Be'er Moshe by Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein on Parshas Bamidbar Take a census of all of the assembly of the Bnei Yisrael according to their families, according to their fathers’ household, by number of the names… Chazal speak about several challenges to Hashem’s giving the Torah to the Bnei Yisrael. One of them focuses on our pasuk. “Why this closeness to them, rather than us,” they ask. Hashem responds, “OK. Let’s talk..." (fb)

Hamaayan by Rabbi Shlomo Katz on Parshas Bamidbar The Book of Bemidbar, which we begin this week, introduces a new facet of our relationship with Hashem, writes R’ Nosson Yehuda Leib Mintzberg z”l (1943-2018; rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bet Shemesh, Israel). In Sefer Shmot, we were commanded to build a Mishkan so that Hashem can dwell in our midst, and in Sefer Vayikra, we were told what to do in that Mishkan–specifically, to offer Korbanot as a means to become close–“Karov,” from the same root as “Korban”–to Hashem... (fb)