Divrei Torah Parshas Bamidbar
Divrei Torah Parshas Bamidbar
Torah Table of Contents
It Pays to Be Righteous, The Divrei Yisrael. Making Every Jew Count, The Imrei Shaul.Based on the Divrei Yisrael on Parshas Bamidbar, as from the Sefer Alei Deshe
"MiBen Chodesh V'Ma'alah Tifkedem... - Count them [in] from the age of a month and older..." (Bamidbar 3:15)
The Medrash in Bamidbar Rabba asks - why start counting from such a young age? Are 1 month old babies able to help in the process of caring for the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting)? Such a baby needs to be cared for himself! The Medrash answers its own question, stating that they were given credit already from this early age for the caring for the Ohel Moed that they would do later.
The Divrei Yisrael points out that we can use this same idea to understand a number of other seemingly odd pasukim throughout Tanach. In Yeshayahu 3, the pasuk states "Amru Tzaddik Ki Tov, Ki Pri Ma'alleleihem Yochlu - Things are good for a Tzaddik, since they will eat the fruits of their labor". The Divrei Yisrael asks "isn't it obvious that the Tzaddik will eat the fruit of his labors? Hashem doesn't deprive any creature of its just rewards." So, the Divrei Yisrael reads the word Ma'alleleihem somewhat differently. Instead of meaning "their actions", he interprets it to mean "their youth", related to the word "ollel", which means a babe/youth. Thus, the pasuk in Yeshayahu reads Things are good for the Tzaddik, since they benefit even from their earliest youth [for the actions they will do later]".
Similarly, in the case of Sarah Imeinu, the pasuk says "shnei chayei Sarah - the years of Sarah's life". Rashi explains that all her years were equal in goodness. But how can this be? It is well known that the status of being a tzaddik implies that one grows constantly on a daily basis, no two days are alike. Further, its not reasonable to assume that even the finest acts of Sarah as a child were of the same caliber as her later charitable actions. So how were all her days equivalent? The answer is that in terms of receiving credit and reward for her actions, all the days were equally important. Her later actions showed the purity of her motivation even from earliest youth.
The Divrei Yisrael concludes from these three examples that the reward for tzidkus, righteousness, is granted to those deserving it even in their earliest youth
Translated by Reb Eliezer Weger of Rechovot, a Modzitzer Chasid
Based on the Imrei Shaul, Parshas Bamidba
.. And Hashem spoke .. on the first day of the second month.." (Bamidbar 1:2)
Why does Hashem want Klal Yisrael to be counted so many times? The Meforshim tell us that it expresses His Love for Klal Yisrael.
Rashi explains our pasuk's beginning, stating that "Due to (literally, from the midst of) their love/appreciation before Him, He counts them hourly". That is to say, that since Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves Klal Yisrael so much, He counts us regularly/hourly. But the Imrei Shaul is puzzled by a few choices of phrasing here. It should have said "Due to His love of Them, not their love before Him. Also, why does the pasuk refer to the idea of this being done hourly, it should have said something like often or many times.
To resolve these problems, the Imrei Shaul shows us a new focus from this pasuk. Quantity can only be measured of objects in the same category. You don't count chairs and tables together. Each one is counted separately. If so, how then can we count the Jewish people? There are so many different types of Jews, so many different attitudes and personalities - each one is an entire world, unlike any other Jew. But, if these same (wonderfully) diverse Jews love one another, and their love/ appreciation is mutual, then this creates a unity that ties them all together, spanning any gaps of diversity and differentiation. What one Jew lacks is compensated for by another Jew. Further, every Jew "has his hour". If there is unity among Jews, then the sum of all of their respective "hours" ends up becoming a single time entity - eternity.
How do we find this choice "hour" for each one? Its simply the pure, essential kernel of that person's will to strive for the Good. This is why, the Imrei Shaul adds, Rashi says "mitoch" -from the midst (of their appreciation..) .. .the essential kernel of each Jew is founded in love/appreciation of other Jews. Its only the false facades of diversity that hides this inner kernel.
Translated by Reb Eliezer Weger of Rechovot, a Modzitzer Chasid
