Numbers Don't Lie and They Often Don't Matter ”All who were enrolled came to 603,550.” (Numbers 1:46) “This is the enrollment of the Israelites: 601,730.” (Numbers 26:51) In three different places in the Torah we read of a census. Each time they occur after a catastrophic event. Each time we encounter a harrowing experience we take stock of our lives. We must always remember we can never reduce the story to just being about the numbers. While numbers don’t lie and they do help us quantify our sense of loss, we must remind ourselves that each and every person has value. May we continue to bring healing to all who have suffered loss.
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