Portion Naso
Commandments of the Torah and instructions are eternal, and the commandments seem not to belong to our period; we have something to learn from this. This week's reading that opens a special command to Moses in the desert - the Levites to appoint their families. G-d tells Moses: "Count the head of Gershon."
This command was preparing for the role of the sons of Levi in the work of the Tabernacle. They were aged thirty, and till then they did not work the work of the Tabernacle. To give them the power to engage in holy G-d commanded - "Count the head", in Hebrew the language of elevation.
From here we are learning instruction, the work of every Jew: Sometimes, when a person watches his actions in his condition, he reaches the conclusion that in fact is like a 'desert'. Just as the desert is a desolate place, that human beings cannot live in it, so deserted and desolate spiritual condition, and he lets G-d, dwell in it.
Man may think he has no chance to change the situation. There is already an adult and spent many years in this state. After all, the Talmud says that if a person sinned once and returned to his sin - "sin made like permissible." If so, how it can change, when used to behave the negative way, and habit becomes nature?
Instruction that comes this week's reading, that the Levites were adults, over age thirty, and did not work until then the work of the Tabernacle, and yet they were given power by G-d to enter the holy work, and make the desert to a settlement. Indeed, it was actually over the years were the children of Israel in the desert.
Every Jew, once he decides in his mind that from now on is stabilized "to stand before G-d to serve him and work for him" - without the look on his actions so far – G-d will give him power to cleanse himself from all the unwanted things in the past, and put the discovery of divine light in his soul, until the G-d Tells him: "I will dwell in them."
Service of G-d is divided into two general lines - 'Move from evil and do well. This issue also suggested the two families of Levites - the sons of Gershon and Kohath. Gershon is the language (in Hebrew) expulsion, suggesting the removal of evil, 'Move from evil', while Kohath is the language (in Hebrew) collecting and grouping, a clue to 'do well '. Also work in the Tabernacle was divided accordingly - the sons of Gershon carried the panels (which deal with protection), while son of Kohath carried the vessels of Tabernacle (relating to positive work).
Gershon was older than Kohath, and there are a hint that the beginning of the work is' Move from evil, and only then comes the turn of 'do good '. Such as arranging a room, dirt should be cleaned first and then you can put into vessels and fine furniture. By these two lines, does the person himself and the world around him, Tabernacle for G-d.
