Bamidbar | Rabbi Baruch Taub May 29th 2025

Okay, good morning everybody. So the uh shear this morning shear this morning is being sponsored by Estelle Harris in memory of her dear husband Rafael Mayor Benvi hersel Richard Mark Harris uh commemorating his 13th year site loving father and grandfather and the of our learning should be alias shamra. Okay. So, I have three pieces today. Uh there there's some kind of there's a little bit of a theme that's going to go through. I have two pieces on uh on the para and another piece that is on migillat root which is which is shuis. We read migillot on shuis. Um but I did want to say something first about Yamir Shalim which we didn't we didn't have a shir in Yam but it was just here just an interesting thing not necessarily on Yum but some a strange anomaly um a mystery that I have no explanation for but if you think about it I think there's a great deal to it. Are you I'm sure that everyone's familiar with Sir Nicholas Winston. Sir Nicholas Winston um was responsible for saving 669 children that were kinder transport from Czechoslovakia and Hungary to England. 669 kids. He himself was um he was born Jewish. Uh his name actually was originally his father's name was Warheim but they baptized themselves. they became Anglican and he was raised as an Anglican but he was a very sensitive uh ethical moral soul and when he was the Holocaust was in the in the early years this was done by 1938 just before the Holocaust before the war world war II broke out he actually saved 669 kids all kinds of and there's a there's lists there anyway and it was nobody knew about it how was it discovered that his wife in the attic one day found this box and she opened it And there were scrapbooks, pictures of kids, and an entire listing of the 669 kids. So, there was a television show in um in uh in England, uh something like that. That's life. It's called, you know, I think in America they used to have this is your life, right? And I remember, but that's life. So, they would have a life story of some guy and he was invited to come. They didn't tell him it's about him and they start telling the story and tell a story about a certain girl. They show pictures of her and this woman now was sitting right and then she's now sitting next to Sir Nicholas Winston who saved her. And in fact, could everyone please rise who was part of the Kinder Transport and the entire audience was was made up of survivors that he saved. Okay, beautiful story. Um, what's the what's the connection to? If you look in the there's an encyclopedia talmuded. If you look in the encyclopedia talmudas, it says that yushlay is mentioned in all of its forms 669 times in the Tanakh. Okay, just a fact that hit me and I'm not I don't have an answer for it, but I think if you think about it, there's something there. There's something there. He was on to something and Bashem he saved. Now, I want to tell you that one of the people that he saved a fascinating uh one of the people that he saved was Ravitzkuvia Vice Zatal. Who was Ravitzkaruvia Weiss? He went to London. He went to yeshiva in London. eventually came to Israel. He was the gy of Jerusalem, meaning he was the chief rabbi of the adahedes. You know there are two chief rabbi rabbi position in in Jerusalem. One is the chief ravenet but the other is the adaheda that goes back to pre-state times where cook was the rov of Palestine and ysef sonell was the ro of the adaheda the more right-wing community right so here you have somebody who was from London right who was was the head and he he wrote a letter there's a letter on in that he wrote thanking him on the stationary you know it's probably the only English English letter written on the stationary of uh of Weiss and but it's fascinating story that's my rush contribution for you okay let's start with um there is a kind of theme coming through in these three pieces um uh about uh leadership about uh humility and about the need sometimes for um a certain not necessarily anti-humility Let's say a certain holy arrogance gava kadusha holy arrogance we'll see we'll see what that's all about. Okay, let's start with Kamki and he talks like this. He um we have in the para uh you have let's say uh there was a census take a census of the Jewish people now a year into their leaving Egypt right so near he so he writes here that the whole order that he set up the tribes God It was a unique setup said there at In other words he didn't set it up according to birth he didn't do the census according according to birth he set up everybody in the order of the camp the I don't understand hello as soon as came out of came you know very victorious uh Israel they were they were armed they didn't come out like like neb slaves they came out you know with their head up high they were free people soim why were the flags set up the tribes set up with their flags a full year later. Now you have to understand that was what's going on here. Each tribe had its own flag and each flag had its own color and own insignia. The color was dependent on the uh the jewel of each tribe because in the clothing of the of the coen god doll there were 12 jewels in the shoulders of the koshen and each one represented one of theatim one of the tribes and each one had a different stone which had a different color and uh so the color of the of everybody's flag was that color and the insignia was based on the braha that they received their their unique personality their unique role in the Jewish people, right? But why wait a year for that? He has an answer. What's about flags? Flags create a kind of diff differential, right? In other words, um if you ever saw the uh Republican or the Democrat national conventions, so when they would call out by state, the state people are there, they would stand up and scream Illinois and they have their flag, the flag, every every state in the United States has a flag. Or if you went to camp, so the you went to camp, they had a color war. They would divide the camp in two and each camp would have a each side would have a flag. So flags are kind of um competitive, right? A flag is competitive, right? Um every flag had a different color, a different sign. It was written of the paintings, the drawings because each tribe had its own unique quality, its own unique contribution, right? Every tribe had a different a different approach, right? to u in fact the the medish says that each tribe had its own right we don't have that anymore but each tribe had its own and um in fact the I think the Arizal the for which governs so I think the Arizal said that this was uh the the 13th combination of all the all Anyway, so it creates a sense of tension. Everybody's there with their flag. So there's going to be fighting competition and he came and what happened a year later. So that's why they didn't do it the first year because the first year something was missing. What was missing? What was erected on the first month of Niss the second year? the Mishkan, the tabernacle, the temple in the midbar, right? So there was one right in the middle of the camp was the Mishkan. There was a central focal point of the Mishkan and everybody encamped around the Mishkan, right? Meaning this doesn't create ascension and competition. Everybody has their own particular role coming from the Mishkan. So there's no there's no everybody's got their role to play. But the point is we're all playing the same role because of the Mishkan and what wants us to do. It's a it's a a a a one role, right? To develop a relationship with the raon and to spread the word of the to the world. Said like a human being. The ears were created to read to to hear and eyes to see. Would you think there should be a mlo between the eyes and the ears? There's no work together. Kimok they work in tandem. Same thing with the nation of Israel. They all were encircling a central theme. So there was no danger that there would be a division and fighting amongst the Israel. They're all with one central purpose. So as long as there was no Mishkan for that first year, there was no central spiritual force, right? The heart of the nation, so to speak. But once the Mishk was put up, no problem. Let's put the Ben Israel in camps. Let's do a census. Let's put them there with their flags. Everyone will be will be emphasizing what they do but also rec in recognition and respect for what everyone else does. That's okay. Now let's go to number two. This is the sheamish. Um we many times see the shamish the safar reb the son of the safar reba actually um a great kidic scholar and um this is from migillat root which we read on uh shw right and um in the in migillas root there's a very strange moment now we know that nomi sent ruth to work in the field of boas because Boaz was a uh a descendant of her husband and want she wanted that Boaz who was at Sadi should some should marry her hopefully and take the um the the uh marrying route we'll see in a second. Okay. So what what went on here? Okay. Um, so she's in the field and she's going home that night and so he took out he measured three grains of wheat. Six grains of wheat, excuse me. And he gave her six grains of wheat to take home. Take these back with you. Yehuda Rev Simon Boot. So in the merit that he gave her these six grains of wheat, she merited to have six sadikim come from her. But Sheshmot Davidid David Yoshia Kan Mishel Vazar are counted as one. Remember they went into the fiery furnace. Daniel uh Mashiach and the Mashiach. So the of these six these six things are going to be for you a merit a dma that you're going to that will come. She didn't know this. She he didn't tell her this but this is what Boaz was thinking. Okay. Very strange medish right uh Zikni my grandfather uh the kotskba amar he explained this she was destined to give birth to David Melik right David was going to come from her genes right and then Msiah was going to come from her right so where where did it all start right um you Where did she come from? She came from Moab, right? Am Mo. What's this origin of Am Moav? Was the incestuous relationship that load had with his two daughters, right? Her father was a little more gentle. He said we called her Moab because she's Mav. She he was the baby was born from her his father, right? But there was there was a DNA of Moab and Ammon in the uh seed of David Malik Israel and Mashiach and these six sadikim right why right what's that all about so he says like this we want Melik Mashia Melik the king of Israel Malik David Melik is coming from Right This whole concept of lording over people does not exist in the genes of kalra to lord over people as we just saw now. We just saw now from uh just have to hang just saw now from uh Rabyakov that there was unity. Nobody was trying to lord over each other. You see the the theme coming from there. They were working in tandem. They were working together. So this idea of of mal of maluka in the sense of dominion and lording over doesn't exist by us. We don't it's not it's not part of us. Right? So he says like this but they had to get it because it was necessary. The king can't be a neb. The king has to be the king. It has to be the king. So that this came from the genes of Moab because that was that that's what they were all about, right? It was a king, right? That's what the Kotzkarb said. So what does that mean? Right? The simple understanding is that all the Jewish people that they're all like were like one person, right? Like like we saw by like like we saw by he says the exact same thing here as it's impossible that somebody else should lord over the other because The eyes don't rule over the heart. The right hand doesn't rule over the left hand and so on. It all works together. He was the exceptional he was the king who over the page he was completely different from Israel. Right? As he wasn't considered to be a limb of Israel, right? Right. The Gomorrah says that that Mosher Raenu was shakra. He he was he was like Israel. He was just equal to all of Israel, right? Um Israel, he says it is. So therefore, so we didn't have this concept of lording over this uh this necessary arrogance so to speak and power sense sense of power, right? Um but but we had to take that you had to take that because the essence of Moaz was arrogance the evidence of they wanted to destroy CL Israel they wanted would be world leader like you see today the wars that are going on today these power- hungry people right it's a question of arrogance right so that was mo that's what Mo was all about right moav of that he that the prophet tells us that he was the essence. He was the epitome of arrogance. So that in the in the genes in the DNA of Davidid lies also DNA from Moab, the king of Moab. So he had that that had to be part of his persona, right? In order to take out this concept of power, the powerfulness of but to bring it into holiness. to be to lord over to be a king right for the sake of heaven you need to rule with a certain sense of dignity and strength otherwise it's not going to work so that came from the the terrible the total terrible power hungry kind of thing but in the DNA of that is the the idea of being uh dignified and strong right and have that presence in a holy way. For example, he says this doesn't work otherwise if you don't have that what we say holy arrogance right for example king Saul was the first king of Jewish people it didn't work the rabbis tell us he didn't have he was completely a humble person he did not have any of This this quality says to him, "Hello, if you are small in your eyes, you know, how can you be king?" Right? Mes and because of that whatever that he what happened there that he told him that so Shaw was no did not become the king because he lacked this call it arrogance that it's a pjorative but we're talking about it in a very positive a positive sense right um like the Gmorrah says um should have amin of arrogance 164th 164th um of arrogance. It's interesting that uh 64 and here we take the number 64 gimatria is secret right so it shouldn't be like out front in his persona right it's right so he he lacked this arrogance and this sense of power so he said I'm afraid of the people Right. And I have to listen to what they tell me. Right. But that's not the way a king that's that's that's anarchy is going to happen. Right. Right. Golden Mayor once said to somebody I don't know who she said somebody in the United States. You know you have one president of millions of people. Um I have people we have what I don't know close to a million people. I'm the pre minister of uh of a million presidents. A million prime ministers. Everybody's a prime minister, right? Um, which is, by the way, very true today. You know, everybody, everybody's a diplomat today. Everybody's a diplomat today, but there's no diplomacy. There's no diplomacy today. It's ugly today, right? So, now back to Boaz Vas. And what was do what was Boaz thinking here? Boaz knew this. Boaz was a very uh big god be Israel and Boaz knew what was going on here that he named Boaz he wanted he knew that Mashia was going to come and he knew Mashiah had to be strong and powerful. So, so why did he give her he gave Ruth to six grains of wheat right this was you know that at present which was which will say that from you will come these six grains these the leadership and eventually David Melik King David and Meliach ano because he understood natan law he gave it to her because of his generosity his generosity he could have taken it for himself Right at this point he did not know he was going to marry Ruth. Right? So through his his his generous generosity of spirit he gave her the six sadikim that are going to eventually come from her because Boaz means Boaz. Boaz strength is in him. Boaz means strength is in him. Right? So Boaz had this strength the o not only not only powerful strength physical strength but it means the o of of Torah. Right? So he gave her that she should have this that Msiah should come from her. Right? He he felt it was necessary because she came from Moav. Right? He had no idea that he was going to be the husband. He was going to be the father, right? Why is that? Because there was a closer relative to redeem and to marry Roose, right? In terms of marrying Roose, there was a pecking order of who's in line to inherit the the estate, right? And he was there was he had an uncle. There was somebody ahead of him, right? But still that didn't matter to him. He gave it to her. He gave her the braha and he went she went home and Nomi understood this. Nomi understood this. She sent her back. Right. You have to look at the we're not learning the migillas. It's fascinating. Migill called Israel. This is the Israel the Mashiach. Uh this was the the the great um icing on the cake for Jewish history and the Jewish people, but he gave it away, right? He knew I could try to become the king, but I know that we need the quality, the DNA of Moab, which was in Ruth that will be given over to David Israel and to Mashiach. that that arrogance, that powerness, that that leadership, that that lording of mal that's that was necessary, right? Albeit to be transformed into a holy kind of of gaucha, right? Didn't think about himself at all. Israel was thinking about Israel. If we're there's going to be a mel he's going to have to have the qualities from Moab that the kingship should be also to this is a that's what that abbreviation is if you're looking inside on the highest the highest form had to have that quality too whether it's from him or whether from somebody else but it had to be on the highest on the highest Right. Okay. Truth be told, he this was great piety on his part. He removed himself personally from this. This was this was great. This was greatness. shall Israel that's also the royal men so that Mala should come from right now I don't want to read the end of it here but what do you see from this that he was rewarded for this that he became the father of of bringing David Mashiach because you need both of those qualities the quality Ryakov was talking about the quality that he was talking about now with this strange moment of the six grains you need the the humility, right? And you also need the arrogance, right? So, he brought in the humility together with the arrogance of Moab in the genes in the DNA of of uh of Ruth of Ruth. Okay, last piece. See if we I don't know if we'll be able to get through the whole thing inside, but let's let's go. also uh dovetales with our theme of the qualities of uh of the Jewish people of individual Jews the quality of of leadership right um and that leaders have to be not only you know in Yiddish so the word is right I don't know how to translate what proud very good you have to be proud but you have to be right Good. Good. Barcai. So the para opens up the kesh spoke to Moshe in the desert but midbar ra the medish says meat midbar anybody who doesn't treat himself like see himself as a midbar halfare meaning modest right halfcare right you can never acquire wisdom if you think you know everything right now he's talking about Torah of the ultimate wisdom. But in anything you think you know better than the teacher, you're never going to learn anything. Right? Just it's not going to happen. Right? You you have to make yourself you want to learn from somebody. You have to make yourself I am your student. I want to learn from you. I want to I'm open. I'm open. Right? Open in a hefare in a positive way. Right? I if a person lives the whole center of his life is on me right used to speak in the 80s and 70s ' 80s speak about the MI generation right um I think very much so today but um but if if that's if that's our focus so you're creating a tremendous a wall between ourselves and the right Aal said but if a person says listen it's not it's not a man-centric universe a god-centric universe right and via that it will be a man-centric universe right so if he does that drops that then he drops then the makita falls away the wall between himself and the whole purpose of this world we mentioned it so many times is is our whole purpose here is to develop a personal relationship with the reon right I saw a survey now something recently just recently about the decline of religion in America today talking about Christianity decline of religion because what's the definition of rel of religion it's not about creating a relationship between me and God it's um there are other other factors invol how people view religion right but in any case um so he says here so he says then you can acquire our wisdom to Torah, understand Torah, which is what God God's wisdom this concept of of of this idea of being kind of I'm a nothing to you the shalom is that I don't I'm not trying to do it to become a great scholar to get a name for myself a reputation, right? Right. I'm I'm, you know, I'm in charge here. The essence, if you if you create Torah, you you develop some creative idea in Torah, you won't be upset if someone you hear somebody quoting you without quoting you, right? You know, I I'll never forget one of the first days in in in the ravenet for me many moons ago. So, somebody asked me a Shiloh and I gave him an answer, right? And he said to me, you know, well, I'm sure there's another opinion, right? So, I'm like, you know, you know, you grow, you're in yeshiva and you're used to the fact you go to the rash, you ask, you're working on something that's you know, I'm sure there's another opinion, right? Right. But he's right. There is another opinion, right? And you're allowed to argue with your with your RV, with your Rebi, with your you're allowed to argue in with your Rebi if and and right and and maybe come out that you'll tell him that he was he'll admit that he was wrong. Right. So um that's the point here. So if a person makes himself like a desert, right? He's not the owner of of wisdom. He'll be to have wisdom. He'll gain from a lot of people. He's he's the Gora says, right? But Pik says actually that I I I I learned from everybody, right? Okay. So now let's get to the the para the Nia. What's he what does he want to say with this? He has a message to say with this. I don't know that we can do it all inside but let me try. Now he says move on. Now we can understand something very strange in the para para is we are told that is appointing he's announcing the fact that there are each tribe has a president a prince a nasi right and I'm appointing ish a man ahead of each tribe right of the Torah continues the Torah goes and gives the names again. As if this was the first time he met them, but it's not right. I don't understand. This minion, this census where they they list all the tribes and their leaders, right, is a year later like we saw before in the first piece, right? They knew they knew the prince. They knew who their who their prince was. Each person, right? The nih three weeks earlier there was the dedication of the misbeha. It's a long para because every one of the tribes the the princes every one of these brought carbonus and each one is listed separately in the Torah. these quote unquote now he calls them I'm appointing men over you right that's going to be his question these are the same people the same princes the president the prince who gave these carbon in the in the so what what's going on here why repeated here what do we how it was repeated because here he calls them men right calls him I'm going to point a man like you a man like you over over you doesn't say I'm appointing right even though these were the same who offered those carbonaut for He should have said they will be for you princes, right? We have to understand after he mentions their name again and he says in the next in our paraim he calls them anem so they're nosy but they're also an ish para to person you see a theme from these three pieces we've done today Right. Right. So the answer is that if a person doesn't make himself like he so to speak, right? Like a midbar, then he's not going to be a leader, right? But you need both qualities. You need to be a Nazi and you need to realize that you're also an ish. You're a simple ish. So I'm appointing an ish over you, right? That he has to see. He has to see himself that way that he's not doesn't should look himself as a Nazi, right? Um, you know, I remember once also many years ago as a young rabbi that a certain rabbi would call me and every time he I would speak to him, he'd say, "This is rabbi so and so. Call him." Right? So, I'm thinking to myself, you know, I'm also a rabbi. What do you What do you mean? So it's finally the third time he did it. He said, "This is Rabbi so and so." I said, "Can you do me a favor?" He said, "What's your middle name? What's your middle name?" Rabbi, let's say Goldberg. What's the middle name between Rabbi and Goldberg? Right? In other words, person is not a rabbi or a doctor, right? Any for himself that he that it's other people if they want, but you shouldn't call yourself. You shouldn't call yourself hello, this is Dr. uh you know this is right so there the need there's a it's a balance right uh between being a ni see that you have a role to play in kal Israel and being an Adam being a a person that's why the the melik we've been speaking about has to have a separate mitzvah every Jew has to write a safer Torah but a melik has to have a second safer Torah that he carried on his arm he carried wherever he went to remind himself that he's really nothing His mal his melik is because of the right so that's the theme of these three pieces here a little bit of the theme of shu we're about to receive the Torah again and we should receive it with both qualities okay thank Thank you.