Is the “Book of Numbers” A Good Translation for “Bamidbar”?

Alright math enthusiasts, get your pencils sharpened! We’ve finally reached the Book of Numbers! Oh… wait… you mean Bamidbar isn’t actually a math book? It’s not all about numbers? Well what is it about then, and why is the Book of Numbers called by this misleading name?

Ok, to be fair, the Hebrew word “bamidbar” doesn’t translate as “Numbers.” It literally means, “in the desert.” But the name “Numbers” is actually a pretty accurate translation of the name the Rabbis gave to this book – they called it Chumash Ha-Pekudim, which basically means “The Book of Counting.”

But isn’t that a pretty lame name for a book? Sure, there are a few censuses that we hear about in this book, but there’s a whole lot more drama and excitement than that! Why not call it “The Epic Adventures of the Israelites in the Desert”? Isn’t that what this book is really about?

In this podcast, Rabbi Fohrman is in conversation with a special one-time guest (it’s a surprise!) and he explores the dynamic of counting and being counted that pervades the book of Bamidbar. The idea that he develops here identifies Bamidbar – and the Book of Numbers – as a critical point in the evolution of the Torah’s overall narrative, starting from Bereshit and the beginnings of the mission of the nation of Israel. It seems that counting really may lie at the heart of what this book is about after all.