“וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָֹה אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי
בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם
מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר” “Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai
Desert…on the first day of the second month, in the second year…” (Bamidbar 1:1). Sefer Bamidbar opens with Moshe and Aharon being commanded to conduct
a census of Bnei Yisrael. The medrash explains the special significance for
which the pasuk needs to include the exact date when the census took place. (We
have discussed the reasons for the census itself in previous years.) In Halacha,
there are two stages to marriage. The first stage is called Erusin, betrothal, where
the bride and groom were officially dedicated to each other but were not yet
officially married. The second stage is known as Nisuin when the marriage becomes
official.
Chazal explain that when Hashem
gave us the Torah on Har Sinai, it was as if he did Erusin with us. However,
the marriage was not official till the Mishkan was completed a month before
this census was conducted. The reason the Torah includes the date of the census
is to represent the Kesubah, the marriage document which requires the date of
the wedding to be written on it. At this time, our relationship with Hashem
became official.
The Kli Yakar adds to this mashal the
fact that this census took place eleven months after the Torah was given. A
bride was typically given ten months between Erusin and Nisuin to prepare herself
financially for marriage. For this same reason, Hashem gave us ten months
between Matan Torah and the official dedication of the Mishkan, so that we
should have time to adorn ourselves with the Torah which we were given as a
wedding gift. The eleventh month was based on the gemarah (Kesubos 8a) that the
celebration of a wedding could extend up to thirty days (or more) after the
chuppah. A second way of calculating is instead of starting from the actual
giving of the Torah, start instead from when we received the Luchos, which
comes out to exactly ten months before the census.
This simple and entertaining
mashal has special significance as we approach Shavuos. From our standpoint, we
must view the Torah not only as our guide to the world and the source of our
closeness to God, which is already significant enough, but as a gift, the something
which solidifies our relationship with our Creator! The same way a bride admires
the presents she receives from her groom, so too must we look upon the Torah
with that same admiration and longing. From Hashem’s perspective, our
acceptance of the Torah is our confirmation that we are committed to our
relationship with him. As long as we consider it important, Hashem will
consider his relationship with us to be important as well. As we celebrate
Shavuos and reaffirm our acceptance of the Torah, let us keep this in mind. If
we value our relationship with Hashem, we must view the Torah as that idea
which solidifies our connection to Him. The same way a bride and groom treasure
theirs. Then we may truly bring our relationship with Hashem to its’ fullest
potential.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
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