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Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Bamidbar 5786
Behar Bechukosai 5786
Emor 5786
Acharei Mos Kedoshim 5786
Tazria Metzorah 5786
Bamidbar 5786
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This week's YouParsha Shavuos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVpdXjkCRzs Trusting Hashem
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Parshas Bamidbar, Numbers 1: - 4:20, begins the Book of Numbers. Ezra the Scribe established the order of the reading of the Parshas at the beginning of the Second Temple Period (circa 350 bce). Parshas Bamidbar is always read prior to the holiday of Shavuos. It follows that there must be an intrinsic connection between the holiday and the Parsha. The Book of numbers involves four censes the Jewish people were to conduct while in the desert. People only count things of importance. No one knows how much garbage he or she has in his or her trashcans but they most likely would know how much money is in their wallet. Counting, as in a census, indicates value of that which is being counted.
The first census was conducted on the first day of the second month of the second year as they were camped at Sinai. The effect of this census was to elevate the Jews to a higher awareness of G'd. The Torah states, "S'u es rosh bnai Yisroel - count (literally lift up the heads of) the Children of Israel. The Jewish people witnessed the ultimate Divine revelation at Sinai. That revelation could not be put into practice until the Jews moved away from Sinai. In order to be able to fully appreciate the Sinatic revelation once they left Sinai, they needed to be taken to a higher level. Hence, lift up the heads (count) the Children of Israel. That very act of counting gave the Jews importance.
The laws of kosher state that something that is countable is never lost. It would not matter if a person were standing over a pot of stew while drinking a cup of milk and some of the milk dribbled into the pot and was mixed in with the meat. The food is still kosher as the milk to meat ratio is less than 1:60. If however, a non-kosher chicken were to be mixed into even 1000 kosher chickens - the entire mixture would be rendered unkosher as there exists 1001 chickens. One of the chickens is for sure not kosher and therefore is never lost.
The Torah lists the Children of Israel as having 70 families. These 70 correspond to the 70 nations of the world. The counting made it possible for the Jewish people to survive in the world as the act of counting itself facilitated that the Jewish people is never lost among the nations. It is true there are only one Jewish people, but that one weighs equal to all the 70.
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The Baal Shem Tov would spend hours devoted to the evening prayers of Friday night. His followers would finish praying in the normal manner and stand and wait for their Rebbe to finish.
It once happened that one of the participants felt hungry. It would still be several hours before the Baal Shem Tov finished his prayers. No one would miss him if he went home, ate and came back before the Rebbe finished. Someone noticed the man sneaking out and decided to do the same. Soon, the Baal Shem Tov was left alone to his prayers.
When the group returned, with what they believed to be in plenty of time, much to their chagrin, they found the Baal Shem Tov sitting and waiting for them. He explained to them that a person's head is only as high as the rest of his body. He, the Baal Shem Tov was like a head to the community. He could only stay "up there" if he had the support of the rest of the community..”
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