The Shabbos Parsha is Parashas Bamidbar , starting out the Fourth Book Of The Torah . This Holy Shabbos is also the Shabbos before Shavuot , when we received the Holy Torah on Har Sinai . The Book of Bamidbar Numbers starts out with the countings of Israel and so the Haftorah for this Shabbos is Hosea 2 : 1 - 22 , which starts out also referring to the numbers of Israel " being like the sand of the sea , which can neither be measured nor counted . " This Parsha begins With HaShem Speaking To Moshe In The " Bamidbar " - " In the Wilderness " of Sinai , in the Tent of Meeting , on the first of Iyar ( the Hebrew Month after Nissan ) , in the second year after leaving Mitzrayim Egypt . How interesting it is that during that very month , we count the Omer from Pesach to Shavuot as we climb to purify and better ourselves in HaShem's Mitzvos and it is at this time as we near Shavuot , that we read this Parsha of Bamidbar , where this Sedra is also is about the countings of Israel , so counting and taking stock of ourselves is certainly a path toward Holiness . HaShem Tells Moshe to take a census of the entire Assembly of the Children of Israel , according to their families , according to their Father's household , by number of the names , every male according to the head count , from twenty years and up , everyone who goes out to the Legion in Israel , Moshe and Aharon are to count them according to their Legions and with Moshe while they are counted , must also be present the Prince - Leader of each Tribe representing their Tribe . HaShem Gives Moshe the names of the Leaders of the Tribes who are to stand with him . This was the third time that we were counted . The first time was when we left Egypt . The next time was after the Chayit Ha Eigel - the Incident of the Golden Calf . And now we were counted again . The First count showed How HaShem Had Blessed our Tribes in Egypt to grow Miraculously from 70 souls that came to Egypt , to the large amount that we were at the time of that particular count . The second count was to ascertain the amount of those left after the golden calf and now HaShem Had us counted again . So why Did HaShem Count us at this particular time ? Ramban gives a few reasons . Ramban teaches us that after 210 years of slavery , HaShem Had us counted to show His Love For each and every one of us At How HaShem Had Increased our numbers from the original 70 members that first entered Egypt in Yaakov's time To this much larger number that it was at the time of that particular count . Also to HaShem , each and every one of us is important and thus we each had an opportunity to come and be counted as a person of individual worth . Also the word " Legion " is used here , so another reason for the counting now at this juncture was because we had reached the vicinity of Eretz Yisrael ( before the sin of the spies delayed us to wander for 40 years in the Wilderness ) and so , a count had to take place to prepare ourselves first of all for the military campaign ( as the term written here in Torah , of our " Legions " ) that could take place as we entered the Land , for those battles we might have to fight and also for the apportioning of the Land of Israel among and to each Tribe of Israel and their families , for this time was before the Spies had brought back a bad report and so we were at that time , still about to enter the Land , before we were punished for the incident of the Spies which as I just mentioned , had us wander in the " Bamidbar " - " Wilderness , " for forty years . HaShem Loves each and every one of us And Holds each and every one of us precious and so just as we would count and take note of every precious item we have , So Did HaShem Have us counted , for we are each special and precious to HaShem . Moshe also invited the Elders too , out of respect for them when he did the counting , which he did As Soon As HaShem Asked him to , which showed his great love for HaShem and his eagerness to fulfill HaShem's Word Straight away , just as Avraham Avinu did When HaShem Called Avraham for the Akeidah and Avraham awoke early in the morning and saddled his donkey and readied himself to do HaShem's Bidding , no matter how hard it was for him at the time . Our Fore-fathers and Holy men of the Torah and Chumash were always ready to obey HaShem with alacrity , Whenever HaShem Asked . How often did Avraham , When HaShem Called , answer immediately " Hineini , " - " Here I am , " HaShem , ready to do whatever You Ask , as soon as You Ask it . May we all learn to be the same and always jump up with alacrity , to do HaShem's Bidding with love . Each person that was counted , was counted via half a shekel coin . Jews are not to be counted directly . HaShem Values the life of each and every Jew and so , each and every Jew has a purpose in Creation , as does every human being That HaShem Creates With His Love . Each person is special and unique in their own way and needs to fulfill HaShem's Will . We are not just Physical beings but we have a Spiritual Neshoma within . The Physicality that is our clothing in this Physical World , is prone to temptation since the sin of Adam ve Chava and so was the negativity after that incident , brought into this World . That negativity as a force , seeks to count us for Judgement which is a totally fair action , for even that negative force , whether we call it Yetzer Horah or its Malach Samael or Satan , still works for HaShem in ensuring that we get tempted , so as to test our love for HaShem . If we love HaShem enough , we will overcome the tests and temptations put on us . These forces seek to have us judged for the wrong that we do . That is one of their tasks . We need to be tested so as to better ourselves and show HaShem greater love than what we might do if we just went along fulfilling our own desires . Seeing as these forces have special abilities to seek where we need Judgement , our very actions stand out to HaShem and these forces And So Out Of HaShem's Mercy For us so that we and our negative actions do not stand out to negative entities , For HaShem Who Knows of our negative actions Tries To Show us Mercy , because of this Mercy From HaShem , we do not count our Jewish people directly , but rather use an object of counting instead , like a coin or words of a particular Psalm which we use when counting for a Minyan . So HaShem Instructed that the count be made with a half shekel coin per person . We note That When HaShem Asked That a " Census " be taken , HaShem Said In The Torah , " S'u Es Rosh Kol Adas B'nei Yisrael , " - " Take a census of the entire assembly of the Children of Israel . " The word for ' Census ' in Hebrew , is ' Mifkad ' ( Compact up to date English Hebrew Hebrew English Dictionary - Shimon Zilberman ) , yet here in The Torah , HaShem Uses the word " S'u , " which means ' to lift up , " which gives us a deeper meaning Of HaShem's Intention Here . HaShem Was Thus Saying , ' lift up in holiness " Es Rosh " each one's head - each one's Physicality , to higher Spirtual and Holy Heights and Ways . Thus when we get counted , HaShem Shows That He Acknowledges us and our purpose in Creation , that is a Holy one and that we are being called to attention to work up toward Him and improve ourselves in Holiness , lifting ourselves higher with each Mitzvah that we do . The words " Lift up the head , " can also have an opposite connotation where our head is actually lifted off from us as if being beheaded , which shows that by keeping HaShem's Mitzvos , we grow higher Spiritually but if we do not , the result is like our head being lifted off , which spells death . Our very lives are in the hands of the very actions that we do . If we keep The Holy Torah then we will go on the path of and towards life , but if we stray and do not keep The Holy Torah Laws , Chas Ve Shalom , we go away from life toward death and destroying our very selves and our purpose in Creation for our purpose in Creation is to Serve HaShem and Work also for the common good and not just for ourselves . Just like a Shofet , a Judge when Judging must always think that and imagine that there is a sword above his head so that he must judge correctly , so must we think the same . Our very lives are in the hands of our actions and obedience to HaShem And His Laws For our good . We must always account ourselves among those who keep the Torah Of HaShem's Laws . The Sedra continues with the count of each Tribe and the total . HaShem Then Instructs on the Placements and Formations of all the Tribes , as we rest and travel . Three Tribes were put in all four directions around the Camp , three per a direction and within them were the Levites and then Moshe and Aharon and in the Centre of our Camp ,was The Very Holy Ark of the Covenant and within It , The Shechinah Of HaShem . This shows how we Jews at all times are to be a Nation unto HaShem and to always keep HaShem within our midst . HaShem Makes All of Creation . HaShem's Love Is Within Everything that is . We are Physically to always be surrounded by Holiness and so , keep HaShem Always within us and Always within our midst . The way we set ourselves up in the Tribal Formations when we were in the " Bamidbar , " - " Wilderness , " was exactly how we had our formation when we were in our Tribes at the time of going to Canaan , to bury our holy Fore - Father Yaakov , in Yosef's time . So did we keep the same Formation . Our Formations also were , as we were traveling in the " Bamidbar , " - " Wilderness , " exactly how the Malachim Angels have their Formations Up Above , around HaShem and His Throne of Glory . We were each to encamp and travel within our Tribe , by our Banners and Insignias of our Father's Household . These Banners for each Tribe were of the same colour for each Tribe as the colour of the Stone that represented that Tribe on the Kohein Gadol's Breast-Plate . The Insignias and Banners had a picture of something that had a representation for each Tribe , like Yehudah's Tribe was the Lion . Three Tribes each were grouped together in each of the four directions . And each of the four groups had their own banner that represented the four creatures that were in Yechezkiel's Holy Revelation further on in The Tanach . To the East and the first set of the three Tribes to travel , was the Group of Yehudah , which included the Tribes of Yehudah , Issachar and Zevulun . The East is the direction from which Spiritual Holy Light Comes to the World and so Yehudah and his group of Issachar the Torah Scholars and Zevulun who supports him , were put together . To the South was the group of Reuvein which included the Tribes of Reuvein , Simeon and Gad . From the South Comes Spiritual Blessings of Rain and Dew , representing Repentance and Mercy From HaShem and so Reuvein ( Yaakov's son ) who was a repentant man who acknowledged his mistake , was deserving to be in this direction . Holiness and Growing comes from seeing our mistakes and working ever so hard to correct them and becoming holier . With him was put the powerful Tribal men of Gad and with them was the Tribe of Simeon , where both Reuvein and Gad would keep him in check . To the West , is the place of HaShem's Shechinah and it is also the place where harsh elements of snow and hail come and so the set of three Tribes in this direction would have the Holiness to withstand it . In this group of Three Tribes under the banner of Ephraim , was the Tribe of Ephraim from which Yehoshuah Joshua came , the Tribe of Manasseh , both sons of Yosef and also the Tribe of Binyamin , in whose portion in Israel The Holy Temple Would Stand . To the North from which hidden and dark forces come , was the group of Dan in which the Tribe of Dan was , where later on in years from this Tribe , king Yeravam came , who set up an idol ) . The Tribe of Dan was strong , where Moshe had called this Tribe a Lion ( Kli Yakar ) so we would thus have a Lion's strength in our forefront with the Tribe of Yehudah and near our rear , with the Tribe of Dan , so was this group a strong protector from near the rear of the Camp and from where the dark forces come . Also with this group , was the Tribe of Asher who brought Holiness and Light in their Olive Oil that would Illuminate the Menorah , thus dispelling the darkness and also in this group was the Tribe of Naftali , known for its Torah Scholars . HaShem Instructs Moshe to then count the Levites separately , Aharon being the Leader of the Tribe of Levi . We note that when HaShem Talks of Aharon's children here , they are referred to as the children of Moshe and Aharon . This teaches that as Moshe taught Aharon's children Torah Straight From The Almighty , so did they become like his children too and so our Sages say that one is a parent to a child not only by conceiving them but also through teaching them Torah . Due to the sin of the Firstborn at the Chait Ha Eigel , The Levites replaced them and were counted instead for the work of the Avodah . The Levites were counted , but unlike the rest of the Tribes who were counted from the age of twenty , the Levites were counted from the age of one month of age and up , for their holiness and Avodah had to start at an earlier age to grow into holy men for the service they were to perform . The Firstborn were also counted and there was a difference in numbers between the Levites and Firstborn totals , for the Firstborn outnumbered the Levites by 273 . In adding up the number of Levites , the total actually came to 22 300 , so why does The Torah mention that the total was 22 000 Levites as apposed to the 22 273 firstborn that had to be redeemed with Levites ? The reason that The Torah does not mention the other 300 extra Levites , is because these 300 Levites were themselves firstborns , as our Rabbis have said in Talmud Gemorrah Tractate Bechoros 5a and Bamidbar Rabbah 3 : 14 , and so they as Levites had to redeem their own firstborn status . So the total Levites that were to redeem the firstborns of Israel , numbered 22 000 and thus was the number of firstborns in excess of Levites who were not firstborns themselves , 273 . HaShem Instructed That every Levite and Firstborn were to stand before Moshe , who said out loud that this Levite redeemed this firstborn . Another opinion is that a lot was cast . The 273 in excess of Firstborns , were redeemed with five shekels each , the amount in Torah to redeem a Firstborn . It is interesting that if we take the number 273 and put it to it's Gematrical letters in the Hebrew Alphabet , we get the word ' Gara ' ( with the Hebrew letters , Gimmel ( 3 ) , Reish ( 200 ) and Ayin ( 70 ) ) which means ' lack or deficit or less ' ( Silberman's Dictionary ) and this number of 273 was exactly the amount of Levites that were less than the Firstborn amount . The number of Levites in total was much less than the total of any other Tribe . The reason for this is that in Egypt , the Levites did not do slave labor , which the Egyptians had put on the other Tribes in order to try and decrease their numbers And So HaShem Blessed the other Tribes to Grow , to counteract the attempts of Egypt to try to diminish us , Chas Ve Shalom . The Tribe of Levi thus did not receive this Blessing there as the Egyptians had made no attempt to put them to work and so their numbers were not diminished by the evil attempts of Pharaoh to diminish them and so did they not need that same Blessing to counteract Egypt's attempt to diminish them . This alone proves HaShem's Miracle of increasing our numbers by vast amounts , for it would have been the norm that our numbers in the Tribes might have been around the amount of the Levite Total Had HaShem Not Done This Miracle for us and Increase our Tribes total , which Is Exactly What HaShem Did , for the Tribe totals were much larger , Proving That HaShem Counteracted Egypt's attempt to diminish us By Miraculously Increasing our Tribal numbers . The Torah then continues with the divisions of work given to the Levites , who were divided into the three sons of Levi , thus the three groups of Levites being Gershon , Kohath and Merari . The Kohathites were in the South and they were to carry The Ark and all Its Holy Vessels . The Gershonites were in the West and they were to carry the Tabernacle and the Tent and the Merarites were in the North and they were to carry the implements of holy things ( Ramban ) . In this Parsha , It starts telling us of the work of Kohath whose task it was , when we were to journey , to come and cover the Holy Vessels . The Ark of the Covenant , when covered by Aharon and his sons , was not to be looked at , out of respect for the Shechinah . When these vessels were carried , it would be the sons of Kohath who would carry them , as I mentioned . Aharon's son Elazar , was to carry the Oil of Illumination , the Incense Spices , the Meal - Offering and the Anointment Oil which he , with HaShem's Help , carried Miraculously all at once . He also had charge of the whole Tabernacle and all that was in it , the Sanctuary and its utensils . The Ark when carried , Carried Itself and those holding It , for It traveled in the Air , Above the ground . In fact the ones who held It's poles , had to face It all the time and not turn their back to It , thus the ones in the forward direction , actually walked forward , backwards facing a backwards direction . Even when the Ark came into Canaan , the Levites that carried It , were carried across in mid air , when those that carried It , had to go over the Jordan river , after it too had split for us , so our people could go over into Canaan . The Ark Carries Itself . It is not us who carry the Torah , but the Torah , through time , Carries us Jews . Moshe also appointed Levites as Ma'amados , to guard the Sanctuary Ark . He appointed 8 groups to keep changing . King David later on , in David's time , did this too , appointing 24 Ma'amados . The Sedra ends With HaShem Reminding that those assigned , when they approach The Holy of Holies , shall not come and look at the Holy , as it is inserted , lest they die . So ends the Parsha . The Parsha of " Bamidbar " - " Wilderness " as I mentioned , starts out the Book of Bamidbar , called Numbers , for countings and numbering , start out the Book and are a part of the first few Chapters of this Holy Fourth Book of The Holy Torah . Yet " Bamidbar " refers to and means " Wilderness , " the place we spent forty years traveling through , on our way to Canaan . The reference is made to the " Bamidbar Sinai " - " Wilderness of Sinai , " which shows a reference to Sinai , the humble Mountain On Which HaShem Gave us The Holy Torah And The Ten Commandments , At The Revelation Of HaShem on the date of Shavuos which comes tomorrow as this year Shabbos comes and then straight away we go into Shavuot , When HaShem Came Down To us On this very Mountain of Har Sinai , where we Jews received the Ten Commandments . The reason HaShem Chose this particular Mountain , was that it was the most humble of mountains for when the Spiritual essence of the other mountains heard That HaShem Was Going To Come Down On a Mountain , as the Psalm says , ' they skipped like lambs ' which means that they put themselves forward to be chosen as the place Of HaShem's Revelation , but Mount Sinai remained quiet and humble , feeling unworthy and totally undeserving to be the mountain On Which HaShem Would Come Down Upon . Another reason why this mountain was Chosen By HaShem was that on all the other Mountains , the other nations had performed Avodah Zorah Idol Worship on them , but Mount Sinai remained pure and on it , no acts of idol worship were ever performed on its peak . So HaShem Chose this Humble Mountain as the Place Of His Revelation . The same is with a " Bamidbar , " - " Wilderness " for it is an ownerless place that no other nation has claimed for itself and thus remains totally humble and ownerless clearly seen As HaShem's Possession , unclaimed by other humans , even though all Is Owned By HaShem . This is how we can gain in Torah Knowledge and Learning and Wisdom , by being humble and open to learning , with no preconceived ideas of and from strange ways , but being totally ' ownerless ' - totally ' humble ' - totally open to Torah Ways . It is in such a surroundings , where Torah can truly Speak to us , It's Everlasting Truth From HaShem . Dovid Ha Melech knew this , for at times in his life , he would go into the desert alone and spend days and nights alone with HaShem away from other people , humbling himself and opening himself up in total humility to HaShem And HaShem's Wisdom . Such is what is a " Bamidbar , " - " Wilderness . " In fact , within the word " Bamidbar , " are the words ' Ba Me Daber , ' - ' Come and I Will Speak ' to you . It is when we make ourselves totally humble , then can we open ourselves up totally to hearing HaShem Speaking to us . The very fact that Torah Was Given By HaShem In a Wilderness that is ownerless , shows that Torah is not just owned by a select few . Torah is open to all who want to come and learn , HaShem Awaits us all as His Creation , to come close to Him through Torah Humble Learning . It is then that we can truly , have our ' heads lifted and raised ' to Holiness and be ' counted , ' as HaShem's Special Ones . It is then , that we can be who HaShem Wants us to be , humble always , in the Legion of HaShem , Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , HaShem The Holy One Blessed Be He . As I mentioned , from Shabbos this year we then go into Shavuot on the Sixth of Sivan When HaShem , Who had waited since Creation , Came Down On Har Sinai And Gave us His Holy Torah . Every Jew then and before since Avraham and even those that are Jews today and those Jews still to come in the future , were all brought to Har Sinai , to accept HaShem's Holy Covenant Of Torah . HaShem Lifted Humble Har Sinai Above all our heads and showed us how His Torah , That HaShem Had Written 2000 years before Creation , Is our very life and our length of days . So many times in Torah Does HaShem Remind us of this fact . Even Righteous Gairim that were still to come , their souls were brought to this Holy Revelation . We all accepted upon ourselves forever , HaShem's Holy Covenant Of Torah , ( unlike the other nations who rejected It , wanting to know first what was in It ) but we Jews accepted It without first asking what is in It with the words , " Na'aseh Ve Nishmah , " - " We will do and we will listen and hear . " We were the only ones who never asked what is in It . We accepted it without question , every single Jew , past , present and future , you , me and every Jew then and now and still to come . It was on this Covenant That we Jews Would Be Given Eretz Yisroel , HaShem's Land . It was on this Covenant that we Jews agreed to and made with HaShem , That HaShem Would Watch Over us and our Holy Land , A Land that is to be kept Holy , Pure and Torah Following . Our Holy Torah Unites us and Keeps us Safe By HaShem , As long as we keep what we all agreed to keep . We may not remember our Covenant , but our acceptance is clearly written in our Holy Torah , That HaShem Gave to us Jews . We may not have been brought up knowing It , but HaShem , Who Still Watches Over us , Has Given us , every day , His Holy Torah To Learn . HaShem Gives us 24 hours in a day and we can so easily choose to take some of that time away from ourselves and return to HaShem and Study and Learn His Holy Torah and Follow HaShem Wholeheartedly . We are so special to HaShem , Let us Make HaShem Special to us too . Let us put more attention and caring into our children's education , of Torah . So many Parents will spend much on a secular Non-Jewish Education , but will not see how important it is that we continue to shine through the generations , as Holy Torah Observant Jews , Special to HaShem . Let our Jewish children never forget who they are . With every Torah Law that our children are not taught to keep and follow , they get further and further away from being Jewish Chas Ve Shalom and this is how we lose our people . It is so important for Jewish parents to ensure that each and every generation of our Jewish people , remain Holy Jews to HaShem , never ever losing a single Jew . Our enemies know who we are , so let us never forget it and let us fight them with the only sure way That HaShem Tells us that we can overcome them and that is by following and keeping HaShem's Holy Torah , the very Torah that our enemies have tried to stop us learning and burn through the centuries . Deep down they know spiritually , if not physically , that us all being Torah Observant Jews , would be our enemy's final end . It was on Shavuot that Dovid Ha Melech passed away , so we read the Book of Ruth . It was also at this time that the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov passed away . In King David's time , King David kept Torah strictly and made Israel , HaShem's Torah keeping Land And HaShem Blessed David . Israel at that time was a strength to be reckoned with and was Holy and Great . We certainly need HaShem's Help right now with what is going on . May HaShem Keep our Land of Israel Safe and our people there safe and the soldiers and all those that are now putting their lives on the line to protect our homeland of Israel . May HaShem Bless them and every Jew With Protection and Safety . We certainly need to return to the Israel of King David , With HaShem So Close To us . We certainly need to make every effort , each one of us , to return to HaShem and His Holy Torah , Keep His Holy Shabbos and all that HaShem Commands , for It Is our very Life and Length of our Days . So on this Holy Shabbos and Holy Shavuot , From this Shavuot onwards , let us all , as Jews , renew our Covenant with HaShem , and keep our word to HaShem , and let us from now on return to being the Holy people Of HaShem that we once were . Let us on this Holy Shabbos and Holy Shavuot and from this day forward , return to Har Sinai and stand again before HaShem in Obedience and Love , and call out as we did , " Na'aseh Ve Nishma , " - " We will Do and we will Hear and Listen . May we all renew our closeness in love with HaShem Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , HaShem The Holy One Blessed Be He . I wish HaShem With all my Deepest Love , a Very Special And Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh And Chag Shavuot Sameach With Deepest And Forever Eternal Love and to all my fellow Jews a Very Special and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chag Shavuot Sameach with love . Blessed Shabbos Kodesh to all of HaShem's Creation with love .