Census Forbidden? – 2 Samuel 24:1

Question

Hello,

Where does God forbid the taking of a census, without his approval?

 

Thanks in advance,

David

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    There is no direct command. It is inferred from the command to count with the half-shekel in Parshat Ki Tisa.

    The commentaries grapple with the idea of King David making such a mistake and why it was wrong. I heard a fascinating idea in the name of Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman, one of the great Torah leaders in America of the last generation. Rabbi Ruderman cites Rabbeinu Bachya, a leading 14th century commentator, who states that the danger we face in taking a census is that we are turning a cohesive group into a gathering of individuals, rather than one unit. As a group, the weaknesses of the individual members are overshadowed by the strengths of the others. However, when people are viewed as individuals, they lose the benefits they received from the strengths of the other members of the group. When King David counted the people for no reason, he was singling them out as individuals. Those who deserved to be punished for their sins were no longer protected by the group and were killed in the plague. When viewed as individuals, they were unable to stand alone on their own merits.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team