Aftermath of the Incident of Ba’al Pe’or
10 After Pinchas slew Zimri, the Israelites were embarrassed that amongst all of them, Pinchas was the only one who understood what had to be done and did it. They felt that this dishonored Moses and the people as a whole. So they rationalized his behavior by saying that it was more his cruel nature than his righteous indignation that motivated his actions. They slyly pointed out that a man inherits his main character traits from his mother and a woman inherits hers from her father.1 Thus, in slaying Zimri, Pinchas was manifesting the cruelty of Jethro, his mother’s father,2 who used to mercilessly fatten animals before sacrificing them to the idols he worshipped. They adduced as additional proof the fact that all of Aaron’s descendants were priests except Pinchas. (The priesthood, originally given to Aaron and his four sons, became hereditary only once the priests were installed in their office, whereas Pinchas was already born then.) They contrasted Pinchas’ cruelty with Zimri’s benevolence in confronting Moses with Kozbi to defend and rescue his tribe. In order to refute these accusations, God did three things: First, when He rewarded Pinchas for his act, He traced his lineage back to his paternal grandfather, Aaron, indicating that in slaying Zimri he was manifesting Aaron’s aspiration to promote peace and reconcile estranged friends and partners3 (here, the Jewish people and God): God spoke to Moses, saying:
11 “Pinchas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest diverted My anger from the Israelites by zealously avenging Me among them. Because of him, I did not destroy the Israelites by plague because of My zeal.”
12 Second, God made Pinchas a priest: “Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘I hereby give him My covenant, as an expression of My feelings of peace and goodwill toward him, as follows:
13 This covenant shall be for him and for his descendants after him, and shall take the form of the eternal covenant of priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the Israelites.’ ”
14 Third, the Torah traces Zimri’s lineage back to Simeon, in order to indicate that his was the act of cruelty, not Pinchas’: The name of the Israelite man who was killed, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, the prince of a paternal house4 of the tribe of Simeon, who was known for his violent nature.5 The Torah should have mentioned Zimri’s name earlier but waited until now in order to contrast him with Pinchas. It mentions that Zimri was an aristocrat in order to point out that Pinchas was not intimidated by his nobility when he saw that God’s honor was disgraced.
15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Kozbi the daughter of Tzur, the national leader of the Midianite confederation, head of a paternal house in Midian.6 It was noted previously how much the Midianites hated the Israelites;7 here, too, they were willing to let their princess become a prostitute in order to debase the Jews.
The Command to Attack Midian
16 God now continued to tend to issues that arose in the wake of the events at Shitim. God spoke to Moses, saying:
17 “You must distress the Midianites at all times, but soon, you shall smite them directly.8
18 For they proved themselves to be hostile to you with their plots that they contrived against you in the incident with Peor and in the incident with their sister Kozbi, the daughter of Tzur, the Midianite prince, who was slain on the day of the plague that I unleashed because of Peor.” God did not command the Israelites to take revenge on the Moabites, however, for two reasons: First, their contention with the Israelites was justified by their fear that they would plunder them,9 whereas the Midianites had nothing to fear and yet sought to harm the Israelites out of pure hatred. Second, Ruth, the ancestress of the royal Davidic line, was destined to emerge from the Moabites.
The Fourth Census
26:1 As described earlier, God told Moses to have the judges adjudicate and sentence the idolaters in order to stop the plague that He had unleashed against the people after they sinned at Shitim. When Zimri challenged Moses, the judges could not continue until his rebellion was quashed. But since Moses forgot the law regarding how to react to Zimri’s behavior, Zimri’s insurrection continued until Pinchas remembered the law and slew him. Moses therefore felt somewhat responsible for the casualties of the plague. So, after the plague that was unleashed at Shitim, God spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:
2 “If Moses feels that he has not protected the people as he should have, let him count them; this will make him value them more and be more dedicated to them from now on.10 Furthermore, I counted the people when they left Egypt11 and I entrusted them to Moses’ care, in order to show him that they must be fully accounted for. Now that he is about to die and return them to My care, he should count them again, in order to demonstrate that he has taken care of them properly. Therefore, take a census of all the congregation of the Israelites 20 years old and over, following their paternal houses, all those in Israel who are fit to serve in the army. Since the other nations are questioning the purity of the Israelites’ lineage, insinuating that the Egyptians raped the Jewish women, I will testify to the purity of the Israelites’ lineage by affixing My Name to the name of the head of each clan.”12 Thus, this census both concluded the incident at Shitim and began the process of entering the Land of Israel, the first stage of which was to prepare for Moses’ death.
3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with the Israelites about this census in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying:
4 “We will count all of you 20 years old and over, just as God commanded Moses and the Israelites who came out of Egypt to be counted.”
Second Reading 5 They began with the tribe of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were: from Chanoch, the family of the clan of Chanoch; from Palu, the family of the clan of Palu;
6 from Chetzron, the family of the clan of Chetzron; and from Karmi, the family of the clan of Karmi.
7 These were the families of the tribe of Reuben, and they numbered 43,730.
8 The son of Palu was Eliav.
9 The sons of Eliav were Nemuel, Dathan, and Aviram, the latter being Dathan and Aviram, the chosen of the congregation, who incited the Israelites against Moses and Aaron in the assembly of Korach, when they incited the people against God.
10 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korach, when that congregation died, and when fire destroyed 250 men, and they all became a sign to everyone that no one should ever again dispute the selection of the priestly caste.13
11 Korach’s sons, however, who plotted the rebellion together with their father, along with Dathan and Aviram, did not die, because during the dispute they regretted their involvement. Nonetheless, they did not have the strength to act on their thoughts of repentance and continued to participate actively in the rebellion.14 They therefore suffered a commensurate punishment: the earth swallowed them along with the other rebels, so it appeared to everyone else that they had indeed perished. But underground, where no one could see, God provided them with a shelter, where they lived until the generation of Korach’s rebellion had died out, whereupon God allowed them to emerge and rejoin the people. Thus, they were counted here, together with those who remained after the plague in Shitim.15
12 The descendants of Simeon according to their families: from Nemuel, who is the same as Yemuel,16 the family of the clan of Nemuel; from Yamin, the family of the clan of Yamin; from Yachin, the family of the clan of Yachin;
13 from Zerach, who is the same as Tzochar,17 the family of the clan of Zerach; from Shaul, the family of the clan of Shaul. The clan of Ohad,18 however, was killed at Moserot.19
14 These were the families of the tribe of Simeon: they numbered 22,200. This is 37,100 less than in the previous census, taken in Iyar 2449; of all the tribes, only Simeon suffered a population decrease of such magnitude. This is because all 24,000 who died in the plague at Shitim were from this tribe.
15 The descendants of Gad according to their families: from Tzefon, who is the same as Tzifyon,20 the family of the clan of Tzefon; from Chagi, the family of the clan of Chagi; from Shuni, the family of the clan of Shuni;
16 from Ozni, who is the same as Etzbon,21 the family of the clan of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the clan of Eri;
17 from Arod, who is the same as Arodi,22 the family of the clan of Arod; from Areli, the family of the clan of Areli.
18 These were families of the descendants of Gad according to those of them counted: they numbered 40,500.
19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in Canaan.23
20 The descendants of Judah according to their families: from Sheilah, the family of the clan of Sheilah; from Peretz, the family of the clan of Peretz; from Zerach, the family of the clan of Zerach.
21 The descendants of Peretz were: from Chetzron, the family of the clan of Chetzron; from Chamul, the family of the clan of Chamul.
22 These were the families of Judah according to those of them counted: they numbered 76,500.
23 The descendants of Issachar according to their families: from Tola, the family of the clan of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the clan of Puvah;
24 from Yashuv, who is the same as Yov,24 the family of the clan of Yashuv; from Shimron, the family of the clan of Shimron.
25 These were the families of Issachar according to those of them counted: they numbered 64,300.
26 The descendants of Zebulun according to their families: from Sered, the family of the clan of Sered; from Elon, the family of the clan of Elon; from Yachle’el, the family of the clan of Yachle’el.
27 These were the families of Zebulun according to those of them counted: they numbered 60,500.
28 The descendants of Joseph according to their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 The descendants of Manasseh: from Machir, the family of the clan of Machir, and Machir’s son was Gilead. Machir had other sons, but Gilead had many children, so his family is reckoned as a clan in its own right: From Gilead, the family of the clan of Gilead.
30 Furthermore, each of Gilead’s sons had many children, so their families are also reckoned as clans in their own right: These were the descendants of Gilead: from Iezer, the family of the clan of Iezer; from Chelek, the family of the clan of Chelek;
31 from Asriel, the family of the clan of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the clan of Shechem;
32 from Shemida, the family of the clan of Shemida; from Chefer, the family of the clan of Chefer.
33 Now Tzelofechad the son of Chefer had no sons, only daughters, and the names of Tzelofechad’s daughters were Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah. This is not the order of their birth;25 they are listed out of birth order to indicate that they were all equally wise, as will be seen further on.26
34 These were families of Manasseh, and those of them counted were 52,700. This was 25,000 more than in the previous census, by far the biggest increase in population of all the tribes.
35 These were the descendants of Ephraim according to their families: from Shutelach, the family of the clan of Shutelach; from Becher, the family of the clan of Becher; from Tachan, the family of the clan of Tachan.
36 Shutelach’s son, Eran, had many children, so his family is reckoned as a clan in its own right. These were the descendants of Shutelach: from Eran, the family of the clan of Eran.
37 These were the families of the descendants of Ephraim according to those of them counted: they numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph according to their families.
38 The descendants of Benjamin according to their families: from Bela, the family of the clan of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the clan of Ashbel; from Achiram, who is the same as Eichi,27 the family of the clan of Achiram;
39 from Shefufam, who is the same as Mupim,28 the family of the clan of Shufam; from Chufam, who is the same as Chupim,29 the family of the clan of Chufam. The clans of Becher, Gera, Naaman, Rosh, and Ard,30 however, were killed at Moserot.31
40 Two of the sons of Bela, Ard and Naaman, had many children and are thus reckoned as clans in their own right: from Ard, the family of the clan of Ard; from Naaman, the family of the clan of Naaman.
41 These were the descendants of Benjamin according to their families, and those of them counted were 45,600.
42 The descendants of Dan according to their families: from Shucham, who is identical to Chushim,32 the family of the clan of Shucham. These were the families of Dan.
43 All the families of the clan of Shucham, according to those of them counted, were 64,400.
44 The descendants of Asher according to their families: from Yimnah, the family of clan of Yimnah; from Yishvi, the family of the clan of Yishvi; from Beriah, the family of the clan of Beriah.
45 The descendants of Beriah: from Chever, the family of the clan of Chever; from Malkiel, the family of the clan of Malkiel. The clan of Yishvah,33 however, was killed at Moserot.34
46 The name of Asher’s daughter was Serach.35 She is mentioned explicitly because she was still alive.
47 These were the families of the descendants of Asher according to those of them counted: they numbered 53,400.
48 The descendants of Naphtali according to their families: from Yachtze’el, the family of the clan of Yachtze’el; from Guni, the family of the clan of Guni;
49 from Yetzer, the family of the clan of Yetzer; from Shilem, the family of the clan of Shilem.
50 These were the families of Naphtali according to their families, and those of them counted were 45,400.
51 These are those counted of the Israelites: they all numbered 601,730 (See Figure 1).
|
First Census |
Second Census |
|||
|
Numbers 1:20-46 |
Numbers 26:5-51 |
Difference |
% Change |
|
|
Reuben |
46,500 |
43,730 |
-2,770 |
-5.96% |
|
Simeon |
59,300 |
22,200 |
-37,100 |
-62.56% |
|
Gad |
45,650 |
40,500 |
-5,150 |
-11.28% |
|
Judah |
74,600 |
76,500 |
+1,900 |
+2.54% |
|
Issachar |
54,400 |
64,300 |
+9,900 |
+18.20% |
|
Zebulun |
57,400 |
60,500 |
+3,100 |
+5.40% |
|
Manasseh |
32,200 |
52,700 |
+20,500 |
+63.66% |
|
Ephraim |
40,500 |
32,500 |
-8,000 |
-19.75% |
|
Benjamin |
35,400 |
45,600 |
+10,200 |
+28.81% |
|
Dan |
62,700 |
64,400 |
+1,700 |
+2.71% |
|
Asher |
41,500 |
53,400 |
+11,900 |
+28.67% |
|
Naftali |
53,400 |
45,400 |
-8,000 |
-14.98% |
|
total |
603,550 |
601,730 |
-1,820 |
-0.30% |
|
Levi |
Numbers 3:14-39 |
|||
|
Gershon |
7,500 |
|||
|
Kehot |
8,600 |
|||
|
Merari |
6,200 |
|||
|
total |
22,000 |
23,000 |
+1,000 |
+4.54% |
Figure 1: Comparison of clan names in the genealogy lists in Genesis and Numbers
Names that are different in the two listings appear in italics. Most clans are named after Jacob’s grandchildren. Clans named after children and grandchildren of Jacob’s grandchildren appear in bold. (Children and grandchildren of Jacob’s grandchildren that are not counted as clans appear in parentheses.)
Dividing the Land
Third Reading 52 After Moses and Eleazar completed the census, God spoke to Moses, saying,
53 “The land will be divided among these 601,730 Israelites as an inheritance, first according to the number of their names and then according to their fathers’ estates, as will be described presently. But only those included in the present census will be considered: someone currently under 20 who turns 20 by the time the people actually conquer and divide the land will not be entitled to his own portion.
54 You shall give a larger inheritance to the large tribe and you shall give a smaller inheritance to a smaller tribe; each tribe shall be given an inheritance according to its number.
55 Nonetheless, the land shall be divided by lot, as follows: Divide the land into area-units of equal fertility, and divide the land into 12 districts, each containing a number of these area-units equal to the head count of a different tribe.36 Write the names of the 12 tribes on 12 tickets and the names of these 12 districts on 12 other tickets, and shuffle all these tickets in a box. Dress Eleazar the high priest in his priestly garments, including the urim and tumim, through which he is granted Divine inspiration. Call the princes of the tribes up one by one. As each one steps forward, the urim and tumim will inspire Eleazar to prophesy that this prince will be given such-and-such a region. The prince will then pull two tickets from the box, and miraculously, one ticket will be that with his tribe’s name, and the other will be that of his tribe’s inheritance as just prophesied by Eleazar. The ticket on which is written the inheritance will then miraculously speak, saying, ‘I, the lot of such-and-such a region, have become the inheritance of such-and-such a tribe.’ This way, it will be clear to all that the land is not being divided arbitrarily, but fairly, by My word. Once each individual has been assigned an inheritance, consider it part of his father’s estate; then divide this father’s virtual estate equally amongst his sons. This way, they shall also inherit the land according to the names of their fathers’ tribes, i.e., according to the population of the tribes in their fathers’ generation. In this calculation, Joshua and Caleb shall be considered the fathers of the children of the 10 spies: their children will receive the spies’ children’s inheritances.37
A CLOSER LOOK
[55] In their father’s generation: To illustrate: Let A and B be two contemporaries whose sons went out of Egypt and whose grandsons were included in this present census. A had two sons, A1 and A2. A1 had one son, A1a; and A2 had three sons: A2a, A2b, and A2c. B had two sons, B1 and B2. B1 had one son, B1a; and B2 had one son, B2a. If the land were divided equally between those in the present census, then all the grandchildren (A1a, A2a, A2b, A2c, B1a, and B2a) would get an equal portion. If the land were divided equally among those who left Egypt (A1, A2, B1, and B2), then their children would not get equal portions: A1a would get one portion, while A2a, A2b, and A2c would each get a third of a portion. B1a and B2a would also get one portion each. The Torah here, however, tells us to first assign each grandson a portion, and then to consider this portion as part of the father’s estate and this in turn as part of the grandfather’s estate. This virtual estate is then redivided equally amongst the grandsons. In this scheme, each of A’s four grandchildren starts off with one portion, as do both of B’s two grandchildren. These portions revert to their father’s virtual estates, and thus A1, B1, and B2 all “inherit” one portion each from their sons, while A2 “inherits” three portions from his three sons. Taking this reverse inheritance one more generation back, A “inherits” the four portions of A1 and A2, while B “inherits” the two portions of B1 and B2. Now we split up A’s and B’s estates equally among their direct inheritors: A1 and A2 each receive two portions, while B1 and B2 each receive one portion each. As for the next generation, A1a receives his father’s two portions, while A2a, A2b, and A2c split their father’s two portions among them, receiving two-thirds of a portion each. Meanwhile, B1a and B2a each receive their fathers’ single portion. For the purpose of this illustration, none of the sons are firstborns (for otherwise they would receive a double portion).
56 Thus, the father’s inheritance shall be divided, according to the miraculous pronouncement of the lot itself, whether it would otherwise have been large or small. From all this, it is clear that converts and freed slaves, who are not part of any tribe, do not inherit any land. Also, Joshua and Caleb will not receive their inheritances according to this process, for I have promised Hebron to Caleb38 and will give Joshua an inheritance by his request.”39
The Census of the Levites
57 Moses and Eleazar also took a census of the Levites. These were the tallies of the Levites according to their families: from Gershon, the family of the clan of Gershon; from Kehat, the family of the clan of Kehat; from Merari, the family of the clan of Merari.40
58 These were the families of Levi: The clan of Gershon included only the family of the clan of Livni, for the clan of Shimi41 was killed at Moserot.42 The only complete families of the clan of Kehat were43 the family of the clan of Chevron and the family of Amram, since the family of Uziel and most of the family of Yitzhar had been killed at Moserot.44 The clan of Merari included the family of the clan of Machli and the family of the clan of Mushi. The only remaining family of Yitzhar was the family of the clan of Korach.45 Kehat begot Amram.
59 The name of Amram’s wife was Yocheved the daughter of Levi, whom Levi’s wife had conceived before Jacob’s family left Egypt and had borne to Levi as soon as they arrived in Egypt. Yocheved bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
60 Born to Aaron were Nadav, Avihu, Eleazar, and Itamar.
61 Nadav and Avihu died when they offered an unauthorized fire before God.46 Amram’s family did not form any clans: Moses’ descendants were included in the clan of Kehat, and Aaron’s descendants—the priests—were not counted as a clan.
62 The tally of the Levites was 23,000, which included every male one month old and over, for they were not counted among the Israelites,47 since no inheritance was given them among the Israelites.48
63 Both of these censuses, that of the laity and that of the Levites, composed the tally taken by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who counted the Israelites in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. The eight Levite clans together with the 57 lay clans totaled 65 clans.
64 Among these there was virtually no man who had been includedin the tally taken by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the lay Israelites in the Sinai desert in Iyar 2449.49
65 For God had said to them, “They shall surely die in the desert,”50 and no one was left of them but Caleb the son of Yefuneh and Joshua the son of Nun. There were, however, Levites, women (Levite and non-Levite), and members of the mixed multitude from the previous generation, since God’s decree applied only to those counted in the military census.51
Laws of Inheritance
27:1 After hearing the laws concerning the division of the land, the daughters of Tzelofechad the son of Chefer, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came forward to argue to Moses that their father deserved a portion of the land even though he had only daughters. The daughters’ full lineage is given here in order to indicate that they were comparable to Joseph both in their righteousness and their love of the Land of Israel (Joseph had asked specifically to be buried there52). Tzelofechad’s daughters’ names were Machlah, Noah, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah. Here again, they are listed out of their birth order53 to indicate that they were all equally wise.54
2 They stood before Moses—after having presented their question before Eleazar the priest and before the princes—when they and the entire congregation were gathered to learn from Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,55 saying,
3 “Our father did not die in Egypt; he died in the desert. But, whereas the rest of his generation died in the desert because of God’s decree against them for following the spies and spurning the Land of Israel, and therefore do not deserve a portion of the land, he was different. He was not in the assembly that banded together against God after the spies’ report and sought to return to Egypt,56 nor was he in Korach’s assembly, who also complained about being taken out of Egypt.57 Moreover, he was not guilty of leading anyone else astray; rather, he died only for his own sin.” (Out of respect for their father, the daughters did not mention his sin explicitly. He was either the one caught gathering sticks on the Sabbath, who was put to death more than a year before the incident of the spies,58 or one of those who were led astray by the spies but repented after God pronounced His decree against them and sought to proceed toward the Land of Israel despite the decree.59 In either case, he was not guilty of disloyalty to the Promised Land.60) For this reason, the daughters claimed, their father deserved a portion of the land just as if he had been counted in the census. “Furthermore,” the daughters continued, “he deserves another portion as well: He also had no sons, but had he had sons, they, too,would have received a portion of land.
4 But now, why should our father’s name be eliminated from his family, that is, why should there be no portion of land in his name,61 just because he had no son? If he would have had no children at all, our mother could have married one of his brothers, and that brother would have received a portion of the land in our father’s name.62 But since we, as our father’s children, disqualified our mother from this procedure, we should be considered his children even with regard to perpetuating his name by receiving a portion of the land.” They did not ask for five portions (as if they were sons), because they knew that if their father were to have had just one son, they would not have needed to demand anything. So in effect, all five daughters were all collectively in place of this one hypothetical son.63 “And,” as they said above, “even if our father would have had a son, he still would have deserved his own portion in the land, since he was not disloyal to the land and therefore not subject to God’s decree against those who were.” “Therefore,” they concluded, “give us also the estate he deserves along with our father’s brothers.”64
5 Moses brought their case before God because he had forgotten the law in such a case. God made Moses forget the law for two reasons: (a) because he had spoken a bit too self-assuredly when he told the people that he would solve any problems that the lower-level judges could not solve,65 and (b) in order that the daughters of Tzelofechad be rewarded for their righteous intentions by occasioning the promulgation of this law.
Fourth Reading 6 God spoke to Moses, saying:
7 “Tzelofechad’s daughters speak correctly. The law in this case is exactly as they intuited it to be: they deserve both their father’s own portion and the portion that would have gone to his son, had he had one. Therefore, give, yes, you shall give them an estate of land-inheritance along with their father’s brothers, and in addition, you shall transfer their father’s inheritance from his father, Chefer, to them.
8 Furthermore, speak to the Israelites and teach them the law governing this case, saying: ‘If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
9 If he has no daughter, you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
10 If he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
11 If his father has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to the kinsman closest to him in his father’s family, who shall inherit it. This shall be the legal rule for the Israelites, as God commanded Moses.’ ”
Preparations for Moses' Death
12 Moses thought that since God had let him conquer the territory of Sichon and Og and had now instructed him how to divide the land, He might have annulled His decree not to let him enter the land. God therefore said to Moses, “No, My decree remains in full force. Soon, you will go up to Mount Nebo, this particular Mountain of the Passes66—the Israelites’ previous station67—and look at the land that I have given to the Israelites.
13 And when you have seen it, you too will die and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was gathered. When you saw how he died, you hoped to die the same way,68 and I have granted your wish.
14 You must die and not enter the land because, like Aaron, you disobeyed My command in the desert of Tzin when the congregation quarreled, when you were to sanctify Me through the water in their presence.”69 Moses’ and Aaron’s behavior with regard to these waters, “the waters of dispute”70 at Kadesh, in the desert of Tzin, was the only reason they were not allowed into the Promised Land.
15 When Moses heard that he would soon die, he spoke to God, presenting the following request and asking Him to say whether or not He would fulfill it:
16 “Let God, the God who knows that the spirits of all flesh—that is, their dispositions—are different, appoint a man over the congregation who can relate to each individual personally.
17 Let this man be a leader who will not send them to wage war while he stays home, but will, as I did, go forth before them in battle and come back from battle before them, who will lead them out to victory with his merits and bring them in safely in his merit, unlike me, who did not merit to bring them into the Promised Land. If you do this, the congregation of God will not be like sheep without a shepherd. I believe that my sons are qualified for this position.”
18 God said to Moses, “I will appoint a successor, but it will not be one of your sons, because your disciple Joshua has earned the position by constantly learning from you and attending to you.71 Therefore, convince Joshua the son of Nun by telling him how fortunate he is to lead God’s children. You know that he is a man of spirit, as you requested. You shall lay your hand upon him, imparting some of your wisdom to him. Furthermore, provide him with an official spokesman who will deliver his legal discourses. When the people see that you are allowing him to comport himself this way with your approval, during your lifetime, they will not question his authority after your death.
19 And you shall present him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire congregation, and command him in their presence not to tolerate their stubbornness.
20 You shall bestow some of your majesty upon him, making his face shine almost like yours, so that all the congregation of the Israelites will heed him and revere him, as they do you.
21 As for your family’s honor, know that the leader will still need the priest, a descendant of your brother, to manage the affairs of the nation: He shall stand before Eleazar the priest and seek counsel from him through the judgment of the urim and tumim before God when it appears necessary to go to war. By Eleazar’s word they shall go out to war, and by Eleazar’s word they shall come back from war—Joshua and all Israel with him, and the entire assembly of judges, that is, the Sanhedrin.”
22 Moses did as God had commanded him: he convinced Joshua to accept this post by informing him of the reward that awaits the leaders of the Jewish people in the afterlife, and presented him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire congregation.
23 He laid not one hand, as God had commanded him, but both his hands upon him, filling Joshua’s mind to overflowing with wisdom, and commanded him regarding the Israelite’s stubbornness, and imparted some of his majesty to him so that his face shone, in accordance with what God had spoken to Moses.
The Daily and Festival Offerings
Fifth Reading 28:1 God spoke to Moses after he asked Him to appoint a successor, saying:
2 “I understand that you are concerned for the welfare of the people, and therefore you asked Me to appoint a leader who will care for them after you are gone. But I am concerned that their obedience to Me so far has been out of respect for you, their devoted leader. I therefore ask you now to enjoin them to respect My wishes even after you die.72 Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘Take care to offer the daily and additional communal offerings at their prescribed times. Moreover, you shall watch over the daily offering, stationing representatives of the priests, Levites, and laity as it is burned. This applies particularly to its blood, which is termed “My offering,” and its fat-parts, which are termed “My food for My fire-offerings,”73 which you offer to please Me. You are to offer it to Me at its appointed time, that is, twice a day.’
3 And you shall say to the court, which is responsible for making sure the details of this sacrifice are carried out properly: ‘This is the fire-offering that you shall offer to God: two unblemished, one-year-old lambs each day as a continual ascent-offering.
4 The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, slaughtering it while facing west, and the other lamb you shall offer in the afternoon, facing east.
5 And together with this ascent-offering, you will offer its supplementary grain-offering, as I commanded you previously:74 one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain-offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of crushed-olive oil.
6 It will be a continual ascent-offering, offered like the one offered up at Mount Sinai before the giving of the Torah75 and the one offered during the week of inaugurating the Tabernacle: you must receive the blood in a vessel. Offer itto please Me, as a fire-offering to God.
7 Its supplementary libation shall be as I commanded you:76 one-quarter of a hin for each lamb, to be poured on the holy Altar as a libation of strong wine to God.
8 And the second lamb you shall offer in the afternoon. You shall offer it with the same grain-offering and libation as accompanied the morning offering, as a fire-offering to please God.
9 And in addition to the daily continual offerings, you must offer additional offerings on the Sabbath, on the first day of every month, and on the festivals. Even though it is otherwise forbidden to slaughter animals on the Sabbath day, I command you77 to offer two unblemished, one-year-old lambs after the morning daily offering, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain-offering for the two of them, mixed with half a hin of olive oil, and its wine libation, half a hin.
10 The ascent-offering of each Sabbath may be offered only on its Sabbath—but not on another Sabbath, meaning that if you miss it you cannot make it up. You must bring this offering following the morning continual ascent-offering and its grain-offering and libation.
11 And on the first day of every month, Rosh Chodesh, you shall offer an ascent-offering to God: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all unblemished. The bulls allude to Abraham (who fed the angels with a bull78), the ram alludes to Isaac (in whose stead a ram was offered79), and the lambs allude to Jacob (who took his pay from Laban’s flock80).81 There are seven lambs because this number alludes to the covenant between God and the Jewish people.82
12 The supplementary offerings for these animals, as you have been commanded, are three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain-offering, mixed with half a hin of olive oil for each bull; two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain-offering, mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil for each ram,
13 and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of olive oil as a grain-offering for each lamb.83 Offer each as an ascent-offering to please God, as a fire-offering to God.
14 And their libations: half a hin of wine for each bull, a third of a hin of wine for each ram, and a quarter of a hin of wine for each lamb.84 The ascent-offering of the first day of each month may be offered only in its month—if you miss it you cannot make it up—throughout the months of the year.
15 Besides these, you must also offer on the first day of each month one young male goat for a sin-offering to God, to atone for those who unwittingly85 entered the Sanctuary precincts while defiled, ate consecrated food while defiled, or ate consecrated food that had become defiled. The goats offered as additional offerings on the festivals serve the same purpose. But the one offered on the first day of each month also atones for My “sin,” so to speak, of diminishing the moon.86 All these additional offerings and their libations shall be offered following the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
Sixth Reading 16 As I have commanded you, on the fourteenth day of the first month, Nisan, you shall offer a Passover offering to God.87
17 On the fifteenth day of this month, a festival named after the Passover (Pesach) offering begins; unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days.88
18 The first day is a holy occasion; you shall not perform any mundane work, even if this entails irretrievable loss.89
19 In addition, you shall offer a fire-offering, an ascent-offering to God identical to that offered on the first day of each month: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs; they shall be unblemished for you.
20 Their grain-offerings shall be fine flour mixed with olive oil, as prescribed: you shall offer three-tenths of an ephah for each bull and two-tenths of an ephah for the ram,
21 and you shall offer one-tenth of an ephah for each lamb, for all seven lambs.
22 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering to atone for you.
23 You shall offer these besides the morning ascent-offering, which is offered as a continual ascent-offering.
24 Like these, you shall offer daily for seven days, as food of the fire-offering to please God; you shall offer this group of offerings following the morning continual ascent-offering and its grain-offering and libation.
25 The seventh day, i.e., the 21st of Nisan, shall also be a holy occasion for you; you shall not perform any mundane work on it, either.90 However, you are permitted to perform mundane work on the intervening (i.e., the second to sixth) days of Passover if refraining from doing so would entail irretrievable loss.
26 As I have commanded you, the day when you offer the first fruits of the wheat harvest—that is, the day when you offer a grain-offering to God from the year’s new harvest of wheat, your festival that occurs seven weeks [shavuot] after Passover, and is therefore known as Shavuot—shall be a holy occasion for you, and you shall not perform any mundane work on it.91
27 In addition, you shall offer an ascent-offering to please God identical to the one offered on the first day of each month: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs.
28 Their grain-offerings shall be fine flour mixed with olive oil, as prescribed: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram,
29 and one-tenth of an ephah for each lamb, for all seven lambs.
30 You shall also offer one young male goat to atone for you.
31 You shall offer this besides the morning continual ascent-offering and its grain-offering and libation; these additional offerings shall be unblemished for you, as well as their libations, all of which must also be “unblemished,” i.e., the wine must not have any moldy scum on its surface.
29:1 As I have commanded you, the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month, shall be a holy occasion for you, i.e., Rosh HaShanah; you shall not perform any mundane work. It shall be a day of shofar-sounding for you.92
2 In addition, you shall offer an ascent-offering to please God: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all unblemished. This, too, is identical with the additional offering for the first day of each month, except that only one bull is required instead of two.
3 And their grain-offering shall be fine flour mixed with olive oil, as prescribed: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram,
4 and one-tenth of an ephah for each lamb, for the seven lambs.
5 You shall also offer one young male goat as a sin-offering, to atone for you.
6 Offer all this following the ascent-offering of the first day of the month and its grain-offering and libation and the morning continual ascent-offering and its grain-offering and libation. With the additional offerings, you must also offer their libations as prescribed for them, as a fire-offering to please God.
7 As I have commanded you, the tenth day of this seventh month shall be a holy occasion for you, i.e., Yom Kippur, and you shall afflict your souls. You shall not perform any work.93
8 In addition, you shall offer an ascent-offering to please God identical to that offered on Rosh HaShanah: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs; they shall all be unblemished.
9 And their grain-offering shall be fine flour mixed with olive oil as prescribed: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram,
10 and one-tenth of an ephah for each lamb, for the seven lambs.
11 You shall also offer a young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the special atonement sin-offering of Yom Kippur;94 and you shall offer these additional ascent-offerings and their libations besides the morning continual ascent-offering and its grain-offering and libation.
Seventh Reading 12 As I have commanded you, the fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be a holy occasion for you, i.e., Sukot; you shall not perform any mundane work, and you shall celebrate a festival to God for seven days.95
13 In addition, you shall offer an ascent-offering, a fire-offering to please God: on the first day, you shall offer thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs; they shall all be unblemished. This additional offering is unique: the rams and lambs offered each day are double the amount required on the first day of each month, and the bulls decrease from thirteen on the first day to seven on the seventh day. The total number of bulls is 70, alluding to the 70 archetypal non-Jewish nations;96 these offerings serve to protect them from harm. Their decreasing number alludes to the abolition of non-Jewish governments in the messianic future.97 The total number of lambs is 98; they serve to protect the Jews from the 98 curses with which they will be threatened before they enter the Promised Land.98 The non-Jewish nations are alluded to by bulls, which represent Abraham,99 because Abraham was ‘the father of a multitude of nations.’100 The Jews are alluded to by lambs, which represent Jacob, because Jacob was the only patriarch whose children were all progenitors of the Jewish people. There are two daily rams because the rams are mentioned between the bulls and the lambs and thus allude to an intermediate state between the non-Jews (bulls) and the Jews (lambs): of the sons of Isaac (who is represented by the ram), one (Jacob) became a Jewish patriarch and the other (Esau) did not. Since the rams only represent this intermediate state, there is no intrinsic significance to their total number, as there is for the bulls and the lambs.101
14 And their grain-offering shall be fine flour mixed with olive oil, as prescribed: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, for the thirteen bulls; two-tenths of an ephah for each ram, for the two rams;
15 and one-tenth of an ephah for each lamb, for the fourteen lambs. Offer libations as prescribed with each animal.
16 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation. Furthermore, on each day of Sukot you shall pour a water-offering on the Altar.
17 And on the second day of Sukot you shall offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
18 And you shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
19 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and the libations of both continual ascent-offerings.
20 And on the third day of Sukot you shall offer eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
21 And you shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
22 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
23 And on the fourth day of Sukot you shall offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
24 You shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
25 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
26 And on the fifth day of Sukot you shall offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
27 And you shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
28 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
29 And on the sixth day of Sukot you shall offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
30 And you shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
31 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libations.
32 And on the seventh day of Sukot you shall offer seven bulls, two rams and fourteen one-year-old lambs, all unblemished.
33 And you shall offer their grain- offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed for them.
34 You shall also offer one young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
Maftir 35 As I have commanded you, the eighth day counting from the first day of Sukot—i.e., the 22nd of Tishrei—is the holiday called Shemini Atzeret (“The Eighth-[Day] Restriction”). In contrast to the other festivals, on which you are prohibited from engaging in mundane work because they are “holy occasions” in and of themselves, Shemini Atzeret shall be a time of restriction for you—that is, a day on which I restrain you from returning to your daily lives so I can spend time with you alone after we occupied ourselves with the needs of the rest of humanity the previous seven days. For this purpose, I restrict you on this holiday in two ways: you shall not perform any mundane work,102 and, unlike the other holidays, you must stay the night of the holiday in proximity to the Tabernacle.103
36 To further demonstrate this intimacy between us, you shall offer an ascent-offering, a fire-offering to please God: one bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all unblemished. True, this is the same additional offering required on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, but in juxtaposition to the additional offerings of the previous seven days, it highlights the uniqueness of the Jewish people: one bull, one ram, and only the usual set of seven lambs that alludes to God’s covenant with the Jewish people.104
37 You shall offer their grain-offerings and their libations—for the bulls, rams, and lambs—according to their number, as prescribed.
38 You shall also offerone young male goat for a sin-offering, besides the morning continual ascent-offering, its grain-offering, and its libation.
39 These you shall offer for God on your festivals, besides your outstanding vows and voluntary offerings—for your ascent-offerings, grain-offerings, libations, and peace-offerings—that you have vowed to offer. As long as you have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to offer the required offerings, offer any outstanding voluntary offerings you may owe as well.’ ”
30:1 Moses spoke to the Israelites, conveying the laws of the additional sacrifices in accordance with all that God had commanded Moses (See Figure 2).
|
Occasion |
Ascent-Offerings |
Sin Offering |
||
|
Bulls |
Rams |
Sheep |
Goat |
|
|
twice daily |
1 |
|||
|
The Sabbath |
2 |
|||
|
Rosh Chodesh |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Pesach (7 days) |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Shavuot |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Rosh Hashanah |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Yom Kippur |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Sukot 1st day |
13 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
2nd day |
12 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
3rd day |
11 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
4th day |
10 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
5th day |
9 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
6th day |
8 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
7th day |
7 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
|
Shemini Atzeret |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
Figure 2: The Daily and additional offerings
Start a Discussion