Counts and Individuals
This week's section begins the fourth book of the Torah called Bamidbar which means "In The Desert". It is also known as ‘Pikudim’ which means counting (hence the name Numbers) because it tells in great detail how Moses, at G-d's command, counted the Jews in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.
At first glance this makes no sense.
Censuses are usually made to determine the size and needs of the population in order to properly tax and provide for them.
But here G-d certainly already knew the number of Jews, already was providing their needs and certainly needed no taxes. So why did the Jews have to be counted? And why did G-d insist that the Moses do it?
Also, this section is a preparation for the holiday of Shavuot celebrating the receiving of the Torah 3,329 years ago, which we celebrate in just a few days. What has counting or the desert got to do with this? True Mt. Sinai was in the desert but that is also not understood…. why couldn’t the Torah have been given when the Jews reached Israel or before they left Egypt. Why in a desert?
To understand all this here is a story.
Almost 20 years ago I got involved with some Russian Jews.
It began when a few Jewish Russian university students from St. Petersburg came to our Yeshiva for a summer program. Although on the application they said they spoke English, were familiar with Hebrew and were observant…. when they arrived I discovered a totally different picture. They barely understood anything. Nevertheless, they made it through the program returned home and I never expected to hear from them again.
But a year and a half later someone by the name of Zachar sent me an email saying that he had just had a Brit Mila, was now called Zachariah, had just received his doctorate in both chemistry and physics, was one of the Russians from the program and was inviting me to his wedding in S. Petersburg.
He even sent me a few pictures of his engagement party, which almost made me fall off my seat. He had become a complete Chabad Chassid; beard, hat, long black coat, surrounded by Rabbis, and a huge smile on his face.
I flew to Russia for the wedding (it was fantastic!) and it was there that I met Dovid Segal and his wife.
I stayed in the Segal’s apartment for the week. They were both "Baali Tshuva" to Chabad. He had a doctorate in Physics and she was an accomplished writer. We became good friends but when I asked why they had no children I received a sad explanation.
They had been married for almost four years, had been through all the fertility tests and treatments and just a few weeks earlier received the dismal news that even the most optimistic professors had reviewed their case and decided that there was no hope; it was humanly and medically impossible for them to have children. I told them to keep praying, gave them my best wishes, thanked them for the hospitality and returned to Israel.
Three years later I got a phone call. It was Dovid Segal. It took me a while to remember who he was but when I did I heard a surprising story.
He told me that few months after I met them he and his wife visited Israel and were the guests, of a Chabad Rabbi called Rabbi Avraham Freidlander who introduced them to "Igrot Kodesh":
'Igrot Kodesh' are 26 volumes of letters written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbe Menachem Shneerson in the first few years of his leadership in reply to thousands of questions he received from all sorts of Jews. Rabbi Freidlander explained that these are only fraction of the letters he wrote in those years but their advice is relevant, often miraculously. He suggested that they write their own letter to the Rebbe, pick a volume at random, insert the letter anywhere therein and see what the answer says. They wrote, and were amazed at the reply: It was a blessing for children and a request to give the newborn child a certain name!
They returned to Russia with new hope and after considerable searching they found a professor who was willing to try a new method. They somehow got up the money, took the treatment and a month later the doctor sat them down in his office and gave them the news; she was pregnant!! But just as they began weeping in joy, the door opened and a smiling nurse entered the room with news – the staff took a better look at the ultra-sound pictures and …. It’s TWINS!!
Dovid began singing and dancing. But a few minutes later yet another nurse entered and announced that they had made a mistake. It was TRIPLETS!!!
What a gift!!! They realized that this was obviously the hand of G-d; payment for all the suffering, prayers and faith of the last few years. And all due to the Rebbe’s letter!!! They began calling their parents until…..
Moments later a doctor entered the room with a serious look on his face and whispered something to the professor while showing him some sort of x-ray. The professor sat them down and said - a fourth fetus had been detected ….. at least one of the fetuses would have to be eliminated!!
They thanked the doctor, said they had to think, rushed outside, it was a life and death situation, they needed a rabbinic opinion so they took a taxi to the office of the head Rabbi of St. Petersburg; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Pevzner.
Rabbi Pevzner heard their story and immediately began calling other Rabbis and a few professors for advice. But all of them said they couldn’t take responsibility. Some said that just to keep on the safe side maybe it was best to 'eliminate', but on the other hand each baby was a human being. No one was sure.
Their only alternative was Igrot Kodesh. Rabbi Pevzner supported their decision.
They wrote a long letter, explaining all the new developments and opinions, chose a volume, inserted the letter and opened to a miraculously clear answer about the importance of life, the preciousness of each and every human being and the importance of never giving up on saving a human. They knew what they had to do.
When the doctor in the Petersburg hospital heard their decision he immediately removed himself from the case and advised they go to Israel where they were better equipped, perhaps there they could find a doctor willing to help them.
They took the doctor's advice got names of doctors, moved to Jerusalem full of optimism and made their first appointment.
And it wasn’t for nothing. The very first ultra-sound examination in the Israeli hospital revealed that the doctors in Russia in fact had made a mistake and she was not carrying four fetuses …… but FIVE! And five was too many!
They solemnly described the misery and tragedy that awaited them if they didn't listen; the fetuses would starve, choke, be crushed, kill each other and perhaps her as well; perhaps slowly, perhaps suddenly etc.
But the Segal's refused to listen. The Rebbe’s letters had taught them that, at least in her case, to ignore negative ideas. No reason to change their minds now. None what so ever. Just to be sure they consulted Igrot Kodesh again and again the answer was positive.
She was put in intensive care and was warned that at the slightest sign of danger they would operate without her permission. At one point there was a crisis when she became ill. The doctors again warned that they had to remove several fetuses immediately and even threatened to call in the police.
Dovid again consulted the Rebbe's letters and the answer he received was in volume 11 page 162. The letter said “Regarding the health of your wife; to check Tefillin and Mezuzot with blessing for a safe and successful pregnancy and birth.
He took his Tefillin and all the Mezuzot from his home to the nearest reliable scribe, begged that they be checked immediately and ten minutes later they saw to their great shock that his new Tefillin and some of his Mezuzot were 'Posol' (completely unfit)!! Some of the ink on the parchments had faded and were missing.
On the spot he replaced the Mezuzot and had new parchments installed in his Tefillin. That very evening his wife's problem disappeared. It was at this point that the doctors realized they were dealing with the supernatural and from then on, every time there was a crisis they were curious to see what the Rebbe would say.
All together Dovid ‘received’ over ten letters that contradicted the doctors and the final result was that on the second of Ellul 5761 (Aug. 21, 2001) five children; three healthy boys and two healthy girls were born to the Segals.
The doctors congratulated them but by-the-way assured them that it was medically impossible for them to have more no matter what method they used. And indeed the Segals were truly happy with the five children they received.
Two and a half years later I got a phone call. It was Dovid. He told me that after the doctors’ grim prognoses they wrote the Rebbe again and the reply promised another child. So the reason he was calling me was to inform me of his newly born son’s Brit (circumcision) in Jerusalem…. in a half an hour.
"Mazal Tov!” I replied, “It was really a miracle! Great news!! And thanks for the invitation but it’s impossible for me to attend; not enough time. I live a good hour from Jerusalem and in any case my wife took the car. I can't make it!"
"Just go in the street now and put your finger out. A Chassid is above nature". couldn't argue with that. I grabbed my hat and jacket, ran from the house and as I reached the corner a car screeched to a halt, put it in reverse, screeched back to me, rolled down the passenger window and yelled. "Where’re you going!" I timidly replied "Jerusalem" and he shouted "Get in! Quick! I'm in a hurry!!"
I didn’t know the driver, never saw him before in my life but whoever he was he drove like a demon. 80 mph all the way, jaws clenched and eyes intensely on the road and one half an hour later he came to a screeching halt ….. one block from my destination!
“I made it in time!” I announced proudly to Dovid as I entered the hall just before the brit! But he wasn't impressed. "See," he said, matter-of-factly "I told you that Chassidim are above nature!" Seems that he was much more accustomed to miracles than I.
Now we can understand why the Jews had to be counted, why G-d wanted Moses to count them and how it is a preparation to Sinai.
The real identity of the Jewish people is expressed in the "Shma Yisroel" prayer. There it states that the Jews must do two things: feel that G-d is ONE, and also reveal this to the world so the entire world loves the Creator. (see Rash’i on Deut.6:4). But this is impossible to do on our own. That’s why we had to be counted and why only Moses could do it.
Moses is called a "Eish HaElokim" (Deut. 33:1) lit. Man-G-d and the Midrash (Dev. Raba 11:4) explains: "Moses' 'lower' half was man and his 'upper' half was 'G-d'! In other words, Moses 'united' the Creator in the creation.
And therefore HE had to count the Jews in order to impart in each and every one of them this power as well: Suddenly each Jew 'counted', each Jew was ‘one’ and was able to independently bring 'Above nature' into nature. To reveal that G-d is the ONLY ‘one’ and that every detail of the creation is miraculously part of this oneness.
Therefore, this counting was the preparation for the receiving of the Torah. Because the ONLY way to receive the Torah is to realize that the Jewish people must be attached to the 'Moses' of every generation in order to reveal the Creator in the creation. And ONLY through the Torah can this be achieved.
That is why the Torah was given in the desert and why this week’s Torah reading is called “In the Desert”. Because the message of our section and of the holiday of Shavuot that it precedes is that we have the obligation and power to change 'The Desert' of this world to a G-dly place just as Dovid Segal and his wife did in a small way by being attached to the Rebbe.
But what we are awaiting is for it to happen in a big way: that ALL mankind with recognize and serve the Creator alone (as we say in the Alenu prayer) with the arrival of Moshiach. And now it is all in our hands. We must do, say and even think all we can according to the Torah,
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
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