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1:1 Vayedaber HASHEM el-Moshe bemidbar Sinai be'Ohel Mo'ed be'echad lachodesh hasheni bashanah hashenit letzetam me'eretz Mitzrayim lemor

And HASHEM spoke to Moshe in the Sinai wilderness, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first [day] of the second month, in the second year of their exodus from the land of Egypt, saying,

2 Se'u et-rosh kol-adat benei-Yisra'el lemishpechotam leveit avotam bemispar shemot kol-zachar legulgelotam.

Take a head count of the entire congregation of the Children of Yisrael according to their families to the house of their fathers counting the names of all males individually.

The very first counting of the Children of Israel took place when we descended to Egypt. Together with Yaakov Avinu, we numbered seventy souls. The next census was done two hundred and ten years later, when we left Egypt. A mere three months later there was another census after the sin of the golden calf. Less than a year later, the census was taken again on the first of Nissan. Surprisingly there was another census taken one month later, on the first of Iyar. Thus, in the space of less than two years, the census was taken four times. Why? What does this signify?

Rashi explains: "In the Sinai Dessert... on the first [day] of the second month, etc." Because of His love for them, [because they (the Israelites) are precious before Hashem], He counts them all the time; when they went out of Egypt He counted them (Shemos 12:37), and when they fell because of [the sin of] the 'golden calf' He counted them to know the number of those who remained, when He came to cause His presence to rest upon them He counted them - on the first day of Nissan [when] the Mishkan was set up, and on the first day of Iyar He counted them [again].

The above cited comment from Rashi underscores the essential concept of the census taking as we learned in the past- the great importance of each individual in the eyes of Hashem. Rashi explains that not only does the counting signify the importance of each individual, but it also is [one of] Hashem's ways of demonstrating His love for His people.

In the Tanya the Alter Rebbe teaches us to meditate on Hashem's love for us. By meditating on how every moment of life, every breath and every cell of our being is a Divine gift- our love for Hashem is naturally aroused as well. Taking this a step further realizing that Hashem loves us also strengthens our faith and trust in Him, and thus also further enables us to love another.

Have a wonderful Shabbos b'ahavah ubivracha
Sholom