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By Rabbi Daniel Schaefer<\/strong><\/p>\nParashat B\u2019midbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20)<\/em><\/p>\n Last Sunday, I had the privilege to witness some of my most cherished friends and beloved classmates become rabbis. The magic of Hebrew College ordination is something that everyone should experience firsthand. The room is filled with family and friends, song, laughter, and joy. As I watched eleven colleagues take on their new status, I was reminded of a verse from this week\u2019s parasha, BaMidbar. The first Torah portion in the book of Numbers finds the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai, before they begin their journey to the Holy Land. As Moses and Aaron conduct a census of the whole Israelite community, the Torah states:<\/span><\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u059b\u05dc\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b9\u05a5\u05ea \u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e8\u05b9\u0596\u05df \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u0591\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u0597\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05a7\u05e8 \u05d4\u2019 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u0596\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05b7\u05a5\u05e8 \u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05bd\u05d9\u05c3<\/span><\/p>\n These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time that God spoke with Moses at Mount Sinai. (Numbers 3:1)<\/span><\/p>\n Six times in the book of Genesis, the phrase \u201cthese are the generations\u201d (\u05d0\u05b5\u059b\u05dc\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b9\u05a5\u05ea) appears, to introduce the genealogy of a significant figure. However, outsider of Genesis, that phrase only appears once more, in this week\u2019s parasha. But what is really surprising, is that the next verse proceeds to list Aaron\u2019s sons and <\/span>only <\/span><\/i>Aaron\u2019s sons. <\/span><\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u059b\u05dc\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05a5\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05bd\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e8\u05b9\u0596\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05a3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05c0 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u0591\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d4\u0595\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d6\u05b8\u0596\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05bd\u05e8\u05c3<\/span><\/p>\n These were the names of Aaron\u2019s sons: Nadab, the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (Numbers 3:2)<\/span><\/p>\n Why mention Moses if the Torah omits the names of his descendants, and only includes the sons of Aaron? The Sages of the Talmud provide an answer in Sanhedrin 19b.<\/span><\/p>\n \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d1\u05d9 \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05d0\u05dc \u05d1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05d7\u05de\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0\u201d\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d5\u05e0\u05ea\u05df \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05de\u05dc\u05de\u05d3 \u05d1\u05df \u05d7\u05d1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5 \u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05de\u05e2\u05dc\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u05db\u05ea\u05d5\u05d1 \u05db\u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d9\u05dc\u05d3\u05d5 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 (\u05d1\u05de\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 <\/span>\u05d2, \u05d0<\/b><\/a>) \u05d5\u05d0\u05dc\u05d4 \u05ea\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05d4\u05e8\u05df \u05d5\u05de\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05db\u05ea\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d5\u05d0\u05dc\u05d4 \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d4\u05e8\u05df \u05dc\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05da \u05d0\u05d4\u05e8\u05df \u05d9\u05dc\u05d3 \u05d5\u05de\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d3 \u05dc\u05e4\u05d9\u05db\u05da \u05e0\u05e7\u05e8\u05d0\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05de\u05d5<\/span><\/p>\n Rabbi Shmuel bar Na\u1e25mani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: Anyone who teaches another person\u2019s child Torah, the verse ascribes him credit as if they sired them, as it is stated: \u201cNow these are the generations of Aaron and Moses\u201d (<\/span>Numbers 3:1<\/span><\/a>), and it is written immediately afterward: \u201cAnd these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadav the firstborn and Avihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar\u201d (<\/span>Numbers 3:2<\/span><\/a>), but it does not mention the names of Moses\u2019 children. This serves to say to you that Aaron sired his children, but Moses taught them Torah. Therefore, the children were also called by his name.<\/span><\/p>\n Wow. As I watched my friends step more fully into their roles as teachers of Torah, I couldn\u2019t help but imagine the impact they will have on the world. Their love and erudition and kindness will be channelled through their teaching of Torah. The potential exists for them to have as much impact on the lives of their students as a parent can have on a child. What a privilege and what a responsibility. <\/span><\/p>\n So how many people can one hope to positively impact through the teaching of Torah? Numbers 3:2 only lists Aaron\u2019s four sons. Perhaps we should give over our learning to only a select few, rather than seek a broader impact? Commenting on a verse later in the book of Numbers (11:2), the Or HaChaim, Chayyim ibn Attar (1696 \u2013 1743 CE), connects the teaching in Sanhedrin 19b to the mystical understanding that all the souls of the generation of Israelites who marched through the wilderness were \u201cbranches\u201d of Moses\u2019 own soul and that he was considered the father of all those souls.<\/span><\/p>\n