You Are Never Stuck - Likkutei Sichos Matos

We're going to be learning this evening a sicha, a talk, an address that was presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Mattos-Masei, Taf Shin Lamed Beis. That's the summer of 1972. Part of it was published in Likutei Sichos, volume 13, Parshas Mattos, the second sicha published over there Parshas Mattos. And again, I express my gratitude to my dear beloved friend Shloimy and Mirel Greenwald for making all of this happen, and the project Likutei Sichos for their beautiful work for Hafatzas HaTorah, spreading Torah all [snorts] over the world. The Lubavitcher Rebbe addresses here a story, well-known story in Parshas Mattos, to which the Torah dedicates, interestingly, a lot of space. And he addresses some basic fundamental questions, and then presents a unique approach with a very powerful lesson [snorts] in life. In order to appreciate the discussion, the conversation, the shiur, let's study a little section of Parshas Mattos inside, and I'm going to ask you to please be attentive. Listen to the structure of the psukim, listen to the words of the psukim, listen to what these psukim are telling us. So, open your source sheets. The first source you see, Parshas Mattos perek lamed aleph, psukim chof vav mem zayin. It's the Book of Numbers chapter 31 verses 26 through 47. Let's remember the context. Context is always critical. The nation of Midian strategized a plan in order to execute genocide against the Jewish people, nothing less. Midian came up with a brilliant and malicious scheme in order to lure the women and the men into promiscuity, adultery, and idolatry. This was the advice of Bil'am, and they succeeded, not completely, we're here today, but to a significant degree, to the point that there was a plague, a pandemic, which claimed the lives of 24,000 people, plus many more lives, at least according to Rashi, as the story is discussed at the end of Balak and the beginning of Pinchas. The Jews understood, as God told them, for them and Midian to coexist in this world will not turn out well, because Midian really wanted every single Jew dead, men, women, and children. When the Jewish people came to attack Midian, nonetheless, they, as the Rambam brings in the laws of kings, Chazal learn out, that they surrounded Midian only from three sides. In other words, they allowed them to flee. They allowed Midian to run and to escape if they wished. Some left, perhaps, but those who remained, they, their wives, their children, had one intention. The intention was to make sure that they could try to kill as many Jews as possible. The Jews declared war, and they emerged triumphant. 12,000 Jews went to war. 12,000 Jews, 1,000 from each tribe, went to war, and they defeated the Midianites. They also managed to collect a huge amount of booty and spoil from Midian. As we will see exactly what they met what they managed to obtain from Midian. Let's see. Vayomer Adonai el Moshe leimor, Hashem says to Moshe, I want you to count the booty, the spoil, both of humans and of animals that was claimed, that was taken from Midian. I want you to split in half all the booty, all the spoil, between the troops, those Jews who went to battle, and the rest of the Jewish people, 50-50, 50% 50%. I want you to lift up, segregate, a special tax for Hashem from the part of the booty that is going to the troops who went to war. One of 500 of the humans, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flock. Whatever the amount of the booty, remember, it's being split in half between the people going to war and the rest of the Jewish people. 12,000 troops who went to war got half, and the other Jews would get half. The part that was given to the people who went to war, Hashem tells Moshe, one of 500 of the humans, the captives, prisoners of war, the donkeys, the cattle, and the flock should be segregated as a tax. From their half, the half that went to the troops, you should take and give it as a separation, as a tax, as a charity, a donation to God, to the high priest Elazar HaKohen, who succeeded his father Aaron as the high priest. Then he continues, "Of all those who From the half of the booty and the spoil that went to the rest of the Jewish people, I want you to take one of 50. 50, whether of humans, of cattle, of donkeys, and of flock, of all the animals, take one of 50 and give it as a contribution to the Leviim, those who guard the sanctuary of Hashem." Moshe and Elazar the high priest followed through as God commanded Moshe. This is the story. It seems like the story is very clear. There's a lot of booty. They took people, they took donkeys, they took cattle, bulls, oxen, they took flock, they took sheep. Hashem says, "Divide it between the troops, the rest of the Jews, 50-50. Those from the the 50% that goes to the troops, I want you to take one of 500 of all the booty that they collected and give it to Elazar the high priest, and from the other half, you take one of 50 and you give it to the Leviim." Very clear story. The Torah now is continuing the narrative. The booty, in addition to the looting that the troops did when they went to war, they took whatever they wanted from the mobile metaltelin, from the mobile items that they took, whatever they took, diamonds, jewelry, money, in addition to that, the booty, the living booty, here is the deal, here is the number. You know how many sheep there were, you know how many flock there were? 600 and 70 600,000 plus 75,000, 675,000. 675,000 flock. Next, uvakar, you know how many cattle? Of bulls, oxen, 72,000. Chamorim, donkeys, 61,000. This is the spoil they retrieved from Midian. There was also the souls, women, women who were who did not have relations. They took 32,000. 32,000. Women women of Midian were the ones who executed, were trying to implement a genocidal plan by engaging all the Jewish men and compelling them both towards adultery and idolatry. But these were the women who were not involved in that. He says you took they took 32,000. Okay. Wow, big numbers. Next, the story is not over. The half that went to the Jews who went to war, here we go. Mispar hatzon, how much flock? 300,000 plus 30,000 plus 7,500. That's 337,500. That is half of the number of flock, which was 600 and 75,000. So, half of that is 337,500. That's the flock they got the the sheep they got. Next, the taxes that they gave to God from the flock was therefore one of 500. So, how much does Hashem get? 675. One of 500, and you have 337,500 flock. So, one of 500, the Lord God gets 675. Habakar, how many cattle did they get? They got 36,000. Cuz how many how much cattle was there? 72,000. You split it in half, so it's 36 and 36. So, the the troops got 36,000. The taxes that went to God is 72. One of 500 from 36,000, 72. Chamorim, 30,500. 30,500 donkeys. Cuz how many donkeys did they get? 61,000. You split it in two, each side. So, the the the troops got 30,500. One of 500, the tax that went to Hashem was 61. 61 donkeys. Next, nefesh adam shisha ser alef. From people, from the prisoners of war, they got 16,000 cuz there were 32,000, so they got 16. Umiksam Hashem shnayim ushloshim nefesh. The tax that went to Hashem, to Elazar, was 32 souls. Because one of 500 of 16,000 is 32. Moshe took these taxes, the separation that's supposed to go to God, up the contribution, he gives it to Elazar the priest like Hashem commanded Moshe. The story is not over. And what about the half of the Jewish people which Moshe split? He took half from the troops who went to war, he took half of the booty, and he gave it to the Jewish people. Vatehi mechtzas adam min hatzon shlosh me'os elef ushloshim elef shiv'as alafim vachamesh me'os. How much did the rest of the Jewish people get from the flock? They got half of it. So, they got 300,000 plus 30,000 plus 7,000 and 500. 337,500. NEXT, UBAKAR. HOW MUCH CATTLE DID THEY GET? Shisha ushloshim elef. 36,000. Half of 72,000. Vachamorim, HOW MANY DONKEYS? SHLOSHIM ELEF VACHAMESH ME'OS. 30,000 plus 500 because there were 61,000 donkeys. Venefesh adam shisha ser alef. And of the humans, the prisoners of war, they got 16,000. Moshe took from the half of the Jewish people, here he took one of 50 from the humans and from all the animals, and he gave it to the Levites, the Levi'im, who guard the sanctuary of Hashem exactly as Hashem commanded Moshe. That's the story, chapter 31 of the book of Bamidbar, Parshas Mattos. What do you say about this story? Let's see. Here, the Lubavitcher Rebbe begins his sicha. I'm going to ask you to scroll down to the source sheet until you come to see page 110. It says on top of Likutei Sichos Mattos Beis. The first two paragraphs should now be very clear to you, and therefore I'm going to read it swiftly because he's basically making a summation of what we all just read inside. He enumerates the first section where Hashem gives the commandment to Moshe Rabbeinu to split the booty between the two grand camps, the the troops and the rest of the Jewish people, and from the troops you take one of 500 and you give it to Elazar, and from the Jews, from the rest of the Jews you take one of 50 and you give it to the Levi. That was the first section. After the beginning of the story, the Torah goes on now to enumerate the next the next part of the narrative, and that is he gives the exact number of the booty of every single category, whether it's humans, whether it's cattle, whether it's donkeys, whether it's sheep. Then he gives us the number of the half that was split in half, the half of each one of these four categories that went to the people who fought the war. Then he gives the exact calculation of how much the taxes, one of 500, that went to Hashem, and he does it in each one of the four categories. Then he tells us the number of the second half that went to the Jewish people in all of the four categories, and then he concludes that from the second half, Moshe gave one of 50 to the Levi'im, but here he doesn't say how much one of 50 was. One of 500, he gave the exact number. He doesn't say how much one of 50 is. When you read this story it seems very enigmatic and perplexing. FIRST OF ALL FIRST OF ALL, THE ENTIRE ALL THE details of the numbers seem completely unnecessary and superfluous. Why the need to enumerate and specify all these detailed numbers? Why couldn't the possuk just say, Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu, take the booty, split it up, let everybody give the taxes, and Moshe and Elazar DID EXACTLY WHAT HASHEM SAID. WHY IS IT RELEVANT TO KNOW the exact amount of booty that they managed to get in Midian? And not just general numbers but also exactly how many donkeys, how many sheep, how many [laughter] cattle, how many people? There are other wars in Chumash. We never see such There's no precedent for this. He says IN FOOTNOTE FOUR [laughter] WE LEARNED EARLIER, PARSHAS CHUKAS, A GREAT war that the Jewish people had with the two empires of Sichon and Og. There was a lot of booty there. There must have been a lot of spoil there. This was a a real serious bloody war. No numbers, no details. [clears throat and snorts] Now you might say, as he says, well over there there was no divine commandment about what to do with the booty. The troops took the booty, they took the spoil. Here there's a commandment. He says that's true. But to understand the mitzvah, you don't have to know at all the number of donkeys, the number of cattle, the number The mitzvah is they should split it in half and give a certain amount for charity to Hashem, to Elazar, to the Levites. [snorts] Even if for whatever reason the Torah feels compelled that it's important for the Jewish people for eternity to know the exact amount of living organisms that the Jews abducted in Midian after the war. It's important to know. He wants us to know exactly what they got. FINE, SO TELL ME. Tell me the number either of all of them together, or tell me each category. Tell me how many donkeys, how many cattle, how many sheep, how many people. And then you told me split it in half, so I could make the calculation. Take the numbers, split them in half. Half goes here, half goes there. I can also make the calculation how much is one of 500 and figure out how much Moshe Rabbeinu gave to Elazar. Why does the Torah feel compelled, even if you want to give me the overall number not to rely on us to do any work, no mathematical work? We can't figure out how to divide these numbers into two. We can't figure out how to divide uh 600 and 675,000 into two. We can't figure out how to divide 72,000 into two. That's not so complicated. 61,000 into two, 32,000 into two. That's not so complicated. You could just say give me the number and THEN YOU'LL FIGURE OUT THEY divided it, so it's 50/50, and then they took one of 500 here and one of 50 here. Conversely if the Torah for whatever reason does not want to give me any mathematical work, he wants to make the calculations absolutely easy, I should be able to skim through and see everything exactly. The bottom line, the last scene he doesn't give me. Tell me how much is one of 50. The second half that went to the Jewish people, you tell me exactly how much they got. Why don't you tell me how much they gave to the Levi'im just like you did one of 500, tell me one of 50. That suddenly the Torah stops short. There I'm not telling you the details. And another important question. These questions arise when any serious students reads this possuk. These are questions you should be asking when you read a possuk Chumash. And if you're not asking it, it's because you're not taking the text seriously, which is which is an error, which is a mistake. And we see this because many of the commentators ask the questions. In the footnotes he addresses some of these questions. Rashi doesn't say a word about this. Now, one of the principles that the Rebbe would always explain about the methodology of Rashi is, Rashi has a tradition. Rashi is loyal to a methodology, and that is anything that is problematic when you're reading the Torah according to the literal interpretation, Rashi feels compelled to address. These questions are obvious questions. If Rashi does not feel compelled to address them, This means that Rashi felt that when you're reading these stories according to the literal interpretation of Kumash, there are not problems. You will figure it out. Ramban methodics, the Ramban the great Spanish biblical commentator, physician, Jewish leader, poet, and one of the greatest authorities in Jewish history, Nachmanides, who passed away in 1270. He was born and he grew up and he lived in Spain and then he ultimately went there to surely passed away around 1270. The Ramban in his classic commentary on Kumash says something very significant. A fascinating answer the Ramban gives. The Torah has to specify how much was the half that they gave to each side. How much was the taxes that they gave from the troops to Elazar to teach me something very significant. From the day that they took all of this booty till the time that they counted all of it and then they split it and then they separated the taxes from it and then they gave it to Elazar Hakoyen. From all of the enormous amount of cattle not one died. Every one of them remained alive. The Ramban says this is supernatural and that's why he also specifies the other half. The other half, the numbers, exact numbers, and the one of 50 that ultimately they had to give to the Leviim. The Ramban says all these numbers are specified to accentuate and emphatically point out something unique happened here. The numbers remained consistent and intact even though a LOT OF TIME PASSED. HE says in Akeidat Malbim al haPosuk, the Malbim was one of the greatest great biblical commentators many generations later. The Malbim lived in the 19th century. His name was Rabbi Meir Leibush Malbim. His name was ben Yechiel Michel. His last name was Weiser. And he was one of the great He was born in in the Ukraine. He was one of the great leaders and scholars of Russian Jewry. He passed away in the year 5640. That would be What would that be? 1879. He was one of the great luminaries of the 19th century. The Malbim has a stupendous commentary on Kumash. So, the Malbim explains the Ramban. He says this is a lot of time. First of all, they had to schlep all the booty from Midian to the Arvot Moav, to the plains of Moav where the Jews are. Then they had to wait outside of the camp for 7 days as discussed earlier in Parshat Matot. Then there's the whole counting process as discussed here. It's a long time. The Ramban says nobody died. Very interesting answer. Av ol First of all there is a problem here. There is a flaw here. One detail the Torah stops short of, the last detail, the tax that went to the Leviim. Everything up to there is discussed, but that LAST NUMBER, THE THE FINAL AMOUNT OF CHARITY, WHICH WAS SIGNIFICANT, one of 50, not one of 500, one of 50. That's much more significant. One of 500 is a tenth of one of 50. That the Torah ignores. Torah ignores. Harei, there's a more basic question. Famous expression of the Ran, Rabbeinu Nissim in his sefer Drashot haRan, Drush Ches, he has an expression, Hashem does not do miracles in vain. Famous Gemara in Maseches Shabbos daf nun gimmel about somebody who needed milk to be able to nurse his children and he had a miracle in his opinion over there that it's not such a good thing that God had to change the laws of nature for this person. Shabbos daf nun gimmel a few footnote time. I understand there's the miracle of the Exodus of Egypt. I understand the miracle of mana coming down from heaven. What's this new miracle here that suddenly emerges that not one animal should die? For for what purpose? You might say even bishvil shel Yisrael. Maybe God wanted the wanted Jews should have a loss. This is money. This is finances. We never seen the whole Torah in all time, not even with their plenty of miracles. It's a miracle that no animal should die so that the Jew who has this animal or the Jewish people who have this booty should not be able to lose shouldn't lose any money. [laughter] God had plenty ways in order to make sure that Jews have enough money. What would be the purpose of this grand miracle that throughout this whole time none of these animals or humans passed away, died. Beis Sabir Beiza The explanation in this is as follows. Im haya kasuv baTorah [clears throat] If the story would have been written the way logically if we think it should [laughter] have been written. Hashem told Moshe, split the two split the booty in half. Let the troops give one of 500. Let the Jews give one of 50 and Moshe did that. That would be the logical way of writing the story. Says the Lubavitcher Rebbe, this should arouse a grand question and a very question a literal question, not the midrashic mystical deep question, a simple question. According to the normal normal natural circumstances it is highly highly uncommon that the numbers of every species independently should be so meticulous and super so precise that 50% of each part of the booty should be subjected to be divisible in numbers of 50 and in numbers of 500 without anything extra. It's highly highly uncommon. If God commanded the Jewish people that in this case they have to take taxes, one of 50 of the part of the Jews and one of 500 of the booty that went to the troops, Hashem had to add one detail. What do we do with the extra? BECAUSE IT'S HIGHLY UNCOMMON THAT EVERY ONE OF THE species and 50% of it should be able to be split up, should be divisible by the number 50 and by the number 500. What if there's extra? What happens if there are 90 donkeys? Let's give a simple number, right? There's 90 donkeys. What do I do with the extra 40? What if there's 99 donkeys? What do I do with the extra 49? If there's 50 donkeys, 100 donkeys, great. If there's a thousand donkeys, beautiful. You get 500, you get 500, you split it up, it's equal, beautiful. You would give one of 50, you give one of 500. What happens if you have an extra 40? An extra 45, an extra 49, an extra 30, an extra 20, an extra 10, extra five. What do you do? There's no one of 50. With 500 it's even more. What if you have 600? What if you have 700? What if you have 800? What if you have 900? What if you have 950? What if you have 999? What do you do with this extra 400, 300, 200, 100? You have to give one of 500. Hashem had to add to Moshe Rabbeinu a new mitzvah. Give one of 500 and one of 50. What about all the extras? E efshar letzamtzem in the expression of Chazal. If you look in Chulin 28b Chulin chof ches beis, that's where the you have an expression e efshar letzamtzem talking about a man who has an earthenware oven and he breaks it in two even pieces. This is his way of purifying it from impurity because earthenware, if you break it, it becomes impure. So, he breaks it evenly. He says e efshar letzamtzem. There's no way you're making two parts of an oven exactly even. THAT'S JUST TWO PARTS. AND here you have hundreds of thousands of animals and yet the numbers are not just even. Even maila. It's even so you split it up to 50/50. But now each of the halves can take every species and they each of them IS DIVISIBLE BY 50S and by 500s AND THERE'S NOTHING EXTRA. WOW. THIS IS UNCOMMON. OOH. SO, the Torah can't just say Moshe and Elazar did what Hashem commanded. I have a problem here. What happened with all the extra? So, the Torah has to now give the exact number. Give me all the numbers. I want to know exactly how many donkeys, how many flock, how many CATTLE, HOW MANY PEOPLE. AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, that I can I'm a 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, 32,000 human beings, 675,000 flock. YOU SPLIT IT IN HALF. EACH HALF IN EACH CATEGORY IS DIVISIBLE BY WHAT? EITHER BY 50S or by 500s. There's nothing extra. There's absolutely nothing extra. The Torah has TO TELL ME THAT IT WORKED out to the T. It worked out accurately. EVERY ONE OF THE four species had an exact number that they can actually take one of 500, one of 50, and there was no extra in the way they didn't need another mitzvah. We can't call this a miracle. It's not like cast into a fiery furnace in and emerging unscathed. Nature does not necessitate that the numbers can't be so exact. IT CAN HAPPEN. It can happen that that you have if we talk about the halves, that you have 36,000 cattle exactly, and you have 30,500 donkeys, and you have 16,000 people, and you have and you have 337,500 flock. It can happen. It's not a miracle. It's just highly, highly uncommon. What do you say? WHAT CLOUD CLOUD? IN 15, HE says nicely, in the other. It's like the coincidence that God makes it happen. It's according to nature. It's not a miracle. But it's highly uncommon. wanted this to happen. 14. Footnote 14, take a look. Beautiful idea. Because if you look at the period number 11 in the source sheet, the first source, you take a look. tells me he says, "I want you to take from the troops a number from this." One from the 500. And two verses later, FROM THE JEWS TAKE ONE FROM THE 50. ONE FROM 500, one from 50. What's the 500, the 50? Through this, he's indicating to him when he commanded it to him that there is the 500 and the 50. There's nothing else. Because the numbers are so meticulous and precise, so they all the flock and all the oxen and all the donkeys and all the people will allow themselves to be divisible by the 500s and by the 50. Page 112, next page. We'll have a moving safe safe OF A THE CLOUD CLOUD IN THE TOP. OKAY, IT'S NOT A MIRACLE. But this is something that is so improbable, IT'S SO UNLIKELY. IT'S NOT LIKE IT HAPPENS once in a while. IT COULD AGAIN, it could happen. Why not? Nature doesn't dictate that the numbers should not fall out this way. But come on. We [snorts] all know, you know, how much would you bet that the numbers are going to come out this way? And even if you get lucky, even if you get lucky with the donkeys, you're going to get as lucky with the cattle. And even if you get lucky with the cattle, you're going to get as lucky with the sheep. And even IF YOU GET LUCKY WITH THE CATTLE AND THE DONKEY, you're going to get as lucky with the people, with the human beings. So, this is a coincidence, but it's something very, very unique. Why did it happen this way? The Torah wants me to know that it happened this way. Why was this necessary? And the answer is simple and beautiful and fascinating. [panting] And so authentically reflective of uh the Rebbe's way of learning. The explanation of this you're going to see in one word. One nuanced word which is superfluous. The other [clears throat] Go back to your source sheets number one, and I want you to notice the problem in one of the word, the same apparent problem in one of the words. tells me count all of the booty. Split them up between the two groups of Jews, the troops and the rest of the Jews. From those who went to war, take a tax one of 500, RIGHT? NEXT ME FROM THEIR HALF, TAKE AND GIVE IT TO ALL OF THEM. THAT'S completely unnecessary. I know it's from their half. YOU SAID SPLIT IT IN HALF. GIVE the troops the half, and take from it the taxes one of 500 to HE REPEATS AGAIN WORDS THAT ARE VERY CLEAR. FROM THEIR HALF. OH, YOU MEAN I SHOULDN'T TAKE IT FROM THE HALF of the Jewish people? I'm not talking about the half of THE JEWISH PEOPLE. WHAT'S THE SOMETHING COOL? WITH THIS, THE Torah is making the whole point. There was a mitzvah here. The [snorts] mitzvah that gave was that from THE ENTIRE HALF OF the booty that was given to the Jews who went to war, wanted that from the ENTIRE HALF ME FROM THE WHOLE THIS. THERE SHOULD BE A PART THAT GOES TO HIM. That was the mitzvah. That was the blueprint. That was the marching orders of the mitzvah. If that was the mitzvah, the circumstances facilitated the implementation of the mitzvah. If the numbers wouldn't be able to be divisible by 500, so then what would happen? There would be part of the booty from which you would not be able to take THIS FROM BUT SOMETHING SAYS, "I WANT THAT FROM THE HALF, THE ENTIRE HALF that the people who went to war are getting from this booty, I want from this you should give a tax to the give a tax to him." How could this happen? Only if the numbers match up in such an identical and meticulous fashion that they're divisible by 500. So, from the entire half that was given But let's say from the donkeys, there was an extra 400 or 450. What happens? From that part of the booty, it's part of the but from that part of the booty, you can't give So, FOR THE MITZVAH TO HAPPEN, FOR THE MITZVAH TO BE IMPLEMENTED, THESE NUMBERS were important. That's why the did it. [snorts] Now we understand beautifully why the Torah has to tell me the number of the booty in each species. So, I should be able to have to understand I This eliminates the question what they did with the extra. Because these numbers are divisible by 500s and by 50s. The Torah then tells me that they actually split it in half and gives me the number of the half. So, I realize that the overall number now is being divided into 50% and 50%. And then the Torah adds, "And one of 500 now was given as a dedication to And it gives me the exact number." So, it shows me the evolution of the events here. Because their overall number was so and so, so therefore the half was so and so, so therefore the taxation could be so and so, one of 500. And every single donkey [laughter] and every single cattle and every single sheep and every single human being from the half that was given to the Jews who went to war could be given to him as a tax. Somebody asked, "Just say their overall number, and we'll figure out the half and and and the one of 500." No, then you'll miss the point. You'll think God is just telling you numbers. HE'S TELLING YOU NUMBERS YOU HAVE TO KNOW. NO, I'M NOT JUST TELLING you numbers. I'm explaining to you why I'm telling you these numbers. These numbers were exact so that they should be able to be split in half, and that the half should be able to be further split into groups of 500, so that from every one of them you can give a donation to That's why I'm giving you the overall numbers. In order to be able to implement and execute the mitzvah. This is how they executed the mitzvah. That was the purpose why it tells me the overall numbers, so that they should be able to split it into two halves, and each half should be able then to be divisible. doubt What? 16, you might ask. God gives a mitzvah that from the whole half you have to give a donation. Why? Now you can ask me why. What And if there's extra 400? That's not a question that Rashi is bothered by. Just like ask a better question. Why 1 of 50? Why 1 of 500? It's interesting. The Malbim in his commentary gives a very interesting hashkafa why 1 of 50, why 1 of 500. It's beyond the realm of this cuz I have an interesting Malbim. He goes through these numbers. But Hashem, this is the mitzvah. And if this is the mitzvah, the reality became a facilitator of the mitzvah. If the numbers wouldn't have been this way, even though they're very unlikely, God wanted the numbers to be this way so that the Jews should be able to do the mitzvah. We're not done yet. doubt Lachain I'll explain in a moment. Lachain There's still a big problem here. You explained to me beautifully. We explained beautifully why we need the numbers. I got it. You explained to me also that he says that they split it into two and you gave me the number of the first half and you gave me the number of the first tax as 1 of 500. So everything becomes very clear why Hashem made these numbers work out this way so that the mitzvah can be done. 1 of 500 from the part that went to the troops was implemented. Granted, beautiful. I'm a chaya. 1 sec. Hashem wants this booty to be split into two. That means they have to be mamash even. 50 50. V'chatzi'sa means half and half. Not almost half. It's half and half. Now, we are dealing with a huge amount of booty. You don't count all this booty in a couple of seconds or a couple of minutes or a couple of hours. How long How much are you dealing with? Remember the numbers? How many are we dealing with? We're dealing with 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, 32,000 human beings. You ever tried counting so many so many living organisms? How long does it take to count? Doesn't take to count 5 minutes, 10 minutes. And now, YOU HAVE TO COUNT THEM BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO SPLIT them into two. It takes a long time from the beginning of the count till the end of the count. Now you counted everything, BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. You counted everything so you know the number. Now you have to actually split them into two. So afterwards, as the Torah says clearly, they split it into two. One was given to the troops. Afterwards, they took the taxes from 1 of 500. So you have the 500, you take 1 of 500, it goes to a loss. Now I ask you a question. You're dealing [snorts] with 840,000. If you make the calculation, it's 840,000 living organisms. I ask you a question. In all this time, not one died? 840,000. Again, it's not 5 minutes. It's a very long time. Not one died? And remember, if even one died, what happens? If even one died, what happens? You can't split it into two anymore. The mitzvah was to split it into two. You can't do that anymore if one died. Furthermore, you have part from which you can't take the taxation from. Remember, if you have one dead, so now you have 499. What are you going to do the 1 of 500? If one died, you have 1 of 50. But you can't do 1 of 50 anymore cuz one died. So you have a group of 49. What do you do with this? And again, the mitzvah cannot be done that from THE WHOLE HALF YOU should take the taxation. Now this is very very common. It's extremely common when you have 840,000 living organism. Again, you can make the calculation. And by the way, you may want to add and one of them can give birth, too. [laughter] 840,000 one of them can give birth, too. That gives you extra, too. Again, uneven. Again, you have the same problem. Your numbers were beautiful initially, but from the beginning of the COUNT ALL THE WAY TILL the end of the process, one can die. That's why the Torah has to go to the next step. The Torah has to specify the amount of the half that the Jewish people got to tell me it worked. The second half was exactly like the first half. He doesn't just say and Moshe did what he said. Cuz you have to say, "What do you mean he did? Nobody died?" So that's why he says the second half was exactly like the first. Something else unique happened. Again, not mamash a miracle, but something wondrous, something unique, something rare, stupendous. And what that in all this time, however long it took, not one human being died, not one animal died. Can we say this is supernatural? It's not supernatural, but it's something highly highly unlikely. WHY DID HASHEM do this? The same reason. To be able to do the mitzvah. This is what allowed the mitzvah to be executed and implemented because in order to do Hashem's mitzvah, first of all, there had to be two even halves. You should be able to split them exactly. Number one. One half for the troops and one half for the other Jews. Number two. Number two, even if it's even and you could split it in half, they have to be divisible by 550. If one die, if two die, if three die, unless you have 500 that die, you're not going to be able to do it anymore. If you have 500 that die, YOU HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM CUZ it wasn't split even. So the bottom line is the Torah has to tell you that in all this time, not just the Jews got their half. 1 sec. The other half, what I said, nobody died? The Torah says you. Nobody died. They got their second half just like the first half. It was exact. It was meticulous. And everybody can do the mitzvah from their half. This one takes one from 500, this one takes one from 50. Once the Torah says all of this, the last detail becomes superfluous. How much 1 of 50 is, you can figure it out. So the Torah just says Moshe took 1 of 50 and gave it. This detail becomes now superfluous and unnecessary. Why? In the first half, this detail is the ESSENCE OF THE STORY. IT'S THE CRUX OF THE STORY. That all THESE NUMBERS WORKED OUT SO THEY SHOULD BE ABLE to fulfill the mitzvah and give 1 OF 500. WOW. IF THAT'S THE CASE, I UNDERSTAND God wanted that in the second half, too. They should be able to do 1 of 50. HOW MUCH 1 OF 50 IS, YOU'LL FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN. THE 1 OF 500 makes the point that the numbers were accurate. Why were they accurate? Why were they even? Why were they divided exactly in this so they should be able to do the mitzvah? What was the mitzvah? 1 of 500. This allows me to understand the same as 1 of 50. So he tells me how much is the 1 of 500 through which the bottom line, the makkes b'pattish happened. They can do what Hashem wanted. How much 1 of 50 is, you don't have to tell me. The Torah does tell me the exact number of the second half. Why? To teach me. And it goes through all the numbers. It doesn't just say Moshe gave them the second half. It goes THROUGH ALL THE NUMBERS EXACTLY TO ELIMINATE that question. And that is nobody died? THIS IS WHAT THE RAMBAN WAS SAYING, but we added this whole other dimension. Nobody died? Yes, nobody died. And therefore, the first half and the second half matched. But 1 sec. During this whole time, before the splitting, after the splitting, whatever, during this whole time, nobody died from this side and nobody died from that side. Nobody died. And that's why the two halves matched exactly. You gave me their number. You gave me their number. Exactly the same because Hashem made sure that the mitzvah should be able to be done exactly as he wanted. And for this, you have to have an even cut in the middle, a split. And for this, you have to have the ability to that these numbers should be divisible by 500 and by 50. [sighs] In 18 and 19, he explains beautifully the difficulty in one of the come I want you to take a look in 18. Very difficult possuk. After everything says from the half that Mosha gave the Jews which he took from the people WHO WENT TO WAR. OBVIOUSLY, WHY IS THAT RELEVANT UNTIL THE END of the story? This is the introduction to why he's going to get so specific and give me these numbers which are completely superfluous. Since Mosha had to split in half the booty that was by the army, by the troops, and yet to split it in half. Mosha had to take half from them, which means that the part that went to the Jews had to be almost 50% exactly from the part that went to the troops. And under natural circumstances, this doesn't seem possible. One died, three died, FIVE DIED, SEVEN DIED. [panting] Or even less. Whatever died, there's going to be a big mess up here. Either you won't be able to split it or you won't be able to give one of 50. And therefore, he says, let me tell you how much their half was. Once that happens, we have it covered. [clears throat] Let's get to the lesson in life. Before we get to the lesson in life, I'm going to share one more detail. And that's in [snorts] if hey. From a Halachic perspective, there's another way of explaining the four above mentioned contrast that the Torah does not specify the tax amount that went to the Levite from the Jewish booty. It does specify the exact amount of taxes that went from the soldiers booty. One of the most famous and important text that were written by the in the 8th century is the book and safer known as Halachot Gedolot. We don't even know exactly the authors of Shimon Kaydera, Rebbe Yehudai Gaon, it's a debatable issue. The Baal Halachot Gedolot has a fascinating view. [clears throat] Ramban says that the Baal Halachot Gedolot holds that it was a mitzvah Fascinating. The Baal Halachot Gedolot holds that one of the 613 mitzvot of Torah is what? To take the booty of Midian and give a tax to Hashem. The Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvot in his introduction Shoyresh Gimel, the principles that is actually being learned by many Jews now, the Rambam says, this doesn't make sense. We only count mitzvot that apply for all generations. The war of Midian was a one-time event. How can you put this in the in the number? And the Ramban answers and the Ramban says that the Baal Halachot Gedolot holds that it was a mitzvah for generations. So, the Zera Yitzchak says, how could this be? There's a Gemara in Menachot 101 that the taxation, the trumah, the dedication that went to Hashem from the booty of Midian AIN'T HALACHA L'DOROS. HOW CAN THE RAMBAN SAY SUCH A THING? The Noda B'Yehuda is one of the greatest rabbinic Halachic authorities in the 18th century. The Noda B'Yehuda was the chief rabbi of Prague, Rabbi Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, who passed away I think 1793. 1793, Erev Lag B'Omer. I think 1793 if I'm not mistaken. Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, he's famous for Shailot U'Tshuvot Noda B'Yehuda, the responsa of Noda B'Yehuda. He named it for his father. His father's name was Yehuda. His commentary on Gemara he named Tzlach because of his mother was Chaya. The Noda B'Yehuda in Shailot U'Tshuvot Madurei Tinyana Yoreh De'ah The Noda B'Yehuda [sighs] says, he uses these words. He says, Chas V'Shalom [snorts] to suspect that the light of our eyes, the Ramban, [clears throat] MISSED A GEMARA. [laughter] THE Noda B'Yehuda says, you think the Ramban missed the Gemara in Menachot Daf Ayin Zayin that Trumat Midian is not an eternal mitzvah? The The Ramban forgot a Gemara? The Noda B'Yehuda says, Chas V'Shalom, God forbid to think that about the Ramban. We have to answer the Ramban. Noda B'Yehuda makes a fascinating distinction. It's a long Noda B'Yehuda there. His point is as follows. He says there's two parts to the taxation of Midian. The Gemara says it's not a mitzvah that goes on for generations. The Gemara is talking about the tax, one of 50, that went from the Jews to the Levite. You know why the Noda B'Yehuda says? Because there was never a commandment or a custom that Jews who sat home during the time of war should get half the booty. THE SOLDIERS GET the booty. Those who assist in the soldiers, David Hamelech instituted Yoshev Al Kelim, those who sit, you know, who stay behind in the tents, maybe the chaplains, the the chefs, the medical assistants, those who help out the troops also get. But the people who are sitting IN THE COUCH, WATCHING the news, reading their WhatsApps, they don't get the booty of war. So, the whole precedent that happens by Midian doesn't happen again because the Jews are not getting any booty. By Midian there was something unique. The Jews got the booty and there was a reason for it. Hashem said, the Malbim says Hashem sent only 12,000 people and it was the prayer of the Jewish people that really helped the victory. So, they all shared in the booty. But the other part, the part that went to the army, that they have to give part of their booty to the Ribono Shel Olam, give it for charity, give it to the Kohanim. Oh, this the Noda B'Yehuda says, according to the Ramban, BASED ON THE BACH, this is Halacha L'Doros. I say it's very interesting why the Torah doesn't specify the number of one of 50, the number of one of 500. It's a mitzvah that applies eternally if the circumstances would arise. So, therefore the Torah specifies how much. But the second half was only an event that happens right then, so it doesn't have the same significance as a mitzvah because it was only Halacha L'Doros. So, the Lubavitcher Rebbe says, based on the Bach, based on the Ramban, based on the Noda B'Yehuda, that's why the Torah doesn't specify it. By the way, if you look in 25, the Aitz Chaim Paneach Halacha Possuk 18 it's Halacha L'Doros. [snorts] The Rogatchover Gaon [laughter] I wasn't thinking of saying this because of the time, but I it's hard for me not to say with you this Rogatchover Gaon because it's a a goyish ein full of the Rogatchover. Rogatchover Gaon, Rabbeinu Yosef Rosen, he passed away 1936, Taanis Esther the Rov of Dvinsk. In the Sefer Aitz Chaim Paneach on Chumash, there he says, why doesn't the Torah specify the second taxation? This is a Rogatchover, it is a Rogatchover mind. He says it's very simple. There's a Tosefta in Maseches Trumot Perek Hey. Yerushalmi in Maseches Trumot Perek Daled. It's quoted in Rashi Chulin 137 and Tosafot Kiddushin I think 111. That from this possuk you learn how the rabbis learned out on a Smicha that Trumah you give 2%. If I have 100 stalks of grain and I have to give Trumah to the Kohanim from the kernels, I give one of 50. It's iron baneness. Biblically, you could give one kernel and you're done. You could give one kernel. But the rabbis used THIS POSSUK ECHAD ACHUZ MIN HACHAMISHA THAT you separate Trumah one of 50. In other words, 2%. So, if I have 100 kernels, what do I give? I give 2%. I give two. I give two. That's the Halacha by Trumah. Echad Min Hachamisha. Why they learned that from this possuk? It's a discussion. Tosefta Trumot, Yerushalmi Trumot, Tosafot, Rashi. And by the way, it fits brilliantly with the Malbim's interpretation why the Levite why they had to give one of 50 to the Levite and one of 500 went to Elazar. Says the Aitz Chaim Paneach, there's a Mishnah in Maseches Trumot Perek Aleph, I think Mishnah Zayin, when you separate Trumah, you don't do it B'Middah, B'Mishkal, or B'Minyan. You do it only B'Omed. You're not supposed to measure, you're not supposed to weigh, and you're not supposed to count. You're not supposed to count like let's say we're going to count 40 kernels and give it to the Kohanim, or weigh, or measure. You're not B'Omed, you have to do it with estimation. THE NEXT YOU HAVE TO DO IT with estimation. You don't make an exact count. You estimate approximately 20 2%. And you give it to the client. You can also give more, but it's an estimation, says Rashi. Since you lend it out from this possuk, therefore the Torah doesn't want to specify the exact number because trumah you don't give an exact number, you give by men. That's what Rashi is talking about. Vov, let's get to the lesson in life. The lesson from this in life even when as we learn these psukim according to the literal interpretation because the Lubavitcher Rebbe feels that Rashi didn't have to say any of this, you know why? Because if you read the psukim well, you can figure all of them you could [laughter] figure this out on your own. But there's a major lesson here. And I'm going to specify here two elements to the lesson. And this is such a powerful and fundamental lesson in life. One point is not so specified here, but in 1972 when the Rebbe said this talk and then he edited he edited some of he wrote some notes on it, then he added another point. And then we come to the second point that's specified here. First of all, we learn here how divine providence works. You know there's a big debate among great Jewish philosophers, do we say hashgacha protis about your animals? Do we say hashgacha protis about the trees, about the flowers? Do we say hashgacha protis about every single aspect of nature? A groundhog is running in front of my house and digging out its hole, six holes in order to be able to protect itself. A deer comes from here, a deer comes from there. Is there divine providence or just, you know, this is already there's a system of nature and the system goes? Hashgacha protis on behemos? What do we see from this story? We see from here the divine providence on every single detail in the world including how many donkeys are born and raised, how many cattle, how many sheep, how many flock. And this is not only animals of Jews, this is animals of the Midianites in their country because remember all this had to be orchestrated not when the Jews acquire these animals. It had to be orchestrated years and years before based on the farming routines of the Midianite nation. Breeding and mating and farming and hygiene and the nature and the nurturing of the animals and feeding of the animals and how they developed. There had to be a divine providence orchestrating that when the Jews will get the booty it should fit mamash this number. At least we see from here at least this point when it's relevant to a mitzvah even if the mitzvah is going to happen after a very long time the meticulousness of every single detail of hashgacha protis of divine providence which now brings us to the elaborate to the more elaborate to the point that the Rebbe is going to make now here in this last section. And this is by a missaviv sibbus acharei zman acharei acharei acharei Midian acharei kol echad ve'echad min b'mispar maduyak mamash zman rav l'meis acharei adam v'veheima v'chuli. V'ay muven sheb'chedai sheb'eism hachamas Bnei Yisrael b'Midian adam v'veheima shel Midian b'mispar maduyak sh'lo l'afen. Sh'lo l'chlis hamas umatan shel anshei Midian gidul mikneihem v'chuli. Zman rav lifnei zeh b'eifen hamas umatan zeh. B'signa nacher zman od lifnei hamachama seviv Hakadosh Baruch Hu kama v'kama sibbus sheyaskum anshei Midian b'mas umatan v'yigadlu behemosayhem b'eifen kazeh sheb'vei azman sheyitztrach Bnei Yisrael l'kayem mitzvas Hashem bishvil bishvil umalkei Yisrael Midian yuchlu l'kayemah b'shleimus. We see here the power of a mitzvah the value of a mitzvah, what it means to Hashem that the Jewish people do a mitzvah. Things that are so uncommon, they're not miracles, but they're so uncommon, happened. Why? So that the Jewish people should be able to fulfill Hashem's mission from them, Hashem's mitzvah. And not just when they had to do the mitzvah, Hashem created the circumstances that there should not be obstructions and obstacles and problems, they should be able TO DO IT. NO, THAT'S CERTAIN. Even before the time of doing the mitzvah. Even weeks, MONTHS, MAYBE YEARS before it came the time of doing the mitzvah, Hashem orchestrated details so that after a long time they should be able to fulfill the mitzvah in its completion. Like here, Hashem orchestrated that every human being and every animal from Midian, NOT FROM THE JEWS, from Midian, each one had was every category, every species was in the exact number and for and for a very long time because remember they had to take it from Midian and then bring it to the Jewish people as we spoke before counting and during that whole time nobody died. So besides the fact that when they took them it was mamash these numbers that could be divisible into two and into 50 and into 500 and then afterwards nobody died. Now let's think about this. That the Jews should capture from Midian this exact number of donkeys and cattle and sheep and humans. What does this mean? This means that the business the exchange, you know, instead of money then they used to exchange there was a lot of exchange of animals, right? Barter. The exchange, the business routines of the people of Midian. The way they raised their flock perhaps years, maybe decades before this whole story had to be consistent that it should work out that when the Jews come to Midian this should be the exact amount of donkeys that they should find. In other words, a year long time before the war of Midian, Hashem was already busy orchestrating natural events in many different ways and angles so that the people IN MIDIAN WILL RUN THEIR BUSINESSES AND EXCHANGE THEIR ANIMALS AND CULTIVATE THEIR FARMS AND GIVE AND RAISE THEIR FLOCK IN a way that WHEN THE RIGHT TIME COMES AND the Jewish people will have a mitzvah of the creator of the world with this booty and this spoil of Midian, they should be able to do the mitzvah completely. So this is what you have to understand about how Hashem runs the world. This is how you have to understand the value of a mitzvah that a Jew does and what Hashem does in order for that mitzvah to be able to be done. Umiza it all the kol echad ve'echad. From this we have a gevaldige lesson for every individual. In life you sometimes feel stuck. You sometimes feel incapable. I know I sometimes feel incompetent. I can't get this done. Ain lishana mikol bilbulim miniei ikuv. Don't get deterred. Don't get impacted. Don't get demoralized and depressed from uncertainties, from obstacles, from stumbling blocks, from confusions, from obstructions, FROM BARRIERS THAT DON'T ALLOW YOU to fulfill your mission in life. V'im l'pa'amim nidmeh k'ilu ein b'yachlous l'kayem mitzvah. If you know that Hashem gave you a mitzvah he gave you a mission, he gave you a shlichus, he gave you a purpose to do something you or I or us need to fulfill in this world, this is what God wants me to do. Al yochal stone to allow fear to ever paralyze you. Let your heart be at ease. Cleanse your heart from anxiety, from fear, from dread from worry that it's not going to work out. Let your heart be confident. God [snorts] is the creator of the world. He's been here many years before you and I and a lot of years before our anxiety. He already orchestrated everything that had to be orchestrated and he will orchestrate all the factors and circumstances that the Jew should be able to fulfill his or her mitzvah in the most perfect and complete way. So therefore when it comes in life and you see a situation and I feel stuck and I feel I'll never be able to get this done and this is beyond me, but I know this is what I'm supposed to do. Sometimes I'm doing something I'm not supposed to do, so maybe it's a good sign I should get to go somewhere else. I should do something else. But this is a mitzvah. This is a divine commandment. This is what Hashem wants me to do. This is my mission. It could be something relating to yourself, to your life, to your schedule, to one of the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah that you have to do. It could relate to your mission when it comes to your marriage, to your children, to your impact in the world. It's your mitzvah, it's my mitzvah. And I look at the situation and I say, "Sorry, maybe I'll be able to do 50%. Maybe if I do 10% I'm lucky. 100% to be able to do this right? Come on. Do you know how many problems there are? You know how many obstacles there are? You know what's happening inside my heart? He says, "Take a look at this story." Years, decades before the Jewish people even knew about this mitzvah, the Ribono shel Olam orchestrated everything in the world, not even connected to the Jewish world, that in the right time you should be able to do the mitzvah. The same is true in every person's life. When you have a mitzvah from Hashem, you have to know the world will play into you. Don't suffer from mediocrity. Don't suffer from an inferiority complex. You're confident. You're a shliach of Hashem. You're an ambassador of the Ribono shel Olam, and therefore, you'll figure out how to do it. But with clarity, with alacrity, with fearlessness. You have nothing to fear but fear. With ambition, with knowledge, who you're representing, who's who are you with that ambassador of? You know you have a mission. Be confident. Get rid of anxiety, and know all the circumstances that you need to be able to do it will be done. You go ahead and do it, and Hashem has orchestrated, orchestrates, and will orchestrate. You'll be able to fulfill fulfill your mission successfully. As I'm reading this, you know, I'm thinking about different events in history where things happened so many years before, and you never knew that it was ultimately a preparation for Hashem's plan to be fulfilled. Like in this case, for Hashem's mitzvah to be fulfilled. You know, I think of a the war of How many of you know about the war of 1840? Do you know the war of 1840 was a war between China and Britain. It was an opium war. It was a war about opium in 1840. And 2 years later, as a result of the settlement, the peace treaty, what happened? Shanghai was declared as an international city where people from all communities and from people from all parts of the world can come and do free trade over there. Now, if you looked at that piece of news in 1840, maybe a little box in the newspaper, an opium war between Britain and China, okay. What does this have to do with Torah and mitzvahs? What does this have to do with Bereishis bishvilah Torah bishvil Yisrael? What does this have to do with making lasakin olam B'MALCHUS SHADDAI? A WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN, ANOTHER PIECE OF NEWS. Forward the tape recorder of history 100 years, 1940. Jews escaping Hitler's gas chambers have nowhere to go. They can't go to America. They can't go to Palestine. They can't go to Eretz Yisrael under the British Mandate. No country is ready to take them. And the Jews who escaped with Sugihara's help, so they were Sugihara's help, they escaped ultimately through Russia, Siberia to Japan. They can't remain in Japan. Japan is an ally of Hitler. And ultimately, there's one city that a Jew is allowed to go into without a visa. And what is that? Shanghai. I think close to 60,000 Jews were saved from the gas chambers, many Jews who you and I knew personally. There are hundreds of thousands of Jews alive today learning Torah, celebrating mitzvahs, giving their children the gift of life and the gift of Yiddishkeit because the treaty after the opium war in 1840. But who would have known it then? Well, let me ask you another question. Eddie Jacobson, not my zaida. Eddie Jacobson has a haberdashery store with a partner. THEY GO BANKRUPT. They separate, but they remain friends. They had a haberdashery store. Many of you don't even know what a haberdashery store is. You look it up. THEY WENT BANKRUPT, BUT THEY REMAINED FRIENDS. One made sure to pay back all his debt. One went into politics, and the partner, Harry S. Truman, becomes the United States president 1945 after Roosevelt's sudden death. The Ribono shel Olam wants that there came the time that the Jewish people should be able to take ownership of Eretz Yisrael and allow the she'eiris hapleitah, hundreds of thousands of refugees, to have a place where they can be safe and secure. That a Jew from all over the world should be able to know there's one country where he gains automatic citizenship, and he could be safe there. Harry Truman doesn't want to hear. Eddie Jacobson, who had a haberdashery store, goes into his office and convinces him to meet the people he has to meet, and Israel could be created. Who would have known about that haberdashery store? God's plan. You have so [snorts] many stories like this. I could tell you now some more stories, but you guys get the point. This is the point. Hashem has a mission. He wants you to do a mitzvah. The world falls into place. It begins with a mitzvah. It doesn't begin with the animals. Hashem wants you to do the mitzvah. The world is a facilitator of God's plan. Einoid movadei. That's the soul of the sicha. Einoid movadei. If einoid movadei, the world falls into place, and therefore, of course, the animals match up. The mitzvah has to be fulfilled. It's [laughter] just a din in the mitzvah. In every person's life, when you have a mission, don't allow paralysis, stagnation, fear to take over. You will be able to accomplish it. You're never stuck. You have to realize God is your greatest ally. General Montgomery once said, "The the difficult we do immediately, and the impossible takes a little longer." Here we learn it's not impossible. If Hashem gave you the mitzvah to do, you can do it. You will do it, and you will do it successfully. Thank you very much. Have a beautiful night. This shiur is over. However, we're going to take some questions. Let's take some questions. Okay. First question. Reb perhaps the giving birth of an animal could have happened. Maybe it did. The mitzvah was on the malkoach. If a baby is born after the war, it's not malkoach itself. Tikchu mimachetzis [snorts] wouldn't apply. Very interesting point, Reb Are you saying the only problem is death, not birth? Cuz if the animal is born, it's not malkoach. It's not booty that was taken from Midian. So, that animal is in a different category completely. So, therefore, it wouldn't ruin the issue. The only problem is if one of them died or a few of them died, it can ruin the num- the even numbers, and it could ruin also the 550 50 issue. That's an interesting interesting comment, that if an animal would be born a few animals would be born, it wouldn't be it wouldn't be part of this mitzvah cuz it's not the malkoach of Midian. Okay, that's a good order. We have to think about that. Let's get to the next question here. I'm just opening it up. Okay. A lot of questions. Okay, let me go through the questions swiftly. Okay, I made a correction. You mentioned a Meir Simcha Klein of Dvinsk in a previous sicha class. I see that you were right. He grew up in Lithuania, not in Latvia. He lived in Bialystok most of his life. 40 years he was in Latvia. It was very interesting to read about him. Thank you. Thank you. I thought he was a Lithuanian sage, and I am glad that I did not make an error about that. Next question. Is it possible that the numbers of captives and animals were rounded to closest number evenly divisible by the ordered amount to be given away? Is it possible that if the command to give away was one of 500, one of 50 was given before taking the booty? They counted, and they took and stopped at the round number to avoid leftover numbers. No, that couldn't happen because the commandment was given after the booty already came to the Jewish people. They didn't go to war with this commandment. Hashem told the commandment afterwards. They couldn't go to Midian and say, "Ooh, we're taking this amount of donkeys." It didn't work that way. It happened TO BE THAT HASHEM orchestrated that they should take these amount of donkeys or cattle or sheep or people. It couldn't have happened before. Now, to say that the Torah is not being meticulous about these numbers would be absurd because the Torah is so specific and so detailed oriented. It's trying TO DO ANYTHING BUT rounding up the numbers. The point is that these were momers, the numbers, because if not, how do I know? The Torah could round up numbers, but if not, you have a problem. What did they do with the extras over 550? In one of the footnotes, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains interestingly that whenever Jews are counted, they're also divisible by 50. Did you notice that? Take a look at footnote 13. Whenever [snorts] Jews are counted, every tribe ends up being a number that is divisible by 50. He goes through Bamidbar, It's another very strange phenomenon. Every tribe should always be able to be divisible by 50? May there you have round numbers, 60, 70, 80, 90, always divisible by 50? Why would Hashem do this? This is also by divine plan. But why? Maybe cuz Hashem wanted the Jewish people have leaders over 50. So, that's why they had to be divisible into 50. But he said, "But you also had leaders over 10s and over 100s." We do have in Shmuel Beis the svara in Melachim Beis perek aleph the concept of 50 people running before the king or before the wannabe king, which means that there's something about 50 something about the significant group, but the Rebbi is not certain why were they all divisible number 50? Very very good comment. Next question. Reb Mosha, the Lubavitcher Rebbi says the mitzvah was to give a specific number of each category and so therefore the total was exactly right. Surely the number to be given away could have been an exact number, but also a minimum. If the total was greater than the exact amount of the amount of one of 500 one of 50 then the mitzvah is fulfilled by giving more. No. No, if there's more than than 500 so then what do what do you do with this extra? Let's say there's 600 donkeys. Let's say you have a thousand donkeys, okay? So you give one of 500, so you give two donkeys to a loser, beautiful. And what if you have 1400 donkeys? Now now what do I do with this 400? I give all the 400 donkeys to a loser? I give one of 400 donkeys to a loser? I don't know. You could give it, it's very nice, but the mitzvah was one of 500 one of 50. That's the mitzvah. That's what HASHEM SAID. YOU'RE SAYING GIVE ONE OF 400. Beautiful Reb Mosha, but that's not the mitzvah. And the mitzvah is from the whole half to give one of 500. So you say yeah, you'll give one of 400. Beautiful, but that's not the mitzvah. That's the answer to your question. Next question. You gave the story about the Opium War between Great Britain and China. There are many other examples you could provide. Are they miracles? They're not miracles, but that's the point. All of nature is orchestrated by Hashem. Even nature is essentially orchestrated by Hashem. That's exactly the point. That's exactly the point. And sometimes you see these strange coincidences like how they came in the yard. Okay, to me it seems that this is a miracle. It's not just an uncommon occurrence. Orchestrating natural events is also a miracle. God having calculated it so many years before so the Jews could do a mitzvah. This is also a miracle. Why are you not calling it a miracle? We don't have a problem calling it a miracle. We're just trying to identify objectively the nature of this occurrence. If you would ask a scientist or a mathematician does this go into the category of defying the laws of nature? He would say, "No." It's possible that 840,000 animals or living organisms should not die over a week or two weeks or three weeks. It's possible. It doesn't defy the laws of nature. It's possible to have exactly 72,000 animals that you get from another country. It's doesn't defy nature. That's why we're not calling it the word "miracle" like Avraham Avinu coming out of a fire unscathed. Next question. How is it possible that you sometimes feel incompetent? Not sure I have witnessed somebody who gets more done than you. Uh [snorts] I don't know. [laughter] I thank you for your very kind words, but uh you know, every person every person has their struggles and their challenges. I'm sure you may have them. I don't know who you are, but I also have them. So we each have our journeys and uh but that's the point. You have to live with confidence. You have to live with confidence and faith. Okay, next question. One should add the Gemara in Brachot. The Gemara says that if you are doing a mitzvah if you want to do a mitzvah but you can't fulfill it, you get rewarded as though you did it. You mean Kiddushin daf mem machshava tova Kodesh Baruch Hu metzarfa l'maaseh. So you shouldn't feel bad even if you didn't accomplish his mission because Hashem views it as if you did it and your efforts were not for nothing. You do your part, Hashem will take care of the rest and make sure you're rewarded accordingly. And sometimes I would add Hashem wants you to have the machshava tova. The very thought that you want to do this mitzvah, that is your mitzvah. That's how you do the mitzvah. But whatever you have to do, you'll be able to accomplish. DON'T BE AFRAID. DON'T STOP. YEAH. Sometimes your mission is machshava tova. That is your mission. We never know what what your exact purpose is. Next question. Why wouldn't we think that the cattle wouldn't have given birth and there would be more? So in the sicha doesn't say that element of birth. But Reb said something geshmak, which may be true that maybe birth wouldn't be a problem because that wouldn't be part of the booty on which the mitzvah was to split it up. So what did they do with that extra animal? WHATEVER THEY WANTED, THEY FIGURED OUT WHAT TO do with it. They can give it for tzedaka, they cannot give it for tzedaka. Beautiful questions, beautiful beautiful questions. Okay, next question. You spoke about the booty of captives of animals. What about the gold, the silver, all the other precious possessions? What about money did they take? Food did they take? Grain did they take anything else? Excellent question, but you have to follow the text a little better next time. You remember the source sheet? It says what does it say? Yes, sir. Buzz I'm not so hot. This is a calculation of the living creatures in addition to everything that the soldiers took. In addition to the looting that the soldiers took buzzaz. Whatever they took could be jewelry, could be rubies, could be diamonds, could be money, whatever they took. In addition to that we're talking about this specific spoil and booty. So the possuk clearly says. The question is the camels. It's known that Midian was a place filled with camels. That's discussed in the me bale it's beyond the realm of these questions, but you could look it up over there. Okay, next question. Next question. [sighs] Somebody says there could have not been any children born because the women were virgins and this is Judaism. That's true, but I was referring to not women. I was referring to the donkeys, the flock, and the cattle. That's what I was referring to. Beautiful questions. Tired of eating? God willing, I'll see you next week. We're going to have a shear as well. And I want to thank you all for joining us and may we indeed be able to cultivate this perspective of quarantining our anxiety and our fear and knowing that as ambassadors of Hashem to change the world, each and every one of us is empowered to be able to fulfill the mitzvah and the mitzvahs that were given to us to bring our world closer to healing and to be ambassadors of love, light, hope, healing, and redemption. Have a beautiful night. Thank you very much.