Bamidbar

In this parsha

In the Sinai wilderness, God commands Moses to take a census of the Israelite men aged twenty and older who are fit for military service, counted tribe by tribe. The tribe of Levi is set apart to serve and guard the Tabernacle, replacing the firstborn, and its families are assigned to carry its parts. The camp is arranged around the Mishkan in four divisions, each of three tribes marching under its own banner. The parsha is read before Shavuos, as Israel prepares to receive the Torah in the ownerless desert.

Themes

• Torah lishmah as total bittul
• The wilderness as gateway to Torah
• Each soul's root and banner
• From number to infinite Oneness
• The hidden inner point
• Humility magnifies Hashem's honor

Must-read teachings

1. 1Bittul to the root through humility and emunahMy grandfather, my teacher and master — of blessed and holy memory — said regarding what is stated in the Midrash about the children of Levi, "who drew themselves close to Me," etc. The Sefas Emes cites a teaching of his grandfather (the Ch…תרל"א
2. 2Acquiring Torah through hefker and Hashem-given preparationIn the Midrash: The Torah was given in the wilderness, etc. — just as these [water, fire, and wilderness] are free to all who come into the world, so too are the words of Torah. The Midrash teaches that the Torah was given in an ownerless w…תר"מ
3. 3The banners reveal each soul's root and missionIn the Midrash: "He brought me to the house of wine" (Shir HaShirim 2:4) — the seventy nations — "and His banner (diglo) over me is love" — Bnei Yisrael longed for the banners (degalim) at the giving of the Torah; see there. The Midrash rea…תרנ"ג
4. 4From number to infinite OnenessIn the Midrash: "And the number of Bnei Yisrael shall be… that cannot be counted…" — "Look toward the heavens…" — "From that very mazal by which you see that you do not give birth, I will show you that you will give birth," etc. The Sefas E…תרל"ז
5. 5Heavenly assistance to rectify the worldIn the Midrash: "He found him in a desert land" (Devarim 32:10). The Sefas Emes opens with the verse describing how Hashem found Bnei Yisrael in a wilderness, which the Midrash interprets homiletically. The world was a "desert" until Bnei Y…תרמ"ה
6. 6Bnei Yisrael as Hashem's hosts"And [Hashem] spoke… you shall count them by their legions (tziv'osam), you and Aharon" (Bamidbar 1:1-3). The Sefas Emes begins from the command to number Bnei Yisrael as "legions" or "hosts," a term he will unpack. It is brought in the Gem…תרנ"א
7. 7Nullifying one's will earns the heart's desiresAnd in the Midrash on "we will rejoice in Your salvation" (Tehillim 20:6), and "and Hashem turned [to Hevel and his offering]" (Bereishis 4:4): Bnei Yisrael yearned for the degalim (tribal banners), and the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfille…תרמ"ח
8. 8The soul's hidden untouched rootIn the Midrash: "And He raised up a horn for His people" (Tehillim 148:14) — just as I am set as a head over all, [so too I lift up the head of My people]. The Midrash links the exaltation of Bnei Yisrael to Hashem's own supremacy. As Hashe…תרס"ד