Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב Boker Tov, and חודש טוב Chodesh Tov, a good חודש chodesh to all. Should be a month filled with blessing and health and happiness and success and peace and only good things. Our פרשה parsha series is generously sponsored by our dear friends Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of דוד בן מנחם מנש Dovid ben Menachem Manes, of David Grossman. A big thank you to them. This morning's שיעור shiur is also sponsored by Robin and Russell in the merit of שבועות Shavuos. Hashem help the Jewish people spread light. And by the Summers family in loving memory of הדסה Hadassah's father, משה בן צלם Moshe ben Tzalem, on his שלושים shloshim. May his נשמה neshama have an עליה aliyah. Thank you to all of our generous sponsors. Also, I want to continue to remind those who have not yet signed up for our one-and-one campaign. Dollar a day of giving, צדקה tzedaka, BRS are not recipients, and a minute a day of learning. There've been beautiful דברי תורה divrei Torah coming from around the world. One minute a day posted in a WhatsApp group, one dollar a day in the merit of אסתי מוסקוביץ Esti Moskowitz, Rabbi and Rabbanit Moskowitz's young daughter who's in need of a רפואה שלמה refuah shleimah. We're doing all that we can. Everyone's always saying, what can we do for the Moskowitzes? What can we do for Esti? A dollar a day you could do. A minute a day of learning you can do. You can sign up easily brsonline.org/the number one, A-N-D, number one. brsonline.org/number one A-N-D one and one. If you're not yet signed up, sign up right now while we're learning, while we're speaking, while we're discussing the פרשה parsha, that is something that we can all do.Okay, we have the privilege of learning and reading פרשת במדבר Parshas Bamidbar. We're on to a new book. We are up to the fourth book of the Torah. I don't know how that happened. It feels like we just began בראשית Bereishis. It was just שמחת תורה Simchas Torah. I'm not sure how that happened. וידבר השם אל משה במדבר סיני Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe b'midbar Sinai, באהל מועד b'ohel moed. Torah tells us here that God spoke to Moshe, and though we've been having an ongoing conversation since the book of שמות Shemos between God and Moshe, nevertheless the Torah feels the need to reorient us and tell us that where did this happen? במדבר סיני B'midbar Sinai, in the wilderness of Sinai, באהל מועד b'ohel moed, in the tent of meeting. There's a very powerful lesson here about צניעות tznius, about the privacy of the conversation that Hashem and Moshe were having. The notion that not everything needs to be exposed and revealed and shared, not everything needs to be posted and linked and promoted and sponsored and hyperlinked and every other tool at our disposal. באהל מועד B'ohel moed, some things are done in privacy, some things are done quietly. באחד לחודש השני b'echad l'chodesh hasheini, it happened on the first of the second month, בשנה השנית bashanah hasheinis, in the second year, לצאתם מארץ מצרים l'tzeisam mei'eretz Mitzrayim, when they were leaving Egypt. So now that we have this orientation in time and in space, we know when it happened, and we know where it happened, לאמר leimor. Now we get to what God told Moshe to do. Why do we mention where? Why are we mentioning במדבר b'midbar?So there's a מדרש midrash. We've discussed this מדרש midrash previously. The מדרש midrash says, למה במדבר סיני lama b'midbar Sinai? Why are we reorienting? Why is it telling us where? We don't know by now they're in the desert? We don't know that they're spending 40 years? למה במדבר Lama b'midbar... we don't know at least that they're there for now? מכאן שנו חכמים בג' דברים נתנה תורה Mikan shanu chachamim b'gimel devarim nitnah Torah. So from here we learn that the Torah was given with three elements. Torah was given and connected to three elements: באש b'aish, fire, במים b'mayim, water, ובמדבר u'v'midbar, and here the reference to the desert. למה נתנה בג' דברים הללו Lama nitna b'gimel devarim halalu? So why these three things? Why was the Torah given? Why do we care במדבר b'midbar? The desert, the dry desert, what do we care? So says the מדרש midrash, אלא מה אלו בחנם לכל באי עולם ela mah eilu b'chinam l'chol ba'ei olam, כך דברי תורה חנם kach divrei Torah chinam. שנאמר הוי כל צמא לכו למים She'ne'emar hoy kol tzamei l'chu l'mayim. וידבר השם אל משה במדבר Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe b'midbar. כל מי שאינו עושה עצמו כמדבר אינו יכול לקנות חכמה Kol mi she'eino oseh atzmo k'midbar, eino yachol liknos chachmah, והתורה v'haTorah. לכך נאמר במדבר סיני L'chach ne'emar b'midbar Sinai. So the מדרש midrash tells us that all three of these things what they have in common is they are a free commodity. They're an endless commodity. The desert is open, it's barren, it's available to anyone. Water, there are streams, there are rivers, there's rain. Not always, we דאווען daven for and need rain. When there's not rain, a lack of rain, of course it's an enormous crisis and challenge, but there's rain. And fire, as long as you can get a fire lit, you can light a fire from a fire from a fire, and fire is an endless resource as long as you can get the original fire lit. What the מדרש midrash is communicating to us is that just as these three commodities that were given to us, they are endless and they are boundless and they are not finite, so to the תורה הקדושה Torah hakdosha, our sacred and holy Torah, tap into it, enjoy it, it's available, it is בחנם b'chinam. It is a free commodity. There is no supply chain issue when it comes to Torah, and there is no inflation when it comes to the price of Torah. Torah is an endless supply for all who want it, who are thirsty for it, who yearn for it. Torah has no delivery challenge. And in fact, the Shulchan Aruch learns from here, it's a very fascinating question, that מה הוא בחנם אף אתה בחנם mah hu b'chinam af atah b'chinam. Just like the מדרש midrash references here that these three things were free and endless commodity, Torah was given, there was no charge at הר סיני Har Sinai. There was no turnstile, you didn't need to pay for a ticket, there was no charge to get into הר סיני Har Sinai. So מה הוא בחנם mah hu b'chinam, just like God gave us the Torah and it was free, he graciously and generously wanted to bestow it and make it available to us, אף אתה בחנם af atah b'chinam. There should not be charged for Torah classes. Torah personality should not take compensation. Which of course leads to the great question, uncomfortable if you're on this side of the desk. How is it that rabbis and teachers and educators and scholars and residents get paid? So הלכה'דיג halachically we have to come up with this legal loophole which is that we don't pay them for teaching Torah, you're not allowed to. מה הוא בחנם אף אתה בחנם Mah hu b'chinam af atah b'chinam. Just as God taught and shared freely, so too we share freely. It's not ours, it's his. And we are simply the mouthpiece, the conduit, we have to share it for free. So how do we get paid? Same question is asked by the way for physicians. We have more than 200 healthcare professionals in our shul, many more. So how do they get paid? How do doctors get paid? מה הוא בחנם אף אתה בחנם Mah hu b'chinam af atah b'chinam. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu heals for free, and we're supposed to imitate him, the finest form of flattery, and do it for free as well. How do rabbis and educators get paid? How do doctors get paid? So הלכה'דיג halachically we come up with this legal loophole called שכר בטלה s'char batala. We're not in fact paying them for teaching Torah or healing the sick. We're paying them for not taking another job. Meaning, I like to think that if I weren't a rabbi, I'd have a hedge fund, I'd be a real estate investor, I'd be a great lawyer, I'd be a great doctor, I'd making the closing argument for Johnny Depp. I'd be an enormous, I'd be making a ton of money. So I, how do I justify, I have to provide for my family, I have to pay the bills, how do I justify not taking an income from elsewhere? שכר בטלה S'char batala. I'm being paid to not take another job. Not being paid to teach Torah, that's not allowed. מה הוא בחנם אף אתה בחנם Mah hu b'chinam af atah b'chinam. Not being paid to teach. The doctor is not being paid to heal. מה הוא בחנם אף אתה בחנם Mah hu b'chinam af atah b'chinam. God healed for free, the doctor has to heal for free. So for what are we getting paid? שכר בטלה S'char batala. To not take another job. So that's the מדרש's midrash's first point, what these three have in common is they are commodities that when you can access them, they are endless. There is no supply chain, there is no inflation, there is no increased price, and the same is true for, the same is true for Torah. Same is true for Torah. So that is the, that is the מדרש midrash.There's a beautiful insight also, we saw the desert component. The מדרש midrash ended and says that a person has to עושה עצמו כמדבר oseh atzmo k'midbar. What does it mean to turn yourself into a desert? How does one turn themselves into a desert? So the beautiful קוצקער Kotsker. The קוצקער Kotsker says, what does it mean to turn yourself into a desert? What's the quality of a desert? So the קוצקער Kotsker says הפקר כמדבר hefker k'midbar. He gives two interpretations, he has many more. אם לא יעבוד בעצמו בארץ המדבר Im lo ya'avod b'atzmo b'eretz hamidbar, ימות ברעב yamus b'ra'av, כי אין שם מי שיתן לו ki ein sham mi sheyiten lo. כן מי שלא יגע התורה בעצמו Kein mi shelo yagea haTorah b'atzmo, מי ישעיהו mi yeshayahu. If a person is stuck in a desert, there is no הצלה hatzalah in the desert. There's no חברים chaverim in the desert. There is no one to call out to. 911 doesn't respond in the desert. If a person finds himself stuck or lost in the desert, whom does it rely upon exclusively their survival? Themselves. Of course, ultimately it's Hashem. One has to submit and surrender, one has to defer to Hashem. Of course, it's Hashem, but the person has to put in the effort, take the initiative. The person can't rely on others, delegate to others. Person has to realize, אין הדבר תלוי אלא בי ein hadavar talui ela bi. The matter lies and rests with me alone. I have to put in the effort, I have to take the initiative, I have to take ownership, I have to have drive, I have to have ambition. If I'm going to make it out of here alive, if I'm going to survive, there is no one coming to rescue me. There is no one coming to rescue me. So what does it require a person to do and to take? Personal responsibility. Personal ownership. Person has to take אחריות achrayus. Person has to take אחריות achrayus. So the קוצקער Kotsker says the same is true when it comes to Torah. A person has to turn themselves into הפקר hefker like a מדבר midbar. Person has to realize that when it comes to Torah, we have rabbis and we have teachers and we have sources of inspiration, but ultimately if I'm going to have a growth spurt, if I'm going to break through in my Torah, if I'm going to transform my life to being inspired, then I have to put in the effort, I have to take responsibility. I have to stop outsourcing my religiosity, stop outsourcing my spirituality, stop outsourcing and saying, if only I had a good חזן chazzan, if only the rabbi gave a good דרשה drasha, if only I sat next to somebody inspiring in shul, if only I had a good חברא chevra, if only I... It's easy to point the finger. But when you point the finger, there are three pointing back at you. אחריות Achrayus, there has to be a sense of אחריות achrayus, there has to be a sense of personal responsibility, of personal ownership. So says the קוצקער Kotsker, that's what it means הפקר כמדבר hefker k'midbar. If you're going to survive the desert, man up. If you're going to survive the desert, step up. You've got to take responsibility. It's the only way you'll survive. No one's coming to rescue you. Similarly when it comes to personal growth, when it comes to becoming the best version of ourselves, it has to be personal responsibility, personal ownership. Number two, שיחזיק עצמו וידע בנפשו שעדיין לא נגע בתורה sheyachzik atzmo v'yeda b'nafsho she'adayin lo naga baTorah, כמו שארץ המדבר לא נעבד ולא נזרע מעולם k'mo she'eretz hamidbar lo ne'evad v'lo nizra me'olam. What is a desert characterized by? When you talk about, when you think about a desert, a desert is a wasteland. A desert is barren. A desert is unplanted. There's nothing growing there. So similarly a person has to realize when it comes to Torah, I'm a blank slate. There is nothing. There's no preconceived notion. There's no preconceived attitude. I don't have all the answers. I'm not looking to impose or superimpose my values or my vision, the culture of the world I'm living in, and then to redefine and make Torah conform to my world, but rather my world is going to conform to Torah. I'm like a מדבר midbar. I'm a barren wasteland. I'm an empty blank slate. Torah, fill me up. Torah, write all over me. Torah, last week's פרשה parsha, אם בחוקותי תלכו im b'chukosai teleichu. The insight of the Alter Rebbe in לקוטי שיחות Likkutei Sichos, אם בחוקותי im b'chukosai, חקיקה chakika, not simply writing. When you write, you can erase what you wrote. When you engrave, it's there permanently. So the מדבר midbar, we have to be a blank slab, a blank slate, a blank whiteboard. Say Torah, come write all over me. Come mold me and shape me, engrave yourself on my heart. Form me into who I meant to be, a בן תורה ben Torah or a בת תורה bas Torah. Just like ארץ מדבר לא נעבד ולא נזרע מעולם eretz midbar lo ne'evad v'lo nizra me'olam, it was never worked and it doesn't have anything growing. וזו כוונת המדרש בוא במדבר חרבה, אמר כאן אני דורש אדם כדאי ראוי לשרוש שכינה V'zo kavanat ha'midrash bo b'midbar chareva, amar kan ani doresh adam k'dei ra'ui lishrosh shechina. The קוצקער Kotsker elaborates on this greatly, but this is what this beautiful collection of the Kotsker... this is what he collects from it. These two interpretations. What does it mean we have to transform ourselves into a מדבר midbar? Why is God speaking to Moshe specifically in the backdrop against the setting of the מדבר midbar? Why is he invoking that setting as part of the critical message that he's communicating? To motivate and inspire us to be a מדבר midbar. Number one, step up. Take responsibility. Just like the only way you could survive there. And number two, it's barren. It's empty. We have to make ourselves barren. We have to do a hard reset. Whatever virus is in our system, the virus maybe we've picked up in our youth, the virus by things we've been exposed to or taught, the virus of things that we watched or listened to, the virus of images or icons or ideas or ideals that we allowed to penetrate, hard reboot, hard reset, get rid of it like a מדבר midbar. A blank slate. Torah, you tell me what to think. You tell me how to behave. You tell me what is the vision, הקדוש ברוך הוא's Hakadosh Baruch Hu's blueprint for this, for this world. Okay.That is the קוצקער Kotsker. That is why דוקא במדבר dafka b'midbar, במדבר סיני b'midbar Sinai. Why that is why in the midbar. Then he goes on באהל מועד b'ohel moed. I referenced it before, but once I have the קוצקער Kotsker open, I might as well read it to you. במדרש עד שלא עמר אוהל מועד B'midrash ad shelo amar ohel moed, דבר עמו בסנה diber imo b'sneh. Until the אוהל מועד ohel moed was constructed, where did God speak to Moshe from? The סנה sneh. Remember the famous סנה sneh that was on fire but not being consumed? Moshe walked by it, no one else noticed. Why did no one else notice? הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to him, you know why I've chosen you? You know why you are the quintessential paradigmatic leader? You know why it's called תורת משה Toras Moshe in perpetuity? כי סר לראות Ki sar liros. You turned to see. Nobody else did. Everyone else kept walking. Do you know why they kept walking? Because they were texting. They were looking down, they were scrolling, they were following everyone else's life, forfeiting their own life because they were following everyone else's Instagram and Facebook and checking it all out and texting. Our head is so down all the time. We don't see הקדוש ברוך הוא's Hakadosh Baruch Hu's talking to us all the time. We don't hear him. We don't hear him. Cuz our head is down. So we don't pick up the signal because our head is down. Our head is down. So you have to lift your head to be able to pick up the signal. That bush that was on fire but not being consumed, anyone could have noticed it, but no one did. Moshe Rabbenu was unique. כי סר לראות Ki sar liros. So Hashem spoke to Moshe from the סנה sneh, not only then, but always until the אוהל מועד ohel moed was constructed, until the shul was built, until the Mishkan, the Beis Hamikdash. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke to Moshe from the סנה sneh, במדין b'Midyan, בסיני b'Sinai. כיון שעמד אוהל מועד K'eivan she'amad ohel moed, אמר יפה הוא הצניעות amar yafeh hu ha'tznius. Once the אוהל מועד ohel moed was built, the מדרש midrash tells us, Hashem says צניעות tznius is beautiful. שנאמר והצנע לכת עם אלוקיך She'ne'emar v'hatznei'a leches im Elokecha. One is supposed to go בהצנע b'hatznei'a. הרי הוא מדבר עמו באהל מועד Harei hu medaber imo b'ohel moed. So where did God speak to Moshe? Privately. וקשה, לא גם בסנה ובמדין היה דיבור בצניעות V'kashe, lo gam b'sneh u'v'Midyan hayah dibur b'tznius? כי רק משה שמע Ki rak Moshe shama. Even on those other venues, even though they were exposed, the סנה sneh was outdoors, and מדין Midyan was outdoors, and סיני Sinai is outdoors, but God spoke to Moshe in a way that only Moshe could hear. אלא בתחילה נשא השם יתברך קדושתו ישראל... אחרי כך כשעשו כאן משכן, אמר יפה הוא צניעות Ela b'tchila nasa Hashem yisborach kedushaso Yisrael... acharei kach k'she'asu kan Mishkan, amar yafeh hu tznius. צניעות היא דבר חשוב Tznius hi davar chashuv. מצניע חי בכולשהו Matznia chayei b'kolshehu. עד הצניעות בוודאי חשוב אצלו Ad ha'tznius b'vadai chashuv etzlo. כמו כן כפי מה שיחשב קדושה איש כל אחד ואחד K'mo kein k'fi ma she'yachshov kedusha ish kol echad v'echad, כן יתנו לו מן השמים kein yitnu lo min hashamayim. The קוצקער Kotsker says, you see, הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not live stream every conversation with Moshe. He didn't post it all online for everyone to see and to like and to follow and to friend and to share. There are things that are meant still to be private. We're living in a generation, in a time which there's overexposure. Overexposure. And there are things that are beautiful and worthy of sharing, there are things that we should maintain and keep private. We have to preserve and protect that sense of privacy. צניעות Tznius, צניעות tznius, now is not the time to define it, fascinating headline podcast this past week about צניעות tznius, but צניעות tznius is not about prudishness. It's not about covering up. צניעות Tznius is about protecting. The משנה mishna in שבת Shabbos that uses that language of מצניען matznian is talking about that which is the most valuable, that which we care about the most, we protect and we preserve. We don't expose and we don't share. There are things that we care about critically, they go in the safety deposit box, they go in a safe, they get locked up. When a person exposes and overexposes and gives access to anyone, it cheapens. All it does is cheapen everything. So the whole notion of צניעות tznius is not only when it comes to our body, but it's a mentality, it's an attitude. It's to not be ostentatious. Just because we have or just because we can doesn't mean we should. A person who's brilliant with a brilliant mind doesn't need the whole world to know that. Doesn't have to flex and share their brilliance in every room. That's a breach of צניעות tznius. It's a breach of צניעות tznius. Why? Hashem bestowed that brilliance upon them. Because just you have it doesn't mean you have to share it. It has to be reserved and preserved for the right setting, protected because that's its value. When it's overshared and overexposed, it becomes cheap. And let's just skip right to the end of the פרשה parsha, the last פסוק pasuk in the פרשה parsha. If you skip to the very end of the פרשה parsha, because along these same lines, we never get to the end of the פרשה parsha. It's a big, it's a big deal. The very end of the פרשה parsha, page 746. Special precautions the קהת Kohanim have to take. אל תכריתו את שבט משפחות הקחתים מתוך הלוים Al tachrisu es shevet mishpachos ha'kehasim mitoch ha'Leviim. וזאת עשו להם וחיו ולא ימותו בגשתם את קודש הקודשים V'zos asu lahem v'chayu v'lo yamusu b'gishtam es kodesh hakodoshim. We'll come back to this. This is what you need to do in order to live. The final פסוק pasuk of our פרשה parsha, פרק ד perek daled, chapter four, פסוק כ pasuk kaf. ולא יבאו לראות כבלע את הקודש V'lo yavo'u liros k'vala es ha'kodesh, ומתו v'meisu. They shall not come and look at the קודש kodesh. Why? It's a capital crime. They'll be put to death. They'll be put to death. The קהת Kohanim had been given the sole responsibility to protect these holy items, the holy כלים keilim of the משכן mishkan. And yet, they couldn't come in at will, they couldn't come in casually. They were forbidden to gaze upon them in an uncovered state. If they saw them while they were uncovered, they would die. They would die. Why this harsh punishment? So Rabbi Soloveitchik in the Rov of Chumash writes, when the ארון aron was removed, the לוים Leviim and the ישראלים Yisraelim were not to be present on the penalty of death. When the ארון aron was recovered by the פלשתים Plishtim, people of בית שמש Beis Shemesh died upon looking at the ארון aron. Hashem is the ultimate נסתר nistar. Hashem is the ultimate hidden one. A פסוק pasuk says Hashem descended in the cloud. When Moshe requested to see Hashem's countenance, Hashem refused. Whatever is holy must be concealed. It's the definition of holiness is to protect and keep it private and to keep it covered and not to expose. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu was צנוע tzanua. He didn't show his elbows and knees. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu was צנוע tzanua. He didn't dress provocatively. What does it mean הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu was צנוע tzanua? It means in order for something to be holy, it needs to be private. The more casual an attitude, the more exposed we keep something, the less holy it is. This concept writes the Rav applies to the human body as well. When we attempt to understand what motivated the חשמונאים Chashmonaim in their revolt against the Greeks, many invoke patriotism. However, patriotism is a relatively modern concept with its origin in the 18th century. The main reason for the rebellion was because Judaism hated nudity, and in Greece, nudity was an ideal. Roman and Greek clothing actually revealed more than was covered. We're living in Rome and Greece. Roman and Greek clothing revealed more than was covered. The Greeks looked upon the human body as aesthetically beautiful. And whatever is beautiful should be exposed. No reason for beauty to be hidden. Judaism on the other hand looked upon the human being, upon the body as sacred. The laws of burial including the preparation of the body for burial, as well as the laws of mourning, are nurtured by one principle, the human being, the human body is holy. Humanity itself is the source of holiness, of sanctity. To Judaism, whatever is sacred should be concealed, hidden from public view. So the Greeks said the human is aesthetically beautiful, aesthetic beauty should be revealed and exposed. Judaism said the human being is holy. And that which is holy only stays holy, remains holy when it's hidden. This idea extends to how we must treat the terminally ill. A person may have lost all consciousness lying near death in an irreversible coma. Such an eventuality expresses the absurdity of human life. Yet we have a maxim, קדושת הגוף לא פקעה kedushas ha'guf lo paka. The holiness of the body does not depart. If holiness is intrinsic to man, it can never be lost no matter the circumstance. The terminally ill, comatose patient may have lost everything we associate with humanity, but intellect and consciousness are not the source of man's holiness. He does not lose his sanctity as a human being. So our whole attitude towards the end of life, the terminally ill, is influenced by this attitude. Listen to what he ends with. From the time I was young, we've shared this part before, I learned to restrain my feelings and not to demonstrate what was happening in my emotional world. My father would say that the holier and more intimate the feeling, the more it should be concealed. There's a hidden curtain that separates between one's interior and exterior. And this the Rav originally commented on the פסוק pasuk in שמות Shemos about the פרוכת paroches, the dividing curtain between the קודש kodesh and the קודש הקדשים kodesh hakodoshim. There is a פרוכת paroches, a curtain that divided between the holy and the holy of holies. What location is more sanctified than the inner sanctum of one's emotional life? If all is going well, if one's heart overflows with happiness, he should reveal the deep interior of his soul to Hashem but not reveal to others lest the stranger profane his holy of holies. We have a קודש הקדשים kodesh hakodoshim, we have a holy of holies that are our inner thoughts. The moment that we share it... you know, not everything that we think needs to be posted. Not everything that we think needs a video. Not everything that we think needs a reel. There are things that are private, that are intimate. I would humbly submit that the enormous increase in crises in relationships and relationships that are failing is because the whole notion of intimacy, emotional intimacy, intellectual intimacy, even physical intimacy, is intimacy is the result of sharing something with someone that you don't share with everybody else. I'm confiding, I'm trusting, I'm investing, I have the trust in you that I'm willing to make myself vulnerable. I'm willing to expose myself, quite literally in physical intimacy, and metaphorically I'm exposed in emotional intimacy. I'm sharing with you a thought or an innermost feeling that I don't tell the world. I'm telling you about an experience or I'm sending you a picture of something that not everybody gets to see. But when you have a couple, when you have a marriage, when you have a friendship, in life in general, when you share everything with everyone, what's happened with intimacy? There is no intimacy left. There's nothing left to build upon with intimacy. And we're seeing this enormous breakdown. We're seeing this enormous breakdown. So the קוצקער Kotsker says, באהל מועד b'ohel moed, it's not just במדבר סיני b'midbar Sinai. Every דרשה drasha, every וורט vort, everyone talks about במדבר b'midbar. The book of במדבר Bamidbar, the Torah was given במדבר b'midbar. But the Torah goes on to tell us באהל מועד b'ohel moed. The קוצקער Kotsker says, because הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu, it's צניעות tznius, it's a private conversation. It's a private experience. Moshe didn't walk out of the אוהל מועד ohel moed and then post and text each time to a story, just met with Hashem again, flex, in the אוהל מועד ohel moed, listen to what he told me, check out this picture, the selfie I took, me and him. Look how cool I am. There are things that are צניעות tznius, that are צנוע tzanua. For there to be holiness, there has to be privacy. There has to be hiddenness. If there is no hiddenness, there is no holiness. There is no holiness. So צניעות tznius is not about covering up only physically. It's about an attitude and a mentality. And we're living in a very un-צנוע tzanua time, not just because like the Romans and the Greeks there's more exposed and covered in the clothing these days, but emotionally we're living in an un-צנוע tzanua time. In terms of ostentatiousness too, but emotionally, the overexposure of people's innermost thoughts and experiences and feelings is creating an incredibly immodest and non-intimate world, which people are struggling for that for that intimacy. So that's a full circle from the beginning of the פרשה parsha to the end. באהל מועד B'ohel moed is the צניעות tznius of the קוצקער Kotsker, to ולא יבאו v'lo yavo'u at the end of the פרשה parsha, the Rav's comment that even the קהת Kohanim, even those who were most acquainted, who were most comfortable and familiar with the holiness of the משכן mishkan and its כלים keilim, they too were precluded, they too were prevented. You can't gaze, you can't stare. You can't touch when you're not doing service. You have to keep a sense of boundary, of intimacy, of hiddenness, of holiness in order for it to be something which is elevated. פרק א פסוק ב Perek aleph, pasuk bais. Back to page 726, back to the beginning of the פרשה parsha.What was the לאמר leimor? So we know the background. It was in the מדבר midbar, the אוהל מועד ohel moed. We know the timing. It was the first of the second month in the second year. But what was the message? What did Hashem communicate? שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל למשפחותם לבית אבתם Se'u es rosh kol adas Bnei Yisrael l'mishpechosam l'veis avosam, במספר שמות כל זכר לגולגולתם b'mispar sheimos kol zachar l'gulgulosam. Take a census. It's time to take a count of the entire Jewish people according to their families, their father's household, by the number of the names, every male according to their head count. A census. And of course, we've discussed this, you can't learn פרשת במדבר Parshas Bamidbar without it. We've discussed this many times in the past, what seems to be a contradiction. Is it a name or a number? במספר שמות B'mispar sheimos. There's a contradiction between a name and a number. A name is specific, the individuality of the person, the uniqueness, the distinctiveness of them. A number is dehumanizing. A number is just a number. So which is it? Are you a name or a number? And we've spoken about the elements of both. We strive to be both. On the one hand, a number. On the one hand, we have a willingness to simply be a soldier in God's army. I don't need to stand out. I don't need to be individual recognition. I don't need my uniqueness to shine. I'm just a soldier. I just show up and I do your bidding, Hashem. I'm just your soldier here in this world. I'm comfortable and complacent being a number. But on the other hand, a name. On the other hand to say no, I'm a unique expression of Hashem in this world. I have a unique mission and purpose of why I'm here. And that blend between the two is what we're striving to achieve. Rav Moshe Feinstein, similarly in his דרש משה Darash Moshe. Rav Moshe Feinstein says that in this פסוק pasuk you could learn the loftiness and the greatness and the potential and the capacity of every Jew. שכהתורה רוצה לצאת בני כלל ישראל היא משתמשת בלשון חשיבות She'ka'Torah rotzah litz'os bnei klal Yisrael hi mishtameshes b'lashon chashivus. When the Torah talks about the census, the Torah talks about what is the number, what is the count of the Jewish people? What's the word that we use? שאו Se'u. What does שאו se'u mean? To lift. How do we count? By lifting up. שכל אחד מישראל נמנה על חשיבות ולא שצריך למנות She'kol echad mi'Yisrael nimna al chashivus v'lo she'tzarich limnos, אז הוא נקרא לשאת אותו oso nikra laseis oso. So what that means is that when you participated in the census, imagine, there's a knock at the door. The census taker comes, and doesn't just hand a form or doesn't just start entering on their iPad, how many people live in this house, what are their ages, what's your average annual income? You say, can I help you? And they say, yes, my name is so-and-so. You say, why are you here? They say, I've come to lift you up. I've come to elevate you. Come to lift me up, elevate me? How will you do that? Because I want to take a census. Imagine the person who answers the door. Imagine in the process of that census, by being counted, you're elevated. This is also an enormous challenge, this is why it's called parsha perspectives for our time, for today. There are parsha perspectives for today because this is another challenge in our time. People feel invisible. They feel inconsequential. By the way, it highly correlates with everything being posted online. If you spend your life following the life of others, if all you're doing is scrolling and streaming to see how everyone else is living, you say they have all the fame, they have all the public eye, they have all the, everybody's watching and looking. Me, I'm invisible, I'm inconsequential, I don't matter. I don't have so many friends or followers. The world doesn't know who I am. I must be nothing. I must have no value. We're living in a time of unprecedented mental health challenges. Unprecedented. And all the studies today show it highly correlates with the oversharing and the posting and the social media because people feel invisible, inconsequential, I don't make a difference. So Torah comes along and says, שאו את ראש בני ישראל se'u es rosh Bnei Yisrael. You know how you lift somebody's head? By telling them you count. You matter. You mean something. You make a difference. We don't measure a person's value or worth by how many friends or followers they have. We're here to make you feel counted. We're here to make you feel lifted. And Rav Moshe writes, וחישבות זו שווים כולם קטן כגדול v'chashivus zu shavim kulam katan k'gadol. When they knocked on Rav Moshe's door for the census and they knocked on some Oisvorf's door, they knocked on someone who's 80 or someone's eight, it doesn't matter. Someone who's great and somebody who's small. All those who are eligible obviously for the census. שכל בן ישראל חשוב בעצם מצאו She'kol ben Yisrael chashuv b'etzem mitza'o, והוא עלה למדרגות גבוהות v'hu alah l'madreigos gevohos. Because every Jew, every יחיד yid, every human is a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim. We have an inestimable potential and capacity. We are a manifestation and expression of Hashem in this world. We are unique. So lift your head. Stop hanging your head low. Stop carrying your head like it's so heavy. Stop looking down like you're worthless and invisible and you don't mean anything. Lift your head. Door to door. Moshe Rabbeinu, you'd pass in front of him and he'd say, you count, and you count, and you count. You're a name and you're a number. You're a soldier in the army of Hashem, but you have a name. נו Nu? What's your name? Who are you? Where are you from? Tell me about yourself. You count. You matter. The world is waiting for the difference that you and only you can make. לא לחנם קבעו חז\"ל שיקראו פרשת במדבר לפני חג השבועות Lo l'chinam kav'u Chazal she'yikre'u parshas Bamidbar lifnei Chag HaShavuos. Said Rav Moshe, it's not a coincidence that we read this פרשה parsha, we read במדבר Bamidbar right before שבועות Shavuos, you know why? Because ישנם שמתרחקים מלימוד התורה מתוך מחשבה שגם ממילא לא יגיעו למדרגה גדולה בתורה yeshnam she'mitrachkim milimud haTorah mitoch machshava shegam mimela lo yagiu l'madrega gedola baTorah. Many people come to the holiday of שבועות Shavuos and they say, קבלת התורה Kabalas HaTorah, receiving the Torah? I can barely break my teeth on רש\"י Rashi script. I barely know anything. Do you know my background? Do you know how limited my education is? I have ADD, I can't sit still. My memory, I don't remember what we said yesterday. So there's no room for me in תורה Torah. There's no space for me. It doesn't matter if I learn. It doesn't make a difference if I observe or if I keep. Who am I? I'm a failure. Every time I try to live an inspired תורה Torah life, I fail and flop right on my face. So why bother? What's the point? Says רב משה Rav Moshe, we read this right before שבועות Shavuos. שאו את ראש כל עדת Se'u es rosh kol adas. Raise the head of all of every member of the Jewish people. And how do we raise our head? We count. Take a census. Take a census. Every one of you passed before משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu and the גדולי ישראל gedolei Yisrael of the time and they'd say, you count, and you count, and you count. נו Nu? I'm going to count you by your number, you're an army, you're in the soldier in the army. Tell me, what's your name? What's your name? What's your name? So we count. And that's why counting in כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael is called שאו se'u, to lift. We lift the head of those who are counted. רב נחמן Rav Nachman Eineger, רב נחמן Rav Nachman has something beautiful to say about this too.Here we have another census. Even though we just counted those who left Egypt. פעם נוספת נצטווה משה למנות את בני ישראל, לאחר שכבר נספרו בצאתם ממצרים Pa'am nosafes nitztaveh Moshe limnos es Bnei Yisrael, l'achar she'kvar nispru b'tzeisam m'Mitzrayim. Even though we were counted when we left מצרים Mitzrayim, שאמר לדעת נו she'amar lada'at, nu, what are we working with here? How many do we have? How many will be traveling with us? How many kosher meals do we have to order? ואחר המגפה שבאה בעקבות חטא העגל V'achar ha'magefa she'ba b'ikvos chet ha'egel, and counted after the horrific mistake of the חטא העגל chet ha'egel. הספירה נעשית לאחר הקמת המשכן, שבא הקדוש ברוך הוא להשרות שכינתו בעם ישראל Ha'sfira na'aseis l'achar hakamas ha'mishkan, she'ba HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'hashros shchinaso b'am Yisrael. And now there's another counting after the inauguration of the משכן Mishkan. The משכן Mishkan is up and running, the משכן Mishkan was established, and השם Hashem says, how many? Let's lift the head. And רש\"י Rashi says, why are we counting again? Why are we counting again? מתוך חיבתן לפניו מונה אותם כל שעה Mitoch chibasan l'fanav moneh osam kol sha'ah. Because you count what you love. You count what you love. How many אייניקלאך ainiklach? How many אור-אייניקלאך ur-ainiklach? How many grandchildren, great-grandchildren? You count. They're precious. You love, you count, you review. Some people count their money over and over and over again. have less to count these days. We need the stock market to go back up. Some people count their Bitcoin. Doesn't take them long these days. But they people count. People count how many RBIs. How many RBIs Aaron Judge? How many home runs he has, what he's on pace to get. People count what they love. What does הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu love? Us. Sometimes we count even though we know, but the process of counting, the exercise of counting, is in itself an expression of love. השם Hashem knows the answer to this census. השם Hashem is infinite, omnipotent, all-knowing, all-being. He could just give the number to משה Moshe. Why do we have to go through the exercise? Because השם Hashem loves us and he wants us to love one another, to count one another, and to remember that we count. כמו אדם שמונה את אוצרותיו החביבין עליו K'mo adam she'moneh es otzrosav ha'chavivin alav. We count what we love. So why is it important what one wonders, רב נחמן Rav Nachman? מדוע חשוב כל כך למנות את בני ישראל? מה זה משנה אם יש קצת יותר או קצת פחות יהודים? Madua chashuv kol kach limnos es Bnei Yisrael? Mah zeh meshaneh im yesh k'tzas yoser o k'tzas pachos Yehudim? A few more Jews, a few less Jews. What do we need an exact number? We need an exact number? I get all the time. How many members in BRS? How many members in your שול shul? Give or take, plus or minus. Do we have to give the exact number each time I got to go on ShulCloud and look up how many members in good standing today? How many have paid? Members, associate members, friends of BRS, BRS Global, how do you calculate? So what does it matter? Just give, you know, more or less, plus or minus, rounded out. Does it really matter? זו שאלה שיכול לשאול רק מי שאינו מבין את חשיבותו של כל יהודי Zu she'eila she'yachol lish'ol rak mi she'eino mevin es chashivuso shel kol Yehudi. Says רב נחמן Rav Nachman, you can only ask that question. It's like saying, how many children do you have? I don't know, plus or minus seven. Around, give or take, give or take a few. Every child is precious. Each one is a gift from above, never to be taken for granted. What a ברכה bracha in life. Comes from רב נחמן Rav Nachman. רב נחמן Rav Nachman writes in ליקוטי מוהר\"ן Likkutei Moharan, חלק א' סימן ל\"ד chelek aleph, siman lamed daled, שיש בכל יהודי נקודה טובה שאין בחבירו sheyesh b'chol Yehudi nekuda tova she'ein b'chaveiro. Every Jew is unique. Every Jew is distinct. Every Jew is an individual. The world never saw anyone like him or her till he came here or she came here. And the world never again will have someone like them. We're each a צלם אלוקים Tzelem Elokim. God is infinite, and the way he can manifest himself or express himself are infinite possibility. And we human beings are each a unique expression of him. Unique expression. ותפקידו להוציאו מכח אל הפועל U'tafkido l'hotzi'o mikoch el hapoal. Our job, our mission, like we've said many times, the רמח\"ל Ramchal, beginning of מסילת ישרים Mesillas Yesharim, שחובתו של האדם בעולמו shechovaso shel ha'adam b'olamo, our job, our mission is why am I here? What was the world waiting for me to contribute? And what can I and I alone give that no one else can? That if I don't do it, the world will be bereft, it'll be void, it'll be absent what I meant to do, who I meant to be, the difference I meant to make. ולא רק שיש לו נקודה טובה כזאת, אלא שעליו לדעת שאין יכול לקחת זאת ממנו V'lo rak she'yesh lo nekuda tova kazos, ela she'alav lada'as she'ein yachol lakachas zos mimeno. And we need to know that there is no competition, and there is no comparison. And whoever I meant to be, whatever difference I meant to make, nobody could take that away. Nobody could do it instead. איש אינו יכול לבטל את קיומו של נקודה טובה הזאת וגם לא לעשות בדיוק כמוהו Ish eino yachol l'vatel es kiyumo shel nekuda tova hazos v'gam lo la'asos b'diyuk k'mohu. Nobody can do it exactly the way I do. We're each unique, we're each distinct, the world is waiting for us, and that's why השם Hashem counts us. That's why he counts us. Just to skip here to the end because a lot more to cover. באותה שיחה אומר רב נחמן B'osa sicha omer Rav Nachman. So רב נחמן Rav Nachman said, שיחות הר\"ן, סימן צ\"א Sichos HaRan, siman tzadi aleph, שסגולה להתמדה בתורה, לא לדבר על יהודי אחר She'sgula l'hasmada b'Torah, lo l'daber al Yehudi acher. You know what a סגולה sgula is to learn? We have all kinds of סגולות sgulos and shortcuts that people subscribe to. A little שליסל חלה chlesel challah, a little רויט בענדל red bendel, a little this, a little פטום הקטורת pitum haktoras from a קלף klaf, a little, everybody has all their סגולות sgulos and shortcuts and superstitions. רבי רב נחמן Rebbe Rav Nachman said, you know what the סגולה sgula is to learn בהתמדה b'hasmada? You want to break through and succeed in your learning? You want to remember your תורה Torah? You want to be successful in learning? You know what the answer is? Never speak negatively about another Jew. Okay, it's virtuous, righteous. It's a very nice idea. It's a great goal to set. Don't speak negatively of another Jew. What does that have to do with learning תורה Torah? What does that have to do with learning תורה Torah? Listen to this teaching by רב נחמן Rav Nachman. כי יש בתורה שישים ריבוא אותיות כנגד שישים ריבוא שורשי נשמות ישראל Ki yesh baTorah shishim ribo osios k'neged shishim ribo shorshei nishmos Yisrael. We have a tradition that there are 600,000 letters in the תורה Torah that correspond with the 600,000 Jewish souls. וכשמדברים רע על יהודי, כאילו מוחקים אות אחת מספר תורה U'keshe'medabrim ra al Yehudi, k'ilu mochakim os achas mi'sefer Torah. When you speak negatively of a fellow Jew, you have erased their letter from your תורה Torah. וכל הספר נהיה פסול V'chol ha'sefer nihe pasul. So if every, means every Jew is a letter in the תורה Torah. The תורה Torah that is the word of השם Hashem, the diary of השם Hashem. That תורה Torah that is the blueprint for creation of השם Hashem. Every איד yid, every Jew is a letter in that תורה Torah. That's why we have a מנהג minag. When we lift the תורה Torah, הגבהה hagbah, you're supposed to look at the תורה Torah. There's no source for pointing, but there is a source for bending. And there's a tradition that's brought down by great kabbalists to find your letter in the תורה Torah. You're supposed to not look at the back of the תורה Torah. You're supposed to bow, וזאת התורה v'zos haTorah, when you can see the actual text of the תורה Torah and find your letter. Find your letter. If there's the מנהג minag to point, to point. Pinky, your forefinger, whatever you want to point with. And find your letter and say, that's me. There's room in the תורה Torah for me. I matter, I make a difference in תורה Torah in this world. I have space in תורה Torah. תורה Torah welcomes me. תורה Torah makes me feel comfortable. תורה Torah invites every Jew. No matter how great, no matter how big, no matter how small, no matter how perfect or imperfect, there's a room in the תורה Torah for me, for my letter. Every Monday, Thursday and שבת Shabbos, during הגבהה hagbah, when we see our letter in that תורה Torah, it reminds us and it strengthens us and it gives us חיזוק chizuk, that the תורה Torah speaks to me and the תורה Torah welcomes me and makes space for me, and that I have something to contribute in תורה Torah. But what happens, says רב נחמן Rav Nachman? If you speak about a fellow Jew, you know what you've done? You've erased their letter from your תורה Torah. So what happens when you learn תורה Torah? It's an incomplete learning. Your תורה Torah is פסול pasul. Can you read from a תורה Torah that's missing a letter? If a letter is missing, if a letter is incomplete, the תורה Torah is פסול pasul. So when I speak of a fellow Jew and I erase their letter, I've made my תורה Torah פסול pasul. So my learning now is corrupt. And that's why a סגולה sgula for learning, you want התמדה hasmada in תורה Torah, then never speak negatively of another Jew. Keep your תורה Torah כשר kosher. Keep all their 600,000 letters in. Give every Jew space in your world, in your life. Let them realize they have a room in the תורה Torah. Don't erase their letter or else you make the whole תורה Torah פסול pasul. So that's why the census matters. That's why the census is שאו ראש se'u rosh with משה Moshe, we're lifting the head. רב נחמן Rav Nachman, we don't say give or take, rounded out, but every איד yid, every Jew, every Jew matters, every Jew makes a difference.פרק א', פסוק י' Perek aleph, pasuk yud. Whom did we not count? פרק א', פסוק י' Perek aleph, pasuk yud. והיו לי הלוים V'hayu li haLeviim. Moving along. והיו לי הלוים V'hayu li haLeviim. The לויים Leviim were not included in the census, which is not פסוק י' pasuk yud. Where is פסוק י' pasuk yud? Where's והיו לי הלוים V'hayu li haLeviim? I got the wrong פסוק pasuk here, but I'll tell you the דבר תורה Dvar Torah anyway. You'll have to take my word that there's a פסוק pasuk. והיו לי הלוים V'hayu li haLeviim. Says the מדרש Midrash, מדרש רבה Midrash Rabba. עיני בנאמני ארץ, הם שבט לוי, ולא כל ישראל, כי לא היו נאמנים בעבודתם, ולכן לא מסר להם השם יתברך עבודת הקודש, כי לא נאמן את השם רוחם Einai b'ne'emnei eretz, hem shevet Levi, v'lo kol Yisrael, ki lo hayu ne'emanim b'avodasam, v'lachen lo masar lahem Hashem Yisborach avodas ha'kodesh, ki lo ne'eman es Hashem rucham. The מדרש Midrash says something astounding. The מדרש Midrash is something incredible. The מדרש Midrash says, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu puts his eye, the לויים Leviim are not counted among everybody else. לויים Leviim have their own independent, private census. They are not included with the other tribes, with the other members of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael. Why not? Why aren't they included? What did the לויים Leviim not participate in? חטא העגל Chet ha'egel. The לויים Leviim sat it out. They watched from afar. They said this is a mistake, this is a bad idea, don't do this. You've miscalculated. You miscalculated when משה Moshe is going to return and you've miscalculated what you're doing by now building this עגל egel. Don't do it. It's a big, big mistake. It's a big, big mistake. So the מדרש Midrash says, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, my eyes, you know who I look at? You know who I look to? You know who I admire? You know who I count on? You know who I count and cherish? שבט לוי Shevet Levi, and not all of Jewish people. You know why? They were trustworthy. Because they were trustworthy and because they came through. They were trustworthy and they came through. When the rest of you failed me, when you saw me being distorted, when you saw a violation, a חילול השם chillul Hashem, you sat by and you participated. But the לויים Leviim, they protested, they refused. The great רב ירוחם ליוואוויץ Rav Yeruchem Levovitz, the משגיח Mashgiach of מיר Mir, in his דעת חכמה ומוסר Daas Chochmah u'Musar, he writes, איך לא תותה עלינו אימה ופחד Eich lo tuta aleinu eima v'fachad. How is it possible not to be overwhelmed with אימה ופחד eima v'fachad, with fear, בלמדנו פרשיות אלו במדבר ונשא b'lomdeinu parshios eilu b'Midbar v'Naso, when you learn these two פרשיות parshios, שכלל ישראל איבדו לעולם עולמים זכותם לעשות עבודת הקודש She'Klal Yisrael ibdu l'olam olamim z'chusam la'asos avodas hakodesh. The בכור bechor, the firstborn were replaced with the לויים Leviim. Really the service in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash was supposed to be done by the firstborn of every family, the בכור bechor had the position of distinction. But they were replaced, they were fired, and they were replaced by the לויים Leviim. And the לויים Leviim instead got that great position, that great job, that great mission. Why? Because they protested. Because they stood up. When השם's Hashem's name was being desecrated, they weren't passive and they didn't participate, but they protested. רב ירוחם Rav Yeruchem would read these פרשיות parshios and they'd say, נעבעך nebach, woe unto us, look what we lost out on. Look who we could have been, look at what we could have done, look at the position we could have had. אלא מה Ella ma, what happened? We failed. We failed. So שבט לוי shevet Levi are called the נאמני ארץ ne'emanei eretz. They are the trustworthy. They are the ones that הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu can trust. They're the ones he show up. And that's what this פרשה parsha challenges us to ask ourselves, are we in השם's Hashem's inner cabinet? Can he rely on us? Can he trust us? Will we show up? We're also living in a world where the חטא העגל chet ha'egel is all around us. There are distortions of השם's Hashem's name. There are חילול השם chillul Hashem, desecrations of השם's Hashem's name. There are violation of השם's Hashem's blueprint for this world. So who are we like? Those who passively watch? Those who participate? Or are we like שבט לוי shevet Levi that were willing to protest? That were willing to protest. We're learning this now on Wednesday mornings in מסילת ישרים Mesillas Yesharim that the רמח\"ל Ramchal in the description of the מידה middah of חסידות chassidus, he says to be a חסיד chassid of השם Hashem is אוהבי השם שנאו רע oihavei Hashem sinu ra. Are you willing to be a קנאי kanai for השם Hashem? You have to be very careful. You can't just be a zealot. Very, very dangerous. You have to do it with the tremendous, tremendous supervision and support of גדולי ישראל gedolei Yisrael. You can't just be a קנאי kanai. But minimally you have to be disturbed on his behalf. The רמח\"ל Ramchal there writes, imagine you have a good friend who's being beaten. You have a good friend who's being cursed at, a friend is being bullied, you just stand there and watch? You don't intervene and interfere? You don't step up, step in and do something? You're obviously not a good friend. If you're a good friend, you couldn't tolerate it. If you're a good friend, you'd do something. So if you're a good friend to הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, if you care and love the רבונו של עולם Ribbono Shel Olam, then we can't watch passively. To step up and step in, you have to care and we have to make a difference. And that's what the מדרש Midrash describes, והיו לי הלוים v'hayu li haLeviim. היו לי הלוים Hayu li haLeviim. My לויים Leviim, the rest, you're good, but היו לי הלוים hayu li haLeviim. Where are my לויים Leviim? Where are my לויים Leviim who in that moment, that challenging moment, that crisis, they didn't fail, but they stood up and they passed the test and they were there for me.Let's move on to פרק ב', פסוק ב' Perek beis, pasuk beis. So now we have the detailed census. And then move over to the next chapter. Page 732. וידבר השם אל משה ואל אהרן לאמר Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe v'el Aharon leimor, איש על דגלו באותות לבית אבותם יחנו בני ישראל, מנגד סביב לאהל מועד יחנו Ish al diglo b'osos l'veis avosam yachanu Bnei Yisrael, mineged saviv l'ohel moed yachanu. The children of the Jewish people shall encamp, each by his banner according to the insignia of their father's household, at a distance surrounding the tent of the meeting, shall they encamp. Here we get to the camping. We were more like glamping. I don't think we were roughing it entirely. We're roughing it entirely in the מדבר midbar. But הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu came and it was not open seating. Again, also, we've learned פרשת במדבר Parshas Bamidbar many times, we had the privilege of discussing this, but we're offering some new insights today. It was not Southwest Airlines. I hate Southwest Airlines. I hate Southwest. I need to know where I'm sitting, am I going to have an aisle, a window, leg room? I'd like to know who I'm sitting next to. Southwest Airlines, I can't stand Southwest Airlines. No seat assignment. Okay, the bags. I'd rather know where I'm sitting. I'd like to know where I'm sitting. So the Jewish people were giving seating assignments. It was not Southwest Airlines. They were told by their tribe exactly where they were positioned, where they were meant to encamp, where they were meant to be. When we discussed this previously, we saw a beautiful piece by רב ירוחם Rav Yeruchem, by רב דסלר Rav Dessler, about the notion of סדר seder, of order. The value of order in our lives, of punctuality, of order, of organization. We can't be haphazard. You don't just figure it out, but order. This is the פרשה parsha of order. איש על דגלו באותות לבית אבותם Ish al diglo b'osos l'veis avosam. They each had their own logo, their own insignia, their own flag. We were meant to camp, be positioned where we were meant to be, and we didn't violate those boundaries. We kept that formation, and we encamped and we traveled in that formation because that formation was from above, it was divine. It made a difference, and it mattered, and it mattered. The מדרש Midrash here tells us something else. חיבה גדולה חיבב הקדוש ברוך הוא שעשה אותם דגלים כמלאכי השרת, כדי שיהיו ניכרים Chiba gedola chivev HaKadosh Baruch Hu she'asa osam d'galim k'malachei ha'shares, k'dei she'yihyu nikarim. קדושים וגדולים ישראל בדגליהם, וכל אומות מסתכלים בהם ואומרים, מה זו הנשקפה? אומרים להם, אומות העולם, שובי שובי ונחזה בך, כולנו בואו אצלינו, ואנו עושים אתכם שולטנים ואיגמונים דוכסים ואיפרכים, שובי שובי ונחזה בך. ישראל אומרים, מה תחזו בשולמית? וזו גדול, שהם יכולים אתם לעשות לנו כגדולה שעשה לנו אלוקים במדבר? דגל מחנה יהודה, מקיימנו, שהיה דגלם גדול וגדר ישראל, לכך נאמר איש על דגלו. K'doshim u'gedolim Yisrael b'digleihem, v'chol umos mistaklim bahem v'omrim, mah zu ha'nishkafa? Omrim lahem, umos ha'olam, shuvi shuvi v'nechezeh bach, kulanu bo'u etzleinu, v'anu osim eschem sholtanim v'igmonim duchsim v'ifarchim, shuvi shuvi v'nechezeh bach. Yisrael omrim, mah techzu ba'Shulamis? V'zu gadol, she'hem yecholim atem la'asos lanu k'gedula she'asa lanu Elokim ba'midbar? Degel machaneh Yehudah, m'kaymanu, she'haya diglam gadol v'geder Yisrael, l'chach ne'emar ish al diglo. It's a beautiful מדרש Midrash. And the מדרש Midrash here says that what happened? הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed a tremendous affection. הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed a tremendous love. Our שיעור shiur is being hacked online as we speak, so I'm trying to delete that. A חיבה גדולה chiba gedola, a great חיבה chiba that הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed that he gave these flags, he gave these insignias, like whom? Jewish people were jealous of the angels, the מלאכי השרת malachei ha'shares. The מלאכי השרת malachei ha'shares felt recognized, they felt visible. And here we're continuing with the theme that we began with of נשא את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל naso es rosh kol adas Bnei Yisrael, that we are lifting the heads of every member of the Jewish people, how? By telling them they matter, they make a difference and they count. And one of the ways that we feel we make a difference and we matter is that we don't blend together. We're not a bunch of penguins dressed in tuxedos at a wedding that are all wearing the same outfit. But everybody had their own color tie, everybody had their own logo, their own insignia. Everyone had their own individuality and their own expression. This was the חיבה chiba of רב ירוחם Rav Yeruchem says, כלל ישראל קינאו במלאכים שכל אחד ואחד יש לו תפקיד ושליחותו Klal Yisrael kinu b'malachim she'kol echad v'echad yesh lo tafkid u'shlichuso. Jewish people were jealous of the angels because every angel had a name and every angel had a mission and every angel had a purpose. So כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael said, we too don't want to blend together. Don't put me in a box, don't make us look or dress or act all the same. We each have our own personality and our own character. We each have our own assets and skills and talents and our own liabilities. הקדוש ברוך הוא מילא שאלתם ועשה להם דגלם HaKadosh Baruch Hu meilei she'elasan v'asam l'diglam. So because כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael expressed that envy of the angels and wanted to each be unique and distinct as well, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu said, I'll tell you what I'm going to give you, socks. It's a big thing now even among the ישיביש yeshivish, they're all black and white but socks, silly socks. That's how you'll distinguish yourself, the different funny, different colored socks. שזכו לצאת לגדולה ביותר, שכל אחד ואחד מישראל ניכר לפני עצמו, וקיבל ממנו פרטי תפקידו המדויק She'zachu l'tzeis l'gedula b'yoser, she'kol echad v'echad mi'Yisrael nikar lifnei atzmo, v'kibel mimeno pratei tafkido ha'meduyak. הקדוש ברוך הוא's HaKadosh Baruch Hu's answer was, I'm going to give you your own logo. I'm going to give you your own insignia. I'm going to give you your own sign. You will know the banner that you're fighting under. זו היתה שאיפתם Zeh hayta sh'ifasam. This was their aim, their goal. שכן ברגע שכל אחד ואחד יודע את תפקידו ומהותו, אין לו קנאה ושנאת חינם She'ken b'rega she'kol echad v'echad yodea es tafkido u'mahuso, ein lo kin'a v'sinas chinam. So how did this answer, though? How did this answer? They were jealous of the angels, they wanted their individuality. הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave them their logo and now they were satisfied. That took care of the tension? That took care of the competition, the מחלוקת machlokes between them? Why weren't they still envious of one another? So you know what the answer is? Says רב ירוחם Rav Yeruchem, what do you see from here? That when you discover who you're meant to be, then you're confident and capable and you're no longer competing with who someone else is. When someone is trying to be or compete or compare to somebody else, it means they're not confident in who they're meant to be. But the moment you have your logo, your insignia, your banner, your bumper sticker. The moment that you have your logo, the moment that you have you know who you're supposed to be, then you no longer need to care about who someone else is. You care about them because you love them, fellow member of the family, fellow member of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, but you're not competing or comparing. The people who are constantly trying to measure up to others, the people who are jealous or envious of others. I want that job, I want that spotlight, I want that position, I want that role. The people who are acting in that way, why? It's because they're not confident or comfortable in who they are. So הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu, that was really what he was answering them. Like the angels I'm giving you each logo means I'm assigning you your each mission. I'm telling you who you're meant to be and how you're meant to live. And when you know that and you can lean into that and you can fully embrace that and you can pursue that, then you'll no longer need to look around, you'll no longer need to measure up, you'll no longer need to compete and compare. That's what the משנה Mishna in אבות פרק ג' Avos Perek Gimmel. חביב אדם שנברא בצלם Chaviv adam she'nivra b'tzelem. The משנה Mishna says חביב chaviv, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu made us so precious, so beloved that we were created in his image. חיבה יתרה נודע לו שנברא בצלם Chiba yeseira noda lo she'nivra b'tzelem. It seems very redundant and that's what everybody asks on this משנה Mishna. This משנה Mishna in the third פרק perek of אבות Avos. חביב אדם שנברא בצלם Chaviv adam she'nivra b'tzelem, precious, beloved is man, all of humanity. תפארת ישראל Tiferes Yisrael, by the way, writes, doesn't say חביב ישראל Chaviv Yisrael. No. Is it that only Jews have a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim? But by the גוים goyim, people use that term so disparagingly, but by the non-Jews, are non-Jews who all human beings have a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim or only Jews? So תפארת ישראל Tiferes Yisrael on the משנה Mishna writes, note it says חביב אדם chaviv adam. Doesn't say חביב ישראל chaviv Yisrael. Doesn't say by the הייליגע אידן heilige yidden, they're built with a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim, and by the גוים goyim, they're a bunch of בהמות beheimos. The משנה Mishna does not say that. It says חביב אדם chaviv adam. That all human beings are created in the image of God. All human beings are expressions and manifestations of God in this world. And in that comment on אבות Avos, the great תפארת ישראל Tiferes Yisrael writes, and he starts to quote all these non-Jewish brilliant people who made contributions that benefited the entire world, including for Jews. In medicine, and in technology, and astronomy, and science, he lists all these people. חביב אדם Chaviv adam, not חביב ישראל chaviv Yisrael. But anyway, the question begs itself, why the redundancy or repetitiveness? חביב אדם שנברא בצלם, חיבה יתרה נודע לו שנברא בצלם, שנאמר כי בצלם אלוקים עשה את האדם. Chaviv adam she'nivra b'tzelem, chiba yeseira noda lo she'nivra b'tzelem, she'ne'emar ki b'tzelem Elokim asa es ha'adam. Man was created incredibly in the image of God. And חיבה יתרה נודע chiba yeseira noda, there was another חיבה chiba, another affection that man was told he was created in the image. So why the redundancy? לפי דברי המדרש מובן היטב L'fi divrei ha'Midrash muvan heitev. Said רב ירוחם Rav Yeruchem, now we understand. שמלבד החביבות של האדם שנברא בצלם She'milvad ha'chavivus shel ha'adam she'nivra b'tzelem, in addition to the very fact that we were created in the image of God, meaning unique and distinct and individually, חיבה יתרה נודע לו chiba yeseira noda lo, there's another layer of affection, שהודיעו לו את הצלם אלוקים שלו she'hodi'u lo es ha'tzelem Elokim shelo. One thing is to be unique and distinct, another is to merit to know our uniqueness and our distinctiveness. To know that every human being is different and distinct, we each have a unique mission and purpose, that's incredible. But to discover what it is, that's a whole other level. And that's why the משנה Mishna is not redundant. The first layer, the first level is just know that הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu did not make any two people the same. Each is a unique manifestation, each is a unique expression of godliness in this world. Know that. Know that you're precious, you're חביב chaviv, because everyone is a unique manifestation, a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim in the image of God. But there's another חיבה יתרה נודע לו chiba yeseira noda lo, there's another layer, and what is that? To know what your individuality is. What's your mission? What's your purpose? Why are you here? Why are you here? Who was it, Mark Twain who said the two most important days in a person's life are the day that they're born and the day they discover why. Two most important days in a person's life are the day they're born and the day they discover why. That's what this משנה Mishna means. חביב אדם שנברא בצלם Chaviv adam she'nivra b'tzelem is the day you're born. חיבה יתרה נודע לו Chiba yeseira noda lo is the day that you discover why. The day you discover why. And that's the significance of איש על דגלו ish al diglo. Each of us having our own sign, our own insignia, our own logo. What we wanted like the מלאכים malachim and what the nations were jealous of was our understanding, our mission, our purpose. Because once you have, once you can, you don't have to look around. You don't have to compete or compare. You could simply live your life with drive and ambition to pursue uniquely who you're meant to be, who you're meant to be. And there's nothing more gratifying. פרק ג' Perek gimmel. Flying here. Moving right along. פרק ג', פסוק א' Perek gimmel, pasuk aleph. אלה תולדות אהרן ומשה ביום דבר השם את משה בהר סיני Eileh toldos Aharon u'Moshe b'yom diber Hashem es Moshe b'Har Sinai. These are the children, the progeny of אהרן Aaron and משה Moshe on the day השם Hashem spoke with משה Moshe at הר סיני Har Sinai. ואלה שמות בני אהרן V'eileh shmos Bnei Aharon. We just introduced it by saying these are the children of, who? ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Adonai Elokeinu Melech ha'olam shehakol nihiye bidvaro. We introduced it by saying these are the children of אהרן Aaron and משה Moshe. And then we list the children of אהרן Aaron. What happened? Why did we say these are the children of אהרן Aaron and משה Moshe, only to list the children only of אהרן Aaron? What happened to the children of משה Moshe? זאגט רש\"י Zakte Rashi. Comes along רש\"י Rashi and says, אינו מזכיר אלא בני אהרן, ונקראו תולדות משה eino mazkir ela Bnei Aharon, v'nikre'u toldos Moshe. The children of אהרן Aaron are called the children of משה Moshe, why? שלמדם תורה She'limdam Torah. He taught them תורה Torah. מלמד Melamed. What do you see from here? שכל המלמד את בן חברו תורה, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו ילדו She'kol ha'melamed es ben chaveiro Torah, ma'aleh alav ha'kasuv k'ilu yelado. If you teach your friend's child תורה Torah, you have given birth to them. They are born to you. You've given birth to them. Why? Because a person's physical, genetic, biological parents, they give them life in this world. But a person who teaches תורה Torah gives us life in the world to come, in the next world. Biological parents give us physical life in this physical temporary world. But those who teach us תורה Torah, they give us immortality. They give us life forever. Not חיי שעה chayei sha'ah but חיי עולם chayei olam. They give us life and they give us world forever. Why does it say כאילו ke'ilu? כל המלמד את בן חברו תורה, כאילו ילדו Kol hamelamed es ben chaveiro Torah, ke'ilu yelado. It's as if he gave birth. It's as if he gave birth. So רב דסלר Rav Dessler quotes the אלתר מקלם Alter of Kelm, אין כוונת חז\"ל כאילו במובן של משל בלבד Ein kavanas Chazal ke'ilu b'muvan shel mashal bilvad. It doesn't mean that he didn't really give birth, it's only as if. כי לפי האמת האמיתי, לידה רוחנית היא הרבה יותר מלידה גשמית Ki l'fi ha'emes ha'amiti, leida ruchanis hi harbeh yoser mil'eida gashmis. The truth is giving birth spiritually is more real than giving birth physically. It's even more real. So we don't mean על דרך משל al derech mashal, כאילו ke'ilu it's as if. A person who taught us תורה Torah, who gave us our soul back, who lights it on fire, who gives us eternity, immortality, has actually given birth to us. So why does it say כאילו ke'ilu? Why does it say כאילו ke'ilu? חז\"ל Chazal use the term כאילו ke'ilu, said the אלתר מקלם Alter of Kelm, כי האדם לא ישיג בנקל את חשיבות הזו Ki ha'adam lo yasig b'nakal es chashivus hazu. ובאמת רבה הרוחני הוא הרבה יותר, כמו שמפורש בגמרא U'v'emes raba ha'ruchni hu harbeh yoser, k'mo she'meforash ba'Gemara. Really the כאילו ke'ilu is in the other direction. The כאילו ke'ilu is that whoever gave birth to you physically is only כאילו ke'ilu giving birth. The greatest birth, the ultimate birth, the most authentic birth, the most lasting birth, the most real birth is the birth of those who give us the world to come. And that's the גמרא Gemara in בבא מציעא Bava Metzia teaches, ל\"ג lamed gimmel. What happens? אבידת אביו ואבידת רבו Aveidas aviv v'aveidas rabo. Your father and your רבי rebbe both lost an item. Whose do you go find first? Your father and your רבי rebbe each ask you for a glass of water. Whom do you bring a water to first? You're having your רבי rebbe over for dinner with your father and time to bring a bowl of soup, who do you serve first? Says the גמרא Gemara, אבידת רבו קודמת aveidas rabo kodemes. שאביו הביאו לחיי עולם הזה, ורבו הביאו לחיי עולם הבא She'aviv hevi'o l'chayei olam hazeh, v'rabo hevi'o l'chayei olam haba. Because you give your רבי rebbe first, and you save your רבי rebbe first, and you return your רבי's rebbe's lost item first. Why? Because your father gave you life in this world but your רבי rebbe gave you life in the world to come. מורנו רב בערל שכטר Moreinu Rav Berel Schechter tells a story. He once went to a תלמיד's talmid's home, and the mother greeted him at the door, yelling at him. Is it true Rabbi Schechter, that if I was drowning and you were drowning, my son would have to save you first. Is that what you taught him? So Rabbi Schechter says he told her and he corrected her that this is a misnomer. When is the גמרא Gemara talking about you have a רבי rebbe and a father, is that the רבי rebbe teaches you independent of the father? But if the father pays the tuition for you to have a רבי rebbe, then you save your father first. Because your father is the one who gave you that immortality by getting you that רבי rebbe. So when your father puts you through ישיבה yeshiva, pays for you to keep learning in כולל kollel, your father pays for you to have that רבי rebbe, father pays for that life, then you save your father first. You save the father first. So this גמרא Gemara is true, but it's true in a case of a רבי rebbe who stepped in independent of the father. The father was absentee in teaching תורה Torah and the רבי rebbe taught תורה Torah, so then the רבי rebbe takes on the role of the spiritual father who becomes a priority. But if the parents paid for the רבי rebbe, for the education, then it's the הלכה halacha, Rav Schechter said. You got to save the parent over the רבי rebbe. So he was allowed to stay there for שבת Shabbos. The mother let him, the mother let him come in. So you see that's the, that is the הלכה halacha. That is the הלכה halacha. So the כאילו ke'ilu is in the other direction. The real birth is the one who gives us our soul, who gives us immortality, who helps us understand, not only the day we're born, in the words of Mark Twain. Basically our parents are responsible for the day we're born, our teachers are responsible for helping us figure out why. And helping us figure out why is holier and higher because that gives us immortality than even the day that we first come here, even the day that we are that we are born. Rav Schechter in his ספר sefer on חומש Chumash, he came out with the second volume. Schechter on the פרשה parsha, but in the first volume, אלה תולדות אהרן ומשה Eleh toldos Aharon u'Moshe quotes this as well.Another example of the existence of a father-son relationship which is not biologically based is the opinion in the ירושלמי Yerushalmi in ביכורים Bikkurim. A convert presenting his ביכורים bikkurim in the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash can say ארמי אובד אבי Arami oveid avi. Can a convert say אבותינו avoseinu, my forefathers? שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch חושן משפט Choshen Mishpat paskins according to the opinion that a גר ger, a convert, can in בענטשן benching say אשר נחלת לאבותינו asher nachalta l'avoseinu, that you have given to our forefathers as a heritage. How can the convert say that? They don't biologically share the same forefathers. How can they say אשר נחלת לאבותינו asher nachalta l'avoseinu? From the time that אברם Avram's name was changed to אברהם Avraham, כי אב המון גוים נתתיך ki av hamon goyim nesasicha, I've made you the father of a multitude of nations. אברם Avram was the founding father of the Jewish nation. It includes all future converts as well. And therefore, the convert can include אבותינו avoseinu, my forefathers, because spiritually they share the same forefather. They are the spiritual progeny of the same ancestors and therefore they can legitimately and accurately say forefathers. The חכמת שלמה Chachmas Shlomo paskins in אבן העזר Even HaEzer that a couple unable to physically bear children can partially fulfill the מצוה mitzvah of פרו ורבו peru u'revu if they adopt a boy or girl and raise them with תורה Torah values.There are people struggling and it's among the most painful things that exist. Among the most painful things that exist are those struggling with infertility. In fact, you know, yesterday there's a מנהג minhag to recite the תפילת השל\"ה tefilas ha'Shlah, ערב ראש חודש סיון Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. If one more person sent me a text or an email or an alert reminding me to say the תפילה tefila of the של\"ה Shlah on ערב ראש חודש סיון Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, what a beautiful מי כעמך ישראל mi k'amcha Yisrael, we're all reminding each other. But could you imagine what it's like to not have children and be getting the alerts and the reminders and the emails and the text, don't forget to say this תפילה tefila for your children? If you have children, it's a beautiful thing to get that reminder, to stop and pause and say the תפילה tefila. But could you imagine the salt in the wound and the pain of the person who doesn't have children but needs to be reminded that Artscroll made for free. It's beautiful of Artscroll, I'm not knocking on Artscroll, but you need to be reminded, here's the text, here's the beauty of it. I just realized it last night. We have to, we have to qualify. We don't have to stop talking about having children. People who have children have done nothing wrong. You don't have to feel bad or apologize or hide it. But we do have to qualify and we have to be careful. So when we share the תפילת השל\"ה tefilas ha'Shlah, we should say, and what about the single person, by the way, who says at least the couple who don't have children have each other to feel terrible and miserable they don't have children. The single person says, I'm all alone. I don't have children and I don't even have to share that with anyone that I don't have children.So we can't be callous. We have to be sensitive and careful when it comes to these issues. But the חכמת שלמה Chachmas Shlomo says that even those who don't have biological children can fulfill the מצוה mitzvah of פרו ורבו peru u'revu. How? By adopting, or by supporting, by donating, by contributing to Jewish education, by caring, by running youth events, by inspiring young people. That's a fulfillment. You see that from our פרשה parsha. אלה תולדות אהרן ומשה Eleh toldos Aharon u'Moshe, they're משה Moshe's children, even though they're not his biological children, but because he taught them תורה Torah, כאילו ילדו ke'ilu yaldo. And that כאילו ke'ilu is even greater. That's why in the גמרא Gemara says we'll be asked a series of questions when we get upstairs, the גמרא Gemara in שבת Shabbos says. And one of the questions we'll be asked is עסקת בפריה ורביה asakta b'peru u'revu? The מהרש\"א Maharsha there points out, it doesn't say did you fulfill the מצוה mitzvah of פריה ורביה peru u'revu. That's not in our power. How many people desperately want to fulfill פרו ורבו peru u'revu? They want to have children but they can't. They can't. So we're not asked did you fulfill פרו ורבו peru u'revu, we're asked עסקת asakta. Did you occupy yourself with פרו ורבו peru u'revu? The מהרש\"א Maharsha there says along the lines of the חכמת שלמה Chachmas Shlomo here, that you could fulfill פרו ורבו peru u'revu by inspiring children, and by sponsoring children, and by contributing to children, and by strengthening children, by teaching children, by being role models and examples to children. And they may not be your biological children but the כאילו ke'ilu, going backwards, the כאילו ke'ilu, רב דסלר Rav Dessler's כאילו ke'ilu, that when you inspire children and you give them immortality through religious inspiration, you've given greater birth to them than their own biological parents. Than biological parents, that we have that capacity as well in that, in that way. I have 10 more things I wanted to tell you. Got to make this an hour and a half. Ugh. I had a great Rav Druck that we didn't get through last year that I saved for this year. But now I'll have to save it for next year. Such a great Rav Druck. I'll leave you with the question. ויפקוד אותם משה על פי ה' כאשר צוה Vayifkod osam Moshe al pi Hashem ka'asher tziva. We have the census. תורה Torah references it again. So רש\"י Rashi tells us that משה Moshe says to הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu, how am I going to count the children? What am I going to enter the tent with the nursing mothers in a breach of צניעות tznius? How am I going to count the young children? I don't belong in the tent in the privacy of people's homes. They're boundaries. So what did הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu say? You do yours and don't worry, I'll take care of it. So משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu went tent to tent, and he stayed outside, he stayed outdoors, and a heavenly voice went out and said, there's three kids in here, there's two kids in here, there's five kids in here, there's one kid in here. So Rav Druck wonders, if משה Moshe wasn't going to go into the tent and do the count himself, if there was a miracle, the heavenly voice that would proclaim exactly how many children, then why do you have to bother going? Couldn't he just go to the בית מדרש Beis Medrash? And הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu will tell him, here's the census of the children. Here's the final count of the children. It sounds incredibly inefficient and unproductive. Why did משה Moshe have to bother going if the count was going to be a miracle from above anyway? Try to remember this question until next year, until next time. Tomorrow morning, we have 10 minutes of meeting מסילת ישרים Mesilas Yesharim. Living with אמונה emunah and tomorrow night, behind the בימה bima with רב בערל וויין Rav Berel Wein. We'll get ready for the holiday of שבועות Shvuos with the great Rabbi Wein. Take us on a little journey through history and the transmission of תורה Torah. Looking forward to a great conversation with him. Till next time, stay happy, stay healthy.
