Bamidbar 5786 - The Difference Between Moshe Rabbeinu's Census and Dovid HaMelech's Census

In partial [clears throat] by midbar, so obviously the partial of counting all of Israel and it is unusual in the sense that normally we're not to count all of Israel, there's prohibition against it and here there was obviously mitzvah and there's obligation but there is there is a parallel event that happened at times of David and Melech when he um had all of Israel counted and in the wake of that there was punishment there was a plague and all of Israel suffered because of it. Now um the reasons w- what what are the distinctions? Why is it that the counting in by us was appropriate and over there not? It's true that when Akavish Baruch who said that something that's very appropriate whereas over there where he was where he was not where he was not told and told not to, that certainly is inappropriate. What what exactly was the difference? So Ramban speaks about this. He brings [clears throat] the Chazal of um that over there there was um he actually counted them and therefore it was something he did not have them give something in and you count that the way it was done in midbar. So instead of having a count them directly and that that was the problem. That's what Chazal say. Ramban deals with that. Ramban has questions on that and so on but Ramban has a different understanding of it and we'll try to um go with the Ramban. So the first thing the Ramban says is that the word "tifkod osam" does not mean to count, but rather it means to um take notice of. To um the word "pakod" means when you appoint someone for something, when you look to see if everything's okay, if the person is still there. It it it It's It means taking note of someone, his presence, and so on. Now, the um So, the Ramban points out that the the the the counting is not what we're obligated in, and he will explain why counting is not appropriate. It is to um being poking So, um let's understand exactly what what that is. The Ramban elaborates, I'm going to try to express what I think is his point. The um What Let's Let's take an example. A person has sheep. Now, he needs to figure out how much do these sheep need to eat, how much they need to drink, if he's going to supply food to them, and he looks at each sheep, makes a rough estimate how much food they'll need, make sure they have enough food stored, and things of that nature. So, even though um technically, I I don't I'm not I I am not expert at shepherding, but I don't think the sheep vary so much by what they need. But, the point is, so I count the sheep, what I'm saying is sheep A needs um approximately 10 lbs of food, sheep B needs a sheep C, and so on. Uh uh adding that up together, I will come up with a number. So, in effect, what I'm doing is A, I'm looking at each sheep and giving it its um its need. I- I- The way it happened at the end is an aggregate. Uh I I I instead of saying I need one meal and another meal, another meal, another meal, another meal, I say I need 1,000 meals. But, the point is it's really each one stands on its own, and the number is simply a a convenient shortcut to know that. That's one way of counting, and in general taking stock, the way we had. Taking a stock and knowing how much I need what I need. There's another um an another reason for counting. I have a lot a lot of gold coins. I've done very well, and it really really makes me feel good to see how many gold coins I have. So, what I do is I count them. I have this big bag of gold coins, but when I count it, I have 100,000 gold coins. That's amazing, and I feel very very good about it. So, each gold coin is not of any real significance. It's really the aggregate that's significant, and the purpose of it is to make me feel really really good about myself. So, when I do a pekida, which is that I am that I look at each one individually. What I'm really doing is trying to determine the necessities of each one. And and and the number that at the end is not the number that I possess. It it it it happens to be the number I possess, but that's not the point of it. What it is is the um the the the the way of having what I need for each and every one. The um so I have two general directions, two general headings that describe my counting. One is taking stock of each one and knowing what's missing, what's needed, and so on. And one is making myself feel good with the amount that I have. So, Parshat Pikudei is the um >> [clears throat] >> is taking stock of each one. And and and and each person that I meet, I take stock of him. And and like it says in Rashi, that there are months I says that there was a big source of Klal Yisrael where each and every one passed [clears throat] in front of Moshe and Aaron and they were nizkar by by these tzaddikei hadorot, like a like a chassid going to a rebbe. And they they connected each one connected. It's true that at the end we knew how many people there were, but that wasn't the act of counting. So, the Rambam did not have any real need for counting them. There wasn't any overarching need. Over here, in Bamidbar, there was a need so that we would know how many people are ready a battle ready and we can plan our battles accordingly. Of course, there was nissim because Klal Yisrael did nissim, but we had to do it in in >> [clears throat] >> a in a normal way and that's the way to do it. In in in David Hamelach didn't have any real need for it except simply that it made him feel proud or good or whatever. It expressed itself so so it expressed itself also that in in Bamidbar we count only from 20 and up. And the reason is because since they went to the army the age of 20 that was something that was the important number to know how many soldiers we have, how many soldiers we need and things of that nature. David counted them from 13 and that means that it really wasn't something that was part of of a necessity. So the first the major difference is am I engaged in counting to serve a need or am I engaged in counting to feel good, to feel sort of bloated, to feel um wealthy. That's one difference. It expresses something the fact that in the in the midbar they counted only 20 they already go to the army. That's needed. The 13-year-olds were people and it's very very nice to be head of a country with many many many people. But um that's just to make you feel good and it doesn't do anything. There's another element in that the Ramban seems to imply the difference whether they counted from the age of 20 or the age of 13. There is a concept that bracha of Hashem is only by Solomon and Ayin which means as follows. When something has been counted and we know how much there is. That is something that is um part of our natural world. Two apples and two apples will always equal four apples. Once I've pegged the the the apples as being two apples on this side and two apples on this side, then it's fixed. It will not change except for an extraordinary miracle, which Hakadosh Baruch Hu does not wish to bring. It would mean upsetting the natural order. Then, there is um some men iron. I collected stuff. It grew, grew more, grew less. Because the process is covered, it's something that is not open and and it's not something that is um that has become part of our natural world, therefore, it's not a great miracle if it changes. Um it's fascinating as a as a side analogy, you know, we we we today have in quantum physics one of the the one of the tenants of it is that, you know, particles at a certain point, we can determine either their position um the or the either the speed or position, we can't do both. And that's incredible. It means there's a part of the bread at some men iron, and that's not a miracle, it just means it's not in our domain. So, when we leave over a part of the castle not counted, an extraordinary increase or any bracha will not be a real miracle. It will simply be a um It it simply be something on the radar screen. So, it you know, by itself everything's a miracle and nothing's a miracle. So, as long as we're not aware of it, it's on the radar screen. If we peg every single one of Israel, we leave no room for bracha. It's either an ace or it's been frozen already in into nature. So, that was the second reason why that type of counting was not beneficial to Israel. But, the first part is probably the more significant one. So, let's review the Ramban's point. The Ramban is basically explaining the difference between David's census, which ended up in disaster and was seen as being not good, to the census that was set over here to do, which was a mitzvah, and which we did right in doing it. The Ramban's main point is that there is a difference in what the essence of the counting is was. If the essence of the counting is simply a way of expressing the needs of everyone, I need to know how many meals to prepare, so I have to count the people coming. So, A, I'm really identifying individuals. I'm not talking about the mass. It's just for convenience sake. Instead of saying I need one meal plus one meal plus one meal, I'm saying I need 1,000 meals, 10,000 meals. Two, the purpose of it is not to make me feel very, very um haughty or arrogant. That was the counting by Moshe Rabbeinu. We counted each person individually. We um the the purpose was for the tzivot for the army. And therefore, uh that counting that God gave us as a mitzvah. But, David Hamelach, the counting was superfluous. it wasn't necessary. And it the its purpose was to feel great about having so many soldiers, so many people. That's something that is is is arrogance or haughtiness. It also means that that counting sort of stifles the avenue of brocha divine so that God should can't give any brocha. And therefore um the the way he counted and those that he counted so David Amalech did not have a complete reason. He counted everyone from 13 years and older. And depending on the on the sheetas whether or not he counted them directly or not these were the differences between the two countings. The counting of David Amalech was a counting expressing his own possessions. The counting of Moshe Beinu was a counting that measured how subtle of Hashem how good it's been to us. It measured the responsibilities to to provide for the needs of each every one and allowed for brocha to express itself in the parts that weren't counted.