Israel Forever

For the week ending 22 May 2004 / 2 Sivan 5764

Compensation for Suffering

by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach zt'l
Become a Supporter Library Library

Whenever as a nation or as individuals we undergo a measure of suffering, we may derive some comfort from the census of our ancestors reported in this weeks Torah portion.

All the tribes of Israel were counted and the smallest of them all was the tribe of Levi with only 22,300 males above the age of a month, less than half of the smallest of all the other tribes.

How could it be that the tribe chosen to be the servants of G-d in His Sanctuary should be so relatively small in number?

One of the answers to this question offered by Ramban is that the population explosion of all the other tribes was a miraculous Heavenly response to the Egyptian effort to limit their population growth by imposing upon them rigorous slave labor. To the Egyptian goal of birth control "lest they multiply", Heaven proclaimed "they shall multiply".

The tribe of Levi was exempt from Egyptian slave labor. Their reproduction rate was therefore normal while all the others tribes enjoyed their reward for their suffering.

As Israel suffers today from insecurity, we can look forward to a Heavenly compensation for Israel forever.

© 1995-2024 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved.

Articles may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue or school newsletters. Hardcopy or electronic. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission in advance at ohr@ohr.edu and credit for the source as Ohr Somayach Institutions www.ohr.edu

« Back to Israel Forever

Ohr Somayach International is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation (letter on file) EIN 13-3503155 and your donation is tax deductable.