DON’T STAND ALONE
Dovid Hamelech (King David) held a census using a headcount to get the tally of the number of people in our nation. Shortly afterwards a plague befell the people in which many died. Our Sages teach us that Dovid Hamelech failed to learn the lesson from this week’s Parsha, Ki Sisa, in which the Torah teaches us not to use a headcount to count the people, lest they suffer the consequences. Rather, we must take a coin from each individual and then count the coins, thereby reaching the tally. After these coins were collected they were used for the national cause of building a foundation for the Mishkan.
What is the sin of taking a headcount? And if there is sin, it was Dovid Hamelech’s sin, why were the people punished?
The difference between these two methods of census taking is that when doing a head-count each person is identified as a single unit standing alone, independent of the com-munity until the final number has been reached. As opposed to the alternate method, it is the coin that is identified as a single unit and only after the tally is reached do we identify the individual people as members of the larger community. So that in the latter no person ever stands alone. Our Sages teach us that standing alone brings a person’s right-to-exist into question. The reason why so many people died in Dovid Hamelech’s census was not a punishment to the people, but rather it was a natural consequence be-cause they were standing alone outside of the larger community and were exposed to bringing their right-to-exist into question.
But the question remains; why should standing alone challenge a person’s right to exist?
The Zohar teaches us that very few people can claim that they deserve to exist. Most people exist because HaShem grants them life undeservedly. The ‘Modeh ani’ prayer which we recite upon waking up each morning reflects our recognition that “You returned my soul to me undeservedly”.
We must ask, according to this Zohar is there no way for me to con-sider myself worthy of life? Furthermore, if most people are not de-serving of life, for what purpose does HaShem grant them life?
There is one cause which HaShem holds very dear – the Jewish people. The Jewish people are actually the very purpose of creation,
(The mission of our people has been discussed in earlier issues.) and every member of the Jewish people is an integral part of our people and therefore every person does have a significant purpose. Although as an individual person who stands alone may not deserve life, nevertheless, when he stands as a member of the Jewish nation and an integral part of that nation he does deserve life. And that is the reason why HaShem warns Moshe in this week’s Parsha not to take a headcount, lest the members of our people be reckoned as standing alone outside of the context of the people. Perhaps this is the reason that the coins collected for the purpose of counting were used for the national cause. Every member was represented by his coin that supported the national cause.
As we find ourselves sandwiched between Purim and Pesach we also find ourselves surrounded by mitzvos that require us to contribute for the national cause of caring for our fellow Jews. On Purim we are instructed to bring joy to those who are needy. Before the Pesach holiday, as well, we are instructed to provide our fellow Jews with their needs for the holiday. The very first laws regarding the preparation of the Pesach holiday relate to everyone’s obligation to contribute to the Maos Chittim campaign which insures that all members of the community have their needs for Yom Tov. Both Purim which celebrates the continuity of our people and Pesach which celebrates the birth our people require every member of our people to contribute to the national cause thereby bringing pur-pose to each and every member of our people.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind