Parsha Perspectives for Today (Bamidbar, 5781) - What's Your Brand

good morning boca tov welcome back to a parashat perspectives for today we have the privilege of beginning the fourth book of the torah of reading parshas bamidbar together i want to thank our dear friends becky navi cats and family for sponsoring the parsha perspective series for the year in loving memory of becky's father david grossman lee la nishmas david ben menachem manish also this morning i want to thank lee and danny waxman of cedarus new york for sponsoring parishes bamidbar parsha perspective a loving memory of danny's mother marilyn margulis miriam yaakov of mayor's eighth year it says steven and his nisham and aliyah also this morning we dedicate our learning to our brothers and sisters in israel whom we cannot stop thinking about and checking in on as they continue to suffer and be targeted by a barrage of rockets by such evil wicked nefarious unjust attacks and we dive in for their safety their security and of course for peace we are in the earthquake our fourth book and our part shall begin by telling us not only what was communicated not only what was transmitted and said but where it was communicated and where it was said specifically specifically in the in the desert here we are given the topography here we're given the climate of where the torah was communicated and the message tells us why is that important teach us our history teach us our ethics and morals teach us our laws why is it necessary or in what way does it help to be able to tell us where so says the madrish we have three elements or three climates three environments in which torah was given blaish with fire bamayam with water uvamidbar and in the desert paishmi nayamahara shankulow we know it is with fire because the description of our sinai which we are only days away from being back at together with the holiday of chavuz was entirely in smoke it was in flames how do we know with the water it says so the cryptic madras leaves it there this very cryptic measure simply tells us that the torah in order to receive torah the torah is likened or the torah was transmitted nitna torah beis pamayamu bamidbar with fire with water and with the desert and of course the question is what does that mean what are these three elements have in common or how are they connected or in what way do they reflect different aspects of how we receive how we learn how we live how we teach a sense of torah so ramir shapiro zacchaeus the great russia shiva of ramirez shapiro was an extraordinary extraordinary individual i think we once did a people of the book you could find online we spoke about him his history his contribution he was a member of the polish parliament he was a community rav he was an al baisden he was a rosh shiva i don't know how he had time for everything let alone introduce the world to the gift of daphyomi so he has a sephiroth called imra das a say for on torah and in it he says the following midbar what is the significance of these three and he says the jewish people from when we became a people we were tamid nefesh bad torah living as a jew took great self-sacrifice you know being a jew doesn't come easy it's expensive it's costly paints a target on one's back it's not a simple life it demands me serious nephesh it demands sacrifice it demands service to live a life of faith to live a life of torah even when in conflict and confrontation even with tension with the moral values of a time when in tension with enemies of the jewish people we marched to the altar and we put our neck out and throughout the centuries and millennia there were people who slaughtered us simply because we remain steadfast and true to our convictions and our commitment to torah we jumped into the sea and we jumped into the fire and we let ourselves uh let our lives be taken all in the name of our commitment to our amunah to our mesorah to our torah so where did this come from where do we draw the strength the tenacity the resiliency why are we willing to be mostly nefesh why are there countless young men women israeli soldiers who right now are putting themselves on the line in order to defend in israel from its rockets from its attacks just give up this jewish dream just assimilate and blend into the other nations of the world just be accepted and received why does the jewish thorn story matter where do we get the courage and the conviction to persevere so cesaro mayor shapiro these are the three notions ba'esh bamayam and bamidbar baslos these three elements reflect three times significant milestones in our history where we were most nefesh where we were willing to sacrifice where we were willing to make that effort avram aviya uma abraham our forefather our great patriarch nizarakala kipchana is allowed and was willing to have himself thrown into the furnace into the fire before he was willing to compromise and before he was willing to violate his most basic tenet his most basic conviction which was the existence of monotheism the existence of one god and he planted within us that capacity and that strength that even in the face of fire a willingness to sacrifice in the name of our torah is that and if this was an individual avraham was one unique one distinct individual haribo we became a family we became a nation we became a people and now we stood between the sea and the egyptians and we could have turned back to the egyptians and said take us back we'll blend in we'll assimilate we'll walk like egyptians we'll be just like you you're right never mind what were we thinking but instead we saw god said walk and we did right into the sea right into that body of water ready to give it all up ready to lose it all national men and we know from his ankles to his knees to his waist to his chest to his shoulders all the way up to his nose he was ready to give it all up and he planted within us not as the individual avram but as the people as the nation not with fire but with water and then lastly the third that was a that was an isaan of orega that was a momentary test the egyptians behind us to see before us and the momentary test would we immerse ourselves would we walk in but then kashabane then we went into a desert a desert that was barren snakes and scorpions all kinds of dangers loomed there are no fruit trees there are no vegetables there's no wheat that grows in the desert and we didn't go it wasn't a moment like when we walked into that sea it was for forty years rock me talk but zachary it was only because of our commitment our love our devotion to god and to his prophet moshe that we walked right into that desert and we didn't know where would that next meal come from before the mun began to fall we didn't know how would we hydrate ourselves there is no water source in the desert until we discovered and were gifted that bear and how would we be protected until we were given those clouds of glory and god recalls nostalgically he remembers zakatya said i remember that you came after me you followed me into the midbar you followed me into that barren desert desolate dangerous because you put all your trust in me you were willing you were willing to take that risk so it says of mayor shapiro where to the jewish people in tough shin payal of 2021 still in the state of israel in our own homeland need to face adversity in order to stand up for who we are and what we believe where does a jew anywhere in the world who confronts anti-semitism stay steadfast in what we believe even if it means confronting aysh mayam or midbar even if it means messieurs nephesh with fire with water or the dangers of the desert we get it from our own history and that's what mayor shapiro and his immediate suggests that's the meaning of this madrish the torah was implanted within us in three ways and because our ancestors displayed and demonstrated that sacrifice the messiest nephesh for torah and for judaism and for our faith with those three elements they gave us that strength they gave us that capacity that continues to be drawn from until today that's the imrae imrae das the shapiro the sofa the sofa the son of sam sofia also has a suggestion in his parish on the torah and he says the following he says why are torah why is torah compared to war martin tina's water always flows to its lowest point when there's a leak in the ceiling you comes down through the wall and floods the floor it makes its way if you live in a place that has a basement we spoke about this parshas bahar last week we spoke about this water flows from the high point to the low point and therefore water flows like torah it goes from not the high point but to the person who is in on of the modest the humble the individual is not arrogant the individual is not driven by their ego or doesn't see themselves as superior that's why we said the beginning of partial that's why hashem gave the torah and our sinai the most humble modest of all the mountains that was the lesson the message that moshe received that that moshe ki bel-torah not bisinai he didn't receive the torah geographically the coordinates at sinai moshe kibal torah misinai he received the torah of sinai and we on shabbos are going to re-receive that torah not at sinai but with the message and the theme of sinai of humility so that's water the torah was given with the element of water a reminder that just like water flows to the lowest point sotutoro will flow most authentically and most genuinely in a most lasting way to those who are lowest in the sense of humility and modesty number two says the suffer what's aish what's fire torah is compared to fire ki near mitzvah the torah or passage that an air a candle is a mitzvah when one fulfills a mitzvah like lighting a candle and when one learns and lives torah or that is the light that the torah the root of the word torah's or it illuminates the path torah doesn't change the reality but it illuminates we are able to see and navigate our way through that's where the gemara brachos dafyddzain is so we're able to navigate this world we're able to identify that's my itsahara that's this obstacle that's the pitfall and because when we learn torah we turn the light on on in the dark room called this world it doesn't eliminate the obstacles and the challenges it doesn't make everything easy or perfect but it gives us the tools and the power to be able to navigate that's what ghazal said the majesto the torah that god gave moshe was written with a black fire and a white fire because the torah is gives life it gives strength it illuminates it enables it prolongs and therefore it gives us a life force it is the fire that burns within us it is the fire that generates the heat and the warmth and the energy and the creativity torah is that fire that burns inside of us and lastly says the sofa nitna bamidbar the torah was given in the desert the torah was only given to those who eat the mon meaning those who aren't worried about the where their next meal is coming from those who are not living as if they are in control they are in charge but rather a person who puts their faith person who submits and surrenders to the almighty and realizes inaudible all there is is you god i take my initiative i make my effort and then i let go and i let god the oklahoman let go and let god even though they didn't have a supply even though they didn't have a costco shopping amount of food to carry them in the next days weeks and months every day they got their portion for that day but they let go and let god with the confidence that they were going to get their portion the next day that's what it was to walk through the midbar but eretz lo zerua to be in a barren desolate place to be in a place where you didn't know where your next meal you didn't know where your protection was coming from and yet to submit and surrender to put trust in the almighty in the ribbon of shalom so sort of mayor shapiro and his immediate says what is the significance of bamidbar the whole midbar is called bamidbar the whole fourth book of the torah is begins by telling us where the torah was given and where the torah is transmitted what do we care isn't the is in the content the text of the torah what matters aren't its laws it's narrative what what uh counts why do we care about midbar why do we care where so the medrush expands not just by midbar fire water and desert cesaro mayor shapiro fire water and desert reflect the three places where we sacrifice mesiras nephesh that embedded it planted within us the capacity of fortitude and of resiliency and of faith and of convictions and a willingness to stand up for our principles and our values even if it means facing the fire the water or a desert and the sofa said it means no it means that torah is like water it flows to the lowest point the humble it's like fire that it has to burn inside of us and it illuminates and lightens the world and like a midbar that we have to be willing to go to a barren desolate place ravdruck adds a third opinion i'll share with you what of druk says ravjus says there's something fascinating about these three and they are in conflict and contradiction what does he say is eliza fire and water are opposites fire extinguishes water they do not co-exist they don't live together fire and water are opposites they cannot co-exist they don't act together and neither fire or water are relevant to a desert rake the desert is barren desolate there's no fire there is no water erectile the desert is a place that is absolutely totally entirely barren empty desolate so water fire and desert do not co-exist they are in conflict and contradiction with one another and therefore the message that the torah is given with the three is that no one has a monopoly on torah of those who are like fire or those who are like water or those who are like a desert it doesn't belong to any one group it doesn't belong to anyone ashkaffa it doesn't belong to anyone who wears a particular yamaka tv every jew no matter where you're from no matter your background every jew has a portion of torah and this is a tremendous rebuke of those who say look you know torah's not for me we don't believe in kolo we don't believe in learning we don't believe in yeshiva you know we're just judaism light we're just social judaism we're just this no every jew has an obligation in torah every jew has a portion of torah every jew is entitled to torah it doesn't belong to any one group and that's why three distinct elements that are in contradiction with one another the torah is given with all three to reflect that the torah is given and is deserved for each and every member of claudia's role the rambam writes on the comments the jewish people were given three crowns qatar torah qatar kahuna were given the crown of torah the crown of the priesthood and the crown of the monarchy kingship arun received the crown of torah of kahuna rather question david and malchus who got kasa torah who got kasir torah when the rambam in his commentary the rambam torah when the rambam applies this mishna it says there are three crowns the crowns of priesthood went to arun and the crown of monarchy kingship went to david who got the crown of torah who's the individual i would have thought crown of moshe moshe's moshe is the greatest prophet that ever lived he is the ambassador of torah nevertheless the rama doesn't write that he says israel the crown of torah is for every jew we can all wear and proudly put on the crown of torah torah tivolanu moshe marusa yaakov so we see that while kahuna was given specifically to the offspring of arun and the monarchy is given only to the dynasty of david when it comes to torah every jew every jew has access every jew has a right every jew is entitled okay our parsha continues possible are the census accounting of the jewish people and rashi of course tells us on the fun of mona osamtamin when you love something you count it some love their children and grandchildren great grandchildren constantly counting some of their stock portfolio some love their baseball team's record some love their collection of stamps some love how many times they finish the masak or shas you count you review whatever you love god loves the jewish people so he keeps counting us and that's why we have another census and and in the census it says what is the manner or mechanism of counting we're counted according to ms bar shamos a number according to their name by numbers of the names every male according to their head count which is peculiar seems to be a contradiction mispar the number and the names which is it a number and a name signal very very different things on the one hand the number reflects something that's impersonal a number is just a number and the nazis wanted to dehumanize the jews when they wanted to make the jews be depressed and despondent they gave a number they literally tattooed a number you're no longer a name you're no longer a person you're just a number a name in distinction a name is deeply personal a name speaks of individual identity a name is a description of who someone is a name is the most personal thing about that's why the ghazal tell us that parents are given an element a level of new of prophecy when they pick a name for their child the name is not arbitrary the name is not a label the name is a description in some ways the name is a predictor the name is very very important to get the name right so the torii tells us the jewish people are to be counted how bimisbaar the name the number so which is it a name or a number it seems to be a contradiction seems to be contradiction moreover the after of pasha's bamidba follows the same theme the prophet usa tells us the number of the jewish people are like the sand of the sea it can't be measured and it can't be counted and the measure says what do you mean that's a contradiction how can it be will neither be measured or counted when it says why are you doing it why are we doing this census in order to arrive at the misspar beneficiary the whole goal is what is the number of the jewish people so what do you mean a number that cannot be counted a number strongly implies and suggests the notion of the number is you can be counted so are we a number or number less can we be counted or are we countless are we measured or immeasurable are we a name or are we a number what is going on here so this fast emis i think i've shared this before but it bears repeating the helicopters read the laboratory of guerre says very beautifully he says a number is raised to being transcendent numberless when we connect with a sense of unity when things are apart when they're disparate when they are divided then it's subject to being counted but when something is united when it is together then it blends and it bleeds into one another it's inseparable it's indistinguishable it cannot be counted and it's rendered numberless and so whether we're countable or not countable says this is entirely up to us and that's the meaning of these two metaphors in the bracha you know the bracha in in the prophet usa and the bracha avarma vino got back in safe herbarius on the one hand we are likened to stars avram's told go outside look up the sky and we'll like count our count like the stars can't be counted on the other hand like sands of the sea so which is it so this emma says to resemble stars is to be impressive they shine bright they illuminate the constellations are influential but stars represent individuality you describe someone as a shining star someone is a rising star someone is a star an all-star the blessing to be like a star is great to be an all-star a rising star a shining star but it means you're an individual you're distinct you're alone you're a part sand has the opposite feature take one grain of sand and it's almost negligible one grain of sand it's insignificant it's immaterial that one grain of sand can't even do anything the only value and benefit to sand is when the sand is united together with other sand and it forms a beach and it guards the dry land from the ocean creeping upon it so the barakah to be like sand is the power of unity of connection of togetherness even those who feel insignificant or inconsequential alone when you connect with others you become a force to be reckoned with says this and by extension to all of us be a shining star be an individual realize that individuality shine bright rise like a star but also like the grain of sands and realize that you're inconsequential you're insignificant if you're alone be connected and be part of something bigger than yourself he would apply this fascemas to the mission of us if i'm not for myself who am i we're all meant to be a shining star and we have to figure out and i think this is a theme of our parsha that we're going to get to momentarily the notion of the logo the emblem the significance of having a um a flag on the one end there's the individuality but on the other there's being part of something bigger than themselves so the main anili mili if i don't represent my mission and my purpose if i don't pursue why i am here nobody else will but amanila asks me but if all i care about is being a shining star standing out as a star all i care about is my individuality than ma'ani what am i so the bracha we receive and our aspiration is to be shining stars but simultaneously like the sands of sea to realize our individuality but to understand our unity of when we need to be together pinkus the great author shaaram bitfilah we studied together ravinka says a little safer hamash a beautiful savior and in there he writes how are we both a name and a number at the same time he says and as much as we're part of the covenantal community we're part of that hashem we're part of the army of hashem and we're charged with this mission to be this bright light in the world and to repair the world with hashem's timeless total values so we're a number we're a number we're a soldier in the army of hashem and soldiers have a number we're a link in the chain of the messora but on the other hand we're also a name we're an individuality we have a uniqueness we have a mission so the stars and the sand a name and a number they're simultaneously true all at the same time they're not in conflict they're not in contradiction but what we strive for is to reach and to meet both of them at the same time that's part of the theme a big part of the theme of our parsha how do we simultaneously people make the mistake in both directions there are those who don't believe in themselves they give up on themselves they don't think they're worthy or consequential they can make a difference they don't think they're special they're different or they're unique they don't feel they have a mission and so they therefore blend in and they surrender who they could be and the difference they can make there are others who are so driven by their ego all they care about is their own name all they care about is their own honor and glory all they care about is their own celebrity and they don't recognize they're here to serve something else it's not about them it's about the mission it's about the cause it's about the effort and one of the themes of our pasha is to find the blend between the two to be able to recognize that we are meant to make a difference that we do have a unique mission in this world but at the same time it's not to shine bright for our own sake it's to represent hashem his torah and to repair the world in that image moving right along parakal of pasig memv so you have all the names you have the actual census right here excluding the levian we've talked previously while we don't include the livium so skipping towards the end of the census elephant on page 730 parak aleph chapter 1 verse 46. allah so these were the countings of the children of israel from 26 and up everyone goes out to their legion 603 550. and the levium the matavo has paktu they were not counted in this census the levium were not included in this census now we've spoken previously i'm not going to repeat it the beautiful insight of refrain shmalevitz why the levine were not counted they are counted but they're counted separately so if we want to arrive at their number if the census matters why not include them in the overall senses and then break it out know how many of the rest of the tribes and then how many are the levium why must the levine be counted separately there's a beautiful sichus muslin we've spoken about many times i want to share with you a different insight this year from as we continue to make our way through his magnificent ish tamid sarah b or wonders we just concluded the census we gave the final tally we gave the final number and it did not include the levies so why does god have to end this section by saying and the levine were not counted we know they were encountered reuven shimon we went through everybody we said their number we added it all up we gave the final tally and it didn't include levy so the reality is we counted everyone but levy we gave the final tally that didn't include levy obviously levy are not included so why do we need a follow-up sentence as if a concluding thought and by the way levy were not included we know that already the measurement says the following did not tell moshe to count levy from the very beginning while he instructed moshe to count everyone else and the prince of each tribe was identified the prince of lavi was not because god had made moshe realize from the beginning god identified the leader of each tribe and he said now go count but included he did not include the head of levy so moshe understood implicitly levy was not meant to be included in this count the count concludes and moshe wonders says the madrish why not why wasn't his own tribe moshe's from levy and moshe is curious he wanders his own tribe levy why wasn't it included miyad perish lolam alotiva limnos so god explains why akhas mata levi lotif code however the tribe of levy don't include and the reason was they didn't participate with the khaita ego and so on so wonders of druk which should be an obvious question on this madrish the medrash tells us that from the beginning moshe knew that levy wouldn't be counted because no nussie was appointed to do the count he did the whole count of everybody but levy he came to the final tally the final number the final conclusion and only now is he wondering why not why not hashem why not count levi why didn't moshe ask it from the beginning why didn't he start out from the top yes liaison why is the only one doing it now when there's a prince named for every tribe but levy why didn't moshe say uh hashem far be it for me to correct you but i think maybe you left someone out what about levy when they're going through the count for each tribe but not levy why not say hashem what about levy so listen tour of drook's insight vanira shikas of kanya so goddal there's a very very important principle when hashem commands us to do something when god says jump we say how high when he says to do we react immediately without delay don't wonder don't be curious don't be puzzled don't inquire i feel um even if you don't understand and only after you complete according to the way god commanded now epsilon association now you can explore now you can be curious now you can inquire emotionally so that's why when god says do the count he leaves that levy that's not the time to ask questions when god says do you do and when you're done now you can come back and ask we see this when it comes to are arie mikla says rav druk moshe bainu eva yarden the jewish people are east of the yard and they have not yet entered the holy land of israel and they're going to be ari mikhala three east of the ordained and three in israel proper and the mishnah tells us three east of the yarding three in israel but until the three in israel were established the three east of the yarding were not up and running so says then we have to understand the jordan were not up and running until the three in israel were so why did we need to set aside the are immigrant east of the yarding you should only choose the ones east of the ordain once the ones in erita's role are chosen it didn't make sense and yet you see that moshe jumped to do it and only ask questions after this is a theme in the torah that moshe is in a model an example a paradigm for all of us not only in our relationship with hashem by the way in all relationships your spouse asks you to do something take out the garbage you jump take out the garbage why'd you want to take it out right now it's not coming till much later the garbage garbage wasn't full yet what was your thinking when we're asked in a relationship that we're invested in when a person expresses a need or a want we jump to do it and if we're curious to understand it we reserve and we save that for later shamatis says i heard from basham david levy sullivan who explained the idea of the akedah the same way that even in the arcade itself you know we think that a jew doesn't ask mayron 45 people didn't get on the bus they didn't go home what a horrific horrific tragedy cries for the jewish people are still reeling from this tragedy absolutely horrific absolutely still reeling from this tragedy two people were killed by rockets and ashkelon today horrific innocent civilians victims murdered in cold blood killed by evil wicked terrorists how could you not be filled with questions avraham aveeno is challenged by god take your son and slaughter him on the altar how could he not have questions how could he not have questions the measure says avraham called the place hashem if i had something to answer that you know yesterday you told me it's yesterday he told me that i would have continuity through yitzhak and now you're telling me to slaughter him but i didn't ask you kavashti instead i surrendered i submitted i held back my question i silenced it in order to pursue your will but what you see is right after the akida i love hashem and it was don't strike the child don't strike the child and rashes says i know avraham said yesterday i could have made this comment and i didn't who says i will never cancel my breasts with you so i don't understand avram's greatness is that he was to the test why was he bringing up after the fact what he could have asked so rav rav david alabi salaam or shiva brisk says what you see is that first you persevere first you overcome first you fulfill first you meet the test and then you could ask whatever you want and then you could ask whatever you want the jewish people are not a people that squash questions we ask questions and we explore questions and we embrace questions but the questions can't come in the way the questions can't prevent or be an obstacle from doing what is the will of hashem first we're macabre we accept that everything is from hashem enormous and then we could ask questions and in truth this is the essence of the holiday we're about to celebrate this is shavuos what did the jewish people say when god gave us the torah we said nasa vanishma why didn't we just say nasa why don't we just say nasa we will do tell us what to do and we'll do your god you're omnipotent you're infinite you're all knowing you say this is what's worthwhile to do will do why nishma why do i have to listen so the marshal says this others say the nishma is nasa i'm in whatever you want me to do i'll do but i also want to learn and i also want to ask questions and i also want to pursue and i also want to explore and i also want it to make sense for me and so nasa i'm in do banishma the fact that i'm doing i don't want to do it blindly i don't want to do it as a robot now that i'm doing nishma let me hear let me explore let me ask let me understand that is who we are we ask and we seek to understand but first we do and only once we've done then we want to understand and explore what is driving what is the meaning what is the mindfulness behind what we're doing so you see that says druk here that's why even though moshe knew levy wasn't going to be counted from the very beginning he didn't ask about it then first he did the census he took the count without levy and only when it was complete did he say hey what's the deal why is levy excluded and that's consistent with the way we do things nasa van isma hashem asks us not just in our relationship with hashem but in all relationships first we do and then we seek to understand what it is that we have done parrot-based pastagal if we move over now the census is complete and now the jewish people are going to travel through the desert they don't know yet it's going to be 40 years but 40 years through the desert and they don't walk around chaotic and scattered it's not random but it is carefully choreographed it's carefully curated by the bear shaman motion villain israel children of the jewish people in camp each according to their banner according to their insignia the logo of their father's household savila o'malley on page 732 perhaps rabbi says the article the oh you rather the o you rav on page nine the rav says the following is aldi glow each according to your camp each according to your division listen to the rav the torah spends a great deal of time discussing the demarcation of various camps and where precisely each tribe should encamp relative to the others just as the ribonus establish specific varieties of plants in the botanical realm which must remain separate and not be grafted together so too each person has his own talents and role in society in order for society to function harmoniously each individual must play a specific role we have men and we have women we have ashkenazim and we have svaran we have hasidim we have them we have reuven and we have shimon and we have levi some people delude themselves into thinking their abilities are endless while others are so self-effacing they believe they can accomplish nothing god wanted every jew to realize where his strengths and weaknesses lie each man is we each have our own mission which have our own brand our own logo our own difference we're meant to make and don't forfeit don't think you're inconsequential you're insignificant if you woke up this morning god has great faith in you if you woke up today you are here for a reason now go figure it out now go make that difference now go become the person you're meant to be is each of us have a logo a brand an insignia each of us are unique and distinct stop trying to live someone else's life stop trying to be someone else stop trying to compete or stop giving up on life and being and doing nothing and thinking that you're not meant to be here for a reason says you know avodah zarah is avodah which is zara if you're doing someone else's avodah it is zara to you it's strange it's foreign to you we each have an avodah which have a mission we each have a purpose and this whole section of the golem which is not a sort short section the whole section here of the flags of the logo of the encampment of the insignia it's all here for a reason says thereof it's all here to remind us that just like each tribe met and camped under a banner our families each have a motto our families each have a bumper sticker our families each have our vision and our mission statement of who we are our flag that we are under have we articulated it are we clear to our children and our grandchildren have we left them not only a legacy of a will but an ethical will who we are and what we stand for what we believe in the difference that we want to make who are we what is the flag that we plant and that we proudly wave and that we proudly stand under and so this section which is not short about the encampment in the desert and the logo the insignia is not just a part of ancient history it's not arcane archaic it is informing and inspiring it should the way we live today says similarly in his ishtamin he quotes from the midbaraba parashabe the measure says the angels all came down in our senate and they all had a camp over the node is commentary the myriad of angels were dagul they each had a dagger daglanut each of the angels came down to perform their daglanut the angels were waving flags now the angels were not waving the one flag daglanute is waving the same israeli flag kevin charos and historicios in the gondogon so what happened here the human beings that harsinai we were going back there in less than a week the jewish people were standing at harcina and they saw the angels came down and the angels were each waving a flag the angels like bar mitzvah boys today each had their own logo each had their own brand on their yamaka and so the jewish people said i want that i want a logo i want a brand i want an insignia and that's what hashem provided the golem and that's what's going on and one deserved druk what does that mean that angels had flags and logos and why would the jewish people why were they jealous of those flags and logos what is the significance what is the meaning what is going on says rook the following that's by the way we say until him shame eloquence in the name of god nidgol let us wave a flag let us wave a flag what is this israeli day parade in the name of god lived the gut nid gol of hashema located what's going on says the following the whole idea of the flag of a logo a logo is who are you the wedding couple on their wedding invitation sometimes on the dance floor sometimes on the thank you notes that logo is who you are we're different we're unique we're distinct this is our mission this is our message this is what we represent this is what we stand for what does it mean the angels each came down with a logo what are our angels angels are each a unique expression and manifestation of god each here for a shlikhas angels only come to this world in order to carry out an agency in order to carry out an effort on behalf of god and once it is complete they disappear no one angel does two uh efforts and no two efforts are done by one that once the angel has completed their mission the angel disappears the angel self-destructs there's no use or no purpose no reason for that angel so what's the idea that the angels came down with the golem doggo mervava the myriad of angels were each waving a flag it means an angel it's clear it's obvious for the angel the logo why are they here what is their shlichus for each of us to have a logo is what's our shlikhas what's our message what's your mission statement what's your brand every one of us is a brand what is your brand what you do is who you are what is your brand and what does it say about you what is our brand what is the logo that we wave who are we and just like angels the shame eloquent goal let's wave our flag let's wave our logo let's wave our emblem bashem eloquenu in the name of god the emblem is not you know i'm the best investor in bitcoin i've got a tesla i've got the biggest house the nicest car i'm the best looking the emblem the logo that i wave is not all about me and this world bashem eloqueno nidgol the flag that i wave the logo that i proudly display is all about the name of god in advancing his mission here on earth it's why i'm here but miss parshamus calls the mispar and the shamus this is the theme that we've been embracing all along on the one hand a uniqueness a distinctiveness a personal mission on the other hand part of a bigger the star the sand the name the number number numberless counter not countable all of this is this duality that we're meant to live simultaneously we're like a malach which have a unique mission on the other hand we're serving in the army with a greater purpose part of something much bigger than ourselves part of something so much greater maybe this is why says rodrik we read pasha's bamidbar kodama we're reading the book of by midbar working in the parashat rather about midbar before shivus everyone needs to know when we're going to come be at that mountain and we're going to be united and unified we're going to come to that mountain together to re-receive the torah we also have a number but we have a name we're unique and we're distinct we each have a mission and a purpose a shlikas here in this world and that's what we say it's not just god give us the torah give us some generic torah saying give us our portion each of us have our own portion each of us have our own difference each of us have our own interpretations and suggestions each of us have our own way to live and to manifest and to display torah in this world and in our lives revyak of kaminetsky and his liakov has i'll share just a third on isha i'll de-glow and then move on cezrov jakov kaminetsky isn't there a big risk 12 tribes three north south east west around uh in camping as they're making their way through the desert isn't there an enormous risk of color war i'm not color war but war isn't there an enormous risk they're going to be fighting it's going to be conflict there's going to be tension so jack of kavanaugh points out you know why you can be rest assured that won't happen because even though there's three tribes north and three tribes south and three tribes west and three tribes east you know what's traveling right in the middle of them all me neged at the center of laws the olmoyed is the arnabris or the luchos is the torah when the torah and when hashem are in the middle then uniting us all our differences complement instead of compete our difference collaborate and complement instead of compete as long as the kurdish borjo is in the middle of the has to be in the middle and when it's in the middle and we unite around it then we can be all together it's so so painful after the tragedy in meron jews all over the world felt united connected nobody cared what the victims looked like the two people killed today nobody cares who they were how they observed or how they voted in the last four israeli elections nobody cares we are united in our pain and our anguish and our fear and our uncertainty we are united in our courage and convictions but why does it take tragedy and why does it take conflict and why does it take loss of life for us to feel united as one when the jewish people in that old mode when the torah kadosh is in the middle then we can be differences we can be different but we don't have to pass one another we don't have to cancel culture one another we don't have to be hypercritical of one another the message of parshas bamidbar are safer by midbar at the very formation or adolescence of becoming a people we'll stop fighting and stop having conflict that doesn't mean you need uniformity we had separate the golem we had separate flags and logos and insignias we encamped separately we're allowed to have important differences we can have respectful debates about ashkaffa and in judaism but we have to be united we have to be one owa we have to surround the omoid that whatever we wear don't wear on our head and however we believe or act or conduct ourselves we all have to be united as one last week we've spoken behind the beam if you haven't listened i strongly encourage you we interviewed rabbi benji levine the grandson of arya levin that saddak of you shalom who grew up in american jersey city actually went to waiyu he spent his summers with his grandfather living with his grandfather ravari levine learning with him with his uncle ravi yasha with his cousin the kanyevskis his story is just remarkable and he's a phenomenal storyteller and he talks about walking around nakhlaot with his grandfather avari levin he talks about we just came off yomir shalayim in the interview he talks about taking his grandfather to the kotel for the first time his grandfather tore kriya said an emotional shakianu back at the koton 67 right after the six day war but he talks about walking around nakhla the lepers the prisons wherever levin sadiq of you shalom was uncompromising unflinching in his convictions and who he was and what he stood for but he loved every jew and every jew felt that love that avas israel whatever tribe or whatever gate the others were choosing to walk through the great revali levin the saddek of you shalom loved and showered and smothered them with love and he gave a firsthand description of what that was like if you haven't listened it's really really worthwhile absolutely fantastic some of the um we can have different encampments and different logos we can come to different conclusions and we can act differently however it has to all be united by our sense of torah our sense of loving hashem okay moving on to the next chapter after the encampments the elah told us aaron a motion beyond moshe bahar sinai these are the offspring of aaron and moshe and the day hashem spoke to moshe at her sinai says rashi aina masqueron i don't understand we're listing the offspring of aaron and moshe and then we only list the offspring of aaron yet nikru told us moshe efficient the offspring of our own aaron's children are called the offspring of moshe because he taught them torah and what do we learn from here says the gemara and sanhedrin test this teaches us that if you teach someone torah it says if you birth them if you teach someone torah if you gave them a spiritual birth a spiritual identity it is as if you gave birth to them says rabbi back to the roof says the rav ayla told us aaron moshe listen to this very very powerful insight we don't usually think about this listen to this powerful insight we're all acquainted you know before we get to that revolver revolver gives us a practical example i shouldn't say practical but gives us an example in tanakh of this the notion that a teacher has to be devoted to a student like the students their own child this is a big lesson revolver as kedarka bakodesh as his want to do revolba extracts a lesson in a message for parents but also from alamden for teachers for educators if when you teach someone's torah it's as if you gave birth to them it means that your student can't be a statistic your student can't be a number your student has to be your child we love our children unconditionally and we display an extraordinary supernatural patience for them and a teacher if that child is to be as if they gave birth to them by transmitting torah then a teacher needs to show that that superhuman patience and that love the unconditional love to a student elisha referred to as rebia navi as avi avi the gemara moored cotton tells us that why did alisha call elio navi avi avi twice my father my father one was my father and one was my mother elio navi the great prophet who was the teacher the mentor of elisha elisha says avi avi my father my mother my spiritual guide and teacher my rebbe is like my father and my mother has given me a spiritual birth this notion that one who teaches torah as if they gave birth might even have implications allah almighty or kluger and his savior and evanescence he wonders the following what if you adopt a child what if someone is childless someone is unable to give birth to their own to conceive on their own and they adopt a child and raise that child and teach the child torah do they fulfill the mitzvah of peru so based on allah love killer yodo that if you raise a child an orphan in a home it's as if you gave birth so how do you understand the so this is the mach logic between the natas your destination base the drieshas of the opinion whenever it says kilo it is it's um it's only making a comparison it's as if it's virtuous it's noble it's beautiful it's as if whereas zata says no no when hazal say ilu they mean we count it as we count it that you did it and what's the nafcamina so paskins the uh is if you teach a child torah if you adopt and raise an orphan and you didn't have biological children of your own with that do you fulfill peru with that do you fulfill the mitzvah in other words this notion this sentiment is so significant and taken so seriously and so far that perhaps you even fulfill the formal mitzvah of peru says something a big kiddish not only rashi said if you teach them torahs as if you gave birth if you teach them torah that's how rashi understood it and the gemara says if you raise them quotes and goes even further and he says do you know why arun's children are counted as if they're moshe's because moshe did something else for them not only did moshe teach them torah what else did moshe do for them kevin shamosh rabbenu is heartfelt davening for his nephews al-azhar and was so heartfelt so genuine that moshe through his fila saved his nephew's lives says you know what else makes somebody as if they're your children if you darven so hard for them if you diamond so genuinely so tirelessly for someone if you dive in for someone as an extension of yourself it's as if you gave birth to them so three different expressions as if you gave birth to them hama-gadla if you raise them as if you gave birth to them or about if you daven for them it's as if you gave birth to them but i want to share with you this inside everybody celebrate chicken maybe even though there was so much more to share i maybe nevertheless what this will end listen to the rav we're all acquainted with the akedah and how avram performed but we do not pay sufficient attention to an al-qaeda that was carried out by moshe moshe's al-qaeda was perhaps more awesome and more terrifying than avraham's after avraham offered yitzhak the two of them returned to haramuria with great happiness but moshe never experienced the satisfaction in this case the ribonus requested and received his sacrifice what is the rav talking about the simple right to leave a last will and testament to die in one's own bed surrounded by his children was denied to moshe moshe died alone on a mountain before he died he did not lay his hands on gershom and elias are his sons but rather on yeshua the son of nun moshe's power was bestowed on yeshua and not on his own progeny more tragic still was the fact that moshe's children do not appear in the book of jewish genealogy moshe twice counted the children sorry moshe twice counted the jews and also counted the tribe of levy initially the torah says these are the descendants of iron emotion the day that hashem spoke to moshe arsenal the torah should have listed the generations of moshe his own children along with the generations of iron yet the subsequent passage ignores moshe entirely and centers around aaron alone where are moshe's children the torah is silent where are the generations of moshe the torah doesn't tell us moshe did not merit the normal satisfaction of flesh and blood to rebu to be reborn to a child to live again through the child to feel the great joy that upon his own death is progeny will remain moshe had two children of course he loved them both the same way avraham loved yitzhak the creator asked padava and moshe to give up their children to sacrifice in the altar unlike avraham no angel called to moshe don't stretch out your hand the knife mercilessly tore apart the relationship between moshe gershom and eleazar in the book of shofter moshe sangersham was not designated as ben moshe but ben menasha because moshe's children no longer belong to him for the receiver of the torah of the teacher of klaus israel it's prohibited to have a connection to one's family he's the father of israel every jew has an equal share in him it's prohibited from one individual to have a closer relationship than another moshe's torah must be inherited equally by all the torahs analogized to a desert in the sense that it is free for all for the taking the receiver of the torah in the sense is also a desert belonging to everyone at the burning bush god told moshe take your shoes off take your shoes off your feet cast off any private matters your human personal needs because the place upon which you stand is holy your place in the history is filled with sanctity and purity it's prohibited for you to involve yourself in private family life what a powerful image never ever thought of it in that way before that avraham had an akedah but he got his son back and moshe had to live with an akedah where he didn't get either son back and was that cruel it was the way it had to be that moshe belonged equally to all and even though if it meant he sacrificed his sons for moshe to play that transformational role in the jewish people for moshe to be that avanavium for moshe to be that father to all and transmitter to all he couldn't be more connected to any other and therefore he sacrificed his sons and that's why it's an anomaly even though here we are delivering delineating all the offspring and progeny and we list those of our own we omit those of moshe because moshe paid that price and moshe made that sacrifice what a powerful powerful insight there was much more to share but we're out of time tomorrow morning join us 8 for living for uh ten minutes of meaning of uh mesut ozil and then 8 45 for our living with emunah and then tomorrow night we go behind the bema at 9pm if you have not yet subscribed to our youtube channel you'll be notified in real time every time we go live come learn with us simply hit subscribe on youtube and join us until next time we dive in for our brothers and sisters in israel's safety and security may you stay happy healthy and holy