By Lily Sieradzki

This past Shabbat’s parasha, Bamidbar, is all about logistics. First thing first, G-d tells Moses to conduct a census of the twelve tribes. He counts around 600,000 men between the ages of 20 and 60 (women and children do not count). The numbers of each tribe are recorded, as well as their flag and prince (nassi), and the area of the camp they reside in.

The parasha then explains the special responsibilities of certain tribes of Israel when it came to maintaining the Sanctuary (the holy center for worship that contained the Ark and menorah). The Levites, who were counted separately in the census, are responsible for taking down and re-assembling the Sanctuary every time the Israelites moved. The Levites are made up of three families, each of whom carries a certain part of the Sanctuary: The Kohathim carry the Ark and menorah and other vessels, the Gershonites carry the tapestries and roof coverings, and the Merari carry the wall panels and pillars.

In essence, the Levite tribe is taking collective responsibility over physically maintaining the Sanctuary, and spiritually maintaining the tribes of Israel. Within the Levites, each family claims a certain piece, taking responsibility over a part of the Sanctuary in order to uphold the whole. If we think of our movement as a kind of set of overlapping tribes or groups (kvutsot, machanot, eizorim, kids, parents), then the ma'apilim are the Levites. While all of these groups exist within and participate in the movement, ma'apilim are the ones taking collective responsibility over our entire community.

Like the tribes of Israel wandering in the desert, HDNA as a movement is traveling as well - it is constantly changing and shifting as new generations keep coming up. Especially coming off Ma'apilim Seminar, I feel more than ever that the ma'apilim are taking collective responsibility over the movement in many ways - by running machanot, eizorim and making collective decisions as kvutsot. But the question becomes: what is the direction we're going in? The Israelites had a clear destination - Israel. So what is our destination? And how do we get there?