The Power of Being Counted
ב"ה
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Candle Lighting Time for
Pacific Palisades:
Friday, May 29
7:41 pm

Message from the Rabbi

Dear Friend,

In this week’s Torah portion, the Jewish people are counted once again. At first glance, it seems repetitive. Why count the nation over and over?

The answer is that counting is not only about numbers. It is about importance.

When something is precious, you count it carefully. A jeweler counts diamonds. A parent counts children before leaving the park. G-d counts the Jewish people because every single person matters and every soul carries something unique that nobody else can bring into the world.

So many people walk around feeling unnoticed, replaceable, or ordinary. The Torah portion of Nasso reminds us that this is never true. Every person has a mission that belongs specifically to them. Sometimes the greatest accomplishments are not dramatic moments, but the quiet consistency of showing up for family, helping another person, learning Torah, or choosing kindness when nobody is watching.

The Hebrew word “Nasso” means to elevate. One of the greatest ways to elevate another person is simply to let them know they matter.

This week, let us try to truly see the people around us and remind them, through our words and actions, that they count.

Shabbat Shalom, 
Rabbi Zushe Cunin

Shabbat Schedule:

Shabbat Services will be at Chabad this week
Shabbat, May 30
Morning Service: 10:00am
Followed by Kiddush & Refreshments
Celebrating Jack Goldberg’s Bar Mitzvah


Shabbat Ends 8:42pm

Sunday, May 31
Shachris: 8:30am

At Chabad Castellammare

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Parshah in a Nutshell


Parshat Naso

The name of the Parshah, "Naso," means "Count" and it is found in Numbers 4:22.

Completing the headcount of the Children of Israel taken in the Sinai Desert, a total of 8,580 Levite men between the ages of 30 and 50 are counted in a tally of those who will be doing the actual work of transporting the Tabernacle.

G‑d communicates to Moses the law of the sotah, the wayward wife suspected of unfaithfulness to her husband. Also given is the law of the nazir, who forswears wine, lets his or her hair grow long, and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body. Aaron and his descendants, the kohanim, are instructed on how to bless the people of Israel.

The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel each bring their offerings for the inauguration of the altar. Although their gifts are identical, each is brought on a different day and is individually described by the Torah.

Learn: Nasso in Depth
Browse: Nasso Parshah Columnists
Prep: Devar Torah Q&A for Nasso
Read: Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play: Nasso Parshah Quiz

 

Today's Quote

We are "workers of the daytime": our task is not to battle darkness but to make light
— Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the "Tzemach Tzeddek," 1789-1866)

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