Bamidbar

The saintly Chofetz Chaim was asked, “Why is it necessary for the Jewish People to possess so many factions and schools of thought? There are Chassidim, Misnagdim, Ashkenazim, Sefardim...to mention but a few.” The Chofetz Chaim replied, “In war, an effective battle strategy employs a plethora of different war machines, utilizing the combined talents of an Air Force, Army and Navy. So, too, the Jewish People must cull from the many divergent approaches in order to be victorious over the enemies of Hashem.” The beauty of a philharmonic orchestra lies in its ability to engage many unique and disparate instruments to create a deep and far-ranging musical sound. In order to cultivate the individual personality of each tribe, the Jewish People encamped in formation and banners. The message of the banners is that uniformity is not a Jewish ideal. Rather, we encourage a mosaic of different approaches and concepts. As the Holy Shalah zt”l says, in the name of the Arizal, “Just as there are four banners, so too there are four main, distinct forces in Bnei Yisroel - Sefardim, Ashkenzaim, Catalonim, and Italians. All should remain loyal to their subjective customs, for these and those are the living words of Hashem (Shnei Luchos HaBris, Parshas Nasso).”

It is evident from the Chumash that not until the second year from the Exodus did the Jewish People camp according to their banners, living until then in mixed neighborhoods. Parenthetically, this explains why all the tribes, when counted in this week’s Parsha, have a “lamed” before their names, with the exception of Naftali. As each tribe was summoned for the census, the call went out "l'bnei Shimon", that all those that ascribe to the tribe of Shimon should separate from their fellow Jews and be counted. The last tribe to be counted was Naftali, making it unnecessary for them to remove themselves from the others, as all the rest were already separated and accounted for. Therefore, the Torah only writes "bnei Naftali."

The question that must be addressed is: Why didn’t the Jewish People immediately encamp according to their banners? What was the reason for the year-long delay? Maran HaRav Yaakov Kaminetzky points out that not until the construction of the Mishkan was it recommended to live in separate neighborhoods. There is always a fear that individuality will precipitate divisiveness and dissension. Therefore, the Mishkan was placed in the epicenter of the banners in order to serve as a focal point to coalesce and unify the sundry tribes and their banners.

The ideal community accommodates many distinct Kehillos, working together under the unifying force of the holy Torah. Achdus, therefore, is not uniformity, but the appreciation of the "echad", uniqueness in others, working simultaneously, in harmony, for Hashem.

As we prepare for our yearly Kabbalas HaTorah, we must reaffirm our commitment to be “like one man with one heart.” According to our understanding of achdus, this isn’t a declaration of myopic uniformity, but rather an expansive pledge to work harmoniously with the multi-faceted and diverse Torah approaches of the Jewish People.

In this week's Parsha, Moshe and Aaron were commanded by Hashem to count the Bnei Yisroel. The tribe of Levi was counted from one month and upward in contradistinction to the rest of the Jewish People who were counted from twenty years and older. Despite this, the number of Leviim is even smaller than the smallest tribe - Menashe totaled 32,200, while the tribe of Levi accounted for only 22,000 males (and only 8,000 when counted from thirty years old). In addition, we are told that the Leviim had a special relationship with Hashem, making this population dearth an even greater anomaly. The Ramban offers the following explanation. Chazal teach us that the tribe of Levi was excused from the servile responsibilities of the Jewish People in Egypt and therefore, did not suffer the physical abuse of their brothers. The Ramban posits that the suffering itself precipitated the rapid growth of the Jewish People. As the pasuk says, "The more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied" (Shmos 1,12). The Leviim who didn't suffer, therefore, did not experience the blessing of proliferation the rest of the people enjoyed. This is the equation for success. Those who persevere through the vicissitudes of life, reap the fruits of success.

HaGaon HaRav Yosef HaLevi Etinga, author of the "Aidus B'Yosef", offers the following creative approach. The Gemara in Avodah Zorah 54b states, "Justice would demand that an illicit relationship should not result in the birth of a child. This is not the case, however, for the Almighty's policy is not to interfere with the course of Nature". This could support the spurious claim of the Nations of the World that the genealogy of the Jewish People was tainted by their Egyptian lords. If the Egyptians ruled over the Jewish men, all the more so, could they have ruled over the women, too! It is for this reason, that Hashem miraculously provided the Jewish women with sextuplet births. Although prohibited relationships can result in a natural birth, the Almighty would not alter the course of Nature and arrange a miraculous birth in the framework of an illicit relationship. The proliferation of the Jewish People, through supernatural means, thus attested to the purity of their lineage. If the Egyptians were involved in any way with the fathering of the Jewish children, Hashem would never have provided any miraculous reproduction. This explains the diminutive population of the tribe of Levi. Since the Leviim were not subjected to the servitude of Egypt, therefore, they did not need miraculous intervention to counter the spurious claims of the Nations.

HaGaon HaRav Elchonon Wasserman, in his "Biurei Aggados", suggests the following pragmatic answer. It is a fact of life that the value of an item is reflected in its limited availability. For example: Regarding fruit, the inedible portion is more abundant than the fruit itself. Concerning living things, there are more animals than people, and more non-Jews than Jews. Pertaining to the Jewish People themselves, there are fewer Leviim, thus highlighting their preeminence and value.

The profound thinker, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Duber Soloveitchik, author of the "Beis HaLevi", offers an intriguing explanation. Since the obligation of supporting the Tribe of Levi was placed upon the rest of the people, the Almighty arranged that the number of Leviim be limited to ease the burden of the Jewish People. The Kli Yakar, however, was critical of this approach. "This is a far-fetched interpretation! Hashem is not limited in His ability to support and provide for His servants and those who are dedicated to His will."