by: Chanie Gourarie

There once was a puzzle piece with a beautiful design,
He lived in a box with many other pieces so fine,
The puzzle belonged to a girl of three,
She loved her puzzle dearly.

The pieces the girl would often count,
To make sure she had the right amount,
The little puzzle piece didn’t want to be counted with all the rest,
It said, “I’m an individual, I want to shine and be the best.”

The girl said to the puzzle piece,
“When you are counted with the rest your value does increase,
Yes, you have much talent and a magnificent design,
But when the puzzle is complete that is when you really shine.”

In Parshat Bamidbar, Hashem gives a command,
The Jews should be counted, their total would be grand,
Since Hashem knows everything,
What is the point of this counting?

Hashem wanted the Jews to be counted for our sake,
There is a point that Hashem wants to make,
When things are counted together with care,
A common denominator they must share.

Our common denominator is that we all have a Neshama flame,
From the soul perspective, we are all the same,
On the outside we are different from each other,
But in the inside we are all part of one another.

Each individual person is necessary for sure,
When connected together we can accomplish so much more,
To create a beautiful puzzle is our goal,
Every Jew is an important part of the whole.

My personality I don’t need to ignore,
By being counted my individuality is enhanced even more,
I am not just a number, on the contrary,
I am part of Hashem’s family.