How to Construct a Community
How to Construct a Community
Parashat Bemidbar (Numbers 1:1–4:20)
This chapter discusses a reading of the Parashat Bemidbar of Numbers, which shows Israelites' growing sense of community fostered established boundaries. However, these boundaries also make it possible to exclude some people regarded as out of bounds—as “others.” For example, creating a bounded camp made it possible to send lepers outside its borders. The context of this passage may be related to queers who have been rendered outside the community's social norms. As such, the efforts to establish a clearly delineated and bounded community are defeated by other efforts to maintain and promote the very values that the community holds dear—a sacred connection to Divinity and a compassionate connection to one another.
Keywords: Parashat Bemidbar, Divinity, community, Number
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