Counting causing Magefa

The Pasuk states "Zeh Yitnu... Veloh Yeheyeh bahem negef Bi'kod osam". For those of us who have a hard time relating to the concept of ayin harah in the torah shebichsav we have to have a pshat. I was bothered by this for a long time, we obviousely find it by king David where his counting caused a negef. We see that by Shaul he had to be poked b'telaim (vayifkidem bitlaim). The gemara in the beginning of Maseches yoma seems to take it for granted.

I wanted to offer a pshat which might also explain, at least partially, to concept of ayin hara. Bnei Yisrael are on a different plane. The reason for us saying on leil pesach that if God had not freed us we would still be in Mitzraim is a very large part of everything we do and how we live as Jews. We really should not be here in this world and only have a zchus kiyum because we have a very specific job to do on this world as Jews. If we don't or wont do our jobs we should not be alive. This is why so much of the Torah is considered as "Zecher liyitziyas mitzraim" since we were freed to be gods representatives in this world.

As representatives we must act according to gods decrees. One of the main drivers for us as a nation is to act as one nation that is why we had to be "Ki'ish echad b'elev achad " for kabalat hatorah. We are one soul united at the root. We live here as individuals but must perform in concert. As a nation we are indestructible but as individuals we don't even have a basic right to exist.

When one counts a group, what is happening is that the counter is taking a group and giving each member of the group an individuality. Yisrael has no right of existence as individuals and that is symbolized by the magefa which wipes out the individuals. In order to count without a magefa we show that although we are counting we are only counting so that the individuals can come together to compliment the whole through Tzedaka, in this case, or in the case of Shaul through sheep which symbolize korbanot. That is why we give half not more or less because that would be too much of an individual undertaking. The rich CANNOT give more and vice versa the poor cannot give less for that would shake the foundation of what we are trying to accomplish by working together and not standing out.

Ayin hara is caused when one stands out of the klal for then he becomes an individual, our job is to work together in concert and work towards being one group ke'ish echad belev echad for real with no division

Avodah Zara and Purim

Rov bonov - koach holada and rov ushro these are what gives him power in olam hazeh-- kol zeh eino shaveh li because kidush hashem is mevatel koach of avodah zara in the world. That is why bais haman was given to mordechai because he usurped the koach of amalek in this world and took it back. Yad al kes kah- gods koach (kaviyachol) in this world is weakened by amalek for they by force of avodah zara take over olam hazeh and our job is to restore gods power in olam hazeh through kidush hashem. Vodah zara by the way is the opposite of what the neviim say she'hem medamim tsurah liyotzra, they are midameh yotzra lletsura and take gods power over and serve man by CHOOSING their god that is giving the ultimate power to man. Haman was the source of power of Achasveirosh in that his avodah zaragave him the ability to be molech be'kipa.

The two previous kings thatwere molech bekipa also recognized that the secret to their power was to keep god out of the world through avodah zara, nimrod was molech bekipa and was only ultimately taken down by avraham making a public kidush hashem not subjugating himself to Nimrod and was thrown into kivshan ha'esh, the next was nevuchadnetzar who also was molech bekipa and was uaurped by Chanania Mishoel and Azaria throught he same process as Avraham. That is why the Rambam in H Melachim brings them down as the ultimmate mikadshei shem shamayim. Next was Achashverosh/Haman alliance which was brought down in the same fashion by Mordechai.  That is why they hanged the dead sons of Haman just like the oppisite is true that one cannot hang a regular person for he is a tselem elokim and as it says "killelas elokim talui" for that is an essential chilul hashem because man represents god in this world. However the man that represents the opposite of god in this world - amalek- the essense of avodah zara gets hanged which is the biggest kidush hashem.

Interestingly both nevuchadnetzar and nimrod were brought down in bika'as Dura. Nimrod tried to build the Migdal Bavel (ve'nash lanu shem) to overthrow god's rule by triumphing the power of humanity and so too was the story of Chaninia mishael and azaria.

Eish Min Hashamaim

The Gemara in Yoma 53A states that Bnei Aharon were killed because they were Moreh Halacha Bifnei Raban. That they did not wait for Moshe rabeinu to Pasken but they did so themselves. The Gemara says that the halacha they taught was that "Even though a fire comes down from heaven, it is still a Mitzvah to bring fire for the Ma'aracha from the (Hedyot)corporeal".

I would like to suggest that there was a parallel here and a Mida Kineged Mida. The Bnei Aharon felt that although you brought fire from the Hedyot the real work was being done by the fire from above, this led them to also believe that although we are commanded to learn and be mechadesh torah on our own the real torah is from the Rebbe given down from moshe rabenu. Therefore they felt that being moreh hora'ah befnei raban is not such a sin because it is not having any real effect however they were shown the truth by a fire coming down from heaven and killing them that although the real work is done from heaven there is still a responsibility on earth and that is a real responsibility and because they didn't recognize that they were killed by a fire from heaven