Parshas Ki Tisa (5778)
The first recorded census in the history of the world can be found in this week's Torah portion, Parshas Ki Sisa. Only there was something very different about this census, as we shall soon see. The Torah states:
"G-d spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Ki sisa - when you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, every man shall give G-d an atonement for his soul when counting them, so that there will not be a plague among them when counting them' " (Exodus 30:12).
”So there will not be a plague when counting them”?! …. what does that mean? Did the census takers have tuberculosis or something like that? Why would the simple act of counting the Jewish people in the desert carry the risk of a plague so that G-d requires the people to atone for their souls? It doesn't seem to make any “census”!
Interestingly, the Hebrew word that the Torah uses for "counting" is sisa, which can also mean to “raise up” and single out each individual. Even in English, the word "count" has two different usages. It can mean to count how many individuals there are in order to combine them into one big group, as in a vote count during an election. Or it can mean to stand out and make a difference, as in the phrase "making each day count".
In the Torah view, when G-d "counts" the Jewish people, He is not merely tallying up the totals of each tribe in order to figure out how much manna the people should get, which is pretty much the purpose of most modern-day censuses. Rather, G-d is ‘raising’ each of us up and conveying to us the important message that each and every one of us counts, and that we each have something unique to give to the world.
Now that’s a whole different type of counting. And therein lies the potential danger of the census and the need for atonement. Precisely because each one of us counts, and we were each given our own unique set of talents and character traits with which to stand up and make a difference here on earth, when G-d "counts" us He is holding us up to a certain high standard. And we don't always measure up.
Oftentimes, we go through life without recognizing and appreciating how much we can make a difference in the lives of those around us. Some people have great personalities or a great smile, which they can use to cheer up others who are going through difficult times. Others might be great organizers or fund raisers who can greatly benefit the communities in which they live. But the important lesson of the “counting” recorded in our Torah portion is that whatever it is that G-d gave us that makes us unique, we have to understand that it was given to us to give back to others and to make a difference.
The Talmud (see Bava Metzia 114b and Bava Kama 38a) makes a statement about non-Jews that has been misunderstood for centuries. It says, "You, the Jewish people, are called 'man', but the nations of the world are not called 'man' but are called 'the man' ". Now this comes from the same Talmud that states, "How precious is a human being who was created in the image of G-d" (Ethics of our Fathers), and countless other statements like that, and which should make it obvious that the Torah believes that we should act with the greatest respect and dignity towards all of humanity. So what then can this strange Talmudic statement possibly mean?
Have you ever watched the Grammy Awards or the Oscars on T.V.? Before the big show, the cameras zero in on each of the stars and their escorts, while all the fans are “oohing” and “aahing”. And when the stars come up to the stage to receive their awards, they get tremendous applause, and their pictures are taken, only to be splattered across the pages of almost every newspaper and magazine in the world!
Think about it for a moment. Exactly who is getting all this coverage? Who is considered a "celebrity" in the world we live in? Who is being idolized by our sons and daughters who gobble up all those teen mags? Certainly not your average John Smith who lives down the block from you and who helps you with your bags at the local supermarket! He's not getting into the Who's Who of Important People! Rather - and this is the way it has always been among the nations of the world - it's the famous people, the celebs. In the world we live in, it seems that the only people who really "count" are the well-known ones - the men and women with a "the" in their title - "the greatest rock'n'roll artist", "the wealthiest computer geek", etc.
Not so, says the Talmud. If you want to know who is in “The Who's Who of the Jewish People", you will find the name of every single man, woman and child - even though some of us can't sing, dance, act, or make a lot of money. We are all considered 'man' – and count in G-d’s eyes - even if there is no "the" in our title.
So remember - the next time you watch the Oscars or you read the Forbes 400 Richest People or People Magazine's Ten Best Dressed List - that each and every one of us is special and has some unique talent which we were given by G-d in order to make a difference in the lives of those around us. The trick is to figure out what our special gift is .... and to run with it.
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