Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShavua, Bamidbar is sponsored by Rabbi Joel & Shelly Padowitz of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated B’Ezrat Hashem for the safety of the Chayalim, and for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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Our Parshat Bamidbar opens:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Ohel Mo’ed [the Mishkan], on first of the second month, in the second year after their tzeitawm [transliteration — form of redemption] from the land of Mitzrayim, saying, ‘Take a census of the entire assembly of the B’nei Yisrael according to their families, according to their father’s house, by number of the names, every male according to their head count;'” [Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 1, posukim 1 – 2 rendered to English in “The Sapirstein Edition – The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary.”]
“The Sapirstein Edition – The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary” adds this note on Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 1, posuk 1 (page 2) :
Hashem had counted the B’nei Yisrael on the day they departed Egypt, and after the sin of the eigel zahav (the golden calf). Why did He count them so often, three times in one year? It is because of their dearness to Him [“The Sapirstein Edition – The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary” citing Gur Aryeh]
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, z”l provides commentary on Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 1, posukim 1 – 2 in his Sefer “Kol Dodi on the Torah,” (pages 209 – 210) :
…We see from this verse the fundamental importance that Judaism attaches to each and every individual. The purpose of the census was to “raise” the people by stressing their importance. We see this from the very fact that Hashem commanded Moshe to count the Jews; He would not have caused Moshe all the trouble and effort unless it was important to know exactly how many Jews there were. There would have been no need to count if one person more or less, or even ten or a hundred more or less, were not important.
….The totals were not rounded off at all, as we see from the count of Shevet Gad [46,650]. Thus we see that each Jew has value not only as a component of a group, but also as an individual.
On the one hand, large masses of people have great importance, as Shlomo HaMelech said [Rabbi Feinstein citing Mishlei 14:28]; “The King is glorified by a multitude of people.” At the same time, however, there is a rule in Halacha that anything worthy of being counted cannot be nullified, even if it is outnumbered a thousand to one. Rabbi Feinstein citing Gemara Beitzah 3b] Thus we see that each individual is valued as a member of a group, but not at the expense of infringing on his personal rights.
Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, in his Sefer “Torah Gems,” Volume 3 adds this on Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 1, posuk 2 (page 8) :
“Take you the number [rosh]…: The Torah uses the word “rosh” here, for what we translated as number [or census]. The word “rosh,” literally “head,” teaches the importance of the Jews as a people, that each is a head, each is important in himself. Each Jew must accordingly feel the great responsibility he has for all his actions, for every action of his can improve the condition of the world, or Heaven forbid, make it deteriorate. [Torah Gems citing Shaloh]
Rabbi Hershel Reichman provides additional commentary on these opening posukim in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy — Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel, Volume Two” (pages 501 – 511) :
The Shem Mishmuel starts… with a point that the Sforno also notes. The Torah mentions two major censuses of Am Yisrael, one in Parshat Bamidbar and one in Parshat Pinchas. Both counts are according to Tribe [Shevet], the princes of the which are each mentioned specifically as well. In Bamidbar, at the beginning of the forty years in the desert, Hashem commanded an additional aspect to the counting. The posuk says to count the number of names.
In Pinchas, however, the Torah… counts the people, but not names. The Ramban explains the difference as follows: In the count in Parshat Bamidbar, each Jew brought a half-shekel coin and put it in a box. Afterwards, all the coins were counted. When they brought their Shekalim, each Jew would announce his name to Moshe and to the prince of his tribe, as the Torah commands… In Pinchas, the people simply gave a half-shekel coin but did not announce their names. [Rabbi Reichman citing Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 26, posuk 1]
Why the change? The Sforno says that the count in Bamidbar was of the Jews who left Egypt, accepted the Torah, and built the Mishkan. Every Jew was so precious because he participated in these momentous, fundamental experiences. The next generation, which was counted in Parshat Pinchas, had not experienced these events, so their individual names weren’t as important.
The Shem Mishmuel suggests another approach.
In his Chassidic explanation, the Shem Mishmuel cites a Midrash that he refers to often…. When Hashem wants to address all of the stars together, He uses their collective name. [Rabbi Reichman citing Yeshaya 40:26] When He wants to talk to a specific star, He calls that star by its individual name. [Rabbi Reichman citing Tehillim 147:4]
This is symbolic of the Jews as a people. We each have a dual role. We are part of the collective of Am Yisrael and, in that sense, we have one shared name: B’nei Yisrael… Within this shared identity, we also have personal roles — one’s individuality and unique experiences, Each person has his individual name. According to Chassidus, the name a person receives is really G’d-given. Even though children are normally named by their parents, the parents receive a sort of prophecy, as the name they give defines the character of the child.
Every Jew functions both as an individual…, and as part of the collective… We have many Mitzvot that we perform on our own…. There are also Mitzvot that we do as a nation. Settling the Land of Israel and appointing a Jew as Melech Yisrael are among national Mitzvot.
Shem Mishmuel explains that each individual person is tested by the challenges of life. Avraham had ten major challenges. Life is a series of challenges. One should look at life as a spiritual battlefield on which one must wage war against the evil side that is trying to defeat us. In this battle, we know that courage and bravery are critically important. Before a battle, a special Kohen would speak to the soldiers. He would tell them, “Don’t let your hearts become weak.” [Rabbi Reichman citing Sefer Devarim, Perek 20:3] In battle, you must be strong in your mind and convinced of your might, right and ability to win. Someone who is fainthearted and afraid will be easily defeated, as Chazal say: “…once you start running away, you have already lost the war.” [Rabbi Reichman citing Gemara Sota 44b]
“Raise up the heads of the B’nei Yisrael.” [Rabbi Reichman renders to English Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 1, posuk 2] This is the phrase the Torah uses to express the counting. The intended message is to conduct a head count. However, the literal meaning of the words is also true — to lift them up, to give them a sense of pride. The Midrash says that there is a hidden an paradoxical message hinted to in this phrase. It means to “lift up their heads, to give each person a good feeling and recognize him. But this very phrase can also mean to hang someone, to kill him.
The Midrash says that pride hides a great danger…. Jewish pride is precious and important. But pride can make a person haughty, vain and spoiled. This is a sensitive point. The Torah has tremendous respect and value for each individual, each of whom is supposed to feel pride and use the ensuing sense of self-worth for good things. One is supposed to say, “The world was created for me” [Rabbi Reichman citing Gemara Sanhedrin 37a], to take the whole world and use it. But we shouldn’t let this go to our heads. Each person needs this sense of self-worth to win the battle against evil. But the danger is that it can lead to the false pride of ga’ava — vanity and egoism [and we could add arrogance]. There are terrible consequences of the sin of vanity. When people pursue honor, they may destroy others in order to attain that honor.
What is the solution to achieving a proper balance between self-worth and vanity? The Shem Mishmuel explains that one should recognize that he is Hashem’s messenger. The individual is important because Hashem made him important, When one thinks of Hashem and of one’s self, then he will have a sense of… the annulment of self, which will create the proper balance.
This is how everyone can become a soldier… in the battle to bring the light of Torah and Mitzvot into the world.
There is a famous statement of the Maggid of Mezritch. When describing the experience of Matan Torah, Moshe said, “I stood between you and Hashem at Sinai.” [Rabbi Reichman citing Sefer Devarim, Perek 4, posuk 5] The Maggid said that the concept of “anochi” — too much pride — stands between us and Hashem.
We must be confident and brave in our battle against evil. We must be stubborn and steadfast to defeat evil all the way to the very end, and simultaneously be cognizant of our total insignificance in relation to Hashem. When we keep both of these in mind, we can be victorious in this great battlefield called life.
May it be that our leadership, both governing and IDF high command echelons come to achieve the correct balance between one’s self-worth and pride — aka humility toward each other and toward subordinates, B’Ezrat Hashem!
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators, Iran and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see, with Operation Roaring Lions — the joint action by our Chayalim and the United States against the Mullahs of what has been the Islamic Caliphate dictatorship controlling Iran, that Islam and its barbarous terrorist tentacles of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, as well as Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan and all who seek war against the Jews be totally eradicated, both in Israel’s neighborhood, as well as internationally, B’Ezrat Hashem. May we see a government of Israel secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Ezrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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