פרשת כי תשא
כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל | שמות ל', י"ב
When you take a census of the children of Israel
The conventional translation of the word תשא means ‘to elevate’ and the reason for the use of such a term to express counting needs clarification.
Horav Moshe Feinstein zt”l explains that sometimes one may shrug off suggestions to increase his commitment to Torah study or the fulfillment of Mitzvos by underestimating his own worth and wrongly assuming that his Avodas Hashem is insignificant and of little value. Such self-deprecation is in actuality a misuse and redirection by the Yetzer Hora of the normally admirable quality of humility, as a strategy to stop any future self-improvement.
The purpose of the census was to counter this mindset by highlighting the fact that every individual counts as one and only one, from the greatest Tzadik to the simplest Jew.
The Torah therefore specifically uses the term תשא for counting, because with this message one is able to realize his true worth and elevate himself through improving his commitment to serve Hashem.
It is in the hands of the mechanchim to inculcate this value to each and every one of our students.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.
