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Why does the Torah (תורה) count only Jews over age 20, not those from bar mitzvah (מצוה) at 13? The Ramban (רמב"ן) teaches that 20 marks communal responsibility—willingness to give one's life for the community. The shiur explains the seven-year transition: mesirus nefesh for siblings is the training ground for communal devotion, learned from Shimon and Levi's defense of Dina.
Rabbi Zweig explores a striking phenomenon from Parshas Ki Sisa: when counting the Jewish people through the machatzis hashekel, only those over age 20 are included. This is shocking—children become obligated in mitzvos at age 13, yet they don't "count" as part of the Jewish people for another seven years. Even secular censuses count babies, yet the Torah (תורה) excludes those who are already responsible for mitzvos. The Ramban (רמב"ן) in Parshas Bamidbar explains that communal responsibility begins at age 20. The definition of the Jewish people is not simply the number of individuals, but the number of those obligated to give their lives for the community. The critical mass that defines a community is how many people are willing and obligated to put their lives on the line for klal Yisrael. This is fundamentally different from secular definitions of community.
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Parshas Ki Sisa (machatzis hashekel), Parshas Vayishlach (Shimon and Levi), Pirkei Avos 5
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