You [Don’t] Really Count

Shabbat Bamidbar Sermon. Cynical partisan political maneuvering threatens a gross undercount in the  2020 census, a matter of grave concern  for those who care about justice and fairness. The Biblical census in the Book of Numbers demonstrates not only the importance of an accurate census for practical reasons, but also the way the census can become a powerful spiritual tool to bestow dignity and worth upon individual members of a collective. There’s only one conclusion to be drawn: for glory of the Holy One to truly be reflected, everyone must count.