This Shabbat we being reading the fourth book of the Torah – “The Book of Numbers”. Appropriately, it begins with the G‑dly command: “Count the Jewish People”. Although head-counting may appear to be a rather simple and almost trivial pursuit, the Chassidic thought teaches that this census was a profound event which touched the very core of the Jewish spirit.
Why the command to count? Doesn’t G‑d know how many Jews He has?
When a group of people are counted, everybody is equal. Talents, wealth, knowledge, esteem and stature are placed aside; and identity and existence comes to the forefront. Counting expresses, stimulates, and reveals the very essence of our being.
It is this “essence” that is responsible for the remarkable display of courage among our brothers and sisters who, throughout history, were threatened with death if they refused to renounce their Judaism. Millions of Jews have sacrificed their lives for God and His commandments, whether or not they were observant.
Why? Because their Jewish “essence”, this nucleus of holiness, is always alive. When this Godly spark comes to surface and is revealed, a Jew naturally feels that his or her Jewish identity is so important that they are not willing to compromise it, even for a moment.
This was the power of counting; of the census. It expressed the common denominator shared by each and every Jew. It brought to the forefront the very essence – “I am a Jew”.
We all remember Daniel Pearl’s last words (the American journalist kidnapped and murdered in Karachi, Pakistan) - “I am Jewish”. We all remember the inspiration and pride it gave us. We too possess that same spirit. We all possess a G‑dly spark that can never, and will never, be extinguished.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick