Parshat Ki Tisa begins with Hashem telling Moshe not to count the Jewish people directly; each person must donate the same half shekel, and the coins are to be counted in the place of people. And so, a Jew is never reduced to a number.  The identity of the individual is maintained, even as Jews unite to form a nation. Rashi explains that the coins are designated to purchase animals for the קרבנות צבור, communal offerings of atonement.

The parsha moves on to the חטא העגל, the sin of the Golden Calf.  Hashem tells Moshe that the Jews have sinned, and he descends from Har Sinai, with the first set of Luchot (tablets) in his hands.  He and Yehoshua talk about the loud voice that is emanating from the camp and then:  

וַיַּרְא אֶת הָעֵגֶל וּמְחלת, וַיִּחַר אַף משֶׁה - He saw the calf and the dancing and משה became angry.

Why didn't Moshe become angry as soon as he heard about the sin? The Seforno explains that Moshe brought the Luchot with him because he was hoping to use them to inspire the nation to repent. Then he saw that the  people were not merely sinning; they were rejoicing in their corruption. This angered him and filled him with despair; he realized that the damage was irreversible. B'nei Yisroel would never be able to return to the purity of their prior state at Har Sinai. That is why he broke the Luchot.

The contrast between these two topics is stark and tragic. The mitzvah of counting demonstrates the uniqueness of the nation of Israel. Most nations define their greatness in quantitative terms relating to population, territory, economy and defense. But our essence is something that is not subject to quantification; our "group" is defined by kedusha. Sanctity is a quality that begins with the individual and culminates in the nation. And so, when we resort to a count because of practical concerns, we conduct it in the framework of the Mishkan or the Mikdash. We dedicate our count to communal atonement because we know that our nation defines itself by the quality of our relationship to Hashem.  

When Moshe heard the "roar" and saw the festivities of the sin of the Golden Calf, he understood that the people had not simply made a mistake. The ecstacy of  their loud and coarse partying in front of the Golden Calf betrayed the fact that they had forfeited all individuality and transformed themselves into a "group" that was unified through the expression of most primitive instincts. There was no self-knowledge and no remorse. B'nei Yisroel had forfeited its essential identity as a sanctified nation.  

As educators, we recognize that that the social group is a critical element in the development of teenagers. And in this world of social media, so many groups beckon our children.  As we approach Purim, we have a wonderful opportunity to help them to understand the uniqueness of their Jewish identities and the joy of being "counted" as part of the Jewish nation.

ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר.(אסתר ח: טז)  כן תהיה לנו.

For the Jews there was light and happiness and joy and honor (Esther 8:16).

May the same be for us.