Parashat Beha'alotecha: Heavenly Technology

I am a geek.

I have been a proud member of the world's ‘Unauthorised Society of Geeks’ for as long as I can recall.  My first job as a teenager was programming robotic arms at the ORT charity.  I graduated to working as a Project Manager at Jewish Care, running a day centre where we helped our visually impaired and disabled clients learn how to use computers.  And I've been teaching IT to high school students for over a decade.

I think I can safely call myself a geek!

Not only am I a proud breast-beating member of the UK's geek population, my wife works in IT and was in the first year to take O’ Level Computer Science in the UK!  I could paraphrase Monty Python by stating that 'I'm a geek and so is my wife', but I will hold back on that one. 

The Oxford Dictionary defines a geek as being, ‘a person who is very interested in and who knows a lot about a particular subject.’  A suitable synonym is 'nerd' and the icing on the cake is 'a computer geek'.

That's me in a nutshell, although I would change the wording slightly to being 'a mobile phone app geek' instead.

I simply love my apps. 

From having three different weather forecasts (because you can never be totally sure what's going to happen), to checking for application updates a few times a day (which is bordering on obsessive), to developing a close relationship with Waze and Amazon Music, my geekiness knows no bounds.  And every now and again, it really becomes very useful indeed.

Taking a case in point.  Last Sunday, I was due to meet Stephnie in South London (near Borough Station) for a historical walking tour of the area.  Using the wonderful 'Citymapper' app, I set up the destination and mode of transport and it provided me with minute-by-minute directions on which tube train to take, the best carriage to sit in, which would bring me to the nearest exit and the time it would take to reach my destination. 

When I left Borough Station, I used Google Maps to direct me to our rendezvous point and then met Stephnie who was approaching from the other direction!

I looked at my phone in a state of wonder and amazement and thanked the Good Lord for the World Wide Web (via the mind of Sir Tim Berners-Lee).

I can't speak for most other people, but as far as I'm concerned, the technology that surrounds us is simply breathtaking.  How could we have managed without Zoom over the lockdown?  When did it become so easy to check my bank balance (then again, it might not be such a good thing if I'm in the red!) Growing up, how could I envisage being able to listen to virtually any song ever written, by using Bluetooth technology which enables connecting a mobile phone to wireless ear buds?  And that's not even considering the ability to talk to people hands-free on the motorway (which may or may not be advisable!)

For the geek in me, I feel that I am walking around a virtual technological kosher sweet shop with the tools to pick and mix any combination that I desire.  As Jews, our connection to the twenty-first century 'Cloud' is not as new a phenomenon as we might believe.  In fact, our wireless signal is more ancient than we could have imagined.

In this week's Parasha of Beha'alotecha, we have a beautiful description of how our own 'cloud' turned out to be the most important satellite navigation system that we could follow.

Numbers 9

On the day that the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony and from evening until morning, it hung over the Tabernacle with the appearance of fire... whenever the cloud rose above the Tent, the Israelites would set out and wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites would encamp; for as long as the cloud rested over the Tabernacle, they continued to camp there...Day or night, they would set out when the cloud rose.  Whether it was two days or for many days together, the Israelites would camp as long as the cloud rested over the Tabernacle, they would not move on.  At the Lord's command, they camped and at the Lord's command, they set out.  And they kept the Lord's charge, the Lord's word through Moshe.

There is something very reassuring about these pesukim.  Our ancestors placed themselves entirely in the hands of the Lord.  They believed in Him.  They trusted Him.  They listened to Him and His technology led them through the desert via the capable leadership of Moshe.  What a wonderful existence!

The Sifri (a midrash written around the same time as the Mishna) offers some opinions on what this means.  It says that there is a discussion between the Rabbis as to how many clouds were involved and this includes the views that:

1.     There were seven, one on each side of the people, one above and another below and one leading from the front, which I will shortly explain in detail.

2.     Rabbi Yehuda says that there were thirteen clouds, which consisted of two on either side of the people, two above and below and another out in front.

Rashi and other commentators expound on the verses to state that the purpose of the clouds was to:

1.     Protect the Israelites from the blazing desert sun.

2.     Keep their clothes fresh and wrinkle-free.

3.     Flatten mountains and raise valleys whilst also killing scorpions and snakes to make the journey safe and easy to undertake.

4.     Lead the nation towards the Promised Land.

There is also another opinion that states the reason we have the festival of Sukkot is to remind us of the Ananei Hakavod, the Clouds of Glory that protected the people during their journey through the wilderness.  The Sukkah is a representation of this temporary protection.  Whichever way one interprets this, the message seems clear that Gd was using his heavens as a platform to demonstrate Biblical technology to Children of Israel. 

Rabbi Sacks ztl wrote (regarding this week's Parasha):

'In a sense, the great religions are satellite navigation systems.  They attempt to chart our position in the universe absolutely, not just in relation to the car in front.  They do so in roughly the same way, by bouncing a signal (prayer) off something that stands outside the earth, and listening carefully to how it returns.  The earliest navigation system was the pillar of cloud and fire that accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness.' https://www.rabbisacks.org/archive/the-prophets-are-our-unflappable-sat-nav-not-the-lost-car-in-front/

 

Whilst Gd provided the signal, it was up to the Israelites to pick it up, which they did and when they relied on His technology, they were always protected.  When they strayed, we know what happened as we shall read over the next few weeks.

There is a wonderful old joke.

Moshe Rabinowitz has been invited to a second interview in a prestigious Law firm.  He makes sure to leave on time but unfortunately, the traffic is worse than he had envisaged.  He arrives at the company car park with only a few minutes to spare, but there is not a single free space.  In desperation, he calls out to Gd:

"Please Gd, help me to find a space so that I can reach my appointment on time.  I will do anything you wish.  I will go to Shul three times a day, observe Shabbat from the earliest candle lighting time until well after it's finished, eat only Glatt Kosher and spend every single Jewish holiday in Jerusalem.  If only you could find me a free spot"

Suddenly, two cars parked in the row immediately in front of him drive off leaving ample room for him to park.  He looks up and says:

"Don't worry, I've found one!"

We ignore Gd's help at our peril.  I believe that every gift we have is Divinely sourced.  The technology that enabled me to meet Stephnie at the right location miles away from where I started my journey originated in the minds of people who benefitted from some heavenly assistance (even if they weren't aware of this).  How else could one explain the astounding impact that this technology has had on the world - at a time when it was most needed?  From the Biblical Clouds of Glory to Mr Gates and his Windows or Mr Jobs and his golden Apple.  Without them, would Google exist, assuming, it is a good thing?

Perhaps I am a geek because I appreciate the impact that computers and technology have had on my own life.  The friends and family that it has allowed me to reconnect with, both virtually and physically and the memories I have been able to create and digitally store.  The world of technology is of course, not without its dangers as all developments in history have demonstrated in sometimes horrific ways - but every now and again, it is gratifying to appreciate what it has allowed us to achieve.  If we see Gd's presence in everything we do and use the technology at our disposal to make a difference to our lives and those of others, we can truly call it 'Heavenly'.  

Shavuah Tov.