5785/2025
Parashat BeMidbar begins with counting Bnei Yisrael and then counts the Leviim separately. The Pasuk hints to the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai which is strange, as wasn’t the Torah already given?
The Parashah counts all of Bnei Yisrael and specifies the list to make sure we aren’t forgetting anyone. The Torah counts 11 of the 12 tribes, and then the next Perek counts the Leviim. It's a little strange as to why we single out the Leviim: were they better or perhaps worse then everyone else? When describing the counting, it says: “Ve’Aileh Tolodot Aharon VeMoshe,” “And these are the generations of Aharon and Moshe” (BeMidbar: 3:1). Rashi says the reason that Moshe is mentioned in the Pasuk, even though the Torah only lists the sons of Aharon, is because he is their teacher. What's the difference between a teacher and a messenger?
A messenger is someone who retells word for word what the first person told him to say to the next person, however a teacher is someone who collects information and puts it in his own words. The teacher makes sure to phrase his words in a way that his students understand, and then transmits that information to them clearly. We see that from the Torah mentioning Moshe’s name, he wasn’t just transmitting Hashem’s exact words, rather he was teaching his nephews Torah in a way that they would understand and grasp.
From all of the Sefarim that we learn, you can notice that the more recently it was published, like Mishnah Berurah, the easier it is for us to understand. The reason for this is because they were written more for us to understand, whereas the older Seforim are for their generation, and each generation has is learning style. When learning something, we should not only try our best to understand the words, but also try to put it in the correct words so it will be easier to retain it.
The Kedushat Levi writes that we are the Guf of the Torah. We connect to the Torah in our ways and we are a part of the Torah itself. Rav Nachmun says that each letter in the Torah represents each Jew. If you miss a letter when writing it, it is Pasul because each letter is so precious to Hashem, just like each individual Yid is so precious to Him. So too, we can’t erase or degrade a person. Rav Efram Goldberg explains that it's so important to not judge and talk Lashon Harah about someone because it's as if you're removing that person from the Jewish people and erasing a letter in the Torah. It's also known that when you embarrass a person publicly it's like you are killing them, which is removing him from the Torah, and hence removing him from the general count of Jews, as if he doesn’t exist.
The reason the Torah wasn’t given in Eretz Yisrael, says Rav Shimshon Pincus, was because we needed to learn about how to operate the land and ourselves while living there. The lesson Hashem is teaching us is that we need to figure out our next move and work on it. They worked on this task for forty years in the Midbar. Working on themselves and learning not to complain, even though in Eretz Yisrael it will be given to them. It is the manual and the teacher for us. Just like Moshe Rabbeinu was his nephews’ teacher, so too the Torah in the Midbar was the guide for Eretz Yisrael.
The reason why we have Sefirat Ha’Omer is because we need to prepare and work on ourselves before Hashem gives us the Torah on Shavuot. It's important that we work on ourselves and start and finish the process with strength.