Parsha Bamidbar- Soul Accounting
This week’s parsha is all about the counting of people. Counting of souls.
Numbers 1:2
שאו את־ראש כל־עדת בני־ישראל למשפחתם לבית אבתם במספר שמות כל־זכר לגלגלתם׃
Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of names, every male by their polls;
God is counting us, calling each of us to a higher purpose.
We need to account for our soul. We are much more than a body of material. Man/Woman is endowered with intelligence. Daily, annually, or when we die, we give an accounting to our maker.
We are more likely to do good for mankind if we believe. Accept that we are accountable for our actions. And we are more likely to do good if our lives have meaning.
In essence , God is calling us to a Covenant. If we were to sum up Rabbi Sacks life work in one word. it is — Covenant. God is calling Moshe to a Covenant with God. In Rabbi Sacks commentaries, he paraphrases:
“Victor Frankl used to say that the way to find meaning was not to ask what we want from life. Instead, we should ask what life wants from us. We are each, he said, unique: in our gifts, our abilities, our skills, and talents, and in the circumstances of our life. For each of us, then, there is a task only we can do. This does not mean that we are better than others. But if we believe we are here for a reason, then there is a tikkun, a mending, only we can perform, a fragment of light only we can redeem, an act of kindness or courage, generosity, or hospitality, even a word of encouragement or a smile, only we can perform, because we are here, in this place, at this time, facing this person at this moment in their lives.”
https://www.rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/vayikra/the-pursuit-of-meaning/
Let’s fast forward till today.
Life is a discovery of meaning. We need to do Soul Accounting. Account for our actions and make an in impact for a fairer society and world.
And if you are rich, control conglomerates, you have more responsibility to fix this broken world.
This week at Davos is the annual fest of the super rich. The Russian oligarchs are persona non grata. 150 private jets flown in to listen to climate change, poverty, hunger, and world challenges.
What is not really talked about is tax avoidance, overpower of these conglomerates and solutions to address the growing divide between rich and poor.
While all the focus will be on the Ukraine War, Climate change, impending food catastrophe and maybe there will a debate about ESG vs Impact — Elon Musk spat with the S&P ESG index.
The real change and debate needed is change in the mind set of these business leaders. Not only business, but Politicians — Presidents and Prime Ministers.
There are 3 major needs in life — housing, food, and health.
What is needed is a rethink of Democracy. The people lost their voice. This was clear in Covid, made more clearer in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in the battle of climate Change, ESG and more.
We pay taxes, we buy and provide these institutions with money and power.
They either over tax us, avoid taxes and impose their views over of the people.
We the people demand a change.
We demand Soul Accounting.
It is time for these leaders to account to the people. To take into account their basic needs.
Government for the people.
So, what can we do about this? Do we care enough to make a difference?
We are being called. We need to act and make a difference.
At the end of the day, we need to account for our souls and answer
Did we make an impact on our lives?
What good do we do in day-by-day basis?
Now is the time for soul accounting.
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