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WELCOMING SHABBAT

Shabbat is more than a day of refraining from worldly activity.

When experienced to its spiritual fullest, its holiness enlightens all other days of the week.

We invite you to enhance your Shabbat with these words of Torah.

 

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PARASHAT BAMIDBAR: A Mystical Idea May Help Us Understand the Incomprehensible

  • Rabbi Yissocher Frand explores the Torah’s census of the Jewish people, the mystical concept of gilgul neshamot, and the way this idea may offer a framework for confronting suffering that seems beyond human understanding.
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PARASHAT BAMIDBAR: A Mystical Idea May Help Us Understand the Incomprehensible

Frand, Rabbi, Yissocher
May 14, 2026
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In this teaching for Parashat Bamidbar and Shavuot, Rabbi Yissocher Frand explores the Torah’s census of the Jewish people, the mystical concept of gilgul neshamot, and the way this idea may offer a framework for confronting suffering that seems beyond human understanding. He also connects Shavuot to a yearly judgment over one’s success in Torah learning, emphasizing the importance of cheshek—a sincere desire to learn Torah and draw closer to Hashem.



The Census and the Secret of the Soul

At the beginning of Parashat Bamidbar, Moshe is commanded to count the Children of Israel “according to their head count.” Rabbi Frand cites the Maharam M’Pano, who explains the word l’gulgalosam as hinting to gilgul neshamot, the transmigration of souls. According to this teaching, Moshe Rabbeinu was able to perceive, through Divine inspiration, how many times each soul would need to return to this world in order to fulfill its mission.

Seeing Only Part of the Picture

This idea is not presented as something to investigate deeply, but as a concept that may help a person approach events that appear incomprehensible. Human beings often see only one part of a much larger picture. Rabbi Frand explains that tragedies and painful circumstances may sometimes be understood through the awareness that a soul’s present experience may be connected to a prior spiritual history and a process of rectification.

Rectification and Divine Justice

He illustrates this through the tragic account in the Talmud of the son and daughter of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, who were captured and placed in a horrifying situation. The Maharam M’Pano explains that they were connected to the souls of Amnon and Tamar and were given the opportunity to rectify a previous failure by sanctifying Hashem’s Name. Similarly, Rabbi Frand cites a parable of the Chofetz Chaim to explain the verse that Hashem’s laws are just “together”: only when the full picture is seen can Divine justice begin to be understood.

Shavuot and the Desire for Torah

The teaching then turns to Shavuot. Rabbi Frand notes that, according to the Ari z”l and the Shaloh HaKodesh, Shavuot is also a day of judgment—not for material sustenance, but for one’s success in Torah learning during the coming year. The decisive factor is one’s cheshek, the depth of one’s desire to learn. A person shows this desire by recognizing the centrality of Torah, praying sincerely for understanding, and asking Hashem for help in growing spiritually. The blessings of Ahavah Rabbah, Ahavat Olam, and Ata Chonen become places where one can express that Torah is truly “our life and the length of our days.”

“NOTE: The above is a summary based on the original teaching.”