Rabbi David Lau Powerful Remarks from the Chief Rabbi of Israel | Chazaq

The third son of Jacob Avinu was Levi. And Levi has Levi had three children. The elder, the firstborn, was Gershon. After him, the second was Kehath. The third was Merari. And when we beginning We are beginning the Sefer Bamidbar, we are reading about that Hashem asked us to count children of Israel. But the tribe of Levi, their counting is not the same of the other tribes. You can see that all the tribes, they they organize according according to the places that they are around Mishkan. And because of that, you can see that Yehudah and Issachar and Zebulun, they are in the beginning, one camp. They are in Mizrah, in the east side of Mishkan. And every tribe, Hashem tells us where it was where this place, and this is according to that he told them to take his body to his funeral from Mitzrayim to Me'arat Hamachpelah. This is Sefer Bamidbar. This is the beginning of Bamidbar. But after a few words, said Hashem that the tribe of Levi that they are around the Mishkan. They are They are the keepers of Mishkan. They count with another way. First, we count them not from the 20 years old, from the 1 month old. Second, we can see that the order the priority who is the first, who is the second, is not because that the Yakov said. Yakov said who will take the his body and Levi will there. But the Torah said us that we count Levi. First, it was Kehat. Second, after Kehat was Gershon, the third one. And third, Merari. Why? Why is the Torah change the order? Why is the Torah change? And why is the Torah Why Hashem told them first was Kehat? Because that Kehat had something special. Kehat is a son that he is the teacher of Torah. The duty of tribe of Levi is your Mishpatecha le-Yaakov. They need to teach Torah of Jewish nation. But Gershon and Merari, they took the things from the Mishkan, they took with them. But the holy ark, the ark with the water bridge the ark with Torah This is Kehat. This is not Gershon. This is not Merari. This is Kehat. And because of that he is the first that we count him and we need to keep him more than other because he is said the Torah shomer mishmeret hakodesh. He is the one who keeper the holiness of Jewish nation. This is very hard duty. And we need to know why is the Torah change the order? Why is the Torah said that Kehat is the first? Why is the Torah didn't say that Gershon will take the ark? If Torah want to emphasize us the importance of Torah can Hashem Torah tell talk to Gershon, you are taking the Torah and Kehat will take the woods with the Kehat will take another things. Why because instead of that Kehat is the first? The explanation is very simple. If Gershon was the one who take the Torah and he count the first, we could think that why he was the first? Not because of the Torah, because that he is the firstborn. Because of that Hashem change and Hashem said us now I want to tell you the the one who takes the Torah, who is keeper of Torah, he is the first. You don't have mistake because Kehat is not the first. You can't say that why Kehat is a first because he Why Gershon is a first because he's the Torah. You can't take a mistake and you could think that maybe why Gershon is a first because he's a firstborn. You didn't know that he's a first because he was the keeper of Torah. Because of that, Hashem changed and Hashem told us Hashem said that Kehat he is the first and you ask why? Because he is the man of Torah. We need to know it. We need to remember it. And because of that, I want to add [clears throat] one point from the next parsha. From parshat Behaalotecha. We are learning there about the one time only once time in the desert Klal Yisrael did korban Pesach. Only one time. It's not good, but I don't want to speak it now about the reasons. But it was a few people that they were unpure. And Chazal explained us maybe it was the people who took the body of Yosef. Maybe it was the It were Elitzur, Mishael, and Elzaphan. They They took the body of Nadav and Avihu. But they were unpure. And they lost the opportunity They lost the opportunity of korban Pesach. They didn't know that that will be stay will stay in the desert 40 years. They didn't know that next year they don't have Maybe they have another chance for Pesach. They didn't know it. They knew that today common Pesach we lost the opportunity to feel close to Hashem. And they said two important words. We need to remember this. They said lama nigara. Why we need to lost this opportunity to make a one Pesach to feel close to Hashem? Lama nigara. Very important question. Why is very important? Because you have another mitzvah. You did things that another people didn't do it. You took the body of yourself. You took Nadav and Avihu. You did another things. You will always have a mitzvah. So, you had another points. Why you felt that you lost something? Because a Jew wants to be close to Hashem. To be close with everything that they can. Even I had a the privilege that I took bodies of Mishael and Elzaphan or of of Nadav and Avihu. But now I could add something more and I lost it. I lost this opportunity. So, what can I do? Why, Hashem? They asked. And because of that Hashem heard their voice, heard their words, heard they they they felt so terrible, Hashem gave us gave them and gave us the next opportunity, second opportunity of Pesach Sheini. If someone wants If someone ask Hashem, I want Hashem gives him another opportunity to be close to Hashem. And because of that we earn a new mitzvah. We don't have another second time in the other mitzvahs. If someone Has V'shalom lost tefillin in one day, he tomorrow is another day. It's not the same mitzvah. But Pesach we had another chance of Pesach Sheini. Why? Because they want. I learn from this. I learn a lot from this. First, if someone is like a heart that he is the one of the longing of Torah. One of that takes all his life according to the Rambam said in the end of Hilchos Z'roim, the end of Shmita V'Yovel. That everyone, even he's not from tribe of Levi, if he understood the important of the Torah, and because of that he took himself to learn 24 hours, 7 days a week, he's the best. But if you can't do it because you need to bring food to family. You need to do another things. You have a chance. If you feel that you want to to be closer to Hashem. And Hashem gave us the opportunity that near of Mishkan is the camp of Yehudah was Yissachar the tribe that they also learn Torah. And Zevulun that they help to Eretz Yisrael. They help to Yissachar to learn Torah. So if you feel that you lost something and you ask Hashem, Hashem is giving you another opportunity to be close to Hashem. This is our duty to feel that we need close and close and close more and more and more. And according to all the halacha, we have opportunities to do it even we are learning. Even we must learning. Everyone must learn over and again all the night. But we can learning and help others to learn. This is a way that Hashem told us. In the beginning of parashat Beha'alotcha Aharon began light the candle and after that the candle is light so nice light. Everyone need to do something himself and to add the light of Torah in our world and the same will help us that will be the best connection with Torah with life of Torah and with life of Judaism and because of that could with health and happiness will bring all of you a lot of successful a lot of Jewish from your children a lot of happiness all of our life.