into identi"al treatment in e(er! area of life;
&3o,& ans)er the ra##is, &Our equal )orth is a otential a(aila#le to e(er!one%&
But some eole, throu$h dili$en"e, ersisten"e, sa"rifi"e and "hara"ter, are a#le to
shoulder $reater resonsi#ilit! than others%
And )ith resonsi#ilit! "omes ri(ile$e% &-here is some suerior (irtue in the
tri#e of 6e(i and in the families of 5ohath )hi"h is )antin$ in the rest of Israel%%%&
All the other tri#es )ere not "on"erned for the (essels of the -a#erna"le, #ut the
tri#e of 6e(i "arried the (essels%%% Israel )al.ed a#out, shod in sandals, )hile the
tri#e of 6e(i, )hi"h "arried the (essels of the -a#erna"le, mo(ed a#out
#arefooted%%% -he ordinar! 6e(ite )ould la"e his #urden%%%uon )a$ons, #ut the
5ohanites #ore their #urdens on their shoulders%
In other )ords, the 6e(ites distin$uished themsel(es from other Israelites #! their
)illin$ness to ser(e ,od and the "ommunit!, e(en at ersonal sa"rifi"e% ,od )as
merel! re"iro"atin$ their intense de(otion%
Equal, YesBami74ar Artson <
And as mu"h of the 6e(ites e="elled a#o(e the a(era$e Israelite, e(en more did the
5ohanites e="eed the iet! and ser(i"e of the 6e(ites%
'ithout that added measure of de(otion and resonsi#ilit!, the Israelites reli$ion,
indeed the Israelite eole, )ould ne(er ha(e sur(i(ed, ne(er tau$ht the )orld the
intrinsi" di$nit! of e(er! erson, ne(er $i(en the )orld the -en >ommandments or
the loft! standards of /usti"e em#odied in the Boo. of 6e(iti"us and in the )ords
of the rohets%
In e(er! a$e, some ?e)s )ere )illin$ to shoulder a disroortionate load in order
to ser(e ,od and the ?e)ish eole% And, in e(er! a$e the ?e)ish eole
re"iro"ated #! "herishin$ and honorin$ those leaders, #oth ra##ini" and la!%
In our da!s as )ell, there is a need to honor sa"rifi"e and to re"o$ni@e those )ho
reser(e our herita$e, our identit! and our lin. )ith ,od%
E(er!one is equal, #ut no t)o eole are the same% -o the e=tent that !ou ta.e on
resonsi#ilit! for our "ommunit! and our "o(enant, to that de$ree do !ou earn the
se"ial soli"itude of our eole and our ,od%
You "an e="el and the )orld needs e="ellen"e%
+ha##at +halom%