The Book of Bamidbar begins with G-d's commandment to Moshe to take a census of the Jewish people. The Nesivos Shalom questions the need for such a counting. The Jewish nation is eternal and therefore current numbers should be irrelevant. Additionally, the language of the command is puzziling. Would it not have been more accurate for G-d to command to "count" the Jewish people, rather than to "take a reckoning of the heads of the people"?

            To properly understand the NesivosShalom's answer we need the following introduction: Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, in his sefer NefeshHachaim, describes human individuality vis-�-vis the oneness of G-d. Technically the two concepts are mutually exclusive. How can there be a reality of human individuality in the face of the far reaching concept of the oneness of G-d (that there is nothing but G-d in the universe)?

R' Chaim then introduces the concept of "tzinoros," literally "pipes." (We offer a very superficial explanation of this thought, as a proper elucidation is beyond the scope of this dvarTorah.) The idea is that all that is in this world is a part of G-d.  The further we are from G-d the more we see the light of G-d as though it is being channeled through a prism, scattered in multiple directions. These are the tzinoros mentioned above which serve as the source for our existence. Depending on our distance from Hashem, the tzinoros split from a single pipe into multiple pipes. Because the further we are, the more obscure G-d is and therefore instead of receiving our existence directly from G-d, it comes from one of the branches that spread out from the main pipe.  Our proximity to G-d is what increases or decreases the spreading out of His goodness. We can now understand why our objective in this world is to get as close as possible to G-d, because our spiritual proximity dictates how concentrated the joy that results from our dveikus (attachment to G-d) will be.

Let us return to the NesivosShalom and his answer. Our Sages tell us that just as there are 600,000 letters in the Torah, so too are the number of souls of the Jewish people. At the same time we are also taught by the Arizal that the ineffable Name of G-d, using the "AlephBeis" and its gematria (numerical values), has 600,000 combinations. This reflects the intimate connection between Torah, the Jewish people, and G-d.  All this, and its awesome implications, would have remained unknown, were it not for the census commanded by G-d.  The counting of 600,000 Jewish souls amplified and drove home that it is no coincidence that this number finds its place in the name of G-d. This demonstrated both our closeness to G-d and the possibility of complete unity within the Jewish people, as is the oneness of G-d. And finally to be one with G-d Himself, our ultimate goal as described above.

The NesivosShalom further points out that it is not by chance that the parsha of Bamidbar always falls out immediately prior to the holiday of Shavuos. At the foot of Mount Sinai the Jewish people reached their ultimate objective.  They were as "one man with one heart," and in turn "one with G-d and His Torah." This is a state of closeness not experienced since Adam prior to his sin. This status unfortunately began to deteriorate with the sin of the Golden Calf.

Therefore as we ready ourselves to re-experience Sinai and all that accompanies it, we should also think about the lesson of this week's parsha. To properly ready ourselves we must think about how we can bring about once again the state of "one man, one heart." May we truly comprehend how the Jewish people are parts of a whole and how we need one another, and thus re-experience the ultimate joy of "YisraelV'OraissaV'KudshaBrichHuchadhu, the Jewish Nation, Torah, and G-d are one."