July 2, 2011 | 30 Sivan 5771 | Num 19:1-22:1

“The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin and the people stayed at Kadesh.”  (Numbers, 20:1)

“Setting out from Kadesh, the Israelites arrived in a body at Mount Hor.”  (Numbers 20:22)

“They set out from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds to skirt the land of Edom.”  (Numbers 21:4)

“The Israelites marched on and encamped at Oboth.  
They set out from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim.  From there they set out and encamped at the wadi Zered.  From there they set out and encamped beyond the Arnon. And from there to Beer…And from Midbar to Mattanah, and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, at the peak of Pisgah, overlooking the wasteland.”  (Numbers 29:10-20)

“They marched on and went up the road to Bashanin.”  (Numbers 21:33) and finally…”The Israelites then marched on and encamped in the steppes of Moav…(Numbers 22:1)

Whew!  The Israelites did an awful lot of walking in today’s parasha, didn’t they? They must have been in great shape…Peachtree Road Race kind of shape, don’t you suppose? How did they do it?  How did they walk that far in the time it takes to read this Torah portion? There’s a ridiculous question for you – I just wanted to see if you are paying attention.

Of course, it took longer than a half hour to traverse the distance that the Israelites traveled. But my first question – how did they do it? – is still in order. Amidst all of this hiking, the parasha informs us once again that the Israelites were without water and apparently sufficient food.  (Numbers 20:2f)

How were the Israelites able to keep on walking? Were they infused with ruach hashem, the divine spirit, that girded them and urged them on their way? Their complaints to Moses and Aaron seem to belie this possibility. So how were they able to do it?  How were they able to keep on going?

I’d like to think it’s because they had internalized a perspective that our sage Hillel annunciated many generations later.

Even in difficult straits, the Israelites took care of their bodies. The story is told of Hillel that when he had finished a lesson with his pupils, he accompanied them part of the way.  They said to him, “Master where are you going?” He answered, “To perform a religious duty.”  They asked, “Which religious duty?”  He responded, “To bathe in the bath house.” They questioned, “Is that a religious duty?” He answered them, “If somebody is appointed to scrape and clean the statues of the king which are set up in the theaters and circuses, and is paid to do the work, and furthermore associates with the nobility, how much more so should I—who am created in the divine image and likeness—take care of my body?”  (Leviticus Rabbah 34:3)

Hillel’s students were surprised that he considered bathing to be a mitzvah. But why not, Hillel insisted? In first century Palestine where individuals were obligated to take proper care of statues of kings, certainly people had to take proper care of melech hamelachim, the King of Kings! But there were no statue-like physical representatives of God. So how did one properly care for God in that regard?

Hillel said – by taking proper care of tzelem Elohim, the human being, created in the image of God.

For Hillel—that meant that taking a bath and cleaning the body was a mitzvah. For Maimonides who, as a physician, knew much more about the body than Hillel did, the mitzvah included anther important action—proper exercise—“Exerting oneself greatly” as he put it. That’s what our Israelite ancestors did. Consequently, they could walk long distances.

Most of us here this Shabbat morning will not be running or walking in the Peachtree Road Race Monday morning. But your obligation to exercise and care for your body that houses tzelem Elohim is no less than the obligation of those of us who will be running and walking down Peachtree on Monday. I hope you take that mitzvah seriously.

I turn now to those of you who will be in the Peachtree Road Race – PLEASE RISE.

To you, I first say, have fun at this unique event and be safe. No amount of prayer will replace the water you need so keep drinking. As you step up to the starting line outside Lenox Square, as you continue to run down Peachtree until you ascend Cardiac Hill and continue along the way to your glorious finish at Piedmont Park,

May you be blessed in the words of Pirkei Avot (5:20):

“Be courageous as the leopard,
Light as the eagle,
swift as the deer,
and strong as the lion…”

Amen.