The Hebrew name for the Book of Numbers is Bamidbar—“In the Wilderness.” It’s not just a name. It’s a reality that Israel lived through for 40 years. And in many ways, it still speaks into the season we’re walking through today.

This week’s Parashah opens with a moment of divine strategy:

Take a census of the whole congregation… every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go to war in Israel.
Numbers 1:2–3

It wasn’t about numbers—it was about readiness. God wasn’t just leading His people through the wilderness; He was preparing them to inherit the promise. That meant training, structure, leadership, and yes—an army. The land would not be inherited without a fight.

It’s striking how relevant that still is today.

Today, Israel finds herself in yet another kind of wilderness—shaken, grieving, surrounded by threats. For the first time in decades, there are entire communities displaced within our own borders. Families are still living with the trauma of October 7. Parents are waiting by the phone. Soldiers are still on the frontlines. And our unity as a people—something we desperately need—is under pressure like never before.

But, God has not changed. And neither has His calling over Israel.

Just like then, He is still present, still counting, still assigning purpose, still calling men and women to rise, take responsibility, and press forward—even when the path isn’t clear.

Further in the Parashah, we read:

All the numbered men… from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war in Israel, were 603,550.
Numbers 1:45–46

That’s over half a million warriors. But what stirs me more is what we read in the Haftarah, from the prophet Hosea:

Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted…
Hosea 1:10

This is the bigger picture. Even when Israel wandered, even when the people were unfaithful or broken—God’s promises still stood. The world has tried again and again to wipe Israel off the map. And yet here we are. Not because of our might or righteousness, but because God’s Word cannot be broken.

That’s what gives me hope. Not the circumstances—but the certainty of His faithfulness.

And in case we think our current division is something new, Hosea reminds us that Israel has long been fractured. Northern and Southern kingdoms… religious tensions… political divides… we’ve seen it all before. But here’s what’s coming:

The sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader…
Hosea 1:11

There will be unity. Not manufactured, but Spirit-led. Not just political, but spiritual. One day, Israel will recognize her Messiah—Yeshua—and we will be united under His leadership. That’s not wishful thinking; it is a promise. And I believe we are seeing the first signs of it even now.

So if you feel like you're in a wilderness—personally or nationally—don’t lose heart. God does some of His most important work in the desert. That is where He calls us to shape us, and where He reveals Himself in powerful ways.

Let’s keep praying—not just for peace and safety, but for spiritual awakening. Let’s pray for healing where we’re broken, for courage where we’re weary, and for the day when all of Israel will say, “You are our God.”

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran