CHAPTER 1

Bamidbar

"HEADS UP!"(AND COVERED)

Hashem's command to Moshe to count the constituents of thecongregation contains curious language that clamors for ourconsideration. "Se'u Es Rosh Kol Adas Bnei Yisroel L'MishpichosamL'Veis Avosam ..." "Take a census of the entire assembly of theChildren of Israel according to their families, according to theirfathers' house ..." (1:2) Although we have interpreted the boldedwords above to mean "take a census," since that is the universallyagreed-upon translation, it is far from their literal meaning: "Lift upthe head." And while we can certainly understand-in a colloquialsense-the use of such terminology (as in "have them raise their headsso we can do a `head-count'"), that is not traditionally the way theTorah speaks; Hashem could have commanded Moshe to simplycount the people.

Rashi, as quoted by the Ramban (N.B.-the following quote that theRamban scrutinizes does not appear in our standard text of Rashi, butit does appear in the Alkabetz edition), cites the Medrash (BamidbarRabbah), which tells us

Se'u Es Rosh-Take a census (literally: Lift the head)-It isas they say to the king's executioner "Lift off this one'shead!"

Well that's a downer! Why would the Torah employ such ominouslanguage when commanding Moshe to count the people? TheRamban, disturbed by that, analyzes:

[Regarding] the (above) words that Rashi wrote ... itis not clear to me why they expounded ["lift the head"]as a disparagement ... For in the Aggadah of VayikraRabbah (a different Medrash) it expounds ["lift the head"]as praise: "Lift [the head]" is nothing but an expressionof greatness" ... [Thus Hashem] hinted to Moshe [withthe ambiguous terminology] "lift the head", that if [theJews] are meritorious, they will rise to greatness, as it says(Bereishis 40:13) "Pharaoh will lift your head and restoreyou to your post," and if they are not meritorious, they willall die, as it says (ibid., v. 19) "Pharaoh will lift your headfrom you and hang you on a tree."

In other words, the Ramban explains that the term "lift the head" hasa dual meaning-one positive and one negative-and its interpretationis dependent upon the subjects of the census command: Bnei Yisroel.If we are meritorious, our heads will be lifted; if not, they will belifted off.

Well that's a relief (it's not exclusively negative), but there is a smallproblem with that interpretation. The command to "lift the head[s]"of the people is given to Moshe, not the general populace. If Hashemhad wanted to subtly apprise the people of the behavior-based rewardsand punishments that await them, then He would have deliveredHis warning directly to them. Or, as is more commonly the case, Hewould have commanded Moshe to convey those words to the people.Rather, in this instance, the command to count the people is given toMoshe, Aharon and the tribal leaders exclusively; no such imperativeis imposed on the masses! So what are we supposed to make of themerit/demerit message to Moshe and the other leaders?

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that this admonition isadministered in the context of the passuk "Lift the heads (take acensus) of the entire assembly of the Children of Israel according totheir families, according to their fathers' house ..." What is the Torahadding with the seemingly superfluous words "their fathers' house"?If we know they are to be counted according to their families, thenthe bolded words seem unnecessary. Rashi informs us that it is toresolve tribal affiliation when one's mother hails from one tribe, andone's father from another (it goes according to the father), but RavShamshon Raphael Hirsch expounds more expansively

From various places, it is clear that "fathers' house" denotesthe unity of a tribe. The individuals together form families;the families, which descend from one common home,together form tribes; and the tribes, which likewise descendfrom one common home, together form the "House ofIsrael" ... This is the uniqueness of Jewish nationalism:the nation as a whole is always considered one house, theHouse of Israel ... The conception of the nation as the"House of Israel", and all of its members as the "Children ofIsrael" ... does not exist merely as fiction, as an imaginaryunion of elite representatives. The Jewish nation is alwaysconceived of in the actual unified entirety of its members.They are united by a common inner element, and each oneof them is an actual and integral part of this unity.

Being that they are mentioned in the same passuk, we can properlydeduce from the above that there is some connection between theRamban's suggested dual-interpretation of the words "lift the heads",and the unity of Bnei Yisroel, which is suggested by the words "theirfathers' house". Precisely what that connection is, and how to resolvethe question we asked on the Ramban, we shall propose shortly, butfirst let us take note of the "travel instructions" that were issued tothe nation immediately after the census.

During the process of describing the formation of the tribes when theywould encamp in the desert (a diamond-shaped formation consistingof three tribes in each direction, all surrounding the Tabernacle), theTorah interrupts to state "Ka'Asher Yachanu, Kein Yisa'u" "As theyencamp, so shall they journey." According to its plain meaning, thiscommand was issued to advise the nation that they should travel inthe identical formation as they encamped. Homiletically, however,this directive is aimed at all the subsequent generations: "just as youare at home, so shall you be when you travel." In other words, weshould act the same way-and adhere to the same standards-when wetravel, as we would when we are at home.

When we're on vacation (or otherwise traveling), we tend to take avacation from the Torah-standards that we keep at home; we "loosenup" a bit. Whether it's dietary standards, davening properly, or simplyour dress, we tend to "take it easy" on ourselves. While the obviouslesson is one of consistency-we have the same G-d, the same Torah,the same commandments-whether at home or away, perhaps there isa deeper and more subtle message being delivered.

I try to wear my yarmulke as much as possible when I travel. That isnot to say that there is anything wrong with wearing a baseball hat(although as I've gotten older I find they give me headaches when Iwear them for too long), but candidly, we rarely wear one when we'rejust sitting around at home, so it should make one pause; why am Ichoosing to wear a hat? There are a number of types of reasons whyone may opt for the cap when traveling around: completely innocent,somewhat innocent, or not innocent at all. If it is truly for the purposeof sun-protection, warmth, or playing sports, then it certainly fallsinto the first category. If it is because we do not wish to call attentionto the fact that we are Jewish, somewhat out of embarrassmentand somewhat due to not wishing to cause a distraction, then thatfits into the middle category. If it is because we wish to act belowthe standards we normally adhere to, or we otherwise wish to actinappropriately, then it falls into the third category.

When I was younger and less firmly rooted, I would often wear a hatin "questionable" situations, until I realized that if I needed to weara hat, then I probably should not be in that situation. Nonetheless,as mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with wearing a hat,yet ...

A number of years ago I took my youngest daughter to Disney's AnimalKingdom for her birthday. At the time, Disney was offering a specialdeal for Florida residents that allowed a child free admission on his/her birthday (a brilliant marketing-ploy, I may add, since the adultcompanion still needed to pay full price). As we sat down at a table tohave a soda (I was wearing my yarmulke), an elderly woman dressedin a Disney uniform came over and started wiping down the table. Sheturned to me and, eyes beaming, said "Good Shabbos." Seeing thatI was somewhat taken aback (not because she looked non-Jewish,but because it was Sunday), she said "I know it's the wrong day ofthe week to say that, but I only know a few Jewish words, and Iwanted you to know that I am Jewish, and to tell you how much Ihave enjoyed watching you sit there with your daughter." We chattedfor a few minutes and I gave her some chizuk; then we moved on.

A short time later, another Disney employee approached us while wewere standing on line and said "Shalom." We exchanged pleasantries,and then he said "I'm like a goy, I have not been to shul in years, butI wanted to say hi to a fellow Jew." After assuring him he was verymuch a Jew and shaking his hand, we entered the ride. These typesof interactions occur to me very often when I'm traveling-especiallyon airplanes-when I break out my Gemara or Chumash and startlearning. It is the Pintele Yid-something hidden deep down inside thesoul of every Jew ... the little spark of a Jew's soul that can neverabsolutely abandon its connection to Hashem and His People. It isoften triggered when they see a fellow Jew proudly displaying hisYiddishkeit.

By contrast, I once found myself in a decidedly non-Jewish area whileassessing different properties for potential purchase. Neither afraidnor embarrassed, I nonetheless chose to wear a hat in order not todistract from the task at hand, which involved seeing many propertiesin a short amount of time. At one of the final locations, I met withthe seller's broker who had a distinctly Jewish name (though clearlyno affiliation). After giving me a tour of the property, she toutedthe virtues of the location, and then suggested that I go have dinnerat a local Cuban restaurant whose food was "to die for." She thenlaunched into an intense and loving description of their "pulledpork", including minute, mouth-watering details, all without a hintof irony or regret ... IT BROKE MY HEART! Not [only] becauseshe was so far away from Judaism-I have sadly become accustomedto that-but because if I had been wearing a yarmulke, she definitelywould not have told me about the pork, and she most probablywould have somehow proudly identified herself as a Jew. And whoknows where that would have led, or whether it would have ignitedthe spark within her?

Ka'Asher Yachanu, Kein Yisa'u—just as you are at home, so shallyou be when you travel: Everyone in our neighborhood knows we'reJewish, so we tend to conduct ourselves on a higher level when we'reat home, which is better for us and may inspire others along the way.When we're traveling, however, it is not evident that we are Jewishunless we make it so. By displaying our Judaism, we compel ourselvesto act as we would at home: properly, admirably, and maybe, justmaybe, inspirationally. That, in turn, may bring a Jew who is "faraway" just a little bit closer to "home."

And that may very well answer the questions we posed above. Theterm "lift the head" has a dual meaning, and a dual applicationas well, and it is no coincidence that the message is contained ina passuk that speaks of Jewish unity. Yes, we as a people will beexalted or [spiritually] excised based on our merit, but the message isto the Moshe/leader inside each of us. We must "lift up our heads,"be proud we're Jews-show it, act like it-so that we can "lift up theheads" of others: inspire our brethren who have lost their way. Forafter all, they are united with us "by a common inner element": thelittle spark of a Jew's soul that can never absolutely abandon itsconnection to Hashem and His People.

Ka'Asher Yachanu, Kein Yisa'u-it is incumbent upon us to lift ourheads, and those of our brothers, especially when we are out of ourregular environment, by displaying our pride in our Yiddishkeit.We will end up inspiring ourselves, as well as those in our extendedfamily who may currently be far away. Thus the Torah is teaching usthat if we want to lift our brothers' heads, we must keep our HEADSUP ... AND COVERED!!

Good Shabbos.

CHAPTER 2

Nasso

"WHICH ONE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS?"

Weighing in at a hefty 176 passukim, Parshas Nasso is the heavyweightchamp of parshios, at least in terms of passukim. Five percent largerthan its closest competitor (Pinchas), and over FIVE TIMES largerthan the smallest sedra (VaYelech), Parshas Nasso should be aBar-Mitzvah boy's worst nightmare. Yet any seasoned Baal Koreh(Torah Reader) will acknowledge that reading Nasso is far from thedaunting task one would imagine it should be. That is simply dueto the stunning repetitiveness that we find towards the end of theparsha.

The Torah allocates a staggering SEVENTY-TWO passukim(7:12-84) to the once-in-history "Dedication Offerings" brought bythe Twelve Nissiyim (Tribal Leaders). While in and of itself that maynot be noteworthy (six passukim per Nasi), one need only to reviewthe description of the Offerings to appreciate how surprising thatis. With only very minor variations, the description of each of theOfferings is identical, and it adheres to the following formula:

On the [insert number] day, the leader of the children of[insert tribe], [insert leader's name]. His offering was: onesilver bowl, its weight a hundred and thirty [shekels]; andone silver basin of seventy shekels in the sacred shekel;both of them filled with fine flour mixed with oil for ameal-offering; one gold ladle of ten [shekels] filled withincense; one young bull, one ram, one sheep in its first yearfor an elevation-offering; one he-goat for a sin-offering;and for a feast peace-offering: two cattle, five rams, fivehe-goats, five sheep in their first year-this is the offering of[insert leader's name].

Obviously the Torah could have been substantially more efficientwith its description of the Offerings, by simply stating the nameand tribe of each Nasi, which day he gave his Offering, and thenproviding a single summary of the identical Offerings; why therelentless redundancy?

Many have asked this question, and even more have answered it, withthe answers varying greatly. Whether it was the miraculous nature ofthese Korbanos, in that each of the Nissiyim conjured up the exactsame Korban without conferring with each other, or whether it is atestament to their humility, in that no one tried to "outdo" the others(perhaps even MORE miraculous!), much moment is made of theTorah's replication of each one's donation. But perhaps it is what isnot said that demands further explication.

While we mentioned above the formulaic recitation of the offerorsand offerings, there is one that is not like the others. And we're notjust talking about a minor, subtle variation; this one's a biggie!! Yousee all the tribal leaders are rightfully referred to as "Nasi" in thedescription of their Offering; all that is, except for one. And it'snot just ANY one, it's THE one. None other than the Nasi of thetribe of Yehudah, the great Nachshon ben Aminadav, is missing theappellation Nasi by his name. Why is that? After all, if there is onetribal leader's name that most people can summon if pressed, it'sNachson! Why is he missing his moniker?

Our familiarity with Nachshon may very well be the reason why heneeds no title, says Rav Shlomo Ganzfried, zt"l, author of the KitzurShulchan Aruch. Like the great Tanna Hillel, or the Amora Shmuel(neither of whom had "Rebbe" or "Rav" in front of his name),certain people transcend the need for such designations. Nachsonwas so renowned for his leadership, that he did not require the titulardistinction that accompanied it.

While that is undoubtedly true, and somewhat satisfying as ananswer, perhaps we can suggest an additional reason. But first, somebackground.

Although they receive a starring role in this week's parsha, the Nissiyimwere already well known to us. Way back in parshas VaYakhel, whenmaterials were being contributed for the construction of the Mishkan(Tabernacle), the Nissiyim infamously made what appeared to be amagnanimous offer. Not wanting Moshe to "worry" whether therewould be adequate materials for the construction, the leaders offeredto cover any shortfall. Of course that was a gross underestimationof Bnei Yisroel's generosity, and the Nissiyim were left scrambling tocontribute something to the Mishkan. It was a missed opportunity ofepic proportions!