The most prominent theme (in my humble opinion) is the list of places visited by Israel as they traveled through the desert.
The Kabbalah teaches that the 42 journeys listed correspond to the journeys of the soul through this world. From when it leaves the womb (Egypt) until it enters the supernal & eternal life (Israel).
The Parshah then mentions the borders of the land given to the Jews (seems like its replaying right now in New Paltz).
Then the concept of the "Cities of Refuge" – a concept not really copied by other philosophies and/or nations.
The concept is that if someone killed someone else by accident. Even though there is no punishment. The person still needs to move to one of these cities until the end of an era – defined as when the Kohen Gadol passes away
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Well, it's rather late for a comment -- only hours until our parshah group meets -- but here's an observation from me nevertheless.
Of all the stimulating portions of the parshah, the one that remains most persistently in my mind is the one where Aharon goes up the mountain "al pee Hashem" (on the mouth of Hashem) (and does not come down).
That is, of course, the same phrase that I, for one, exult in singing each time the Torah is brought to us, at the time of the Torah reading. "This is the Torah that Moshe placed before the children of Israel, by (?) the mouth of G-d, through (?) the hand of Moshe." Well, that's my translation, anyway.
And now, we have the phrase again, when Aharon leaves b'nai Yisroel.
Rashi says that in that case, "al pee Hashem" means that he was taken from this world with a kiss from Hashem. But since the phrase is the same as when the Torah was given, do we learn from that, that in the same manner that the greatest gift (Torah) was given to the children of Israel, Hashem also takes away? Or are both events a kind of giving?
Marjorie
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