16 May CENSUS TIME

This Shabbos we begin the fourth of the five
books of the Torah, Sefer Bamidbar.
Bamidbar means in the desert, in the
wilderness. It tells the story of our nation’s
forty year trek through the vast, open desert
land. We learn of their ups and downs and
the spiritual life lessons gleaned while on
their journey to Eretz Yisroel.
They crossed miles of barren land, where
they were far from the distractions of “city
life”. It was their time to grow spiritually, to
meditate upon the words of Torah, and build
a connection between themselves and
HaShem.
It was a time to take in beautiful sunsets and
magnificent sunrises. Nighttime, they were
able to look above at the black velvet-like
dark sky, open and clear, with a bright moon
and twinkling stars illuminating the heavens.
It was Bnei Yisroel’s special time to observe
HaShem’s amazing world, and realize that it
is not man who is in control, but the guiding
hand of HaShem.

With a desert comes the blessing of an oasis.
Palm trees, flourishing plants and vegetation
grow in the midst of the dry, parched land.
Bnei Yisroel came to understand that while
one may experience difficult days, like an
oasis in the desert, there is always blessings
to be found in one’s life.
Sefer Bamidbar relays yet another message.
In English, it is known as the Book of
Numbers, for it is in Bamidbar that HaShem
instructs Moshe to take a census of the
nation. In doing so, HaShem transmitted to
Moshe (and us) a memorable lesson
regarding the value and importance of every
individual. “According to the number of
names.” (Bamidbar 1:18). To see people not
as numbers, but as individuals with names.
Ramban cites a Midrash, that in instructing
Moshe to take a census, HaShem imparted
to him to count Bnei Yisroel in a manner
that accords honor and dignity to each
person. “You shall not say to the head of a
family ‘How many are in your family? Or
‘How many sons do you have?’ rather, each
one will pass before you with awe and
respect and you will count them”.

“And these are the generations of Aaron
and Moshe, on the day that HaShem spoke
to Moshe on Har Sinai. These are names of
the children of Aaron… Nadav, Avihu,
Elazar and Issamar.” (Bamidbar 3:1-2)
A precise counting of Bnei Yisroel is
recorded in the Chumash. It is followed
with a special mention of Aaron’s children.
Rashi questions why are only the sons of
Aaron mentioned, when the posuk clearly
states “These are the generations of Moshe
and Aaron”?
Additionally, the words “On the day that
HaShem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai”
seem out of place. What does HaShem
speaking to Moshe on Har Sinai have to do
with the sons of Aaron? Rashi cites a
teaching from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 19b)
“Shekol hamelamed es ben chaveiro
Torah… k’ilu yelado, Whomever teaches
his friend’s son Torah, it is considered as if
he himself fathered him”.
Moshe, was so much more than an uncle to
his nephews, the sons of Aaron. He was
their Torah teacher, their life mentor. They
were like his children. “These are the
generations of Moshe and Aaron”. Yes,
Aaron’s children were Moshe’s
generations as well.
In taking a count of the nation, Moshe
understood that he must recognize the
individuality and value of each member
of Bnei Yisroel. It is with this mindset that
Moshe became Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe
our teacher. To Moshe, each person whom
he taught was someone special. They
became children to him.
Moshe did so much for his people. He
stood up to Pharaoh. He led the nation out
of Egypt and on their journey to freedom.
Yet, when we refer to Moshe, we don’t
attribute a title of leadership to him;
rather, we call him Moshe Rabbeinu,
Moshe our teacher. The Chumash is
giving us a powerful message. True
leadership means teaching with love and
patience, understanding and compassion.
Moshe realized the value of each
individual, and made an effort to reach
each person’s neshamah by teaching
Torah to them, thereby becoming their
spiritual father.
I once heard a beautiful dvar Torah on the
words from Tehillim, “Ur’ay vanim
l’vonechah sholom al Yisroel, May you
see children from your children, peace
upon Yisroel.” (Tehillim 128:6) It can
also be understood as “Ur’ay vanim”, if
you will see (view) children, “l’vonechah”

as your children, there will be peace upon
Yisroel. If we extend love to all children,
and teach them as our own, we will be able
to bring peace.
Every Friday, my mother a”h would receive
“Good Shabbos ‘Torah Ima’ phone calls”
from the many people whose lives she
touched and brought closer to Torah and
mitzvos. My mother also merited to make
many shidduchim. Vera was one of the
many. She shared the following story with
me. She was a newlywed kallah, who had
years earlier lost her mother. My mother
would spend time on the phone with her,
asking about how she and her husband were
doing. Like a typical mom, Ima asked Vera
what she was cooking for Shabbos. The
young bride would speak about her soup,
her kugels, and her chicken. One Friday,
when my mother asked Vera what she was
cooking for Shabbos, there was dead
silence. And then came out a strong
“Nothing”. “Nothing?” my mother asked.
“He doesn’t deserve to eat. You should only
know what he did.” My mother didn’t ask
what did he do or what happened. Instead,
with her wisdom, she said “Sheifelah, you
are not cooking for your husband, you are
cooking for the Shabbos Queen.”
My mother never asked or found out what
transpired. But later on, Vera’s husband
would share that on that Shabbos, he had the
best meal ever.
To be a teacher extends far beyond
classroom lessons. It means giving of
yourself to another person. It means being
there to counsel and give advice. To make a
difference in someone’s life.
How fortunate are those who had teachers
who left an indelible mark upon them.
Teachers, whose words and passion for their
students can be recalled even years later.
Teachers, who like Moshe Rabbeinu saw
every individual as special.
We can all convey knowledge to others. By
doing so with love and compassion, we can
bring shalom al Yisroel, peace to Bnei
Yisroel.