Ask The Rabbi 
2 Decmeber 1995 
Issue #85
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This Issue Contains:
1.  The Count of Israel
2.  Yiddle Riddle
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David from Bat Yam wrote:

>As you know, Israel is taking a census.  I remember the census 12 years 
>ago when many Rabbis said not to participate.  So we (my family, along 
>with a sizable portion of Israelis) gave back the form without filling it 
>out.  This time I've heard there are changes in the way the census is 
>being taken and now it's OK.  What's the scoop?  (The man who gave us the 
>form said he's coming back next week to pick it up, so a prompt reply 
>would be appreciated.)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear David,

It's forbidden to count Jewish people.  When they needed to count Kohanim 
in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), each one stuck out a finger and then they 
counted the fingers.  Why didn't they just count the people directly?  Our 
Sages explain:  "Because it is forbidden to count Israel, as is written 
`The number of Bnei Yisrael will be like the sand of the sea, which shall 
not be measured....'"

The concept is a mystical one:  The Ayin HaRah (`evil eye') holds sway over 
anything counted.  Attaching a number to something limits it, and thereby 
limits its capacity to receive blessing.  The census taken in the time of 
King David brought catastrophe:  "David insisted, `Go count Israel'...And 
G-d brought a plague on Israel...70,000 died...."

From the case of the Kohanim, however, we see that it`s OK to count objects 
-- e.g., fingers -- which substitute for people.  Moses counted the people 
through the `half-shekel' that each one donated; King Saul counted them 
using lambs.  Today, when counting the ten people required for a minyan, it 
is customary to recite the verse, "Hoshia et amecha..." (Psalms 28:9) which 
consists of ten words.

As far as the current census is concerned, Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashev, 
shlita, gives the following reasons to permit participation:

INDIRECT COUNT
As mentioned, it is OK to count objects -- e.g., fingers -- which 
substitute for people.  In the current census, it is not people being 
counted, but rather pen marks on a piece of paper.

ESTIMATION
A large number of families forget, refuse, or simply don't bother 
responding.  The census-takers fill this gap with government records and 
statistical guesswork (based partly on the number of doors in a given 
neighborhood!).  Therefore, it is not a true count.

INCLUSIVE
The current census makes no inquiry about religion.  Rather, it counts 
Israeli citizens of all backgrounds and nationalities; therefore, it is not 
considered counting `The Jewish People' per se.

MECHANICAL MEANS
The actual counting is not done by humans; rather, the census form is 
scanned into a computer.

Based on all the above, Rabbi Elyashev permits participation, but adds that 
one should supply only the ID numbers but leave out the names.  This is in 
order to emphasize the fact that the count is indirect.

Speaking of counting, two guys are driving down a country road:
Wilfred:  Hey Look!  There's 295 cows up on that hill!
Vernon:  Wow!  How in the world did you count them so fast?
Wilfred:  Shuks, Vern!  I just counted the legs and divided by four!

Sources:
o  Tractate Yoma 22a.
o  Exodus 30:11 and Rashi.
o  II Shmuel 24, I Shmuel 15:4.

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Yiddle Riddle

Caterers get a vacation during the `Counting of the Omer' and the days 
leading up to Tisha B'Av -- times when there are no weddings.  When do they 
take an entire month vacation from:  
	1) Bar Mitzvahs (but not Bat Mitzvahs)?
	2) Bat Mitzvahs (but not Bar Mitzvahs)?
	3) Bar and Bat Mitzvahs?

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