Hashem tell's Moshe Rabeinu to take a census of all the Israelite men from 20 years of age and above, "all those in Yisroel who are able to bear arms..."
Heads are named for all of the twelve tribes....Hashem tells Moshe not to include the tribe of Levi in the census, but to put them in charge of carrying, assembling, tending to, and guarding the Mishkan and its furnishings.
The tribes are then told specifically where each one should be in the encampment.
| North | ||||||
| Asher | Dan | Naphtali | ||||
| Benjamin | Merari | Yissachar | ||||
| West | Ephraim | Gershon | THE Mishkan | Kohanim | Yehuda | East |
| Manasseh | Kohath | Zebulun | ||||
| Gad | Reuven | Shimon | ||||
| South |
Hashem then instructed Moshe to place the Leviim in attendance upon Aharon to serve him and the other Kohanim.
Hashem then instructs Moshe to count all of the Leviim from one month and up, and they were divided into three groups; Gershon, Kehas, and Merari. Each one of these groups was then given specific parts of the Mishkan to care for and carry when traveling.
The lessons for us to learn here which only really scratches the surface are the following which also tie in very well to Shavuos and each one of us accepting the Torah upon ourselves.
We are all but a number in the greater Klal, but yet we are all individuals and one person cannot do what the other person is supposed to do etc.
We are all grains of sand in the great desert of life, but we all have our places and our jobs. And if we unite and get together, we become all powerful and unstoppable.
How significant can one grain of sand be? How much power can it wield? Maybe not a lot, but if they band together they can be a formidable force. So too, though each Jew IS significant, when united and bound together, they are an unstoppable force.
* While they might look alike on the surface, each Jew is a unique entity as is each letter in the Torah (because each letter is uniquely positioned next to other letters)
So learning to accept the Torah and live in the wilderess of life, means learning how to conform but yet still be an individual. Learning how to be an individual but yet not dissconecting from the whole of the Klal.
How do we do this? We give in and accept upon ourselves the yoke of the Torah, each one of us at his or her own level.
How do we know what our yoke is? By talking to Hashem in our own words, by trying to establish a personal relationship with Hashem in our own words, by asking Hashem to show us the way, by coming back day in and day out. By finding others who are going along a path similar to ours and sharing our trials and triumphs so that we can all learn how to keep on growing, by finding people with more experience and knowledge than us who can help us along the way, by praying, and studying and praying and studying, and praying and studying. And by keeping it up day in and day out, even if we dont feel anything, even if we dont feel like we're moving ahead. By remembering that accepting the yoke of the Torah doesn't mean we're quitting our day jobs and "learning" all day but that we're at least committing, be it even for 2 minutes a day. And of course, the biggest lesson for Shavuos and accepting the Torah upon ourselves, is to do it with b"Simcha, with joy! Hashem had been waiting with anticipation for an "eternity" until this shidduch could be made between his most precious gift and his beloved children. The happiness that was realized on that day when we finally were worthy of receiving this present was unrivaled in all of history and formed the basis for our everlasting infatuation with the Torah....May it never end
So enjoy the Chag, enjoy the cheescake ( "Insights Into Halacha: Of Bullseyes and the Korban Cheesecake". ) and enjoy knowing that we are now starting from scratch on the road to a better tomorrow each and every day!!!!
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