The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year of their exodus from the land of Egypt, saying:

Take a census of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names. This is not merely a technical count, as it will include both the names of those counted as well as the group to which they belong. Since this is a military census, it will not encompass the entire people, but only every male, by their head count. The census will be performed in their presence, so that their heads can be counted. 1

From twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service in Israel: You shall count them according to their hosts, you and Aaron.

With you shall be a man for each tribe. One man shall be appointed over every tribe of Israel, and each man is the head of his patrilineal house, the leader of that tribe.

These are the names of the men who shall stand with you to administer the counting of their tribes. From the continuation below, it is evident that these men served as heads of their tribes with regard to other matters as well (7:10–84). For Reuben, Elitzur son of Shede’ur.

For Simeon, Shelumiel son of Tzurishadai.

For Judah, Nahshon son of Aminadav.

For Issachar, Netanel son of Tzuar.

For Zebulun, Eliav son of Helon. The six sons of Leah, in order of birth, have now all been mentioned.

Following the sons of Leah, the sons of Rachel are listed. For the sons of Joseph: for Ephraim, Elishama son of Amihud; for Manasseh, Gamliel son of Pedatzur.

For Benjamin, Avidan son of Gidoni.

Next are the tribes of the sons of the maidservants. For Dan, the firstborn of these maidservants, 2 Ahiezer son of Amishadai.

For Asher, Pagiel son of Okhran.

For Gad, Elyasaf son of De’uel.

For Naphtali, Ahira son of Einan.

These are the distinguished of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they are the heads of the thousands of Israel.

Moses and Aaron took these men, listed above, who were also designated by name by God, and selected by Him for their important role.

They assembled the entire congregation on the first of the second month, and they verified their lineages by their families, by their patrilineal house. They all provided proof of their ancestry. 3 The tribes were not merely formal units; they were also comprised of groups and subgroups: families and houses of fathers. The lists included only the Israelites, and not members of other nations who left Egypt with them. These foreigners apparently lived in a different section of the camp. The Israelites were counted according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, by their head count.

As the Lord had commanded Moses, he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Torah now lists the census of each tribe: These were the

Those counted, for the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.

For the children of Simeon, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, those counted, according to the number of names, by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

For the children of Gad, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

For the children of Judah, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand six hundred. As befitting Judah’s status as leader of the brothers, his tribe was exceptionally large.

For the children of Issachar, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

For the children of Zebulun, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

For the children of Joseph, for the children of Ephraim, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.

For the children of Manasseh, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

For the children of Benjamin, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

For the children of Dan, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

For the children of Asher, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.

For the children of Naphtali, their descendants, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service;

those counted, for the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

In summary, these are the counted that Moses, Aaron, and the princes of Israel counted; they were twelve men, one each for his patrilineal house.

These were all the counted of the children of Israel by their patrilineal house, from twenty years old and above, all those fit for military service in Israel.

All the counted were six hundred thousand three thousand five hundred and fifty.

But the Levites by the tribe of their fathers were not counted among them, as they were not part of the army, as the Torah explains below. 4

The Lord spoke to Moses, prior to the above census, 5 saying:

However, the tribe of Levi you shall not count, and you shall not take a census of them among the children of Israel. The members of the tribe of Levi will not serve in the army, and they will not conquer nor inherit any portion of the land.

You, appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels, and over everything that is associated with it. They shall bear the Tabernacle and all its vessels, and they shall minister to it. They shall function as a special unit for safeguarding the sacred items and serving in the Tabernacle. This role is already alluded to in Exodus 38:21, among other places. Likewise, the Levites’ inheritance of designated cities in Israel is previously mentioned in Leviticus 25:32. Around the Tabernacle they shall encamp. They shall not reside together with the other tribes, but in the center of the camp, surrounding and keeping in close proximity to the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

When the Tabernacle travels, the Levites shall dismantle it, and when the Tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall erect it; and the stranger, a non-Levite, who approaches the Tabernacle and the sacred vessels to care for them, shall be put to death, as this service must be performed by the Levites alone.

The children of Israel shall encamp, each man in his camp, and each man at his banner, according to their hosts. Every member of Israel shall encamp in his designated spot.

The Levites shall encamp around the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and there shall not be divine rage against the congregation of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall protect the integrity of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, to ensure that the Israelites do not touch the Tabernacle and perish.

The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did, with regard to the division into consolidated groups, the counting of the military census, and keeping their distance from the Tabernacle.

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Each man at his banner, with the insignias of their patrilineal house, the children of Israel shall encamp. Each tribe shall be represented by its own symbol. At a distance, around the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp.

Those who encamp at the front, to the east side of the camp, were the banner of the camp of Judah, according to their hosts; and the prince of the children of Judah is Nahshon son of Aminadav.

Its host and those counted were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

Those who encamp with it 6 were the tribe of Issachar; and the prince of the children of Issachar was Netanel son of Tzuar.

Its host and its count was fifty-four thousand four hundred.

Alongside them shall encamp the tribe of Zebulun; and the prince of the children of Zebulun was Eliav son of Helon.

Its host and its count was fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

The sum total of all the counted for the camp of Judah, which includes the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun, were one hundred thousand eighty thousand six thousand four hundred, according to their hosts; they shall travel first. Although these tribes were encamped to the east, when traveling they would always lead, regardless of the direction of the journey.

The banner of the camp of Reuben was to the south according to their hosts; and the prince of the children of Reuben was Elitzur son of Shede’ur.

Its host and its count was forty-six thousand five hundred.

Those who encamp with it were the tribe of Simeon; and the prince of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel son of Tzurishadai.

Its host and those counted were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

The tribe of Gad; and the prince of the children of Gad was Elyasaf son of Re’uel.

Its host and those counted were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

All the counted for the camp of Reuben were one hundred thousand fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts; and they shall travel second when departing the encampment, after the camp of the banner of Judah.

After the camp of Reuben has begun to travel, the Tent of Meeting, which constituted a distinct camp, called the camp of the Divine Presence by the Sages, 7 shall travel. And around it shall be the Levite camp, which shall travel in the midst of the camps; as they encamp so shall they travel, with every man in his designated place, according to their banners.

The banner of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts was to the west; and the prince of the children of Ephraim was Elishama son of Amihud.

Its host and those counted were forty thousand five hundred.

With it was the tribe of Manasseh; and the prince of the children of Manasseh was Gamliel son of Pedatzur.

Its host and those counted were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

The tribe of Benjamin; and the prince of the children of Benjamin was Avidan son of Gidoni.

Its host and those counted were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

All those counted for the camp of Ephraim were one hundred thousand eight thousand one hundred, according to their hosts; and they shall travel third. They journeyed either directly behind the Levites, or on their side, parallel to them.

The banner of the camp of Dan was to the north according to their hosts; and the prince of the children of Dan was Ahiezer son of Amishadai.

Its host and those counted were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

Those who encamp with it were the tribe of Asher; and the prince of the children of Asher was Pagiel son of Okhran.

Its host and those counted were forty-one thousand five hundred.

The tribe of Naphtali; and the prince of the children of Naphtali was Ahira son of Einan.

Its host and those counted were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

All those counted for the camp of Dan were one hundred thousand fifty-seven thousand six hundred; they shall travel last by their banners.

These are those who were counted of the children of Israel by their patrilineal house; all those counted of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand three thousand five hundred and fifty.

The Levites were not counted among the children of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. The unusual form for the words “were not counted” [ hotpakdu ] indicated that they did not count themselves, nor did others count them. 8

The children of Israel did according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they encamped according to their banners, and so they traveled, each man according to his families, by his patrilineal house.

These are the descendants of Aaron and Moses on the day that the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. Despite the mention of the descendants of Moses, only the descendants of Aaron are listed in the next verse. Moses’ descendants are only indirectly mentioned in verse 27, via the wording “the family of the Amramites,” as Amram had no sons other than Moses and Aaron, and this cannot be referring to Aaron’s descendants, who are listed before that verse. Nevertheless, their names are not specified. 9 The reason for this is that the descendants of Aaron alone were granted a special role. Although Aaron himself was secondary to his younger brother Moses, his sons served as priests. In contrast, Moses’ descendants were ordinary Levites like the rest of their tribe.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron: the firstborn, Nadav, and Avihu, Elazar, and Itamar.

These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he invested to serve as priests, at the time of the inauguration of the Tabernacle.

However, soon after they were anointed, Nadav and Avihu died before the Lord, when they presented strange fire before the Lord, as a result of which they were burned and died 10 in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Elazar and Itamar served as priests in the presence of Aaron, their father. In addition to Elazar and Itamar’s role as Levites, they were also appointed to serve as priests.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Bring the tribe of Levi near, and stand it before Aaron the priest, and they shall serve him. From this point onward, the Levites shall serve the priests and the Tabernacle.

They shall keep his, Aaron’s, commission, and the commission of the entire congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to perform the service of the Tabernacle. The Levites will become the guard of the Tabernacle and will encamp around it in close proximity. This is not a military guard; rather, they are responsible to tend to the needs of the priests and the Tabernacle.

They shall safeguard all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting, and the commission of the children of Israel, to perform the service of the Tabernacle.

You shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons as appointed assistants to the priests. They are entirely given to him from the children of Israel. The Levites, a relatively small tribe, are considered here as a gift from the Israelites to the priests to aid in the Tabernacle service. As stated elsewhere, the Israelites must also designate cities for the Levites and give them a tithe from their produce. 11

You shall count Aaron and his sons, and they shall observe their priesthood, to the exclusion of all others, who may not serve in their capacity; and the stranger who approaches shall be put to death.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

I have hereby taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn, first issue of the womb from the children of Israel, who previously performed the sacred service. The priests mentioned at Mount Sinai are in fact identified as the firstborns. 12 And the Levites shall be Mine.

For every firstborn is Mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified to Me every firstborn in Israel, from man to animal; they shall be Mine; I am the Lord. Upon the striking of all firstborns in Egypt, including both man and beast, both the firstborn Israelites and their animals became consecrated to God. Now the unique status of Jewish male firstborns, and their function and rights, passes to the Levites. 13

The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:

Count the children of Levi by their patrilineal house, by their families; every male from one month old and above you shall count them. Unlike the counting of the other tribes, which was similar to a military census, and therefore included only those aged twenty and upward, the counting of the Levites applied even to children as young as a month old, when their health is considered stable and they are classified as viable offspring. 14

Moses counted them according to the directive of the Lord, as he was commanded. Since this census included children and newborns, it was harder to perform than that of the rest of the people, where all those counted were adults who could appear in person. Therefore, the verse stresses that God assisted Moses in the count. 15

These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kehat, and Merari.

These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Livni and Shimi.

The sons of Kehat by their families: Amram, Yitzhar, Hebron, and Uziel.

The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their patrilineal house.

Following the listing of the names of the Levite families, the Torah details their numbers, the place of their encampment in relation to the Tabernacle, and their role in carrying the Tabernacle. For Gershon, the family of the Livnites, and the family of the Shimiites; these are the families of the Gershonites.

Those counted, of the descendants of Gershon, according to the number of all males from one month old and above; those counted were seven thousand five hundred.

The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the Tabernacle to the west.

The prince of the patrilineal house of the Gershonites was Elyasaf son of Lael.

The commission of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting was the responsibility for the curtains of dyed wool and linen, that was above the Tabernacle, and the Tent, the upper curtains of goats’ hair, its outer covering of rams’ skins and sealskins, and the screen of the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,

and the hangings of the courtyard, and the screen of the entrance of the courtyard that is near the Tabernacle, and near the altar surrounding, and its cords, which hold the screen of the courtyard as well. It is possible that stretched cords were also used to tie the coverings of the Tabernacle to the ground. Furthermore, the descendants of Gershon were responsible for all its work, which included handling all the textiles, skins, and ropes of the Tabernacle, in addition to their other tasks. 16

For Kehat, the family of the Amramites, the family of the Yitzharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzielites; these are the families of the Kehatites.

According to the number of all males, from one month old and above, eight thousand six hundred, keepers of the commission of the sacred. They were entrusted with the special task of carrying the sacred vessels, as detailed below.

The families of the sons of Kehat shall encamp on the side of the Tabernacle to the south.

The prince of the patrilineal house of the families of the Kehatites was Elitzafan son of Uziel.

Their commission that they must perform is to carry the ark, the table, the candelabrum, the altars, and the sacred vessels with which they would serve, and the screen, which divides the Holy of Holies from the Sanctuary, 17 and all the rest of its work. Alternatively, “the screen” refers to the screen of the courtyard, and “all its work” refers to its cords. 18

Serving above the princes of the three patrilineal houses of the tribe of Levi was a prince of the whole tribe, from the Kehatites: The prince of the princes of the Levites was Elazar son of Aaron the priest, and he was given the appointment over the keepers of the commission of the sacred. Aaron himself had a special role in the Tabernacle. He was not the prince of the Levites; rather, that task was entrusted to his firstborn son.

For Merari, the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.

Those counted, according to the number of all males, from one month old and above, were six thousand two hundred.

The prince of the patrilineal house of the families of Merari was Tzuriel son of Avihayil; they shall encamp on the side of the Tabernacle to the north.

The appointed commission of the sons of Merari was the responsibility for the beams of the Tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its accompanying instruments, and all its work,

and the pillars of the courtyard all around, their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.

The previous verses detailed the functions of the three patrilineal houses of the tribe of Levi: The descendants of Kehat, who were the most important, were in charge of the sacred vessels. The descendants of Gershon, the firstborn, dealt with the woven fabrics and the skins of the Tabernacle, while the descendants of Merari had the most physically taxing job, to carry all the heavy, solid components of the Tabernacle, including the beams, sockets, pegs, and the like. When the Israelites were encamped, these three patrilineal houses surrounded the Tabernacle on three sides, with Gershon to the west, Kehat to the south, and Merari to the north. On the remaining side, those encamped in front of the Tabernacle, where its entrance was located, to the east, in front of the Tent of Meeting: Moses, and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the commission of the Sanctuary, for the commission of the children of Israel; and the stranger who approaches shall be put to death. Although Moses was not a priest, due to his unique status he encamped alongside his brother.

All those counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted by the mandate of the Lord, by their families, all males from one month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.

The Lord said to Moses: Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from one month old and above, and take the number of their names. Corresponding to the counting of the Levites, you must conduct another census, that of the Israelite firstborns. Since this counting is also unrelated to military roles, but is rather to determine the number of firstborns, it too includes newborns.

You shall then take the Levites for Me, I am the Lord, in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel. The firstborns are thereby removed from the Tabernacle service and all ritual functions and are replaced by the Levites. The firstborns will retain only a minor element of sanctity, for which they require redemption, as will be explained below. And likewise, you shall take the animals of the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the animals of the children of Israel, which were consecrated to God. 19

Moses counted, as the Lord had commanded him, all firstborn among the children of Israel.

All the firstborn males according to the number of names, from one month old and above, by their count, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the animals of the Levites instead of their animals, those of the Israelites; and the Levites shall be Mine, as a special group dedicated to the Tabernacle, I am the Lord.

Each firstborn is removed from his function and replaced by one of the Levites. As the number of firstborns is not identical to the number of Levites, for the redemptions of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who remain beyond the Levites,

you shall take five shekels each by head, for every additional firstborn. In the sacred shekel you shall take; twenty gera is the shekel . 20

You shall give the silver to Aaron and to his sons; the redemptions of those among them who remain. This money shall serve to redeem those firstborns for whom there is no Levite to replace them.

Moses took the silver of the redemption from those who remain beyond the redemptions of the Levites.

From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the silver: One thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, in the sacred shekels. Five shekels were paid for each of the 273 remaining firstborns.

Moses gave the silver of the redemption to Aaron and to his sons, according to the directive of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Take the census of the sons of Kehat, and appoint them for their important task, from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their patrilineal house.

From thirty years old and above and until fifty years old, all those enlisted for duty, to perform labor in the Tent of Meeting.

This is the work of the sons of Kehat in the Tent of Meeting: the sacred sacraments [ kodesh hakodashim ]. Here, this expression does not bear its usual meaning of the Holy of Holies, which is the location behind the curtain in the Sanctuary where the ark was located but rather means the sacred sacraments.

The priests must prepare the vessels before the Kehatites may carry them. Aaron and his sons shall come when the camp travels, and they shall remove the curtain that screens, divides between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, and with it they shall cover the Ark of the Testimony. The curtain, which itself is part of the Sanctuary, shall serve as the first cover over the ark.

They shall then place upon it, the ark, above the curtain, a covering of the hide of a tah · which is stronger and more impermeable than the curtain, and they shall spread a third layer, a cloth entirely of sky-blue wool, a valuable woven material, over it, and they shall straighten and fasten its staves in preparation for its journey.

On the table for the showbread they shall spread a cloth of

They shall spread upon them another cloth of scarlet wool, and they shall cover it as well with a covering of the hide of a tah with which the table for the showbread shall be carried. ·

They shall take a cloth of sky-blue wool, and cover the candelabrum of the light, its lamps, its tongs, its fire-pans, and all its oil vessels with which they serve it.

They shall place it and all its vessels into a covering of the hide of a tah In contrast to the table for the showbread and the Ark of the Covenant, the candelabrum did not have staves inserted into rings. In order to carry it, the candelabrum must be placed inside a covering of a · taĥash hide, into which a pole is inserted, and the pole is carried by two Levites.

Upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of sky-blue wool, and cover it with a covering of the hide of a tah They shall insert the staves with which the altar is carried into the rings of the altar. ·

They shall take all the service vessels with which they serve in the Sanctuary, and they shall place them in a cloth of sky-blue wool, and cover them with a covering of the hide of a tah all · on the pole.

The chapter now moves from discussing the vessels that were placed inside the Tent of Meeting to those vessels located outside the Tent. They shall remove the ashes from the altar, and spread a cloth of purple wool over it.

They shall place upon it all its vessels with which they serve upon it: the fire-pans, which are spoon-like utensils, the forks, for handling the flesh of offerings, the shovels, for sweeping the ashes, and the basins, for collecting and sprinkling the blood. This was done for all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of the hide of a tah for carrying the altar. Despite its size, the altar was not heavy, as it was hollow. ·

Aaron and his sons shall conclude to cover the sacred, and all the sacred vessels, when the camp travels. And thereafter, the sons of Kehat shall come to bear. Only after the priests have prepared and covered the vessels for the journey are the sons of Kehat permitted to carry them, so that they shall not touch the sacred and die, as direct contact with the sacred vessels is permitted to the priests alone. These are the burden of the sons of Kehat in the Tent of Meeting.

The charge, the area of responsibility, 21 of Elazar son of Aaron the priest, who, as the oldest of Aaron’s remaining sons, has a special role, is the bearing of the illuminating oil, the fragrant incense, the meal offering of the daily offering, and the anointing oil. He did not necessarily bear these himself, but it was his job to ensure that they were carried. 22 As the prince of the princes of the Levites (3:32), he also had the charge of the entire Tabernacle, and of all that is in it, in the sacred, and in its vessels.

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Do not excise, or cause the death of the tribe of the families

But this do for them, and they will live, and will not die, upon their approach to [ et ] the Holy of Holies. Although “to” is usually signified by the Hebrew word el , a similar example where the word et means “to” can be found in I Samuel 9:18. Aaron and his sons alone shall come, and assign them, the Levites, each man to his work and to his burden. The Levites shall do nothing of their own accord. 23 All the vessels shall be covered by the priests and be ready for the journey when the Kehatites enter the Holy of Holies.

They shall not come to see while the sacred is covered, when the priests cover the sacred vessels. 24 And the reason is that if they gaze upon the holy to satisfy their curiosity, 25 they will die.

The Lord spoke to Moses saying:

Take the census of the sons of Gershon as well, in addition to Kehat, by their patrilineal house, by their families.

From thirty years old and above until fifty years old you shall count them, and appoint them to their task: Everyone enlisted to perform a duty, to perform work in the Tent of Meeting.

This is the work of the families of the Gershonites, to work when the people encamp. The service which the Levites performed in the Tabernacle once it was erected is not detailed here, but they were probably responsible for ongoing maintenance jobs and to aid the priests in such tasks as the Levites later performed in the Temple, e.g., reciting the songs that accompanied the offerings, slaughtering, flaying, and cleaning the animals. 1 And they were also responsible for bearing the burdens, when the Tabernacle traveled with the people in the wilderness.

The Torah lists the items that the Gershonites were to carry: They shall bear the sheet of the Tabernacle; and also the curtains of the Tent of Meeting, made of goats' hair; and its covering, of rams’ skins dyed red; and the covering of the taĥash that is upon it from above; and the screen for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting;

and the hangings of the courtyard; and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the courtyard, that is near the Tabernacle, and near the altar, all around; and their cords, for the hangings; and all the instruments of their work; and everything that shall be fashioned for them, and they shall serve.

According to the directive of Aaron and his sons shall be all the work of the sons of the Gershonites, for all their burden, and for all their work; you shall assign them all of their burden as a commission, in an organized fashion. 2

This is the work of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting; and their commission shall be in the hand of Itamar son of Aaron the priest, under his command. Itamar was the second surviving son of Aaron.

The sons of Merari, by their families, by their patrilineal house, you shall count them.

From thirty years old and above until fifty years old you shall count them, everyone that enlists for the duty, to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting.

Whereas the Gershonites' burden consisted chiefly of those parts of the Tabernacle made of woven fabrics or skins, the sons of Merari must bear the heavier objects: This is the commission of their burden for all their work in the Tent of Meeting: the beams of the Tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets;

and the pillars of the courtyard all around, their sockets, their pegs, and their cords, with all their instruments, and for all their work. By names you shall appoint the instruments of the commission of their burden. For reasons of efficiency, and so as not to delay the people’s departure on a journey due to the work of dismantling the Tabernacle, each member of the family of Merari must be familiar with his specific responsibility.

This is the work of the families of the sons of Merari, for all their work in the Tent of Meeting, which is also a responsibility placed in the hand of Itamar son of Aaron the priest.

After stating God’s command, the Torah relates its fulfillment in practice: Moses, and Aaron, and the princes of the congregation counted the sons of the Kehatites by their families, and by their patrilineal house.

The Kehatites were counted from thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who enlisted for duty, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

Those counted, by their families, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

These are the counted of the families of the Kehatites, all who worked in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the directive of the Lord at the hand of Moses.

The counted of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their patrilineal house,

from thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who enlisted for duty, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

Those counted, by their families, by their patrilineal house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty.

These are the counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who worked in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the directive of the Lord.

The counted of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their patrilineal house,

from thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who enlisted for duty, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

those counted by their families were three thousand two hundred. The number of adult males in the family of Merari was significantly larger than in the families of Kehat and Gershon. This might be the reason why they were chosen to carry the heavier burdens. 3

These are the counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the directive of the Lord at the hand of Moses.

The sum total of all the counted, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel counted of the Levites, by their families, and by their patrilineal house, was as follows:

They were counted from thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who came to perform the service of work and the service of bearing in the Tent of Meeting.

Those counted were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses, under his supervision, 4 each man to his work and to his burden. And these were the results of his count that was performed as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Command the children of Israel, and they shall send out from the camp every leper, one afflicted with tzara’at , commonly translated as leprosy, 5 and anyone with a discharge. This includes a man who emits a gonorrhea-like discharge from the member, and a woman who emits a discharge of blood from the uterus. 6 And you shall also send from the camp anyone impure by means of a corpse. The details of this type of impurity are discussed elsewhere (19:11–22).

Male and female, adults and minors alike, you shall send out, outside the camp you shall send them; and they shall not render impure their camp, in which I dwell in their midst.

The children of Israel did so, and sent them outside the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel: A man or woman, when they perform any sin of a person, committing a trespass, betraying the trust of another through theft, stealing, or cheating, he thereby also sins against the Lord. Aside from the fact that the transgressor betrays a person’s trust, he also does not take into consideration the fact that God is watching and is aware of his deed. And therefore, that person is guilty.

They shall confess their sin that they had committed; and he shall first make restitution in its principal, the sum stolen. 7 And he shall add its one-fifth to it in order to atone for his sin, and he shall give it to the one to whom he is guilty, the person from whom he took the money.

In a case where the transgressor seeks to make restitution only after the victim died, he must return the misappropriated property to the victim’s heirs. But if the man from whom the property was stolen has no redeeemer to make restitution to him, the restitution is returned to the Lord, and is given to the priest as one of the gifts of the priesthood in order to atone for the sinner’s transgression. The restitution is given to the priests besides the ram of atonement, which is a guilt offering also consumed by the priests, 8 with which he will further atone for it.

Every gift of all the sacred items of the children of Israel that they shall bring to the priest, shall be his, the priest’s. This includes all of the portions separated for the priests from various types of produce, as well as all of the different gifts which are given to the priests, as detailed in various places in the Torah. 9

The verse states another law concerning the consecrated items and the sacred portion separated from the produce and given to the priests: A man’s sacred items shall be his, the priest’s. 10 The sacred items become the priest’s property, and the former owners retain no rights in them. Nevertheless, the owner has the right to determine beforehand which priest will receive the portion separated from the produce, or which of the priestly watches in the Temple will receive the consecrated items. 11 Anything that a man gives the priest, shall be his, the priest’s.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: If any man’s wife shall go astray and commit a trespass of betrayal against him, the following ritual must be performed.

And the betrayal committed is that a man lay with her sexually. And it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded with the man and she was defiled by engaging in intercourse with him. And yet there is no witness who can testify against her, and she was not coerced.

In the absence of both witnesses and evidence, there are two possibilities: Either a spirit of jealousy overcame him, the husband, and he was jealous with regard to his wife, and she was indeed defiled, and therefore he was rightfully jealous, or a spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he was jealous with regard to his wife, and she was not defiled, and his jealousy was unjustified. It is possible that the husband’s suspicion merely stems from paranoia. Conversely, his allegation might be accurate.

The man shall bring his wife to the priest. And he shall bring her offering for her, one-tenth of an ephah, which is 2–4 L, of barley flour. He shall not pour oil upon it, and he shall not place frankincense upon it, for it is a meal offering

The priest shall bring her near, and cause her to stand before the Lord, in the Temple. 12 Alternatively, the verse means that the priest shall set the meal offering before the Lord. 13

The priest shall take sacred water from the basin in an earthenware vessel. Like other service vessels, the basin consecrates its contents. The priests regularly use the water in the basin to wash their hands and feet before performing the divine service. 14 And the priest shall take a small amount from the dirt that is on the floor of the Tabernacle, and he shall place it into the water.

The priest shall cause the woman to stand before the Lord, opposite the Tabernacle’s entrance, 15 and he shall expose the hair of the woman’s head, and he shall place on her palms the meal offering of remembrance, it is the meal offering of jealousy; and in the hand of the priest shall also be the imprecatory water of bitterness. Once the dust from the floor of the Tabernacle is placed in the sacred water, it becomes bitter and the source of a curse.

The priest shall administer an oath to her, and he shall say to the woman: If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to engage in an act of defilement while subject to your husband, be absolved of this imprecatory water of bitterness. The water itself is not poisonous, and if you have not sinned it will do you no harm. The priest first mentions the positive outcome in the case of her innocence. Since the woman’s guilt has not yet been confirmed, it is improper to begin by stating the outcome of her possible guilt. 16

But you, if you have gone astray while subject to your husband , 17 and if you were defiled, and a man has lain sexually with you, other than your husband… then the water of bitterness will cause your death, as detailed below. The verse leaves the consequences of the woman’s possible unfaithfulness unsaid.

The priest shall administer to the woman the oath of the curse, spelling out the consequences of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman: If you are guilty, may the Lord render you as a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord causes your thigh to shrivel and fall, and your belly to distend. The woman will become a symbol and archetype of a curse. 18

May this imprecatory water enter your intestines to cause a belly to distend, and a thigh to fall. The woman shall say: Amen, amen. The woman accepts the conditional curse with a double response, which serves to reinforce her acquiescence.

The priest shall write these curses in the scroll, and he shall dissolve them into the water of bitterness. The priest soaks the parchment on which the curses are written in the water, until the ink dissolves.

He shall give the woman to drink the imprecatory water of bitterness and the imprecatory water shall enter her for bitterness. Although there would appear to be insufficient bitterness in the water for its effect to be greatly felt, the indication that it causes a curse is the instant sensation of bitterness and the suffering involved in drinking it.

The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the meal offering before the Lord, and bring it near to the altar.

The priest shall take a handful from the meal offering, the amount held between the three middle fingers when they are bent over the palm, which is its memorial portion. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, and then he shall give the woman to drink the water.

He shall give her to drink the water, and it shall be, if she was defiled, and committed a trespass against her husband, the imprecatory water shall enter her for immediate bitterness, and her belly shall distend, and her thigh shall fall; and the woman shall become a curse among her people, possibly even dying as a result. 19

But if the woman was not defiled, and is untainted, she will be absolved from any suspicion through drinking the water. And furthermore, she will conceive offspring, as compensation for the frightening and demeaning process she endured.

This is the law of jealousy, when a woman goes astray while subject to her husband and becomes defiled,

or when a man is overcome with the spirit of jealousy and is jealous with regard to his wife and causes the woman to stand before the Lord, although she was not actually defiled. 20 In either case the priest shall perform for her this entire ritual. The husband must take this into account before he initiates the aforementioned process, considering all the possible ramifications of this course of action. Alternatively, the verse may be interpreted as follows: If a man will be overcome with the spirit of jealousy, and he will be jealous with regard to his wife, he shall cause her to stand before the Lord. 21

If the woman was affected by the water, her belly distended and her thigh fell, the man shall be clear from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man or a woman articulates and declares his intent unambiguously to vow a vow of a nazirite, to abstain from certain matters and to separate himself from the surrounding society for the sake of drawing close to the Lord, he shall abstain from the following matters:

He shall abstain from wine and intoxicating drink, a beverage of concentrated wine, produced from grapes. Vinegar of wine and vinegar of intoxicating drink he shall not drink; he shall not drink anything in which grapes were soaked, e.g., raisin wine; and grapes in any form, fresh or dried, he shall not eat.

All the days of his naziriteship, from anything that may be derived from the grapevine, from pits to skin , 23 he shall not eat. The nazirite may neither eat nor drink anything derived from the vine.

All the days of his vow of naziriteship, as long as the vow is in effect, a razor shall not pass on his head. He may not shave his hair. Until completion of the days that he shall abstain for the Lord, he shall be holy; the hair of his head shall be grown out.

All the days of his abstinence to the Lord, he shall not approach a corpse. He may not come into contact with a dead body under any circumstances.

Even to his father and to his mother, to his brother and to his sister, he shall not become impure for them upon their death. Similarly, the priests are also prohibited to approach a corpse. 24 However, the common priests may become impure upon the death of a close relative, whereas a nazirite may not become impure even in the case of a close relative, since the crown of his God is upon his head. The nazirite’s long hair is a tangible symbol of his naziriteship and his unique closeness to God.

All the days of his naziriteship he is holy to the Lord. This is evident in the nazirite’s deviation from social norms: in the restrictions upon his eating and drinking habits, in his long hair, and in his caution not to approach the dead.

Even if the nazirite tries to avoid all contact with the dead, an unforeseen event might occur. If a corpse dies near him with unexpected suddenness, while he is under the same roof, the corpse renders him impure, and thereby renders the head of his naziriteship, the crown of his long hair, impure; that is, his naziriteship is compromised. 25 The impurity imparted by a corpse lasts for seven days. Therefore, he shall shave his head on the day of his purification; on the seventh day shall he shave it.

And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

The priest shall prepare one of the birds as a sin offering, and the other one as a burnt offering, and the priest shall atone for him, for that which he sinned with regard to the corpse. Even if the nazirite became impure due to circumstances beyond his control, his naziriteship is compromised and he requires atonement. And he shall sanctify his head on that day, the eighth day, when his hair shall again be consecrated with the sanctity of naziriteship.

He shall dedicate to the Lord the days of his naziriteship, commencing his period of naziriteship anew, and in addition he shall bring a sheep in its first year as a guilt offering to complete his atonement. And the first days of his naziriteship shall be void. The days prior to his impurity do not count toward the fulfillment of his vow, as his naziriteship is impure.

The previous verses presented the laws that pertain to a nazirite who became impure due to circumstances beyond his control, and who was unable to complete his naziriteship: He is required to shave; to bring a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a guilt offering; and to observe his period of naziriteship anew. The following verses detail the laws that apply when the nazirite successfully completes his period of naziriteship without mishap: And this is the law of the nazirite, on the day of the completion of the days of his naziriteship: He shall bring it, the set of offerings listed below, 26 to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Alternatively, the verse means that he shall bring himself to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 27

He shall present his offering to the Lord: one unblemished lamb in its first year as a burnt offering, one unblemished ewe in its first year as a sin offering, and one unblemished ram as a peace offering,

and he shall also bring a basket of unleavened bread, of two types: Loaves of high quality flour mixed with oil, and thin wafers of unleavened bread spread with oil. And with the animal offerings he shall bring their meal offering, and their libations. The meal offerings and libations that must be brought with a burnt offering or a peace offering are detailed elsewhere (15:1–16).

The priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall perform his sin offering, and his burnt offering.

The ram he shall make a peace offering to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened bread; and the priest shall perform its meal offering and its libation.

Once the rites of the offerings have been performed, the nazirite shall shave the head of his naziriteship at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. In contrast to the case of a nazirite who shaves because he became impure, when a nazirite completes his period of naziriteship his shaving symbolizes the conclusion of his naziriteship and his return to ordinary social life. And he shall take the hair of the head of his naziriteship, after he has shaved it, and he shall place it on the fire that is beneath the peace offering. The same fire is used to cook the peace offering and to burn the shaved-off hairs. This may indicate that the hairs are sacred to a certain extent, and therefore they may not be used for any other purpose. The Mishna lists the hair of the nazirite among those items from which deriving benefit is prohibited. 28

The priest shall take the cooked foreleg of the ram peace offering, and one loaf of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he shall place all three of them on the palms of the nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his naziriteship. The palms of the nazirite are waved together with the offerings. This alludes to the fact that the status of the nazirite himself is similar to that of an offering.

The priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. It, the foreleg of the ram, is sacred for the priest. It is given to the priest as one of the gifts of the priesthood together with the breast of waving and with the haunch of lifting, which are given to the priests in the case of every peace offering. And then the nazirite may drink wine, as his naziriteship has concluded.

This is the law of the nazirite who vows his offering to the Lord for his naziriteship. The aforementioned offerings are required of every nazirite, besides that for which his means suffice. If the nazirite has the means to bring more offerings, and he vowed to do so, then in accordance with his vow that he vows, so shall he perform together with the fixed law of his naziriteship: the lamb, the ewe, the ram, and the unleavened bread, which are incumbent upon every nazirite.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: So shall you bless the children of Israel, say to them the following:

The Lord shall bless you, and keep you. Even when one receives a gift directly, he might have the misfortune to lose it. The blessing that the Lord will keep you, may be interpreted as a blessing of protection. Not only will the Lord bless the people, but he will also protect them from such misfortune, preserving the goodness which He bestowed upon them. 29

The Lord shall shine His countenance to you. He shall treat you with benevolence, and He shall be gracious to you. You will find favor in His eyes.

The Lord shall lift His countenance to you, giving you preferential status, and He shall grant you peace: wholeness, serenity, satisfaction, and completeness.

They shall place My name upon the children of Israel. The priests shall bless the people with these three verses, in each of which My name appears, and thereby they will place My name upon them. And I shall bless them. The priests serve merely as a conduit: By means of the priestly benediction, God’s bountiful goodness is transmitted to the Jewish people. Alternatively, the verse means that when the priests bless the people, God in turn blesses the priests themselves. 30

It was on the day that Moses concluded to erect the Tabernacle, that he anointed it with the anointing oil and thereby sanctified it, all its vessels and the altar and all its vessels; he anointed them and sanctified them.

The princes of Israel, the heads of their patrilineal houses, brought the offerings stated below. They were the princes of the tribes. The Torah previously described the establishment of a hierarchy of judges and officers who were appointed over the people. 32 Nevertheless, the tribal division remained the most significant division of the people into separate groups, each of which was represented by a prince. They were those who stood over those who were counted, those who assisted Moses in the census (1:4–15).

They brought their offering before the Lord, six covered wagons. Alternatively, the verse may mean decorated wagons. 33 Covered wagons were probably unusual in that period. Presumably, the princes built these wagons specifically for the Tabernacle, as it is unlikely that they brought them from Egypt. And the princes also brought twelve cattle to pull the wagons. A wagon was brought for each two princes. Each pair of princes contributed one wagon. This indicates that the princes coordinated their gifts. And an ox was brought for each one, totaling twelve oxen. And they brought them near before the Tabernacle.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Take these gifts from them, despite the fact that they did not appear in the original list of required items, 34 and they shall be to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting, to transport the different parts of the Tabernacle. And you shall give them, the wagons and cattle, to the Levites, dividing them among the Levites, each according to his work.

Moses took the wagons and the cattle, and gave them to the Levites.

Two of the wagons and four of the cattle, he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their work. The Gershonites primarily carried the coverings, fashioned from woven fabrics and animal skins. Although these items could be carried by hand, it was easier to transport the large number of items on wagons. The size of the wagons is not specified, but they were presumably quite large, as two were sufficient for the entire burden of the Gershonites.

Four of the wagons and eight of the cattle he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their work, in the hand of Itamar son of Aaron the priest. The sons of Merari bore the heavy beams and pillars of the Tabernacle, and therefore they required more wagons.

But he did not give to the sons of Kehat any wagons or cattle, because the sacred service, the burden of the sacred Tabernacle vessels, is upon them. The burden was borne by the Kehatites physically, and they were not permitted to place them upon animals or to use any other means of transportation. They shall bear the sacred vessels on the shoulder.

The princes brought the dedication of the altar on the day that it was anointed; and the princes themselves brought their unique offering before the altar . 35

The Lord said to Moses: One prince on each day shall present their offering for the dedication of the altar. God commanded that an identical ritual should be observed for the offerings of each of the princes. A separate day shall be devoted to the offerings of each of them, for the first twelve days following the inauguration of the altar, according each its appropriate place.

The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Judah.

His offering was comprised of the following: one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty silver shekels; one silver basin, thinner than the dish, 36 and of the weight of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel. The basins were used in the Tabernacle to hold liquids; they were the receptacles in which the blood of the offerings was collected and from which the blood was sprinkled upon the altar. Here, however, they do not yet serve their intended purpose. Rather, both of them, the dish and the basin, were full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering.

In addition, Nahshon brought one ladle of the weight of ten shekels of gold, full of incense. Although the ladle was smaller than the dish and basin, it contained incense, which was more expensive than flour. The offering or gift included both the vessels and their contents.

The previous verses listed the gifts made from inanimate materials and from vegetable matter. The gift also included the following animal offerings: one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one male goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: partaken of both by its owner and by the priests, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Aminadav.

On the second day presented his offering Netanel son of Tzuar, prince of Issachar. The prince of Issachar presented his offering immediately after the prince of Judah as Issachar is the second tribe in the camp of Judah (2:1–5).

He presented his offering, which was identical to that of Nahshon: One silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten shekels of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Netanel son of Tzuar.

The gifts of all the princes are listed, in accordance with the same standard formula as above: On the third day, prince of the children of Zebulun, Eliav son of Helon.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Eliav son of Helon.

On the fourth day, prince of the children of Reuben, Elitzur son of Shede’ur.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Elitzur son of Shede’ur.

On the fifth day, prince of the children of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Tzurishadai.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Tzurishadai.

On the sixth day, prince of the children of Gad, Elyasaf son of De’uel.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Elyasaf son of De’uel.

On the seventh day, prince of the children of Ephraim, Elishama son of Amihud.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama son of Amihud.

On the eighth day, prince of the children of Manasseh, Gamliel son of Pedatzur.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Gamliel son of Pedatzur.

On the ninth day, prince of the children of Benjamin, Avidan son of Gidoni.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Avidan son of Gidoni.

On the tenth day, prince of the children of Dan, Ahiezer son of Amishadai.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Amishadai.

On the eleventh day, prince of the children of Asher, Pagiel son of Okhran.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Okhran.

On the twelfth day, prince of the children of Naphtali, Ahira son of Einan.

His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering;

one ladle of ten of gold, full of incense;

one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering;

one goat as a sin offering;

and for the peace offering: two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira son of Einan.

The chapter sums up the total number of offerings presented: This was the dedication of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, the gift from the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins, twelve golden ladles.

The Torah reiterates the particulars of these gifts: One hundred and thirty shekels was the weight of each silver dish and seventy shekels was the weight of each basin. All the silver of the vessels donated by the princes was two thousand and four hundred, in the sacred shekel.

The list continues: Twelve golden ladles, full of incense, ten shekels was the weight of each ladle, in the sacred shekel; all the gold of the ladles was one hundred and twenty shekels, not including the incense.

All the cattle for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve sheep in their first year. And these were accompanied by their meal offering, as all burnt offerings must be. And twelve goats were brought, each of them as a sin offering.

All the cattle of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty sheep in their first year. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed. These celebratory offerings were brought as part of the dedication ceremony.

These gifts were presented after the Tabernacle was anointed and the Divine Presence was revealed there. Yet the Divine Presence did not reside in the Tabernacle merely temporarily. When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the ark cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubs. And in this manner He, God, spoke to him. This concluding verse serves as an explanation for all the aforementioned gifts and donations: The Tabernacle is no mere construction. It is the tent in which God meets with Moses. It is the place where God communicates with His world, through a direct encounter that occurs when Moses approaches the Ark of the Covenant.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to Aaron, and say to him: When you kindle the lamps, the seven lamps shall illuminate toward the front of the candelabrum, the middle branch, which forms the body of the candelabrum. The branches of the candelabrum culminated with lamps, which were vessels that held the oil and wicks with a spout that could be turned in any direction. Aaron was commanded to ensure that these spouts would face the middle branch of the candelabrum. 3 Alternatively, some commentaries explain that this verse means that the spouts should face the area in front of the candelabrum, 4 either the curtain separating the Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies or the table for the showbread. 5

Aaron did so; toward the front of the candelabrum he kindled its lamps, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

This is the craftsmanship of the candelabrum: Hammered gold; from its base to its decorative flowers on its branches, it is hammered; the entire candelabrum was sculpted from one piece of gold, without welding or otherwise attaching other pieces. Like the vision that the Lord showed Moses, so he crafted the candelabrum. From the descriptions in the Torah, it is difficult to fully understand what the candelabrum was supposed to look like, including the shape and number of its decorative knobs and flowers. Consequently, God showed Moses an image of the candelabrum on Mount Sinai, and then Moses was able to instruct the artisans as to its construction.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and purify them.

So shall you do to them, to purify them: Sprinkle upon them purification water from a red heifer (see 19:1–13), and they shall pass a razor over all their flesh, shaving off all the hair on their heads, beards and bodies, and they shall wash their clothes and become pure by immersing in a ritual bath.

They, the Levites, shall take a young bull as a burnt offering, and its meal offering, made from high-quality flour mixed with oil; and a second young bull you, Moses, shall take as a sin offering as part of their purification process.

You shall bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and

You shall bring the Levites before the Lord; and the representatives of the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites. The representatives may have been the Sanhedrin or the firstborn, who were replaced by the Levites. 6 The laying of the hands in this ceremony was parallel to the rite of one who brings an offering, who must lay his hands upon the head of the offering he brings. By this act, the Levites were designated as a sort of offering, consecrated by the nation to work in the Tabernacle instead of the firstborn and to act as representatives of the entire nation. 7

Aaron shall wave the Levites as a wave offering before the Lord from the children of Israel, and they shall be designated to perform the service of the Lord. Similar to an offering, the Levites were bestowed with a special status, for which they had to undergo preparatory rites parallel to those of an offering. Just as a priest waves parts of certain offerings, so Aaron was commanded to wave the Levites. This was a difficult procedure that required great physical strength.

The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the heads of the Levites, and the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the two bulls, which are the offerings actually sacrificed on the altar; and you shall perform the one as a sin offering, and the one as a burnt offering, to the Lord, to atone for the Levites.

You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons, and you, Moses, shall also wave them as a wave offering to the Lord as part of their rite of sanctification.

You shall separate the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine as My honor guard.

Thereafter the Levites shall come to serve the Tent of Meeting; you shall purify them, and wave them as a wave offering before they come to serve.

For they are given to Me from among the children of Israel. In place of the one that emerges first from each womb, the firstborn, of all the children of Israel, I have taken them for Myself.

For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, man and animal; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself, to serve Me.

I have then taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.

I have given the Levites, given to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to perform the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to atone for the children of Israel, and accordingly there shall not be a stroke against the children of Israel, when the children of Israel approach the Sanctuary. The regular watch of the Levites will ensure that the Israelites do not touch sanctified items improperly, and it will thereby protect the Israelites from harm. The Levites required training for their position to remain in the Tabernacle or Temple, to perform services there and to prevent those who were not fit from entering. It was difficult to demand this of the firstborn of every Israelite household, but possible to set aside one small tribe for this purpose. 8

Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites in accordance with everything that the Lord commanded Moses with regard to the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.

The Levites purified themselves, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron atoned for them to purify them and thereby elevate them so that they would be worthy of their task.

Thereafter the Levites came to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron, and before his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses with regard to the Levites, so they did to them.

The Torah continues the previous topic and concludes the section: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

This is with regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years

From fifty years old, he shall return from the duty of the work, and he shall work no more in physically demanding labor such as carrying the vessels.

He shall serve with his brethren in the Tent of Meeting, as an aid to the other Levites, to stand a watch over the Levites’ other tasks, but physical work he shall not perform. So shall you do with the Levites with regard to their watches . 9

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness of Sinai, during the second year, one full year since their exodus from the land of Egypt, in the first month, Nisan, saying:

The children of Israel shall offer the paschal lamb at its appointed time.

On the fourteenth day of that month, in the afternoon, from when the sun begins its descent in the western portion of the sky until it completely sets, 10 you shall offer it at its appointed time; in accordance with all its statutes and in accordance with all its ordinances, you shall offer it. There were commandments issued with regard to the paschal lamb offered in Egypt that applied only that year, such as the requirement to apply its blood to the lintel and side-posts instead of applying the blood to the altar. However, other commandments that were issued with regard to the paschal lamb in Egypt apply for all time. 11

Moses spoke to the children of Israel, to offer the paschal lamb.

They offered the paschal lamb during the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the afternoon, in the wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with everything that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

There were men in the camp who were impure by means of a corpse, and they were unable to offer the paschal lamb on that day, as one who is ritually impure is prohibited from entering the sacred areas or partaking of sacrificial food; and they approached Moses and Aaron on that day.

Those men said to him: We are impure by means of a corpse through no fault of our own; generally, one who becomes impure from a corpse has acted properly by attending to the burial needs of his relative. 12 Consequently, why shall we be deprived

Moses said to them: Stand, and I will hear what the Lord will command you. This is one of the cases where Moses tells individuals who have consulted with him to wait until God instructs him about how to act in their case. Moses speaks with God “face to face as a man speaks to his neighbor.” 13 He can therefore initiate dialogue with God in order to request instruction.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel, saying: When any man shall be impure by means of a corpse, or on a distant journey, far from the Tabernacle or Temple, for you or for your future generations, he shall offer the paschal lamb to the Lord.

During the second month, Iyar, on the fourteenth day in the afternoon, exactly one month after the first Pesaĥ , they shall offer it; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it, similar to the first Pesaĥ .

They shall not leave from it until the morning, and they shall not break a bone in it; in accordance with the entire statute of the paschal lamb they shall do it.

But the man who is pure, and was not on a journey, and who yet refrains from offering the paschal lamb, that person shall be excised from his people; because he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time, that man shall bear his sin.

If a stranger from another nation shall reside among you, and will offer the paschal lamb to the Lord: In accordance with the statute of the paschal lamb, and in accordance with its ordinance, so shall he do; there shall be one statute for you, for the stranger, and for the native of the land. The paschal lamb and the festival of Passover commemorate and celebrate the national experience of the exodus from Egypt. Since the convert is not a descendant of those who left Egypt, one might think that he is not included in these commandments. This verse teaches that converts are included, because these commandments do not pertain to an individual or familial experience or memory but to the national experience, and therefore all those who join the nation are included. 14

On the day that the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, to the Tent of the Testimony; the cloud covered only the tent itself, which housed the Tablets of the Testimony, but did not cover the courtyard. 16 And in the evening there would be upon the Tabernacle as the appearance of fire, until morning.

So it would be always: The cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire at night.

In accordance with the timing and direction of the ascent of the cloud from upon the Tent , 17 thereafter the children of Israel would travel, and in the place where the cloud would stop, there the children of Israel would encamp.

According to the directive of the Lord the children of Israel would travel, and according to the directive of the Lord they encamped: As all the days that the cloud would rest upon the Tabernacle they would encamp.

When the cloud lingered upon the Tabernacle many days, the children of Israel kept the commission of the Lord, and did not travel.

At times, the cloud would be several days upon the

At times the cloud would be in place only from evening until morning; the cloud would ascend in the morning, and they would travel; or the cloud would remain in place for a day and a night, and the cloud would ascend and they would travel. It is possible that at times the Israelites traveled at night. 18

Or two days, or one month, or one year, when the cloud lingered upon the Tabernacle, to rest upon it, the children of Israel would encamp, and would not travel; with its ascent, they would travel.

At the directive of the Lord they would camp, and at the directive of the Lord they would travel; the commission of the Lord they kept, according to the directive of the Lord as expressed through the movements of the cloud, at the hand of Moses, who explained to them the significance of the cloud’s movements and resting.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Craft for you two silver trumpets; hammered from one piece of silver, you shall craft them, rather than attaching together separate pieces of silver; they shall be for you for summoning the congregation, and for causing the camps to travel by notifying them that it is time to begin traveling.

They shall sound them, and the entire congregation shall assemble to you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

If they shall sound one trumpet, the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall assemble to you.

You shall sound an alarm, and this sound indicates that the camps that encamp to the east, the banner of the camp of Judah, shall travel.

You shall sound an alarm again, and the camps that encamp to the south shall travel; following that, the camps that encamp to the west shall travel; and finally, the camps that encamp to the north, which are the tribes of the banner of Dan, shall travel. They shall sound an alarm for their travels, with each series of blasts signaling to one of the sets of camps that it is time to travel. 19 However, according to the Ibn Ezra only the two alarms mentioned explicitly in the verses were blown. These were sounded for the tribes encamped to the east and to the south because the Tabernacle and its vessels traveled with those tribes.

When assembling the assembly, you shall sound a blast, but you shall not sound an alarm.

The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sound the trumpets; they shall be for you as an eternal statute for your generations. The trumpets referred to in verse 2 above were to be used exclusively by Moses and his generation, based on the repetitive use of the expression “for you” there. 20 In contrast, the trumpets referred to here were to be used by the priests in future generations as well. Clearly, these trumpets were not meant to signal that the camp was to start traveling, rather they served other functions, as described below.

When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be delivered from your enemies. These trumpets were not military trumpets, but the trumpets used in the Temple. Consequently, the blasts are not part of a military procedure, but rather serve as a call to spiritual awakening, similar to a prayer to God.

The role of the trumpets in the Tabernacle and Temple is not limited to sounding an alarm in case of emergency. On the day of your rejoicing, at your appointed times, and on your New Moons, you shall sound the trumpets over your communal burnt offerings, and over your communal peace offerings; they shall be a remembrance for you before your God, I am the Lord your God.

It was during the second year, in the second month, Iyar, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud ascended from upon the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

The children of Israel traveled on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai; the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. Since the cloud moved forward, the Israelites followed it in the direction of the wilderness of Paran, in the Sinai Peninsula.

They traveled from the beginning according to the directive of the Lord, as expressed by the movement of the cloud, and at the hand of Moses via the blowing of the trumpets.

The banner of the camp of the sons of Judah traveled first according to their hosts; and over its host was Nahshon son of Aminadav.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Netanel son of Tzuar.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliav son of Helon. These three tribes, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, comprised the banner of the camp of Judah.

When the banner of the camp of Judah began traveling, the Tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, the bearers of the Tabernacle, traveled. The sons of Gershon carried primarily the textile portions of the Tabernacle, and the sons of Merari carried the beams and the other components of the structure of the Tabernacle.

The banner of the camp of Reuben traveled according to their hosts; and over its host was Elitzur son of Shede’ur.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel son of Tzurishadai.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Elyasaf son of De’uel. These three tribes, Reuben, Simeon and Gad, comprised the banner of the camp of Reuben.

After the Tabernacle had been dismantled and the banner of Reuben traveled, the Kehatites, bearers of the sacred vessels of the Sanctuary traveled; they, the sons of Gershon and Merari, 21 erected the Tabernacle before their arrival.

The banner of the camp of the children of Ephraim traveled according to their hosts; and over its host was Elishama son of Amihud.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamliel son of Pedatzur.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Avidan son of Gidoni. These three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin comprised the banner of the camp of Ephraim.

The banner of the camp of the children of Dan, the rear guard of all the camps, traveled following the banner of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts; and over its host was Ahiezer son of Amishadai.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel son of Okhran.

Over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira son of Einan.

These are the travels of the children of Israel according to their hosts; and they traveled.

Moses said to Hovav son of Re’uel the Midyanite, father-in-law of Moses: We are traveling to the place that the Lord said: I will give it to you; you should also come with us, and we will be good to you by giving you a portion of the land; as the Lord has spoken good about Israel. It is not clear whether Hovav or Re’uel is the second name of Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law. Hovav may have been Tzipora’s brother, who was the head of the family at that time; alternatively, it is possible that Hovav was Yitro and Re’uel was Tzipora’s grandfather. 22

He, Hovav, said to him: I will not go with you; rather, to my land, and to the land of my birth, I will go. You have hosted me honorably in your camp, but I have my own home to which I will return.

He, Moses, said: Please do not leave us; for since you know our encampment in the wilderness, you shall be for us as eyes. I am not inviting you just for your benefit but for ours as well. Hovav was a Midyanite, and although the Midyanites had permanent settlements, according to one assessment they were essentially nomads. Consequently, Hovav could assist the Jewish people in their journey through the wilderness. 23

It shall be, if you go with us, that good that the Lord shall grant us, we will be good to you. The Torah does not relate the conclusion of this story. It is possible that some members of Hovav’s family returned to their land, however, it is clear that some continued to journey with the Israelites. 24

They, the Israelites, traveled from the mountain of the Lord a journey of three days and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was traveling before them a journey of three days, to scout for them a resting place. Additionally, the Israelites did not need to determine which path would be the easiest to travel on foot as the ark traveled before them and led them on the best path.

The cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they traveled from the camp. The cloud covered the Israelite camp and shielded them during the daytime hours in the desert, and when they traveled it would move with them.

It was when the ark traveled at the beginning of a journey, Moses said: Arise Lord, and may Your enemies, the enemies of Israel, be dispersed and may those who hate You flee from before You. The Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets, represented God’s Divine Presence in the world, and therefore its movement from its place of resting served as a threat to the enemies of the children of Israel. 25

When it rested, he said: Repose O Lord , 26 among the myriad thousands of Israel. Moses would pray that God would rest His Presence in the midst of the people. 27

The people were expressing their distress, as do mourners; the verse does not specify what they were complaining about, but it was evil in the ears of the Lord. The Lord heard it, His wrath was enflamed over their complaints, and the fire of the Lord burned in their midst, and consumed the edge of the camp.

The people cried out to Moses about the supernatural fire consuming the camp; Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire subsided.

He called the name of that place at the edge of the camp 28 Tavera, because the fire of the Lord burned [ba’ara] in their midst.

In continuation of the nation’s complaining, the verse relates: The mob that was in their midst expressed a craving; this mob was comprised of slaves from other nations who were unhappy in Egypt and joined the exodus of the children of Israel, but never became an organic part of the nation. 29 Their talk of food aroused a desire and even a feeling of need. 30 And the children of Israel, who did not initiate this complaint, were nonetheless influenced by the mob, and they responded and wept as well and said: Who will feed us meat? The primary sustenance for the children of Israel in the wilderness was the manna. Although some had sheep, they refrained from slaughtering them for food due to the difficulty in raising sheep in the wilderness and replacing the ones that had been slaughtered.

The children of Israel did not suffice with desiring meat; they aroused nostalgic feelings about their lives in Egypt, ignoring the subjugation and suffering they experienced there. We remember the fish that we would eat in Egypt for free; presumably they did not receive fish from Pharaoh but caught them on their own in the Nile and its tributaries. We also remember fondly the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic that we ate in Egypt. All of these foods stimulate the appetite, and the manna did not have a taste similar to any of these.

But now our soul is parched; there is nothing at all; nothing

The Torah now provides background detail that is not part of the complaint of the children of Israel: The manna that they complained about was like a round coriander seed in size and shape, and its appearance was like the appearance of bdellium; it was white, like bdellium, rather than brown like coriander. 31

The people roamed about, and gathered and ground it in a mill, or crushed it in a mortar, or boiled it in a pot, and made it into cakes and its taste was like the taste of a cake moist with oil. The manna was not dry; its taste was similar to that of a food saturated with oil.

With the falling of the dew upon the camp at night, the manna fell upon it.

Moses heard the people weeping, according to their families, each man at the entrance of his tent. This was not a mass demonstration; rather people saw each other weeping, which spread, along with the sense of lacking and longing, throughout the nation. The wrath of the Lord was greatly enflamed and in the eyes of Moses it was bad that the nation was weeping.

Moses said to the Lord: Why have You mistreated Your servant and why have I not found favor in Your eyes, to place the burden of this entire people upon me? Am I so unfavorable in Your eyes that you have given me such a difficult job?

Did I conceive this entire people; did I give birth to it, that You should say to me: Carry it in your bosom, as a nurse carries the suckling babe to the land with regard to which You took an oath to its forefathers? Moses compares the people to dependent children, and asks God why he has been tasked with the responsibility to care for them. He feels that this task is beyond his natural abilities.

From where do I have meat to give to this entire people that they cry to me, saying: Give us meat, and we shall eat. Their request is unreasonable and I have no way to fulfill it.

I cannot bear this entire people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

If this is what You do to me, please kill me, if I have found favor in Your eyes and let me not see my wretchedness. I would prefer that you kill me so that I will not have to remain in this wretched state. 32

The Lord said to Moses: Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its officers; and you shall take them to the Tent of Meeting, and they will stand there with you. Take the men who are most prominent and respected, and who function as the leaders of the people.

I will descend and speak with you there, and I will draw from the spirit of prophecy that is upon you, as well as a portion of your spiritual character, and I will place it upon them; they shall bear with you the burden of the people, and you shall not bear it alone.

To the people you shall say: Prepare yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying: Who will feed us meat, as it is better for us in Egypt; and the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.

You shall have so much meat that you shall eat not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days.

Until a month of days, until it comes out of your nose and you regurgitate it, and it shall be loathsome for you; the Lord is angry with you because you despised the Lord who is in your midst, and you wept before Him, saying: Why is it that we left Egypt?

Moses said: More than six hundred thousand men on foot is the people that I am in their midst, and You said: I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month of days.

Will it be possible to gather enough flocks and cattle to be slain for them and it suffice for them? If all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them, will it suffice for them?

The Lord said to Moses: Shall the hand of the Lord be inadequate? Now you will see whether My statement will transpire for you or not.

Moses emerged from the Tent of Meeting 33 and spoke the words of the Lord to the people, informing them that they would receive meat the following day; he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and he had them stand around the Tent.

The Lord descended in the cloud, and spoke to him, and simultaneously drew from the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; it was, as the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but did not continue. These elders prophesied at that time but did not become regular prophets.

Two men remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the second was Meidad. According to the midrash, the elders of Israel were to be selected from a group of candidates comprised of six men from each tribe. Since there were a total of seventy-two candidates, two of them would not be selected. Eldad and Meidad decided not to go out to the Tent of Meeting so that the spirit of Moses would rest on the remaining seventy men. 34 Nonetheless, the spirit rested upon them and they were among those written on the list of potential candidates, 35 but they did not go out to the Tent and they prophesied in the camp.

The young man ran and told Moses, and he said: Eldad and Meidad are prophesying in the camp; they remained in the camp, and nonetheless they are prophesying.

Joshua son of Nun, servant of Moses who had been devoted to Moses from his youth , 36 spoke up and said: My lord Moses, incarcerate them for prophesying without authorization. Alternatively, some commentaries interpret the first part of the verse as stating that Joshua was one of Moses’ finest attendants. 37

Moses said to him: Are you zealous on my behalf? Are you angry that prophecy has been granted to others? On the contrary, would that all the people of the Lord be prophets, that the Lord would place His spirit upon them. Ideally, the whole nation should be close to God to the point that they experience prophecy.

Moses returned from the Tent of Meeting to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

A wind went from the Lord, and displaced a group of quails from their larger group that was flying over the sea, and dispersed them over the camp. This flock of birds was so enormous that it extended from the camp approximately a day’s journey here, in one direction, and approximately a day’s journey there, around the camp, and there were so many birds that they were piled to a height of approximately two cubits above the face of the earth.

The people arose all that day, all the night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail with gluttonous appetite, having become disgusted with eating the same food every day; he who did the least, gathered ten piles, while those who were more gluttonous or more efficient undoubtedly gathered more; and they spread them around the camp. There were too many quails to store them in vessels, so they left them to dry around the camp.

The meat was still between their teeth, it was not yet entirely finished, and the wrath of the Lord was enflamed against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great blow.

He called the name of that place Kivrot Hataava, because there they buried [ kaveru ] the people that lusted [ hamitavim ].

From Kivrot Hataava the people traveled to Hatzerot, where they presumably build enclosures [ ĥatzerot ] as temporary living quarters; and they were in Hatzerot.

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, at Miriam’s initiative, with regard to the Kushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Kushite woman, Tzipora the Midyanite. 38 It is possible that the Midyanites, who were nomads, mixed with other peoples. 39 It is also possible that Tzipora was called Kushite because the Kushites were known for their black skin and Tzipora’s skin was darker than usual among the Israelites, whose skin color was a light brown. 40 Although she was Moses’ wife, Moses had separated from her and refrained from marital relations in order to commune with God in the Tabernacle. 41

They said: Was it only with Moses that the Lord spoke; didn’t he speak with us as well? Since we are also prophets, we do not see what right Moses has to act in this way with regard to his wife. Moses married Tzipora, her father later brought her to the Israelite camp from Midyan, and yet Moses is ignoring her. This was a private conversation between Miriam and Aaron, but the Lord heard . 42

The fact that Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses in third person indicates that they were not directly addressing Moses. However, it is possible that they would not have minded if he had heard about their conversation, and perhaps they even intended for him to hear about it, thereby sending him an indirect message. It is possible that Moses heard and did not respond. 43 However, the verse testifies that even if Moses had been present when this conversation was taking place he would not have responded or have been insulted due to his great humility: And the man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth. Moses did not demand special status or extra rights; he saw himself simply as a servant and messenger of God who was transmitting His word and His Torah. 44

The Lord said suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam: Go out the three of you, together, to the Tent of Meeting. The three of them went out.

The Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam and both of them came out from the Tent and moved closer to the cloud.

He said: Hear now My words: Even if your prophet is truly a prophet of the Lord, as you are, I will nonetheless reveal Myself to him indirectly, in a vision that must be deciphered, or in a dream I will speak to him. Regular prophets do not hear My words while they are fully conscious, but rather while in a deep trance.

Not so My servant Moses, who is different from you and from all other prophets; in all My house he is the most trusted, so much so that I speak with him on a regular basis.

Mouth to mouth I will speak with him, in a direct manner, unlike the visions of other prophets from which they deduce the presence of God; and a clear vision that is not in riddles that require interpretation; and the image of the Lord he will behold. That being the case, why did you not fear to speak against My servant, against Moses? How do you dare to equate yourselves to Moses and to criticize his conduct?

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against them and He departed.

The cloud, representing God’s revelation, withdrew from upon the Tent, and behold, Miriam was leprous like snow, which was an expression of God’s anger. Aaron turned to Miriam; and behold, he discovered that she was leprous. Moses was also present, or at least in close proximity, to this incident, but he was, at this point, uninvolved. God addressed Aaron and Miriam, and it was they who were chastised and punished. The Sages said that Aaron was also struck with leprosy but the verse does not mention this point in order to protect Aaron’s honor, as he was the High Priest and he was not the one who initiated the discussion about Moses. 45

Aaron said to Moses: Please my lord, do not place sin upon us, as we have been foolish, and we have sinned by saying things that we should not have said. Aaron, Moses’ older brother, had already been following Moses’ directives before this incident, and had served as his assistant, but he had viewed himself as comparable to Moses. Now, after hearing God’s rebuke, Aaron can only speak to Moses with absolute subservience. Their brotherly relationship and working relationship are no longer relevant, and Aaron turns to his brother with his supplication.

Please, let her not be as a corpse, who when he emerges from his mother’s womb, half his flesh was consumed. Some interpret the verse as follows: Please, do not be as a corpse. According to this interpretation, Aaron is not requesting that Miriam should not be like a corpse, but is rather asking Moses not to be like a corpse. Since Miriam is his sister, and it is as though she is almost dead, it is as though part of Moses’ flesh is consumed as well. A similar example can be found in Genesis 37:27, where Judah states about Joseph: “as he is our brother, our flesh.” Consequently, Aaron says to Moses: Even if you do not want to act on our behalf, act for the benefit of your own flesh. 46

Moses cried out to the Lord, saying: God, please, heal her now.

The Lord said to Moses: If her father spit in her face and thereby humiliated her, wouldn’t she be ashamed to leave her house for seven days until the humiliation would subside? God afflicted Miriam with leprosy as a form of public disgrace, which is equivalent to spitting in her face. Consequently, she shall be quarantined outside the camp seven days as a leper, and then she shall be readmitted to the camp. Alternatively, the last phrase of this verse may be rendered: And then she shall be cured. 47

Miriam was quarantined outside the camp seven days, in accordance with the law of a leper; and the people did not travel until Miriam’s readmission, because despite her sin she was an eminent individual and deserved the honor of the nation waiting for her.

Then, when Miriam had recovered, the people traveled from Hatzerot, and encamped in a different location in the wilderness of Paran . 48

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Send you men that they may scout out the land of Canaan that I am giving to the children of Israel in order to become familiar with it; you shall send one man for every tribe, each as a representative for the tribe of his fathers, every one a prince among them. They must be leaders and men of stature, whose reports will be accepted and trusted by the members of their tribes. The men chosen were not the actual heads of the tribes, who are listed in the earlier census and at the festivities for the dedication of the altar (1:4–15, 7:12–78). It is possible that those tribal princes were too old for a mission of this nature. The men who were sent as scouts were prominent members of their tribes, but they were younger, probably at the peak of their strength. 1 One of the scouts, Caleb son of Yefuneh, will later state that he was forty years old at the time of this mission. 2

Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the directive of the Lord; all of them were personages; they were heads of the children of Israel.

These were their names: For the tribe of Reuben, they sent Shamua son of Zakur.

For the tribe of Simeon, Shafat son of Hori.

For the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Yefuneh.

For the tribe of Issachar, Yigal son of Joseph.

For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshe’a son of Nun.

For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Rafu.

For the tribe of Zebulun, Gadiel son of Sodi.

For the tribe of Joseph: For the tribe of Manasseh, Gadi son of Susi.

For the tribe of Dan, Amiel son of Gemali.

For the tribe of Asher, Setur son of Mikhael.

For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vofsi.

For the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Makhi.

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to scout the land. Moses called Hoshe’a son of Nun, Joshua. The name Hoshe’a means salvation. The addition of the letter yod is a reference to God. Hence, the name Joshua, like the related name Isaiah, means may God save.

Moses wanted to give the scouts a specifically defined mandate. The information they were asked to provide was strategic rather than tactical; for example, he did not ask them about particular fortifications or roads. Rather, Moses sent them to scout the land of Canaan, and he said to them: Ascend, enter the land from there in the South, and climb the highland.

You shall see the land, what it is like in general. And the people that lives in it, is it strong or is it weak? Are they few or many? How densely populated is the land?

What is the type of land in which it lives, with regard to its climate and fauna? Is it a good land or a bad one? What are the cities in which it lives? Is it in camps, unwalled settlements, or in cities that have walls as fortifications?

What is the nature of the land? Is it fat or lean? How fertile is its soil? Relatively speaking, which areas are more fertile and which ones less so? This information could also be relevant to understanding the locations of major population centers and the natures of the different possible travel routes. Are there trees in it, or not? Egypt does not have many natural trees, and some of those that have been growing there have been cut down. By contrast, at this time the entire central region of Canaan is thickly wooded. 3 In addition, Moses instructed them: You shall strengthen yourselves, and you shall take samples from the fruit of the land and bring them back to show your brethren. At this juncture, the verse notes parenthetically that these days were the days of the first grapes, which ripen in the late spring.

They ascended and scouted all the land, traversing the entire territory of Canaan from the wilderness of Tzin to Rehov, a place located at Levo Hamat in northern Syria.

They ascended in the South, and he came until Hebron. The second clause is stated in the singular despite the fact that the first clause is in the plural. It is possible that the scouts did not advance as a single unit for the entire trip, and therefore only one of them reached Hebron. According to the Sages, this was Caleb. 4 It is likely that the people had preserved the memory of Hebron as the city of the forefathers. And Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, children of the giant, were there. Parenthetically, the verse notes here that Hebron was built seven years before Tzo'an, a very important city of Egypt. Tzo'an was a well-known ancient city, and unlike other Egyptian cities, the time period of its establishment was also known. The verse therefore underscores the importance of the ancient city of Hebron by stating that it was founded even earlier than Tzo'an.

Toward the end of their journey back, 5 they came to the Eshkol Ravine, and cut from there a vine with one cluster

The verse notes: That place he, or they, called the Eshkol Ravine. It can be assumed that this valley was close to the wilderness, and therefore the scouts did not have to carry the grapes throughout the entire length of Canaan. Some commentaries suggest that the Eshkol Ravine should be identified with one of the streambeds planted with many vineyards found to the north of Hebron. The valley became commonly known as the Eshkol Ravine because of the cluster [ eshkol ] of grapes that the children of Israel cut from there.

Since their mission was limited to gaining a general impression and their mandate did not include gathering detailed information, they returned from scouting the land at the conclusion of forty days.

They went and came to report back to Moses, and to Aaron, and to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, more specifically to the place known as Kadesh. And they brought back word to them and to the entire congregation, who gathered to hear their account. This phrase serves as an additional indication that the scouts viewed themselves not only as emissaries of the leadership, but as agents of the entire nation. And in addition to their verbal testimony, they also showed them the fruit of the land.

Addressing Moses directly in the presence of the assembled crowd, they related the details of their journey to him, and they said: We came to the land to which you sent us, and indeed it is flowing with milk and honey. It is a very fertile land, as God has told us, 6 and this is a sample of some of its fruit.

Only, you must know that the people that lives in the land is mighty. Its inhabitants are not meek or complacent, and therefore it will be difficult for us to subjugate them quickly. And furthermore the cities in which they live are fortified and very great; we also saw the children of the giant there.

Amalek lives in the southern region, along our route. According to the original plan for entering Canaan, the Israelites would have traveled north, through the Negev, and would have encountered opposition from the Amalekites. And in addition, the Hitites, the Yevusites, and the Emorites live in the highland, and the Canaanites live along the sea and alongside the Jordan.

Although the scouts’ report was formally addressed to Moses, it was meant for the nation’s ears as well. Since the people trusted the scouts, they became fearful upon hearing their report, and they began to murmur among themselves and to voice their concerns. In response, Caleb silenced the people and directed their attention toward Moses. As the leader of the nation and the recipient of the scouts’ report, the response to the report should have come from him rather than from the initial reaction of the masses. Furthermore, Caleb added encouraging words of his own, and he said: Do not fear or hesitate! We shall be able to ascend and inherit it, the land, for we can prevail over it.

But the other men who ascended to the land along with him and with Joshua, representatives of the other tribes, contradicted him and said: We will not be able to ascend to the land, against the people, for it is stronger than we are. We do not have the military strength to fight those mighty armies. The Israelites, who until recently had been slaves in Egypt, were afraid to engage in open warfare.

At first, the scouts provided a relatively objective account of what they had seen, answering the questions that were posed to them. But now they promulgated a slanderous report of the land that they scouted to the children of Israel. Their portrayals may not have been entirely false, but they were slanted in a deliberate effort to create a negative impression, 7 saying: The land, which we passed through to scout it, is a land that devours its inhabitants. There are many diseases and untimely deaths there. And conversely, all the people whom we saw in it were people of size, large individuals. Although the mortality rate is high, large people with strong bodies are able to live there.

There we saw the Nefilim, sons of a giant, from among the Nefilim, an ancient race of giants. 8 We were as grasshoppers in our eyes when we stood opposite these enormous individuals, and so we were in their eyes; they also related to us as small, worthless creatures. The huge fruits the scouts brought back also served to vividly illustrate for their listeners the likely dimensions of the people who inhabited the land.

The entire congregation who were present at the time then raised and sounded their voice; and the people wept that night.

All the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them: If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness; if only we had died in peace and tranquility.

Why does the Lord bring us to this land, Canaan, to fall by the sword? Rather than living a full life and dying of natural causes, we will instead perish before our time in battle, and our wives and our children will be taken for loot. Faced with such a prospect, isn’t it better for us to return to Egypt?

As a result of the crying and commotion, the people’s bitterness and resentment progressively increased. Finally, they said one to another: It is not wise to continue in the direction of Canaan, so instead let us appoint a leader 9 and return to Egypt.

Upon hearing this, Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the entire assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Yefuneh, who were from those men who had scouted the land, rent their garments.

They said to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying: The land through which we passed to scout it, the land is exceedingly good.

As for your concerns, if the Lord is favorably disposed to us, He will bring us to this land and will give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land is excellent, and our success depends only on God’s will.

However, do not rebel against the Lord by refusing to enter the land. And you, who have received a direct promise from God, do not fear the people of the land, even if others might justifiably do so, 10 as they are like our bread; our triumph over them will be as simple as eating bread. Their protection has withdrawn from them, and they have nowhere to shelter and take refuge, and by contrast the Lord is with us; therefore, do not fear them.

The entire congregation said to stone them, referring to Joshua and Caleb and perhaps also to Moses and Aaron, 11 with stones, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

It appears that Moses went to the Tent of Meeting, and then the Lord said to Moses: Until when will this people scorn and profane Me, and until when will they not believe in Me, with, and despite, all the signs and miracles that I have performed in their midst?

Because of their obstinacy, I will smite them, with the pestilence, and I will destroy them, and will make you, Moses, into a nation greater and mightier than they. God thereby indicated His intention to destroy the people, and to wait for a new nation to evolve from Moses’ descendants. Although this nation would in some way be the continuation of the children of Israel, in a more direct sense it would be a new nation called the children of Moses.

Moses said to the Lord: Egypt will hear what has happened, that You took up this people of Israel with Your might from its midst.

And if You destroy them, they will then say to, meaning about, the inhabitants of this land of Canaan, to which the children of Israel were supposed to go; until now they, the Egyptians, had heard that You, the Lord, are to be found in the midst of this people; that with their very eyes You, the Lord, were seen by that people, and Your cloud stands over them; and in a pillar of cloud You go before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

But if You now suddenly kill this people as one man in a plague, the Egyptians and the nations that have heard of Your renown will wonder why You have done that. They will conclude that You must have lacked the power to fulfill your promise to them, and say that You therefore killed them. They will thereby desecrate Your name, saying:

Although the Lord did manage to take them out of Egypt, at this time He lacks ability to bring this people into the land with regard to which He took an oath to them. He is obviously unable to defeat the nations of Canaan, and for that reason He slaughtered them in the wilderness.

Now, therefore, please, let the might of my Lord be great. Let Your power be revealed to Israel in a more exalted and loftier way, as You spoke and promised me, by teaching Me Your attributes of mercy after the sin of the Golden Calf, 12 saying:

The Lord is patient and slow to anger and abounding in kindness, bearing iniquity and transgression. But at the same time, though, He will not completely exonerate the iniquity. Although God awaits the sinner’s repentance and the sin is then forgiven, it is not entirely cleansed. 13 Rather, He will continue reckoning the iniquity of the fathers and enacting restitution for it upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. God is exceedingly merciful, and consequently does not punish one’s descendants eternally for their forefathers’ sins. But He also does not bring the complete punishment upon the sinner at one time, as this would lead to the sinner’s total destruction. Instead, He extends the punishment over several generations and places some of the burden upon the sinner’s descendants, but only until the fourth generation. Furthermore, if the children refrain from committing additional sins, and thereby refrain from evoking the memory of their ancestor’s iniquity, the sin is erased completely and they are not punished at all. 14 These attributes of God are similar to the ones God Himself mentioned in Exodus 34, after the sin of the Golden Calf. However, there are some differences between them; see the chart below. 15

Please pardon the iniquity of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your kindness, and reduce their severe punishment to a lighter penalty, 16 as You have patiently borne and forgiven the sin of this people, from Egypt until now.

The Lord said: I have pardoned in accordance with your word, as you requested, since your reasoning is valid. Moses’ prayer succeeded insofar as God annulled the original decree to destroy the entire people at once and replace them with a new nation descended from Moses.

However, as I live, I swear by My life, the entire earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. This was an additional expression of an oath: 17

For all the people who have seen My glory, and My signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, meaning the entire people of Israel, and they have tested Me these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,

I swear that they shall not see the land with regard to which I took an oath to their fathers. And certainly all those who scorned Me, whether they were among those who incited others to rebel, or were themselves incited by others; whether they were seized by terror as a result of the negative report they heard from the scouts, or they objected to Moses’ leadership for personal reasons; they all shall not see it.

But in contrast to them, My servant Caleb, because another spirit was with him, and although he had been one of the scouts, he remained fully faithful to My wishes and commands and he followed Me wholeheartedly, will I therefore bring him at a future time to the land into which he already came. This time he will enter the land as a conqueror, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

If you insist on trying to enter the land despite My decree, you will not succeed, as the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley, and they will prevent you from entering. Therefore, tomorrow, turn back and travel you to the wilderness, and travel back by way of the Red Sea.

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Until when shall I have tolerance for this evil congregation that bring complaints against Me? In this context, the term “congregation” refers mainly to the scouts themselves. 18 I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel that they, the scouts, brought against Me.

Therefore, say to them: I swear as I live – the utterance of the Lord – surely as you yourselves spoke in My ears, when you said that you will die without succeeding to conquer the land, so I shall do to you.

Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and this fate will befall all those of you who were counted in any of your censuses taken for any reason, 19 meaning all those from twenty years old and above, who brought complaints against Me. Your predictions will come true: You will all die. However, this will not happen as a result of war, but rather after years of wandering in the wilderness.

You shall not come into the land, with regard to which I raised My hand and took an oath that I would settle you in it. None of those who are adults today shall reach the Promised Land, except for two single individuals who will be exempt from this decree: Caleb son of Yefuneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Instead, I will fulfill My promise to your children, about whom you said they would be taken by the Canaanites for loot. I will bring them into the land, and they shall know the land that you have despised.

But your carcasses, you, shall fall in this wilderness, which you will not escape.

While this is happening, your children shall be wandering about in the wilderness, drifting from place to place 20 for forty years. And they shall bear the consequences of your harlotry until the demise of your carcasses falling in the wilderness, and all of you have passed away.

In accordance with the number of the days that you scouted the land, forty days, each day for a year, you shall bear your iniquities, adding up to a total of forty years. And as a result of this punishment, you shall know the extent of My estrangement from you, or how far you have strayed from following Me. 21 Alternatively, this means: You shall know the price of refusing to follow My commands. 22

I am the Lord; I have spoken; surely, I will do this to this entire evil congregation that congregated against Me; in this wilderness they shall expire, and there they shall die. Only the next generation will conquer the land.

The men whom Moses sent to scout the land and returned and brought the entire congregation to complain against him continued to promulgate a slanderous report of the land.

The men, promulgators of the evil slanderous report of the land, died in the plague before the Lord. The scouts themselves were the first to die, and they died a difficult, unnatural death. The definite article in the term "the plague" indicates something well-known and terrible. 23

But Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Yefuneh, lived from among those men who went to scout the land. This was a clear indication that the scouts did not die as a result of some infectious disease they had contracted during their journey, but rather as a direct punishment that afflicted only those who were guilty of circulating slander about the land.

Moses spoke these words to all the children of Israel. He informed all the adults that as they had rejected the land, and there will be no returning to Egypt, it has been decreed that they will remain in the wilderness until their deaths. And upon hearing this, the people mourned greatly, since they believed in God and in Moses.

Because the children of Israel felt this remorse, they awoke early in the morning, and ascended to the top of the mountain, saying: Here we are, and we will ascend to the place that the Lord said, the land of Canaan. We wish to repair our earlier error, because we sinned by refusing to go to the land.

But Moses said to them: Why are you violating the directive of the Lord? God has already issued His decree and therefore it, this initiative of yours, shall not succeed.

Do not ascend to try to fight for the land, as the Lord is not in your midst. There is no chance that you will emerge victorious. Consequently, it would be wise to refrain from trying, so that you will not be struck down before your enemies.

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you on the path leading to the land, and if you attempt to enter, you shall fall by the sword; since you have withdrawn from following the Lord, and therefore the Lord will not be with you.

Nevertheless, they ventured to go up to the top of the moun- tain range that stood before them on the way to Canaan; yet the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and Moses, did not move from the midst of the camp.

The Amalekites and the Canaanites, who lived on that mountain, came down and smote them and crushed them, chasing them until a place that later became known as Horma, because those people met their destruction [ ĥorbanam ] there. 24 They were routed in battle and retreated in humiliation.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

The following commandment is addressed not to the adult individuals then assembled in the wilderness, but rather to the children of Israel as a people, since only their descendants would enter the land. Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you will come into the land of your dwellings that I am giving to you,

and you will perform of your own free will a fire offering to the Lord, either in the form of a burnt offering or a peace offering to fulfill a vow, or if you bring a particular animal as a pledge, a gift offering, or at your appointed times, to create a pleasing aroma to the Lord, from the cattle, or from the flock;

the one who presents his offering to the Lord shall present a meal offering. He must bring a meal offering from the world of vegetation to accompany his animal offering, in accordance with these measurements: One-tenth of an ephah of high-quality flour made from ground wheat kernels, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil. In contemporary terms, one-tenth of an ephah is more than 2 L, and a hin is somewhat larger than 1 L.

And in addition, you shall also bring wine to be poured upon the altar as the libation: One-fourth of a hin you shall make these amounts of flour, oil, and wine with the burnt offering or for the peace offering, for one sheep. As explained in the coming verses, the amounts change in accordance with the type of animal brought as an offering.

Or for an offering consisting of a ram, which is an older animal from the same species as the sheep, in the second year of its life, you shall perform a meal offering consisting of two-tenths of an ephah of high-quality flour mixed with one-third of a hin of oil.

And you shall present wine as the libation: One-third of a hin, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

When you render a young bull a burnt offering, or a peace offering, to fulfill a vow or a peace offering to the Lord,

one shall present with the young bull a meal offering: Three-tenths of an ephah of high-quality flour, which is three times as large as the meal offering for a sheep, mixed with one-half a hin of oil, twice the amount brought with a sheep.

And you shall present wine as the libation: One-half a hin as a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

In general, so shall be done for one bull, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or for a kid.

According to the number of offerings that you shall do, so shall you do for each according to their number. The meal offerings and libations that accompany these offerings shall correspond to the number and type of animals that are offered.

Every native shall do these in this precise manner, to present a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. There are fixed amounts for the meal offerings and libations brought with the offerings.

If a stranger will reside with you as a full-fledged convert who has become a member of the nation 25 or one who is already 26 living in your midst for your generations, and will perform a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord, as you do, so he shall do. There is no difference between an Israelite from birth and a convert who has joined the nation.

The verse addresses the assembly: There shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who resides, an eternal statute for your generations; like you, so the stranger shall be before the Lord. With regard to obligations toward God, such as these rules regarding meal offerings and libations that accompany offerings, the law applies equally to Israelites from birth and to converts.

One law and one ordinance shall be for you and for the stranger who resides with you. This principle goes beyond the specific topic at hand, as it refers to all the statutes and ordinances given to the children of Israel. These laws apply to all members of the nation, whether they are Israelites from birth or converts who have joined the nation. 27

The next commandment will also take effect only after the Israelites enter the land. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come to the land that I am bringing you there,

it shall be, when you eat from the bread of the land, you shall separate from it a gift for the Lord.

From the first of your kneading basket you shall separate a loaf [ halla ] as a gift. Due to this verse, the portion separated from the dough is known as ĥalla . Like the gift from the threshing floor, the portion known as teruma that is set aside from produce for the priests, so shall you separate it, the ĥalla from the dough.

From the first of your kneading basket you shall give to the Lord a gift for your generations.

If you act unwittingly and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord spoke to Moses,

everything that the Lord commanded to you at the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded and onward for your generations. According to the tradition of the Sages, the unwitting act described here, which leads to a neglect of all the commandments, refers to the specific, fundamental sin of idolatry. 28 This was the first prohibition Israel received in the Ten Precepts: “I am the Lord your God…. You shall have no other gods before Me.” 29 These verses discuss a situation where one transgresses this prohibition unwittingly, as can happen in complicated cases or situations involving a lack of clarity in one’s thoughts or action. However, in a case where one worshipped idols intentionally, atonement cannot be achieved by means of an offering.

It shall be, if from the eyes of the congregation it was performed unwittingly, as a result of an erroneous ruling by the court, then the entire congregation, meaning the court, which represents the entire congregation of Israel, shall render one young bull as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, and its meal offering and its libation according to the ordinance, and one goat as a sin offering. This is different from a comparable case of a communal sin as a result of an erroneous ruling with regard to other sins, in which case the congregation brings a bull as a sin offering.

The priest shall atone for the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and it will be forgiven for them, as it was an unwitting act, and when they became aware of their error they brought their offering, a fire offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unwitting act.

The entire congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven. Even if the sin was not actually performed by every member of the congregation, an erroneous ruling on the part of the upper echelon of the nation’s leadership, which is then acted upon by the general public, is considered a transgression of the entire congregation. Therefore, the offering brought by the court serves to atone for both its own sin and that of the entire nation, and also for the stranger that resides in their midst, since he too is part of the congregation, as it was an unwitting transgression for the entire people.

After discussing an unwitting sin of idolatry performed by the congregation as a result of a mistaken ruling by the court, the Torah continues with a case of the same sin committed unwittingly by an individual: If one person will sin unwittingly, he shall present a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. For an ordinary sin offering, one may bring either a female lamb or a female goat. However, for the specific transgression of idolatry one must bring a goat, as is the case for other offerings connected with this sin.

The priest shall atone for the unwitting person, when he sins unwittingly, before the Lord, to atone for him; and it shall be forgiven for him.

The native of the children of Israel and for the stranger that resides in their midst: There shall be one law for you, for one who acts unwittingly.

The aforementioned offerings atone for an individual or a community that committed the sin of idolatry due to an error of judgment or as a result of a habitual, unthinking action. In contrast, the person that will act high-handedly, purposely and with malicious intent, whether native or stranger, it is the Lord that he blasphemes, 30 and that person shall be excised from among his people, wherever he is. This punishment is inflicted by God and it is not within the jurisdiction of the court.

Because he scorned the word of the Lord by committing the transgression, and he violated His commandment; as a result, that person shall be excised; his iniquity is upon him.

In connection with the descriptions of high-handed sins like idolatry and blasphemy, the Torah relates an incident that illustrates how the children of Israel responded to a serious public violation of one of the commandments that occurred in their midst during their wanderings in the wilderness: The children of Israel were in the wilderness and they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to the entire congregation, and testified that he had desecrated Sabbath in a high-handed manner.

They placed him in custody, because it had not been explicated what precisely should be done to him. It was clear that he was liable to receive the death penalty, as the verse states explicitly: “You shall observe the Sabbath, as it is sacred for you; its desecrators shall be put to death.” 31 However, it was necessary to determine the precise manner in which he was to be executed.

The Lord said to Moses: The man shall be put to death by stoning; the entire congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.

The entire congregation took him outside the camp, and they stoned him with stones, and he died, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: They shall make for themselves a fringe consisting of a group of hanging threads 32 on the corners of their garments for their generations, and in addition, they shall put on the fringe of the corner a sky-blue thread.

It shall be for you a fringe, and you shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and perform them. The garments with fringes shall serve as a reminder of God’s commandments and you shall not rove after your heart and after your eyes, after which you stray. The combination of a lusting heart and seeing eye is a dangerous one, as it can lead one to violate the Torah’s laws.

So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments throughout your daily lives and mundane pursuits, and be holy to your God in all your ways, thoughts, and actions.

I am the Lord your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God. By taking the children of Israel out of Egypt, God consecrated them as His servants. In order to ensure that they preserve this sanctity by observing the commandments, the Israelites are in need of these fixed signs on their garments.

Korah son of Yitzhar, Amram’s brother, son of Kehat, son of Levi, and Datan and Aviram sons of Eliav, and On son of Pelet, all three of whom were sons of Reuben, took men.

They, Korah and his accomplices, arose before Moses, and with them were two hundred and fifty people from the children of Israel, princes of the congregation, the distinguished of the convocation , men who would be called for important gatherings, to hear judgments, and to the Tent of Meeting. 1 Alternatively, this phrase means that they had the authority to gather the assembly together. In addition, they were people of renown, making this a rebellion of the elite.

They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them: It is too much for you. You have taken for yourselves too many positions of authority. 2 As the entire congregation of Israel, all of them are holy, and the Lord is found among them; why do you elevate yourselves over the assembly of the Lord by giving yourself these positions?

Moses heard and he fell upon his face in shock, as this was not the cry of a mob (see 11:4), but an attack from men with whom he was intimately familiar, and who were respected by the people.

After falling on his face Moses received a prophecy. He then spoke to Korah and to his entire congregation in the name of God, saying: Tomorrow, in the morning the Lord will disclose who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Him; whom He shall choose as the one to perform His sacred service for future generations, and that person alone 3 He will bring near to Him. You will then realize that it is not I who decided the various appointments.

In order to remove any doubt, this you shall do: Take for you fire-pans for the incense, Korah, and all his congregation.

Place fire in them, and place incense upon them before the Lord tomorrow, if you wish to burn incense yourselves. Yet it shall be the man whom the Lord will choose, he alone is the holy one. Up to this point, Moses has spoken to the entire congregation of Korah. Now he turns his focus specifically to the Levites among them: It is too much for you, sons of Levi. You should be satisfied with the honorable role you have been given.

Moses said to Korah: Hear now, sons of Levi:

Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has distinguished you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Him, to perform the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them?

He brought you, Korah, near, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you, and will you seek the priesthood as well? Why isn’t your unique status as Levites in the Temple sufficient for you? Furthermore, your request that the entire people should have equal status is inconsistent with the fact that you as a tribe have been singled out and granted a special role. Evidently, you are hiding your personal ambitions for the priesthood.

Therefore, you and all your congregation are people who are in effect congregated against the Lord; and Aaron, what is he that you bring complaints against him? Aaron did not choose his position as High Priest.

Moses sent to summon Datan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, in order to talk to them personally; and they said: We will not go up, as we reject your authority.

Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey? Datan and Aviram appropriate Moses’ own description of the land of Canaan, 4 and use it to refer to Egypt, which they claim was a place of bountiful goodness and comfort. Their echoing of Moses is designed to harangue him. 5 Is it not enough that you took us up to kill us in the wilderness? Will you also reign over us? You took us from our land to a vast wilderness from which you are unable to extract us, and in addition you seek to lord over us.

Yet you did not take us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and you did not give us an inheritance of field and vineyard, as you promised. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men, meaning our eyes; do you think we cannot see what is happening? 6 We see no evidence of the blessings of milk and honey you mentioned, but only the thorns of desert shrubbery. We will not go up, as we place no trust in your statements.

Moses was very incensed, and said to the Lord: Do not turn to their offering or any of their prayers, 7 as not one donkey did I take from them as a tax, nor did I wrong one of them. There is no justification for their behavior.

Moses said to Korah: You and all your congregation, be before the Lord: You, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.

Each of you shall take his fire-pan and you shall place incense upon each of them, and each of you shall bring his fire-pan before the Lord, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; and you, and Aaron, each his fire-pan. Since you claim that Aaron received his position by my choice alone, and not by God’s command due to his individual persona, you shall stand next to him for a test tomorrow.

Each man from that group took up his fire-pan; they put fire on them and placed incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Korah assembled the entire congregation against them to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as he was convinced of the justness of his cause; and the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire congregation.

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, and I will destroy them in a moment. The congregation refers to the entire congregation of Israel, which was gathered by Korah, as is evident from the next verse where Moses and Aaron pray on behalf of all Israel. 8

They, Moses and Aaron, fell upon their faces in prayer, 9 and said: God, God of the spirits of all flesh, You know each man’s spirit. Shall one man sin, and You will rage against the entire congregation? This is a transgression of isolated individuals, not a rebellion of the entire congregation of Israel against You or us.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to the congregation, saying: Depart from around the dwelling of Korah, Datan, and Aviram.

Moses arose and went to Datan and Aviram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

He spoke to the congregation that had gathered there, saying: Depart now from near the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that is theirs. It is recommended that you stay away from their location and their possessions, lest you be destroyed for all their sins. When divine retribution arrives, it can sometimes strike others in the vicinity of the sinners.

They departed from around the dwelling of Korah, Datan, and Aviram. Meanwhile Datan and Aviram emerged and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their children. The entire family came out in a brazen display of self-confidence and rebellion against Moses’ authority. They did so in the presence of the congregation, which had distanced themselves, but continued to watch the unfolding events.

Moses said: With this you will know that the Lord has sent me to perform all these actions, the appointments about which you accuse me of favoritism, as it is not from my heart. I did not initiate them, but received them as commands from God.

If these men die like the death of all people, and the destiny of all people, the punishment of all mankind, which is the death of the spirit while the body returns to dust, 10 is visited upon them, you will know that the Lord has not sent me. If they die in a normal manner, my prophecy will have been shown to be false.

But if the Lord creates a creation here, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that is theirs, and they descend while still alive into the abyss, you shall know that these people have scorned the Lord, and this is their punishment.

It was as he concluded to speak all these words; the ground that was beneath them split. At first, cracks appeared in the earth.

Then the earth opened its mouth wide and swallowed them, their households, all the people who were with Korah, his family, and all the property.

They, and everything that was theirs descended alive into the abyss. The earth covered them and they were lost from the midst of the assembly in body and soul.

All Israel that were standing around them fled due to their sound, as they said: Lest the earth swallow us.

Fire emerged from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, the presenters of the incense. Since they had encroached upon the sacred by acting in a capacity that was not assigned to them, they were punished in the manner of Nadav and Avihu, who offered strange fire. 11