Jerusalem, Israel's capital
Jerusalem, Israel's capitaliStock

People seem to think that Shavuot is flanked by Parshat Bamidbar before it, and Naso after it. Although that is usually the case, once in a while, Parshat Naso takes the before position, with B'haalotcha being read on the Shabbat after Shavuot.

This aligns Bamidbar with Yom Yerushalayim, which is exactly one week before Shavuot. However often it happens all over the Jewish World, in Israel it further occurs occasionally, in a Shana M'uberet when Pesach begins on a Friday night. We in Israel go a sedra ahead of the rest of the world, and since we don't get back into sync until we split Matot and Mas'ei, we have Naso on Erev Shavuot - and Bamidbar on the Shabbat right before Yom Yerushalayim, as is the case this year.

I imagine some readers just shrugged their shoulders at the previous para- graph, while others followed it well enough, and yet others who probably are surprised by the vague terms: usually, once in a while, and occasion- ally. For this third group, here are the stats from the Torah Tidbits Chief Statistician.

There are 14 different year-types. In 10 of them, Bamidbar is pre-Shavuot all over the world. This accounts for almost 80% of years. Naso comes before Shavuot all over the world, only in two year-types, accounting for 10% of years. That means that in Chutz LaAretz, Bamidbar is before Shavuot about 90% of the time. In Israel, we have Naso before Shavuot in another two year-types, accounting for another 10% of the time. The Bamidbar - Yom Yerushalayim alignment is still on the rarer side.

Which finally brings us to the point of this Lead Tidbit.
There are many times which Parshat HaShavua and a calendar date have a connection. But not this time.

We came out of Egypt, received the Torah and were supposed to proceed post-haste, but the last part - going (coming) into Eretz Yisrael and building the Beit HaMikdash - we messed up, a number of times.

The Book of Bamidbar highlights the failure on our share of the third part of G-d's Plan.
Yom Yerushalayim, with Yom HaAtzma'ut earlier this month, represent our major steps in the right direction. With tremendous help from HKB"H, we have significantly begun the process of coming to live in Eretz Yisrael. The miraculous events of the Six Day War led to the reunification of Jerusalem.

We have a long way to go. When we sing DAYEINU at the Seder, we can smile when it mentions Shabbat, Har Sinai, Torah. Do we keep smiling when the song mentions coming into Eretz Yisrael? Many of us do. Do you? And when we sing about the Beit HaMikdash, we should feel a sharp pang that should spur up on to continue in the right direction, do what we can to teach our fellow Jews to love and live Torah, and to come to live in Eretz Yisrael so we can progress even more to the Geula Sh'leima.