Parashas Ki Sisa - Hidden Miracles

My wife and I sell baked goods daily to the bochurim of a Yeshivah/Kollel I learn in. We leave a big basket outside the Bais Medrash so people can buy something on their way in or out. When we first started selling, I used to count the money we make every day to make sure that everything we sold was paid for. (There are kids in the neighborhood who apparently don't know how to read signs which say, "For sale" even if the sign has a number with the Israeli currency symbol next to it.)

I started to notice that little by little money was missing. It was frustrating because I tried hard giving the benefit of the doubt, but after a certain amount, it's not easy. I decided to try something new, which even today (4-5 years later) got rid of the frustration.

I remembered learning a gemara in Mesechta Brachos saying that Hashem performs miracles when they aren't revealed. When I was always calculating the money, I didn't leave any room for Hashem to miraculously slip in a couple hundred shekels :) What I do now is: any money made on that day is thrown into a bucket and on Rosh Chodesh, I calculate everything made that month. That way I don't get frustrated when I see money missing and I also leave room for Hashem to work His ways.

In this week's parasha, Hashem asked Moshe to count Bnei Yisroel (again). Obviously Hashem knows the population of Am Yisrael, so what's the reason for this census? Generally, anything (or anyone) important is counted or noticed by the owner. [In Mesechta Baba Matziah, it says that a person is always putting his hand on his wallet because he wants to make sure it's secured.] In this case, Hashem shows His love for us by counting us and by making us feel important to Him.

Hashem instructed Moshe in how to count Bnei Yisroel: by collecting a half a shekel from them and adding up the shekels to calculate the amount of people. The Torah says, "Thus there will be no plague among them when you count them." Rashi comments: Things that are counted are subject to the evil eye and as a result, a plague befalls them, like the one which occurred in the days of David. (King David told his general, Yoav, to count Bnei Yisroel, and as a result, a plague ensued killing many of the nation. [1])

When Hashem looks deep into our actions, He also judges us more intensely. That's what's referred to by the evil eye. Additionally, when a group is counted, so instead of looking at the group as one big group, they are also looked upon individually. Similar to the concept of davening with a minyan. When someone davens by themselves, each tefilla is deeply looked into; whether we prayed with the proper kavanas, or pronunciations, etc... However, when davening in a minyan of ten men, the tefillos are accepted automatically (that doesn't necessarily mean they will be answered.)

The Be'er Yitzchak explains that the plague didn't befall Bnei Yisroel because they were counted, rather it was because if they deserved to be punished, then counting them might prevent any merits which might otherwise have saved them.

I think an explanation for the Be'er Yitzchak is the gemara in Brachos; Hashem would be less hesitant to preform hidden miracles as opposed to an open miracle. So by counting Bnei Yisroel - it might take away the opportunity of giving them merit.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Shmuel I