1. A bachur who was waiting a long time for his shidduch commented to his rebbe, "I think the Eibershte forgot about me." The rebbe replied, "Chas v'shalom. One mustn’t say that. Hashem didn’t forget you." The rebbe then took the bachur outside, and as they strolled, the rebbe encouraged him to strengthen his emunah and bitachon, and to trust that Hashem has the perfect shidduch waiting for him.
As they walked, they reached an old-age home, and the rebbe turned to go inside. The bachur asked, "Why are we going to an old-age home?" The rebbe replied, "It is a good idea to come here. Perhaps we will find an elderly person who met with the Baal Shem Tov zt'l or the Chasam Sofer, and we can hear a firsthand report from them. It will be amazing. We will hear what he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears."
The bachur stared in amazement and said, "But rebbe, they lived two or three hundred years ago. There is no one alive who could have seen them..."
"Why are you so certain?" the rebbe asked. "I thought that perhaps Heaven forgot about some of the old people here, in the old-age home, and forgot to take them to Olam HaBa, and they are living for a very long time!"
Then, the rebbe explained, "Just as you are certain that Hashem doesn’t forget to take anyone to the next world, you can also be certain that Hashem didn't forget about you, either. Hashem thinks about you all the time, and He has a shidduch prepared for you."
When Hashem revealed Himself to Moshe in the thornbush, Hashem told him (Shemos 3:7) מ ַכְאֹבָיו אֶת יָדַעְתִּי כִּי, "I know their pain." The Ahavas Shalom explains: "דעת means connection (see Bereishis 4:25 אדם וידע). The pasuk is saying that Hakadosh Baruch Hu connects with us and feels the tzaros we go through. This, in itself, is our salvation, because even when a fellow man feels your pain, that, in itself, is comforting. Certainly, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu joins in our tzaros, this will result in a great salvation."
2. Then the Torah writes (4:26) וְעָב ָדוּ לָהֶם יֵעָשֶׂה ֶׁראֲש כָּל וְאֵת. The Divrei Shmuel of Koidenov zy'a explains thatֵתוְא לָהֶם יֵעָשֶׂה ֶׁראֲש כָּל means that whatever happens to them, the good times and chalilah the hard times, וְעָב ָדוּ, they should serve Hashem. Their avodas Hashem is their emunah that even the difficult times and challenges are all for the good.
Torah Wellsprings - Naso
Hashem didn't Banish or Forget You
It states in this week's parashah (Bamidbar 4:22) א ֲבֹתָם לְב ֵית הֵם גַּם גֵרְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי רֹאשׁ אֶת נָשֹׂא, "Take a census of the sons of Gershon, of them too, following their fathers' houses..." We can explain that גֵרְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי refers to those who feel banished from Hashem. The Torah tells us גֵרְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי רֹאשׁ אֶת נָשֹׂא, we should raise their heads and give them encouragement, א ֲבֹתָם לְב ֵית הֵם גַּם because they, too, are children of Hashem.
As it states (Devarim 14:1) אלקיכם 'לה אתם בנים, "You are children of Hashem, your G-d". They feel banished, unwanted, but they are Hashem's children, and Hashem will never abandon them.
Similarly, it states (Bamidbar 4:24) ע ֲבֹדַת זֹאת וּלְמַשָּׂא לַע ֲבֹד ׁ ֻנִּיה ַגֵּרְש מִשְׁפ ְּחֹת, "This is the service of the family of Gershon, to serve and to carry." The Divrei Shalom of Koidenov zt'l explains ֻׁנִּיה ַגֵּרְש מִשְׁפ ְּחֹת refers to the people who feel that they were banished away from Hashem, chas v'shalom. They think so, because they suffer yesurim and tzaros. מִשְׁפ ְּחֹת ע ֲבֹדַת זֹאת ֻׁנִּיה ַגֵּרְש, this is their avodah, that they must do: לְמַשָּׂא, they must carry and accept the yesurim, with emunah that it is for their best interests. They should not feel that they are ֻׁנִּיה ַגֵּרְש, banished from Hashem.
Sefer Bamidbar begins with (1:2) אֶת שׂ ְ אוּ רֹאשׁ, and Onkelos translates it to mean, קַבִּילוּ
3. The Minchas Yitzchak zt'l (Gaavad of the Eidah HaChareidis, Yerushalayim) recounts that during the Holocaust, in 5704, after much toil and effort, his brother's son managed to obtain for him a ticket on a boat departing from the Port of Constanta, Romania, bound for Eretz Yisrael. At the time, the Minchas Yitzchak lived in Arad, Romania, and to travel from Arad to Constanta wasn't a simple matter. Nazi soldiers were everywhere, and everything had to be done secretively. The Minchas Yitzchak, together with other Yidden of Arad who had tickets on the ship, managed to rent a truck to drive them to the port. They all hoped that their efforts would save their lives from the Nazis.
But the truck broke down midway. They had to get out of the truck and wait an entire day on the side of the road, in full sight of the passing police and soldiers. It was a great miracle that they didn't harm them. לשונו כלב יחרץ לא. When they finally reached the port, they learnt that the ship hadn’t waited for them. It was already in the middle of the sea!
There are no words that can describe their disappointment. All their hopes for freedom were shattered... all because of a broken vehicle.
However, they found out that the truck's mechanical failure actually saved their lives. The name of the ship was Mefküre. The ship was attacked at sea, and it sank. Only five crew members survived, and hundreds of Yidden drowned r”l. When they heard this, they praised Hashem for saving their lives. When their truck broke down, they thought it was a great tzarah, but that is what saved them.
Let us learn a lesson from this story. Whenever there is a tzarah, know that it is for your good. They missed the ship, which they thought was a ship to freedom. They stood an entire day in a dangerous spot, in front of soldiers who miraculously and mysteriously didn't kill them. They went through a lot of distress and disappointment, but it was for their good. This is how it is with all challenging situations; they are always for our benefit.
חֻשְׁבַּן יָת. The intention is that Hashem told Moshe to count Bnei Yisrael. But we can also translate יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי עֲדַת כָּל רֹאשׁ אֶת שׂ ְ אוּ, to mean that the Jewish nation should go up a level. רֹאשׁ אֶת שׂ ְ אוּ, their heads should be elevated, they should reach a level higher than before. They accomplish this when they believe that everything that happens to them is bashert, and for their benefit. This is what Onkelos implies when he writes חֻשְׁבַּן יָת קַבִּילוּ. Let them קַבִּילוּ accept and believe חֻשְׁבַּן יָת, that everything that happens to them is שמים חשבון, Hashem's plan. When they accept the fact that Hashem is leading them in the best way, it will be שׂ ְ אוּ רֹאשׁ אֶת, which means that they will rise up to a higher level.
With this belief, you won't be jealous of others, thinking, "Why does that person have more money than me?" ... "Why does my neighbor have more nachas than me?" All these questions fall away when one believes that Hashem is leading him in the very best way, in a path tailored just for him.
This brings us back to the discussion we mentioned last week regarding the flags, as discussed in Parashas Bamidbar. Every three shevatim had their own flag, which implies that each group of Yidden has their unique approach to avodas Hashem. This is also true about an individual. Each person's approach is different than his fellow Yid. Every member of klal Yisroel has his shlichus, mission in the world to achieve. Hakadosh Baruch Hu, in His wisdom, prepares the means one needs to succeed in his mission. For example, "Reuven's" purpose in life is to give tzedakah and to do chesed. Therefore, Hashem gave him a lot of money. A person shouldn't be upset with his life situation because it is exactly what he needs to reach his perfection and purpose in life. Only Hashem knows precisely what each person needs. Therefore, לָהֶם יֵעָשֶׂה ֶׁראֲש כָּל ְאֵת, with every situation that Hashem prepares for you, וְעָב ָדוּ serve Hashem. The situation you are in is exactly the one you need to do your personal avodas Hashem, which is solely yours.
If you ever wait at a bus stop, you will notice buses that drive by without stopping to pick up passengers. Look closely at the words written on top of the bus, and you will see the words "Not in Service." When a person experiences many stops, interruptions, and disturbances in his life, it is because he is "In Service." He has a mission to accomplish, he is here for a purpose, and the purpose comes along with challenges, stops, and interferences. Whereas, when a person sails through life, he is likely not accomplishing his mission. He is "Not in Service".
