"And the Lord spoke, 'Take a census... by their names'" (Numbers 1:1-2).
Rashi, in his first commentary on the parasha, writes that the reason the Israelites were counted was to show God's love for us. Therefore, the Israelites were counted upon their departure from Egypt, after the sin of the Golden Calf, and here again when God wished to rest His Divine Presence among us.
It is interesting to note that the Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chaim 428) states that this parasha is always read before the holiday of Shavuot, the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. Reb Noson explains that this teaches us that the counting of the Israelites and the counting of the Omer have a common denominator.
In the counting of the Omer, each day symbolizes a specific attribute (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, etc.). Similarly, every Jew's life days are included in all these attributes - the Sefirot. Hence, the Israelites were counted after the Exodus from Egypt, and we begin the counting of the days immediately after the Exodus, to show that all the sparks are numbered and under the domain of holiness, and the impurity of the nations cannot control us. Likewise, after the sin of the Golden Calf, when impurity returned, they had to be counted again to bring everything back into holiness.
However, in the future, impurity will be entirely nullified. Concerning this, the verse says, "And the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured" (Hosea 2:1). In the future redemption, the people of Israel will transcend numbers because they will be included in God, a part of the Divine above, who is One and beyond number. God is One and His name is One, and it is impossible to count any number before One. This is the meaning of "by their names," indicating the inclusion of the numbers within the realm of holiness.
May it be God's will that we merit the complete redemption very soon, united with the Almighty. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
Chaim Kramer  | | |
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