Toras Avigdor Junior
Parshas Naso
Repeating with Excitement
“Girls,” Morah Lerenstein said during Chumash class. “Can anyone tell me some of the gifts that the Nesi’im brought to the Mishkan?”
Shaindy Katz raised her hand. “Yes, I know!” she said as she surprised everyone by reciting entire pesukim verbatim with trop: “Korbano-o-o-o-o kaaras kesef acha-a-a-as, shloshim umeia-a-ah-uh-uh mishka-lo; mizrak e-chad kesef, shiv’im shekel b’shekel hakodesh; shneihem milei-i-i-im, so-o-o-les, bilulah vashemen limincha; kaf acha-a-a-as, asarah zahav mileiah kitores; par echa-a-a-a-ad be-en baka-a-a-ar…”
The whole class listened in mild amusement as Shaindy leined the entire list of the gifts and korbanos that the Nesi’im brought.
“Wow, Shaindy, that was incredible!” said Morah Lerenstein. “But I have two questions for you. First of all, how do you know the entire list by heart? And secondly, how do you know the trop?”
Shaindy blushed. “Well, Naso is my brother Tuli’s Bar Mitzvah parsha. He has been practicing for months and these pesukim are repeated in the Torah twelve times! Do you have any idea how many times we have had to listen to it? Even my three-year-old brother Shimshy knows it by heart!”
Shaindy paused for a moment before asking, “Why does the Torah repeat it so many times, anyway? It’s the same exact thing over and over!”
Morah Lerenstein smiled. “Well first of all, Mazel Tov on your brother’s upcoming Bar Mitzvah. It must be an exciting time for your family.”
Shaindy’s face lit up. “Oh yes!” she responded. “It is going to be the BEST Bar Mitzvah ever! My father is Anshel Holtzbacher’s business partner, so he has gotten to know the Horki Rebbe. The Rebbe is coming to the Bar Mitzvah and is going to eat at the meal so we will have the zechus of eating from the meal of a tzaddik. I mean, it’s going to be some meal… Baked Alaskan salmon, scalloped potatoes, grilled portobello mushrooms, goose liver, grilled rib-eye steaks, oh it’s all going to be so yummy!
“And then the music! There is going to be a 21-piece band, and Mordechai Friedman is going to sing ‘Harbei Asu Kirabi Shimon’, ‘Ben Hei Hei Omer’, and ‘I Love You Reb Yid’! Avraham Ben David is also coming and he is also going to sing ‘Harbei Asu Kirabi Shimon’, ‘Ben Hei Hei Omer’, and ‘I Love You Reb Yid’! And not only that! Joel Newbrush is coming too! And he is going to be on stage together with Mordechai Friedman and Avraham Ben David and he is also going to sing ‘Harbei Asu Kirabi Shimon’, ‘Ben Hei Hei Omer’, and ‘I Love You Reb Yid’ together with them!
“And of course all of you are invited!” Shaindy finished warmly, smiling at her teacher and classmates.
The whole class listened with excitement and watering mouths as Shaindy went on, describing every detail of the Bar Mitzvah, repeating some things multiple times, just to make sure she didn’t leave anything out.
“Wow, Shaindy,” said Morah Lerenstein. “It all sounds so exciting!”
“I know!” said Shaindy. “And did I tell you about Mordechai Friedman, Avraham Ben David, and Joel Newbrush?”
“Yes, you did,” smiled Morah Lerenstein. “Several times, in fact.”
“Oh sorry,” said Shaindy. “It’s just that it’s so special and exciting, I can’t stop talking about it.”
“Well, Shaindy,” Morah Lerenstein responded. “I think you just answered your own question about the Nesi’im’s gifts.”
“I did?” asked Shaindy, confused.
“Absolutely!” said Morah Lerenstein. “You can’t stop talking about all of the amazing things that are happening for your brother’s Bar Mitzvah because of how special it all is to you. That’s the most important thing in the world to you and you’ll repeat it a thousand times because you also want us to know how great it’s going to be.
“And that’s why the Torah repeats again and again exactly what the Nesi’im brought. Because Hashem wants us to know what He’s excited about; that’s what’s really important in this world!
“Every gift that is brought for the Mishkan – the place where Hashem lives and where the luchos and the Torah are – that’s the most exciting thing in the world. This lesson is so important – we should be excited about the things that Hashem is excited about: Torah and Mitzvos and the Am Yisroel!”
Takeaway: When something is exciting to us, we talk about it over and over again. Let’s try to talk to others about how we love Hashem, His Torah, and His People, our fellow Yidden!