Parashas Bamidbar The Counting of Klal Yisroel

Topics

• Counting Bnei Yisrael
• The Ramban’s Question
• Rashi: Mitoch Chiba
• Why Record the Totals?
• Why the Final Total Is Written
• Possible Ways to Understand Rashi
• Why Repeat the Details?
• Showing Love Through Specificity
• Repeating the Same Thing
• A Question About Rashi and Hashem’s Love
• “Suzogin. Ulib hobid. Chastish ken gelt.”
• Hashem Means What He Says
• A Person Wants to Be Called by Name
• The Power of a Name
• A Maaseh from Reb Chaim Shmulevitz
• The Meaning of Saying a Person’s Name
• Mishpar Shemois and Chibah
• Reading the Rashi
• Reading the Rashi Carefully
• The Baal HaTurim and the Beginning of the Parashah
• Why the Degalim?
• Returning to the Pesukim
• The Midrash and the Parashah
• The Degalim
• Counting by Names
• The Siforno on Mizpar Shemos
• The Baal HaTurim and Jewish Names
• The Malbim: Counting Names and Counting Heads
• Mizpar as Speech, Not Just Number
• Why Count Heads?
• Counting Names and Heads
• Mispar as Telling Over
• Why the Torah Says Gulgolelos
• The Chashivus of Each Jew
• A Story About Klal and Prat
• Mispar Shemot Le’Gulgelot
• The Meaning of the Degel
• Klal Yisroel and the Individual
• B’mispar Shemois
• The Value of the Individual
• The Jewish View of the Individual
• B'mispar Shemois
• Lifkod, Se'u, and the Meaning of Counting
• Every Jew Has a Tafkid
• The Significance of a Name
• The Torah, the Numbers, and Klal Yisrael
• The Individual and the Mission
• Uplifting the Yachid
• Why the Torah Counts Each Name
• Klal and Yachid
• The Ta'ava for Order and Mission
• The Need to Belong Without Losing the Self
• Seeing the Other Person as Unique
• Self-Worth and the Yachid
• The Yachid and His Value
• No Two Faces Are Alike
• Self-Worth and Appreciation of Others
• The Mission of the Yachid
• Hashem Dwelling Within Us
• Appreciation and Self-Worth
• The Chashivus of the Yechid
• Shechinah B'saicham
• The Lesson of the Minyan and the Degalim
• The Importance of Every Jew

Transcript

# Counting Bnei Yisrael

This shiur is brought to you by the Lev Aron Foundation. For more, visit levaronlibrary.com.

The speaker begins with a simple question: how are Bnei Yisrael supposed to be counted, and why is there such an elaborate system? Hashem already knows the numbers, so why would Moshe Rabbeinu need to stand there counting one by one? The point, he says, is that Hashem does not need the count for Himself.

# The Ramban’s Question

He then turns to the Ramban’s question in Parashas Bamidbar. The Ramban asks why this mitzvah was commanded at all. It is understandable that Klal Yisrael needed order and structure, but why does the Torah need to record the final total? What is the purpose of knowing the number? The speaker explains one answer: the counting is meant to teach Bnei Yisrael the chesed of Hashem. From seven souls who descended to Mitzrayim, they became a great nation. The census shows how Hashem multiplied them.

# Rashi: Mitoch Chiba

The first Rashi in the parasha is also brought in as an answer. Rashi says that because Hashem loves Bnei Yisrael, He counts them—when they left Mitzrayim and again after the chet ha’eigel. The speaker suggests that this may explain the counting: it is an expression of chiba, of love.

But he raises a difficulty. If the purpose is only to show love, why does the Torah need to record the final total? If the point is simply that the people are counted because they are חשוב, then the act of counting should be enough. The Ramban’s question remains.

# Why Record the Totals?

The speaker develops the issue further. Even if we say that Hashem counts us because He loves us, that still does not explain why the Torah records the sum totals. The Torah is meant for all generations, not only for the people in the wilderness, so what is the lasting relevance of these numbers?

He suggests two possible ways to understand Rashi: either Hashem counts for His own chiba, or the counting is meant to show us how beloved we are. He says the second approach is more reasonable—Hashem is showing us His love.

Still, he says, that does not fully answer the Ramban. If the goal is only to show that Hashem loves us, why does the Torah need to include all the detailed numbers? Why not simply write one verse saying that Hashem commanded Moshe to count Bnei Yisrael, and then move on? Why all the pages of totals, details, and repeated counts? The speaker emphasizes the strength of the question: if the whole purpose is to show that Hashem counted us out of love, then a single verse should have been enough.

## Why the Final Total Is Written

Even after Rashi, there is still a question: why does the Torah give the final sum total? It makes sense to count the people, but why do we need to know the result of the count? That does not seem to fit the idea of *mitoch chiba*. If the point is love, then the counting itself should be enough.

Another question is even broader: why is there a special parashah about this at all? What does it matter today how many people were in the Midbar? The Torah was given for all generations, not only for the people in the wilderness. So what is the practical relevance?

## Possible Ways to Understand Rashi

One could suggest that *mitoch chiba* means that Hashem counts because He loves us, just as people count something they value. People count money because they care about it. In that sense, the counting itself reflects affection.

But that explanation is difficult. It is hard to say that Hashem takes physical pleasure in counting, like a person counting his money or playing with toys. A more reasonable understanding is that Hashem counts in order to show us His love. In other words, the counting is meant to reveal to us how beloved we are.

If so, then the Torah’s writing of this parashah makes sense: it teaches every generation that Hashem cherishes Klal Yisrael.

## Why Repeat the Details?

Still, that does not fully answer the Ramban’s question. If the purpose is only to show that Hashem counts us, then one pasuk should be enough: Hashem told Moshe to count Bnei Yisrael, and Moshe did so. Why does the Torah need all the details, the repeated totals, and the lengthy description of how they were counted?

The speaker emphasizes how striking this is: page after page, the Torah records the counting, the totals, and the details. If a person wrote a book repeating the same thing so many times, it would seem excessive. So why does the Torah do this here?

## Showing Love Through Specificity

A possible answer is that the Torah is not only saying that Hashem loves us in general. It is showing that love in a personal, detailed way. The speaker compares this to a rabbi in shul who makes a *mi shebeirach* for each individual person by name. Even if he says from the bimah that he cares about everyone, a person still wants to hear his own name. Being singled out matters.

So too here: the Torah does not merely say that Hashem loves Klal Yisrael. It records the count in detail to show that each person matters individually.

## Repeating the Same Thing

How many times do you have to say the same thing? Look what’s going on here. If I wrote a book like this, you’d say I have Alzheimer’s—I’m repeating the same thing a thousand times. Same thing, same thing. Why do I need the sum total, and why do I need all the details of the counting? How did they count it? What’s going on here?

## A Question About Rashi and Hashem’s Love

I have another question that bothers me very much. There are famous verses about how much Hashem loves us. Every time I read this Rashi, it bothers me too. I don’t understand it. It’s a tremendous question. How many times does the Torah say, *Hashem bacha bachem*? The whole of Devarim is full of that. You need a pasuk to show it? It always bothers me. He’s counting me, so it’s a sign that He loves me. What does it mean that He loves me? You need a dictionary to explain that He loves us.

## “Suzogin. Ulib hobid. Chastish ken gelt.”

Maybe we could say a few things. There’s an expression in Yiddish: “Suzogin. Ulib hobid. Chastish ken gelt.” You know what that means, right? I see you understand. It means that saying something doesn’t cost anything. To promise, to say “I love you,” doesn’t cost anything. But if Hashem does a pe’ulah, if He actually counts us, that means something.

I want to tell you something to learn at home: “Suzogin. Ulib hobid. Chastish ken gelt.” There are two things to learn from that. First, say it—say “I love,” say “I care.” It doesn’t cost anything. But at the same time, understand that words alone don’t mean much if they’re not backed up. Don’t think that because you said it once, that’s enough. You still have to show it. It’s like a birthday gift or an anniversary gift—you can’t say, “I already told you I love you.”

## Hashem Means What He Says

What am I trying to say? When Hashem says He loves us, He means it. It’s not just to make us feel good. So why does He have to be moneh us? Why does He have to count us? To show us that He loves us. It’s a great question; it bothers me.

## A Person Wants to Be Called by Name

Maybe we’ll give another answer. When you’re in a shul, you’ll notice that the rabbi, when he gets an aliyah, makes a mishaberach for every single person in the shul—this one and that one. Why? Even if the rabbi says a thousand times from the bimah that he cares about you, a person wants to hear his own name. He wants to be mifaret, to be singled out by name.

### The Power of a Name

There is a certain enjoyment in it: “Oh, he mentioned my name.” You ever notice? A person comes to a simple thing and says, “He mentioned my name.” So what? What did he give you? He mentioned my name. A person feels something; he feels חשוב, he feels liked when you mention his name.

I want to teach you something. You know what I hate? I hate it because it is so American, and I grew up so differently. “Hey, you, come here.” Hey you? Excuse me, sir. What’s “sir”? What’s “hey you”? If you know his name, say his name. If you like someone, you don’t say “hey you.” You don’t say, “Come over here.” This is “sir”? Excuse me, pal? Yo, hey, yo, right? They don’t even give you the courtesy of a name. It became a teacher. You know, I’m teaching you something so deep, you don’t realize what I’m teaching. I’m telling you the truth.

Think about it. You know where it comes from? It comes from a lack of shevach for the person. I don’t really care about you, so you’re a “yo,” you’re a thing. I could talk to a table; I’ll talk to you. Hey, get over here. He has a name, doesn’t he? The person has a name. Call him by his name. How’s our pal? Let’s call him by his name. Hey, we’re coming. Hey, like, hey, look. What happens if the guy doesn’t mind? What happens if the guy doesn’t mind, doesn’t bother him? It doesn’t matter. Why not? He’s mine. You know, the teretz is, that’s more about you than about him. You don’t have that appreciation to appreciate who he is.

The mespar shemos, you know, they use the names over here. You know that we’re going to learn this soon. The counting wasn’t numbers. Hey, well, there’s 20 guys here. It’s not about 20 guys. The mespar is the names. We’re going to learn this. There’s no “hey, yo.” It was the height of it, whatever it was. This is the importance. It’s about the person himself.

I’m teaching two things: that the person himself feels important when you call him out by his name, and the second thing is that it’s a real appreciation. Otherwise, it’s just like anything; he’s part of the crowd. What we’re saying is what we said about all the gezeirah you heard from the beginning.

So, mitoy sheb’ah lefanav, maybe even if Hashem says how much He loves Klal Yisrael, true, kol emes, the person wants to hear his name.

### A Maaseh from Reb Chaim Shmulevitz

Now I’ll tell you a maaseh, which is very interesting, which brings out this yesod. A great side, the gaon Reb Chaim Shmulevitz, the rosh yeshiva of the Mir, a tzaddik, once said in a sicha something very interesting. He was bringing out the point that a person needs kavod, how do you mean? Which means that even if it’s not real, a person appreciates when people appreciate him and look at him, even if they don’t mean much.

He gave an example. He said that when he was in the Mir yeshiva, as a bochur, he went over to his father-in-law, Rav Leizer Yudel Finkel, the rosh yeshiva before him, and he said a chiddush in the Gemara. When it came to the shiur, Reb Chaim Shmulevitz sat there. He said the shiur, and in the middle of the shiur he says, “Der Rav Chaim Twain,” his name was Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, the son, and he said, “No, I’m a talmid. I do shiur. Rav Chaim, I was a little kid.” The rosh yeshiva, the rosh yeshiva, he didn’t mean Rav Chaim Brisk. He didn’t mean Rav Chaim Shmulevitz. The guys knew it wasn’t me. They didn’t even know I said the word. They understood right away that it’s Rav Chaim Brisker.

### The Meaning of Saying a Person’s Name

I understood that it wasn’t me; it was Reb Chaim Brisker. And Reb Chaim said something else: it’s possible that even originally I understood it wasn’t me. But it was still a pleasant feeling to hear Reb Chaim say it, even though he didn’t mean me at all. You hear? It’s brilliant.

What are you telling him? His name means so little to me that I don’t even call him by his name. A person feels important when he hears his name. It’s an unbelievable lesson, an unbelievable point. He’s trying to say: I even knew he didn’t mean Reb Chaim—he meant Reb Chaim Brisker, he meant a different person of God. The recognition to me, to what I said, comes through saying a person’s name.

### Mishpar Shemois and Chibah

Mishpar Shemois—HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants to show chibah. The name matters. Mishpar Shemois, every individual. As it says, “Afilu am lechlal yud banim atem laHashem Elokeichem,” “Ahavti אתכם, amar Hashem.” Tremendous. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is not saying it because He wants a good supper, and He’s not saying it to get the wife off his back. He means it.

There’s more here. There’s more than just the name, more than just the feeling good. You want to see what I’m saying? It’s beautiful. Let’s look at the Rashi.

### Reading the Rashi

Rashi says: “Mitoch chibasan lefanav, ma’ni osin kol shem.” Very good. “K’sheyatzu miMitzrayim,” and “k’shenaflu ba’egel”—this is all to know the number of the survivors. And “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem”—what is that for? In shleimah, when they left, you want to know how many people left. When they fell by the egel, you want to know the minyan hanis’arim. But why would “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem” require a count?

The mefarshim on Rashi are medayek that it’s two separate reasons. “Mitoch chibasan lefanav, ma’ni osin kol shem,” and then “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem” is the reason to count them. If you look at the mefarshim on Rashi, the Mizrachi and others, they say that from the beginning to the end it is not the same Rashi. It starts with “mitoch chibasan lefanav,” and then it continues with the reason that He is coming to hashri Shechinasa aleihem, and that is why He counts them.

The truth is, it’s not such a big question. You can say that “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem” is itself a form of chibah. It’s a time of chibah. But I still don’t understand why. Why is the Beis HaMikdash chibah? Why is hashra’as Shechinah kesher? It needs more fine-tuning.

Because Rashi doesn’t say explicitly, “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa lefanav.” He says it without explaining why. The first reason he explains: “ma’ni osin kol shem,” and “k’shenaflu ba’egel” he explains, “leida minyan hanis’arim.” But he doesn’t really explain the “why” of “k’sheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem.” We have to figure it out. We have to say either that it is because of hashra’as Shechinah, which itself needs explanation, or because of something else.

## Reading the Rashi Carefully

Or maybe it is because of something else: *mein meila kesherim*—a natural connection. What is the Kodesh Baruch Hu doing? It is *zemal shel chibah*.

Did everybody understand what I just said? I am going to repeat it, because if you understand it, that means you know how to read a Rashi. And that is really the whole shiur during the week—100% of it is learning how to read what it says. On Sunday, it is only half the shiur; the other half is a little entertaining, to keep people interested for so many hours.

So let us read the Rashi again. Why are they counted when they left Mitzrayim? You need to know how many people left. But why does Rashi add the other reason? It does not seem to explain the first reason. The Acharonim ask whether this is all one Rashi or two separate ideas. Maybe you can say that it is a time of chiba, because the Beis HaMikdash is all about ahavah—Hashem dwelling with us, kesher, chiba. Or maybe, as the Acharonim explain, it is not about chiba at all; it is a separate idea of *mishra Shechinasa besocham*. When Hashem rests among them, that itself is the reason to count them.

But then the question remains: why does Rashi not spell that out? Rashi says that when they left Mitzrayim, the count was to know the number of those who were redeemed. But when he says, *kesheba l’hashrish Shechinasa aleihem*, he does not explain why that requires a count. We have to work that out ourselves.

## The Baal HaTurim and the Beginning of the Parashah

There is an interesting Baal HaTurim at the beginning of this parashah. He asks: how did this come in here? All of a sudden, they are in *Midbar Sinai*—where did that come from? The Baal HaTurim explains that it is connected to the previous parashah, based on the pasuk *Eileh hamitzvos asher tzivah Hashem*.

He brings the idea that Torah is acquired in *Midbar Sinai*, and he cites the Midrash: *Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe b’Midbar Sinai*. Why *b’Midbar Sinai*? From here we learn that Torah requires three things: *eish, mayim, midbar*. The Midrash says that Torah is compared to fire, water, and a desert. A person must make himself like a *midbar*, like an *anav*, in order to receive Torah and mitzvos.

But then the question becomes: what is the next parashah doing here? What comes after the count? The *degalim*.

## Why the Degalim?

Now we have to ask a few questions about the *degalim*. What do they have to do with the generations? What do they have to do with us? What is the connection to the desert?

The answer, the speaker says, is that the *degalim* were not Hashem’s idea alone. The Midrash says that when Klal Yisrael came down from Har Sinai, they came with *degalim*. The angels had *degalim* too—thousands of malachim in categories, each with its own *degel*. The Yalkut even says that the angels had the *degalim* of Michael, Gavriel, Uriel, and the rest.

That raises a striking question: what does it mean to want to be like malachim? First be a person, and then you can be a malach. A person who does not behave like a human being is called a malach only in the sense that he is not acting like a normal human being. But what are we really asking for here? What is the meaning of the *degalim*?

## Returning to the Pesukim

The speaker says that if we understand the pesukim a little better, we can understand why we needed to be counted and why they wanted the *degalim*.

Hashem counted us three times. Here, Rashi says something a little different from the other times. Let us read the pasuk carefully: *b’mispar shemos*—in a count of names. Names? We are counting people, so there are numbers. Why does it say names? And it does not say that in any other counting.

## The Midrash and the Parashah

Did I miss something? I must have missed something here. This parashah is teaching me how to fulfill Torah and mitzvos: *Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe b’Midbar Sinai*. The Midrash adds, as I read to you—go look it up in Bamidbar Rabbah, right here on the word *b’Midbar*—*Esh, Mayim, Midbar*. Okay, good. Then what is the point? Count them.

I’m more confused after the Baal HaTurim than before the Baal HaTurim. The Baal HaTurim is coming to explain how this parashah comes in here, and I don’t understand the answer to the question. What happened here? The Midrash says: *Lamah b’Midbar Sinai?* What is *b’Midbar Sinai*? From here we learn that for Torah you need three things: *Esh, Mayim, Midbar*—because Har Sinai had *Esh, Mayim, Midbar*. That’s what we are learning here. The Torah is written in *b’Midbar*. So what is the next parashah? What comes after the counting? The *degalim*.

## The Degalim

A few questions have to be asked about the *degalim*. What is it connected to? What is the relevance? Really, what do you gain by knowing there are *degalim* in the midbar? I don’t understand.

Now I want to teach you something very interesting. You know why we got *degalim*? Whose idea was it? You would say Hashem told Moshe to do it, that it was Hashem’s idea. But it wasn’t Hashem’s idea. The Midrash clearly says: whose idea was it? It was Klal Yisrael’s idea. When they came down from Har Sinai with Hashem and His angels, you know how they came? They came with *degalim*—thousands of malachim in categories, and each one had a different *degel*. As a matter of fact, if I’m not mistaken, there is even a Yalkut that says they had the *degalim* of the malachim: Michael, Gavriel, Uriel, all the malachim.

Isn’t that a great question? That’s why you come to my shiur. I look at this Midrash and I say: what are you talking about? And how could you be *nisaveh*? So they saw the malachim and the *degalim*. What? You want to be like malachim? First be a person, then you can be a malach. This guy is a malach—you know why? He’s not a human being at all; he doesn’t behave like a human being. So he’s a malach. What do we want here—malachim, *degalim*? What is the *degel*? Malachim?

## Counting by Names

Let me tell you, *b’shagah*, listen carefully. I want to show you the psukim a little bit, and if we understand the psukim, then we can understand why we have to be counted and why they wanted the *degalim*. Let’s understand a little bit more.

You know Hashem counted us three times. It says in Rashi here something a little different than the other times. Let’s read it in the pasuk: *b’mispar shemos*. “In the number of names.” Is it numbers or is it names? What do you mean, names? You’re counting people, so there are numbers. And it doesn’t say this by any other counting.

## The Siforno on *Mizpar Shemos*

The Siforno asks what the phrase *Mizpar Shemos* means. He explains that in that generation, each person was considered according to his name, and the name reflected his individual form and stature. The people who left Egypt and entered the *Dor HaMidbar* were counted with *Shemos* because their names expressed their importance. By contrast, the generation that entered Eretz Kena’an was no longer on that same level of *chashivus*, so it was not called *Mizpar Shemos*.

People often summarize the Siforno very simply: they were important, so they had names. But the Siforno’s language is deeper than that. He says that each one was *nechshav b’shmo*, meaning that the name itself reflected how the person was regarded. The name was not just a label; it expressed the person’s inner standing.

## The Baal HaTurim and Jewish Names

The Baal HaTurim gives another explanation: *b’shemois* teaches that they were careful with their names and did not change them in Mitzrayim. Hashem is showing their *chashivus* by counting them through the names they preserved.

The point is that a Jewish name matters. When a person keeps the name he received as a Jew, that itself reflects dignity and identity. Hashem is saying, in effect: I know your name, and I value the name you kept.

## The Malbim: Counting Names and Counting Heads

To explain the Baal HaTurim further, the Malbim offers a striking *chidush*. The pasuk says *b’mispar shemos*, but it also speaks about counting the heads. So what was counted: names or heads?

The Malbim says both. First they recorded the names of each person, and then they counted them again one by one. The point is not merely numerical counting. The names were gathered because the names themselves mattered, and then the actual count was made as well.

## *Mizpar* as Speech, Not Just Number

The Gra is brought with an interesting *diyuk*: the word *mispar* does not only mean number. It can also mean to tell over, to speak, to relate. So *Mizpar Shemos* can mean that they were told over by name, or that their names were spoken and recorded.

That is why the Malbim’s explanation fits so well: the names were not just numbers on a list. A name is a form of speech, a way of identifying and relating to the person. Sometimes a name carries a whole story.

## Why Count Heads?

The question remains: if the names were already recorded, why count the heads at all? Why not just count the names? The answer given here is that the counting itself was part of the process, but the deeper issue is what kind of counting this was. It was not a cold, impersonal count. It was a count that recognized each person as an individual with a name, identity, and standing.

That leads into the next question: why was this necessary, and how does it connect to *Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe b’Midbar Sinai* and the Torah’s teaching about *Esh, Mayim, Midbar*?

## Counting Names and Heads

The concern here is: if we are counting names, what are we afraid of? Are we worried that someone will sign the same name many times, like on a petition, and inflate the count? Is that why there is a second count, a recount, by heads — one, two, three, four? What exactly is the issue? The names were counted, not the people themselves. So why count again by heads? What are we afraid of?

## Mispar as Telling Over

Let me show you something deeper. The Gra explains that the word **"mispar"** does not only mean numbers. It also means to tell over, to speak. **"Sipur"** means telling a story. So **"mispar shemot"** means not just counting names, but telling over the names. The names themselves are being spoken. The Malbim says something similar: they gave over their names. A name is not just a label; for some people, a name carries a whole story. In that sense, **"mispar shemot"** is not merely arithmetic. It is speech, identity, and significance.

## Why the Torah Says Gulgolelos

You might ask: why does the Torah use the language of **"gulgolelos"** — heads? Why not simply say people? The answer is that the Torah is teaching something about the importance of each individual. Rashi says that they were counted by means of a half-shekel, because it is not proper to count people directly one by one. The counting of heads is not a casual expression; it points to the way the census was done. But the deeper question remains: why count at all, and why count in this way?

## The Chashivus of Each Jew

The answer is that this counting is connected to the giving of the Torah and to the value of each Jew as an individual. What does it mean to count the people of Klal Yisroel? It means to recognize that each person is a **davar shebeminian**, something important in its own right, something that is not **batel**. In halacha, a davar shebeminian is significant because each unit retains its identity. Klal Yisroel is not a herd or a mass. Each **yachid** matters. Each one is **chashuv**.

That is why the Torah speaks here about a **minyan of the pratim**. There is a Klal Yisroel, but the klal is made up of pratim. The banner, the **degel**, represents unity, but it is a unity built from individuals. The Torah is teaching both: the chashivus of the individual and the chashivus of the whole nation.

## A Story About Klal and Prat

There is a famous story about the **Beis Aharon**, my great-grandfather. He was once giving a drashah, and a poor, broken beggar pushed his way in and began crying out that he needed money. People tried to push him away because of the dignity of the gathering, but my grandfather stopped them. He said: why are you pushing him away? Bring him here. He is crying that he needs money. Then he took off his hat, put money into it, and said that everyone should give.

His point was simple: what are we standing here for if not to do something for Klal Yisroel? But Klal Yisroel is not an abstraction. Klal Yisroel is made up of pratim. If you ignore the individual, you are missing the klal itself.

Many people are busy with big ideas and public causes, but they do not have time for the individual person in front of them. The Torah teaches otherwise. There is a klal, and there is a prat. The klal is built from the pratim, and the chashivus of each individual is part of the chashivus of Klal Yisroel itself.

## Mispar Shemot Le’Gulgelot

What are you talking about? What does it mean, **"mispar shemot le’gulgelot"**? *Mispar* means to say, to count names and heads. What does it mean? I want to teach you something.

**Klal Yisroel** is a **davar shebeminian**. You know what a davar shebeminian is? Let me teach you a little Gemara. A davar shebeminian is **chashuv** and **lo batel**. When something is counted, for example, a dozen eggs is a dozen eggs. But if you sold it by number, twelve eggs in halacha would be considered a davar shebeminian veloy batel, because each one is significant in its own right. It is **chashuv le’atzmo**.

When you speak about a group, it is not as important as an individual. It is a group of people, a group of things, so you can say **batel** because it is not that important. Cattle—you do not say five heads; you say a herd of cattle. Klal Yisroel is not a herd of people. Klal Yisroel is **yachidim**. A davar shebeminian teaches **yachidut**. A davar shebeminian is chashuv. A davar shebeminian is lo batel.

There is a haftacha: **"Metzach Yisroel lo yishakev."** It will never become batel, because it is chashuv.

## The Meaning of the Degel

The minyan in this parashah teaches us that there is a **Klal Yisroel**, and soon we will learn the inyan of the **degel**. Degel means that everyone is under one banner. A banner is supposed to represent a group of people, **m’yuchad**, under one theme. That is the meaning of degel. A nation has a degel. The point of a degel is to show unity.

The Torah in this week’s parashah is teaching us **minyan ha-prat** and **degel chashivut ha-klal**: that we are all united as one.

## Klal Yisroel and the Individual

There is a **Klal Yisroel** and there is a **Prat Yisroel**. There is a very famous story with the **Beis Aharon**, my great-grandfather. He was giving a drashah, I think in Vienna, at the **Knessiyah Gedolah**, and an old, poor, broken beggar pushed his way through and started yelling that he needed money. People began pushing him away, especially with all the speech and the gathering. My grandfather heard this and said, why are you pushing him away? Tell him to come here. What does he need? He started crying that he needed money. My grandfather took off his hat, put money into it, and said, everybody give money now.

He said, think about it: what are we standing here for? **L’asot takanot beKlal Yisroel.** We are trying to further Klal Yisroel. What do you think Klal Yisroel is? Klal Yisroel is the whole of Prat Yisroel. The individuals, all together, make the klal. So how can you be busy with Klal Yisroel and not with Prat Yisroel? What are you talking about?

Many people are busy with big things, but they are not busy with the individual. They can see an individual person who needs help, and they do not have time for him. They are busy with big things. A person has to know that there is such a thing as Klal Yisroel and Prat Yisroel: the general klal, but the klal is made up of the yachidim. The davar shebeminian, the chashivut of the pratim, is what I will now explain.

You know, we’re going to explain soon the **nafkaminot**—the practical lessons learned from this **yesod**—because there are many areas where this is **noge’a**. It’s important to understand the **yachid**, the importance of the individual in the **pratt** and in the **klal**. But first I want to answer the questions now.

## B’mispar Shemois

How were they counted? They were counted by name. Each name was **me’areh al tzuraso ha’ishis**. It meant something about the person. A Jew has to know that even if he is part of a big crowd, he has to know that he himself is an **olam maleh**, a world unto himself. He is not the same as the other person.

We live in a generation that likes to put everything together in numbers. Yeshivos, for example: “I have a hundred bachurim, I have two hundred bachurim.” But it’s not about two hundred bachurim. It’s supposed to be each individual. You’re supposed to care about the **yachid**, the **pratt**.

There’s a story from the **Alter of Slabodka**. He was once talking about a certain bachur and said that bachur is my **ben yachid**; he needs a very special shidduch. A few days later they came to him with a different shidduch, and he said, “That’s my ben yachid.” The answer was: yes, I have a hundred and fifty ben yachid. There aren’t just a hundred and fifty boys in the yeshiva.

The **Chazon Ish** was very much against the model of the yeshivos, because they put everybody together and the person doesn’t know that he himself has unique qualities that nobody else has. He is always busy trying to be like the other guy. Everybody has to conform to the same format, like a cookie pattern. Everybody wears the same hat and jacket, says the same things, talks the same way. The Chazon Ish said this was a loss for us; it took away from the yeshivos, and it also stopped us from making **gedolei Torah**, because everybody has to fit into the same mold, and the mold is not necessarily big enough. Not everybody can fit into it.

Uniqueness, **yechidut**: every Jew, every person, has his own qualities, his own **maalos**, his own **mahus**, which are different from the other person. So we are a **klal**, but we are a klal of **yachidim**.

## The Value of the Individual

I want to teach you this even more. Why do Muslims not really care if a hundred die or two hundred die? They can lose thousands of soldiers and say they won the war, and it means nothing to them. You know why? Because it’s all about the masses. If you understood that every Yid is an **olam maleh**, a world unto himself, then you would understand the opposite.

We have a policy in **Eretz Yisrael** that is interesting, and I want to bring it out: Israel goes back to retrieve the corpse of a soldier. Where does that come from? And don’t think they’re moral. Let me tell you something: the Israeli army is not a moral thing. But it comes from the **shoresh** of **Yiddishkeit**. It’s not moral in the usual sense, but it comes from the heart of Judaism. Every **yachid**, even if he is not alive, has **hashivus**.

I want to tell you more. Israel is ready to give up hundreds to save one soldier. That’s our policy. Nowhere else in the world is it a policy. You know where it comes from? It’s in the **tochtochen**, in our **mahus**, that we look at every Jew as an **olam maleh**. If we have to give up the world to get him back, we’ll get him back.

### The Jewish View of the Individual

It is unfortunate that I am not saying these are tremendously respectable people, but much of what happens even among them, because they are Yehudim, is rooted in the shoresh of the middos of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. That is where it comes from. Think about it: as low and as bad as they may be, you will still see them running to put themselves in danger in order to save the body of a dead soldier, purely for that purpose. The rest of the world is not like that. They will give you a cover-up and you go buy it. That is all. What are you going to do? Ten, twenty died, a hundred died in Iraq every day, a hundred and fifty. They do not care. Why? Because it is not the same thing. It is about the klal, about the klal and all that. All right, good. That is what it is called: al-eila nibuchiyah, al-eila nibuchiyah.

### B'mispar Shemois

Now, b'mispar shemois. The Sifri says that each one had a yechidut; his name was moreh al yeshiyuto. What does the word mispar mean? The Gra says that mispar means lesaper. I asked you, what is lesaper? What are you talking about? Hashem is a mesaper; it is telling us the name. There is a sipur. Mispar. Of course, literally it means a number, and I am not running away from the pashut pshat. But the Torah chose a word that also means lesaper, to speak out, to tell—shemois.

What is ligul giloisam? I went to look and found, baruch Hashem, that the world is galgal, revolving. The yachid, the Jew, is an olam malei l'atzmo, called zachar ligul giloisam. The world is like a galgal; the person’s head is a galgal. The Abarbanel—I did not make this up—says that galgal has to do with the olam malei. Every Jew is an olam malei. Kol zochar ligul giloisam, like a galgal. He is a world for himself.

### Lifkod, Se'u, and the Meaning of Counting

With this, I want to explain two more lashonot. How do you say to count? What is the word lifkod? Does anyone know what that word means? In this week’s parashah, when it talks about the word lifkod, the Ramban asks this first question: what is the word lifkod? How can we use that word here? Says the Ramban: in ye pkidah. Why, when you want to talk about counting, do you use the word pkidah? What does pkidah mean? Zikaron v'hashgachah al davar, k'lashon v'Hashem pakad.

I would say like this: according to the way we are learning, you know what a pkidah is? A person has a pkidah; he has a mission. Zachar tifkiduosam—they have a mission. A pkidah is not counting numbers like you count baseballs. It is tifkiduosam, a lashon of mission. Lifkod—every person is a mission. Every person is b'mispar shemois.

With this, I understand what it means: se'u es rosh b'nei Yisrael. What does the word se'u mean? The Targum translates it as a lashon of kablu yosh chushban—take the number, count, accept the number. The Gemara in Bava Basra darshens something very interesting: kisisa es rosh b'nei Yisrael—how do you lift es rosh b'nei Yisrael? The Gemara in Bava Basra says: tzedakah. You give tzedakah; al yedei zeh, it is miromem Klal Yisrael. So you see that they use the word tisu—tzu as what? As uplifting. The Taz is medayek this in parashas Ki Sisa, and the Taz says that pashut pshat is the pshat, and the drash of it in drush is that tisa is a lashon of l'romem.

### Every Jew Has a Tafkid

Now I understand what is going on here. Every Yid, every Jew, is an olam malei with a tafkid, with a mission. And Hashem was teaching them: eileh hamitzvos. This is b'midbar, Torah. Like the Baal HaTurim says, anavah—you need anavah. But you still need to know what? Tse'u es rosh kol adas b'nei Yisrael. Hu b'mispar shemois kol zachar l'gulgolosam. This is what the pasuk is trying to teach us: count the individual, because kol yachid is an olam malei with a tafkid hamyuchad lo.

You know, there is a very famous Gemara. Rabbi Saidi says that when the Tannaim used to leave each other, you know which brachah they used to give each other? Olamcha tir'eh b'chayecha. Your world—every Jew is an olam malei, with a tafkid, with a mission. Tse'u—how do you mechazek? How do you uplift? How do you bring a person to realize his importance? Tse'u. Mitzvah parashem ois kol zachar l'gulgolosam. And this is the chibah, l'haros chibah. Hashem is saying: I love. What do I love? L'haros chibah—you are important. You are an olam malei. You are not just one of a bunch, one of a group.

### The Significance of a Name

The name of a person is moreh on the mission of a person. You should know, ba'alei mussar, I am sorry, ba'alei halachah say that when you call a person by a name, you should be careful. You know why? It is k'ein ruach hakodesh. Hashem puts into the minds of the parents what name to give the children. Why? Because we find that the name is moreh al ha'ishiyus ha'pratis shel adam. It gives the person’s personality and tafkid b'chayim. So how do I know what the tafkid is? The answer is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu puts into my mind: call this son Dov, call this one Reiz, Baruch, whatever it is. Right? Because his tafkid, his mission, his mahut in this world, is an olam malei—whatever it may be.

And this is why it is in the Torah, to teach us l'doros. It is not only for that generation; it is for us to know. And that is why it says all the numbers. Ramban asks the question: why does it say all the numbers? Who cares about the numbers? And the teretz is because we are not a klal. We are yachidim. We each have a number, and we each have a place, and I am going to explain this to you.

### The Torah, the Numbers, and Klal Yisrael

In the Zohar, there are 600,000 letters in the Torah. How many neshamot are there in Klal Yisrael? 600,000 neshamot. In the Torah, if you are missing one letter, you are missing one letter. The mefarshim say that this is the inyan of Klal Yisrael in the Torah. So the Torah is going out of its way to give me the exact numbers, because the numbers are noge'a l'ma'aseh. If we miss one number of the shishim ribui, it is pasul. I am telling you—this is famous. I am just showing you what everybody talks about.

Understand: this is what the whole parashah is about. Count them. Give me the count. You have to know that the count is b'midbar Sinai, eileh hamitzvos. Each yachid in his world must understand his chashivus; he must understand his derech. True, b'midbar, anavah—it is all true. But at the same time, su'u es rosh, su'u es rosh. Lift yourself. Understand your importance. And I want you to know...

### The Individual and the Mission

The *Taz* is *medayek* in *Parashas Kisisa*: the word *tisa* can be understood as *leharim*—to uplift. In *peshat*, it means one thing, but in *drush* it carries the meaning of elevation. That is the point here. Every Yid is an *olam malei*, a complete world, with a *tafkid*, a mission. Hashem was teaching them: *Eileh hamitzvos*. This is the message of *Bamidbar*, and of the Torah generally.

As the *Baal HaTurim* says, there is a need for *anavah*, humility. But at the same time, the Torah says: *Se’u es rosh kol adas Bnei Yisrael*. Count the individual. *B’mispar shemos*—each person is counted by name, because each *yachid* is an *olam malei* with a unique *tafkid*.

### Uplifting the Yachid

There is a famous Gemara that when the *Tannaim* would part from one another, they would bless each other: *Olamcha tir’eh b’chayecha*—may you see your world in your lifetime. Every Jew has his own world, his own mission. So how do you strengthen a person? How do you uplift him? Through *se’u es rosh*—help him realize his importance.

This is also the meaning of *leharos chiba*. Hashem is saying: I love you. You are important. You are not just one among many. The name of a person reflects his individual mission. *Ba’alei mussar* and *ba’alei halachah* say that one must be careful when calling a person by name, because *ke’ein Ruach HaKodesh*—Hashem places in the minds of the parents the name to give their child. The name reflects the person’s *ishiyus* and his *tafkid b’chayim*.

### Why the Torah Counts Each Name

This is why the Torah gives the numbers so precisely. The *Ramban* asks why the Torah needs to list the counts at all. The answer is that we are not a *klal* in the sense of something anonymous. We are made up of *yachidim*, and each one has his own place.

There is a well-known *Zohar* that says there are 600,000 letters in the Torah, corresponding to the 600,000 *neshamos* of *Klal Yisrael*. If one letter is missing, the *Sefer Torah* is *pasul*. The same idea applies to *Klal Yisrael*: each soul matters, and if one is missing, something is lacking in the whole.

That is why the Torah goes out of its way to give the exact numbers. The numbers are *noge’a l’ma’aseh*. If one of the *shishim ribui* is missing, it is like a missing letter. This is the whole parashah: count them, give the census, and know that each *yachid* has his own value.

### Klal and Yachid

At the same time, *s’u es rosh* means more than counting. It means lifting the person up so he understands his importance. The Torah is teaching the balance of *klal* and *prat*: humility on the one hand, and recognition of one’s unique worth on the other.

The Torah also teaches that each person has to know his own special strengths and cultivate them. No two people are the same, and no two people have the same *ma’alos* or the same *tafkid ba’chayim*. A person has to discover what is unique about him and work on it.

My grandfather, *zatzal*, said a beautiful *vart* in this parashah: *leharos chiba* is not only that Hashem loves the individual, but that the other person should see that Hashem loves him.

But I think the pshat that everyone says can be taken one step further: if a letter is missing from the Torah, the Torah is pasul; hu adin, if a letter is missing from the neshamah, it is pasul. And if so, what happens when the otiot are stuck together, when they are **dibek otiot**? That too is pasul. Each letter has to stand on its own, with its own space around it, **chok tochot**, so that its individuality is clear.

Of course, all the letters together make words, and all the words together make sentences, and that is the Torah. That is the idea of **digalim**. Digalim means that there is a time when each **yachid** must come together to form a **shleimus**, but not in a way that the letter loses its identity, not in a way that it is no longer an ot for itself. That is part of the analogy to **Osei Sateirot**. The yachid and the klal—that is the **yesod** of this week’s parasha. **Suu** the yachid, and remember the digalim.

## The Ta'ava for Order and Mission

That is the **hisavu**. What did **Klal Yisroel** desire? They desired the order of the **malachim**. When **Michail** comes to do a job—anyone know?—the malachim come with their banner and get the **avodah** done. What they realized was that malachim have a **shlichus**, and that shlichus is **niskayem al yedei ribui**: multitudes, **alfei alafim** of malachim, each under its own **tafkid**. Michail, Gavriel—this is what Klal Yisroel desired. They did not want to remain yachidim.

Because when a person is alone, **shnayim she'asu toivim min ha'echod**. If you are alone, you also do not get anything done. The Torah was teaching us in this parasha the inyan of **klal u'prat**. That is the hisavu: what were they **nisaveh** for? They looked at the malachim, at those who carry out the **ratzon Hashem** as a **pamalya shel malach**, a system of soldiers under a banner, and they wanted that too. So Rabbi Yishup said, I will give it to you. I will show you the yachid, and I will show you the klal.

## The Need to Belong Without Losing the Self

One of the worst things is **ha'porei sh'men ha'tzibur**. Rambam brings that this is among the things that are **ma'akvin** the ketubah. A person has to be part of a group, but at the same time he has to know his individuality. I told you many times that in **Slabodka**, the avodah of the mussar movement was to bring out the **kochos** and the specialty and the individuality of every yachid: this person is a **lamdan**, this person is a **tzaddik**, this person has his own unique strengths.

I teach you today the same thing: take what is special and unique about you, and cultivate it, work on it. Because no two people are the same, not in their **ma'alos**, not in their mission, and not in their **tafkid ba'chayim**. No two people have the same tafkid. How does a person know what his tafkid is? What his biggest **yetzer hara** is—that is his tafkid. For some people it is money, for some it is **arayis**, and for some it is **lashon hara**. If you see that every time you are drawn to a particular aveirah, that is your tafkid. The **middos** that **Kodesh Baruch Hu** gave you were given to you so that you should overcome that thing. They were given to you uniquely. That is **oylamcha**—your world. Every person is a world unto himself, and your world is not the same as the other person’s world. It is not masses; every yachid has his own world.

My grandfather, **zatzal**, said a very nice vort in this week’s parasha: the **l'haros chiba** is not only for the individual. You know what the l'haros chiba is? It is that the other person should see that Kodesh Baruch Hu loves him. What do you mean, Hashem loves him? I will explain what my grandfather meant. When you appreciate that every yachid is **yachid u'myuchad**, then you appreciate the other person.

## Seeing the Other Person as Unique

What the Rabbanim are showing is that Hashem appreciates him, and therefore you should appreciate him. If you see that Hashem loves him, then you should love him. He is important. The **Melech** loves him. The Melech appreciates him. The Melech looks at him as an individual. That is the **l'haros chiba**.

You know where we lack? We lack in understanding the **yachidut** of the yachid—the individuality and the specialty of that individuality, the uniqueness of the yachid. I will explain to you something very good that I heard with Shem Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky’s **ichtzad eglav racha**. The Rambam says, **k'shem she'ein partzufeihem domim**—just as no two faces are alike. What does the Rambam want? I look at you and I can see that you do not look the same. What is the Rambam teaching with this mashal? Just say that people do not think the same; we know that too. Nobody thinks the same. What is the point?

The beautiful explanation is this: when you look at a person and he does not look like you, what do you say? “Eh, **ha'panim she'lo panim**”—what do you mean, that is not a face? Look at my face. He does not have a face? It does not look like me. That is how people speak. “Ah, he is crazy. He thinks one way, I think differently.” Why is he crazy? Maybe he simply thinks differently. **K'shem she'ein partzufeihem einam domim**, so too no two people’s thinking is alike. And do not think that just because he thinks differently than you, he is retarded or crazy. Maybe you are the **mashugana**.

Someone once called me with a good story. He said that in America there is a consensus that every four people are crazy—one out of four. So he said: speak to three of your friends, and then normally you should start worrying. The point is that a person automatically thinks his friend is crazy and he is normal. That is how it works.

## Self-Worth and the Yachid

**Abba Yisai**, the yachidus, the yachidus. You know why I am telling you this? I will tell you why I am telling you this, and I am not afraid to say mussar straight to your face, because it is something we grew up with together. **Anachnu po shidduch k'mo avu be**. This has already become, you know, whatever I say, I mean it for your **toivah**.

The Bukharian have one **chisaron**, though they are among the nicest people in the world—sometimes the nicest people in the world. But they have one chisaron: they lack self-worth. They do not understand their worth. It may have to do with Russia, it may have to do with what people went through in the past, and therefore they are not happy in a certain way. There is a certain underlying unhappiness because they do not realize their **chashivus**, their worth, their self-worth.

The Torah wants, O Yisroel, that you should understand your **yachidus**. Understand that what you have as a community is different from another community. That is something important. What you as a yachid can add to Klal Yisroel is something unique that no one else can add. What you have as a yachid is an **oylam moley**. You have to work on self-esteem. You have to.

And I want you to know that when you work on your own self-esteem, you will not become chronic complainers about things that you yourself also have a problem with. You know where that comes from? No, no, I do not mean lutzanus. I mean to teach...

### The Yachid and His Value

Every yachid is yachid u’myuchad. Once you understand that, you begin to appreciate the other person. The Rabbis are showing that Hashem appreciates him, and therefore you should appreciate him too. If you see that Hashem loves him, then you should love him. He is important. The Melech loves him. The Melech appreciates him. The Melech looks at him as an individual. That is the meaning of **l’charo Yisrhaibu**.

Where we fall short is in understanding the **yachidut** of the yachid—the individuality and specialness of each person, the uniqueness of the yachid.

### No Two Faces Are Alike

I’ll explain this with a beautiful thought I heard בשם רבי יעקב קמנצקי. The Rambam says, **k’shem she’ein par’tzufeihem domim**: no two faces are alike. What is the Rambam teaching? If I look at you, I can see that you do not look like me. But what is the point of the mashal? It is not only that people do not think the same. We already know that. Nobody thinks exactly the same.

The point is deeper. When you look at a person and he does not look like you, what do you say? “Eh, ha’panim she’lo panim”—as if he has no face, as if he is not really a face because he does not look like me. We speak that way about people: “He’s crazy. He thinks differently.” Why is he crazy? Maybe he simply thinks differently. Just as no two faces are alike, no two people’s thinking is alike. And don’t assume that because he thinks differently from you, he is retarded or crazy. Maybe you are the one who is mistaken.

### Self-Worth and Appreciation of Others

That is the yachidus. And I’m telling you this because it is a mussar point that matters. The Bukharian community has one shortcoming: many of the nicest people in the world sometimes do not understand their own worth. There is a lack of self-worth, maybe because of Russian influence, maybe because of what people went through in the past. As a result, there can be an underlying unhappiness, because they do not realize their **chashivus**, their value.

The Torah wants Yisroel to understand your yachidus. Understand that what you have as a community is different from another community. What you can add to Klal Yisroel is unique; no one else can add it. What you as a yachid have is an **olam malei**. You have to work on self-esteem. You have to. And when you work on your own self-esteem, you will not be chronic complainers about things that you yourself also struggle with.

When a person begins appreciating and valuing his own personality—**chashivus la’adam la’atzmecha**—then he will also have **chashivus la’adam la’sheni**. The principle of **mitoch chibatan** works not only for Hashem’s love of me, but also for how I see others. If Hashem shows me that I am loved and important, then I will understand that the other person is **chaviv** too. If you work on inner chavivus, on importance and self-esteem, you will appreciate the other person as well.

### The Mission of the Yachid

That appreciation reduces the bickering and cynicism. There is a certain unhappiness that can be rooted at the source. Every group has its ma’alot, and every group has the inyanim it must work on. I do not even want to call it a chisaron. Yehudim do not have chisaronos; they have a **tafkid**, a **pkudah**, a mission. The mission is to fix the underlying flaws. That becomes the avodah: **Seu**—pick yourself up. Be proud. Adam. Person. Yechidus. I am unique, and I am part of a bigger picture.

This is also why the Torah speaks in terms of **digalim**, not a system of top and bottom. There are groups from east to west and south, but not up and down. There are no lists that go from top to bottom. Each yachid is a yachid u’myuchad. No shevet was different in the sense of being lesser or greater; each one had its own place. That is what the Torah is teaching in **Parshas Bamidbar**: each yachid, the **pkudeihem**, the **beis avosam**, the **mishpechosam**—כולם חשובים. The prat is chashuv, and the prat makes up the klal.

### Hashem Dwelling Within Us

A person comes and does avodah, and he thinks: what am I learning? What am I davening? There is a whole world out there. But the yachid matters. **Mitoch chibatan shel Yisroel.** There are two girsa’os in Rashi—**aleihem** or **bahem**. Look in your Rashi; some chumashim have aleihem, some have bahem. The point is that when HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants to be **shochein b’saicham**, He wants to dwell within us. We have to know both **klal u’prat**, and that creates the **olam gadol**.

Why does Hashem want to be **mashreh Shechinasei b’tocham**? One answer is that He is b’toch this world. Each person is an **olam katan**. The Ribbono Shel Olam wants to dwell in this world, in the olam katan of each person. When He wants to enter, He is telling you: **li gul gulet**—understand who you are. You are an **olam malei**. And that is how HaKadosh Baruch Hu can be **mashreh Shechinasei b’saicham**.

### Appreciation and Self-Worth

Appreciation. When you appreciate the other person, the bickering and cynicism begin to fall away. There is often a certain unhappiness that can be traced back to the shoresh. I know you long enough. I studied you long enough. Every group has its ma'alot, and every group has its inyanim that they need to work on. I do not even want to call it a chisaron. Yehudim do not have chisaron; they have a tafkid, a pkuda, a mission in life to fix the underlying flaws. That becomes the mission: seu, pick yourself up, be proud. Adam. Person. Yechidus. I am unique, and I am part of a bigger picture.

### The Chashivus of the Yechid

When you begin to look at things this way, everything changes. There are no sugim in Klal Yisrael in the sense of ranking people from top to bottom. There are digalim: Mizrach, Ma'ariv, groups from east to west and south, but not up and down. Each yechid is a yechid u'myuchad. No shevet was different in the sense of being lesser or greater; each one had its own place. This is what the Torah is teaching in Parashas Bamidbar: pkudeihem, beis avosam, mishpechosam. Everyone is chashuv, everyone is important. That is the yesod of Midbar, of Torah, of all mitzvos—the relationship between prat and klal, and how the chashivus of the prat makes up the klal.

A person comes and does avodah, and he thinks: ma li? What am I learning? What am I davening? There is a whole world out there. But the yechid matters.

### Shechinah B'saicham

There are two girsaos in Rashi on "b'saicham" and "bahem"—look in your Chumash. The point is that when HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants to be mashreh Shechinaseh b'saicham, we have to understand two things: klal u'prat, and that creates the oylam malei.

Why does Hashem want to be mashreh Shechinaseh b'tocham? Why b'tocham? Why not from the outside? Why not above a person? I have thought about this many times. One answer is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is b'toch this world. Each person is an oylam katan. The Ribbono Shel Olam wants to be dar b'tachtaynim, and He wants to live in this world, in the oylam katan of each person. That is why He says, li gol goltecha—understand who you are. You are an oylam malei, and that is how HaKadosh Baruch Hu can be mashreh Shechinaseh b'saicham.

Otherwise, how could He be mashreh Shechinaseh b'saicham? Why should it come into a person? It sounds so much like fear. The point is that every yid has this greatness.

### The Lesson of the Minyan and the Degalim

HaKadosh Baruch Hu is mashreh Shechinaseh b'seichenu. Every Jew is an oylam katan. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is dar b'seichenu. He was me'aneh to teach us the chibah, the importance of every person. This is the lesson of the minyan and the degalim. It is a tremendous thing I am teaching you. Work on it. Your whole outlook in life and in avodah will change. The importance of my ma'asim—how can I do an aveirah? I am an oylam malei. This is the chashivus of the prat, and you should not get lost in the klal.

I wish you a wonderful, wonderful week, and we will see you next week.

### The Importance of Every Jew

Yeah—where do you think he got it from? Every Yid should know this: every Jew has it. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is mashreh Shechinaseh b’shecheinu. Every Jew is an olam katan. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is dar b’shecheinu. K’shebal haShechinaseh b’shecheinu, He was me’aneh to teach us the chibah, the importance of every person.

### The Lesson of the Minyan and the Degalim

This is the lesson of the minyan and the degalim. It behooves you to take it seriously. It’s a tremendous thing I’m teaching you. Work on it. Your whole outlook in life and in avodah will change. It will change. You’ll begin to appreciate the importance of your maasim. How can I do an aveirah? I’m an olam malei.

Could you imagine if the whole world, something went wrong? Yes. This person is an olam malei, and he’s doing an aveirah. Imagine the whole world. This is the chashivus of the prat, and you shouldn’t get lost in the klal.

I wish you a wonderful, wonderful week, and we’ll see you next week.