In this week’s Parsha, a census is taken of Klal Yisroel and all the shevatim were counted. Each time a shevet was counted, the resulting number was rounded off to hundreds. For example, shevet Reuven’s count was 46,500 people and shevet Shimon’s count was 59,300 people. However, there is one exception to this: Shevet Gad. Shevet Gad’s resulting number is not rounded off to hundreds but it is a more precise number of 45,650 people. The question is why? Why is shevet Gad’s count different then all the other shevatim? Why was shevt Gad’s number rounded off more precisely compared to the other shevatim?
I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita a beautiful answer. The Ishbitzer Rebbe zt”l says that Eliyahu Hanavi comes from shevet Gad. Eliyahu Hanavi’s role in the Acharis Hayamim, the end of days, will be to return all children to their fathers. Eliyahu Hanavi’s role will be to make sure that every last Jew is brought back. The Ishbitzer Rebbe says that because Eliyahu Hanavi cares so deeply about every last Jew, Hashem says, “When it comes to your shevet’s count it’s not just going to be a statistic or rounded-off number. I’m going to make sure that every single person is counted. Why? Because your future descendant will one day count every single Jew and bring them back home!” That’s why Gad’s count is more precise. Because Hashem treasures every last Jew.
Every Jew is precious in Hashem’s eyes. Every Jew is of infinite value – and we all have a spark of Eliyahu in us. We each have the ability to see the good in others and draw them closer — to help them feel Hashem’s love. Within each Jew there is an incredible potential for greatness.
Many decades ago, there was a simple woman, a widow, who worked as a cleaning lady in Rav Pam zt”l’s mother’s house. The woman had a friend who was also a widow who needed a loan. The cleaning lady lent her friend $100, a large sum at the time. A short while after, the woman who borrowed the money from her died without repaying the loan.
Rav Pam’s mother went to the funeral and ended up standing next to her housekeeper – the one who lent the deceased woman money. Rav Pam’s mother noticed that her housekeeper went near the coffin and was whispering something to herself. She moved closer and she heard her housekeeper whispering, “I forgive you; I forgive you. I forgive you.” Rav Pam’s mother was very confused, so she asked her housekeeper what she was doing. The housekeeper told Rav Pam’s mother about the loan, and she said that she knew that now her friend couldn’t pay back the money and she didn’t want her friend to be held accountable for it in shomayim. She wanted to forgive her friend of the loan.
Rav Pam shared this story and said that his mother’s cleaning lady didn’t really seem like she was anything special. She seemed like a simple person – but really, she was so great. She only wanted the best for her friend and didn’t care too much about the money. She was poor herself and she knew she would never see the money again but didn’t want her friend to have any blemish in shomayim for owing money. In life we have to realize that everyone we encounter has greatness. Let’s see the good in others. Let’s see the greatness in others and be the best we can be!
