Interpolated Translation for Parshah Naso

The Levite Clans, continued

4:21 God spoke to Moses, saying:

22 "Take a census of the clan of Gershon, too, according to their fathers' houses, by their families.

23 You shall count them from the age of 30 to the age of 50, all who are strong enough to lift heavy things and are thus eligible for the troop, to perform service in the Tent of Meeting.

24 This is the service of the families of the clan of Gershon in transporting the Tabernacle, to serve and to carry:1

25 They shall carry the bottom cover of tapestries draped over the Tabernacle, the middle cover of goat-skins draped over the Tent of Meeting, the upper covering of red-dyed ram-skins and the tachash-skin covering overlaid upon it, the Screen for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

26 the curtains of the courtyard and the Screen at the entrance of the gate of the courtyard that screen the Tabernacle and the Altar all around, the ropes used to fasten the bottom of the lower two coverings (the tapestries and the goat-skins) to the ground, all the work involved, and everything that is handed over to the clan of Gershon, and thus shall they serve.

27 All the service of the clan of Gershon shall be by the instruction of Aaron and his sons, regarding all their burden and all their service. You shall designate their entire burden as their charge.

28 This is the service of the families of the clan of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting, and their charge, which was under the direction of Itamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

Second Reading 29 You shall count the clan of Merari by their families, according to their fathers' houses.

30 You shall count them from the age of 30 to the age of 50, all who are strong enough to lift heavy things and are thus eligible for the troop, to perform service in the Tent of Meeting.

31 This is the charge of their burden for all their service in transporting the Tent of Meeting:2 they will transport the planks of the Tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets,

32 the pillars of the surrounding courtyard, their sockets, their stakes, and the ropes used to hang the curtains of the courtyard from its pillars, and all their implements for all the work involved. You shall designate by name the implements charged to them for their burden.

33 This is the service of the families of the clan of Merari for all their service in the Tent of Meeting, which, like that of the clan of Gershon, was under the supervision of Itamar the son of Aaron the priest."

34 After God finished commanding Moses to count the three Levite clans, Moses did so, in the order God mentioned them: Moses, Aaron, and the princes of the congregation first counted the clan of Kehat by families and according to their fathers' houses

35 from the age of 30 to the age of 50, all who were eligible for the troop, for service in the Tent of Meeting.

36 Their tally, according to their families, was 2,750.

37 These were the tallies of the families of the clan of Kehat, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, who were counted by Moses and Aaron as directed by God to Moses.

38 This was the tally of the clan of Gershon, by their families and according to their fathers' houses,

39 from the age of 30 to the age of 50, all who were eligible for the troop, for service in the Tent of Meeting.

40 Their tally, by their families and according to their fathers' houses, was 2,630.

41 These are the tallies of the families of the clan of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted as directed by God.

42 This was the tally of the families of the clan of Merari, by their families and according to their fathers' houses,

43 from the age of 30 to the age of 50, all who were eligible for the troop, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

44 Their tally by their families was 3,200.

45 These are the tallies of the families of the clan of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted as directed by God to Moses.

46 These were all the tallies that Moses, Aaron, and the princes of Israel took of the Levites, by their families and according to their fathers' houses,

47 from the age of 30 to the age of 50, who were fit, i.e., strong enough both to perform the service of playing heavy musical instruments, such as cymbals and harps—which was part of the musical accompaniment to the priests' service of offering sacrifices—and to do the work of carrying the parts of the Tabernacle in transporting the Tent of Meeting.

48 Their tally was 8,580.

49 As directed by God, they were appointed by Moses, each man to his service and his burden; those appointed were appointed according to how God had commanded Moses, i.e., they were between the ages of 30 and 50 (See Figure 1).

Purifying the Camp

Third Reading 5:1 Having completed its account of the census, the Torah now returns to the events of the first day of Nisan, 2449, when the Tabernacle was erected.3 God spoke to Moses, saying:

2 "Command the Israelites to banish from all three camps all those afflicted with tzara'at, from the two inner camps all those afflicted with a male discharge, and from the innermost camp all those defiled through contact with the dead.4

3 You shall banish both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so they not defile their camps in which I dwell among them."

4 The Israelites did so: they sent them outside the camp; the Israelites did exactly as God had spoken to Moses.

The Laws of Theft, continued

5 The Torah stated the laws of thievery earlier,5 but repeats them now for didactic reasons6 and in order to add two new details: (a) the thief is only liable to pay a surcharge and bring a guilt-offering if he confesses on his own, but not if he is convicted by a court, and (b) if the victim was a convert with no heirs and he has died since the crime, the thief must pay the priests instead. God spoke to Moses, saying:

6 "Tell the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any of the following sins of man: he denies having received a deposit, having entered into a partnership, having taken a loan, having robbed, having withheld an employee's wages, or having found a lost article, and by denying this acts treacherously against God, and then he swears falsely to this effect, and that person later feels guilty

7 and confesses the sin he committed, he shall make restitution for the principal amount of his guilt, add its fifth to it, and give it to the one against whom he was guilty.

8 But if the wronged man has died, the thief must give the restitution and the additional fifth to his closest relative. If, however, the wronged man has no kinsman to whom to make restitution—i.e., he was a convert to Judaism, who is 'reborn' when he converts and is no longer legally tied to any of his former kin, and he did not become legally tied to any new kin after his conversion—the debt, i.e., the principal, and the additional amount that should be restored to him is to be given instead to God, by being given to any priest whose division is serving in the Temple at that time. The thief must pay this restitution besides offering the atonement ram mentioned previously,7 through which expiation is made for him."

9 God now tells Moses to detail some other laws pertaining to the priests' entitlements. We saw previously8 that every Jew must bring his first fruits to the Temple, but we were not told what he must do with them. God therefore now says, "Every first-fruit raised-offering—this being the only one of all the Israelites' holy things that they must bring to the priest, for the priest must go collect all his other entitlements himself—shall belong to him, i.e., the priest.

10 But even though the priests (and the Levites) have to go collect all their other entitlements, they may not take them by force. Rather, everyone's holy things shall belong to him, and only he can decide when to give them away; only whatever a man gives to the priest shall be his. Nonetheless," as this verse can also be read, "if a person keeps his holy things and does not give them to the priests altogether, he will in the end possess only as much as he should have given, and no more. Whereas if a person does give the priest what is due to him, he will be rewarded by being wealthy. Furthermore," re-reading this verse again, "if someone retains the priests' dues, they, i.e., he and his wife, will eventually require him, i.e., the priest, to officiate in the ritual of the suspected adulteress," the laws of which the Torah therefore presents now.

The Suspected Adulteress

Fourth Reading The ritual of the suspected adulteress (sotah) demonstrates that the Torah expects absolute fidelity in all Jewish marriages, even when the spouses are of less than sterling character. As we just saw, the husband who subjects his wife to this rite is probably a miser, and as we will see, the rite is only administered to a wife who is wanton enough to ignore her husband's warning to avoid seclusion with other men. But even in these cases, the Torah's concern for the sanctity of marriage is so great that it sets aside its usually extreme censure9 of embarrassing someone in public. Certainly, a good marriage would never occasion this rite, and the sages advise husbands to assume their wives are innocent of any wrongdoing unless they have clear justification to suspect otherwise.10 Even if the husband is convinced that there is cause for concern, he must first appeal to his wife privately to improve her behavior.11 If this does not work, he may proceed with the ritual only if he is sure that his motivations are pure—he may not invoke the rite in jest, in anger, or in order to frighten her.12 In addition, the rite only works if the husband himself is not guilty of adultery,13 and only if the society as a whole is appalled by infidelity. Thus, in Mishnaic times, when the moral level of Jewish society began to decline somewhat, this rite was discontinued.14

11 God spoke to Moses, saying:

12 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'Should any man's wife stray from the norms of modest behavior, and should he see her behaving immodestly with another man, he must warn her to refrain from being in this man's company. Under the following circumstances, he must further suspect that she was unfaithful to him

13 by letting this man lie with her carnally unbeknownst to her husband, and then subject her to the ordeal described afterwards: First, two witnesses testify that she ignored his warning and was secluded with the suspected paramour long enough to be defiled, i.e. to have engaged in relations with him, yet she denies that they had relations. Second, there was not even one witness against her that can testify that she was actually defiled, for if there were such a witness, she would be considered guilty of adultery without the ordeal. Third, she was not seized, but was witnessed secluding herself with the man willfully.

14 All of this applies only if a spirit of suspicion had come upon the husband prior to the seclusion and, as we said, he had warned his wife in front of witnesses not to seclude herself with this man, and she might have been defiled, or such a spirit of suspicion had come upon the husband prior to the seclusion and he had warned his wife in this way and she might not have been defiled—for as we said, there is no witness one way or the other.

15 If all these conditions are met, the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring her offering for her, one tenth of an ephah of coarse barley flour. Grain-offerings are usually fine wheat flour, but since the woman is suspected of performing a bestial sin, she brings an offering of animal food. Furthermore, he shall neither pour oil over it, which would beautify it and associate it with light, nor put frankincense on it, which would associate it with the deeds of the matriarchs,15 for it is a grain-offering expressing both God's and her husband's jealousies, a grain-offering of remembrance, recalling iniquity. It is therefore not right to beautify it, associate the woman's suspected clandestine behavior with light, or associate her suspected sinful behavior with the righteous matriarchs.

16 The priest shall bring her forth and present her before God, i.e., at the entrance to the courtyard, so that all may see her.

17 The priest shall put holy water, i.e., water from the laver, in an earthen vessel, and the priest shall take some earth from the Tabernacle floor and put it into the water. The woman is tried with water from the laver because the laver was made out of the mirrors that the Jewish women in Egypt had used to arouse their husbands' marital passions, and this woman is suspected of marital infidelity. She is served bitter water in an earthenware cup in order to contrast it with the fine wine in a fine goblet she is suspected of serving her paramour.

18 Then, after preparing the potion, the priest shall tire the woman out by leading her to and fro, in order to lower her defenses and keep her from rationalizing her behavior. After this, he will present the woman again before God, i.e., at the entrance to the courtyard. He will expose the hair on the head of the woman and undo her braids (if applicable). Since married women normally cover their hair, uncovering it signifies that she was suspected of betraying her marriage. In order to wear her out some more, the priest shall place the grain-offering of remembrance, which is a grain-offering of jealousies, into her hands, while the water that will prove bitter and fatal for her—if she is indeed guilty—remains in the priest's hand.

19 The priest shall then place her under oath, and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you and you have not gone astray to become defiled by another man in place of your husband, you will be absolved through this bitter, fatal water.

20 But as for you, if you have gone astray with another man instead of your husband and have become defiled, and another man besides your husband has lain with you, you will perish from the water."

21 The priest shall then adjure the woman with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman, "May God make you for a curse and an oath among your people, i.e., when people want to curse each other they will say, 'May what happened to so-and-so happen to you,' and when they want to swear they will say, 'If I am not telling the truth, may what happened to so-and-so happen to me.' You will become the subject of the people's curses and oaths when they see God punish the organs you used to sin, i.e., when He causes your thigh [a euphemism for her reproductive organ] to rupture and your belly [i.e., womb] to swell." The priest mentions the organs in the order in which they were used to sin.

22 "For this fatal water shall enter your innards, causing also the paramour's belly to swell and his 'thigh' to rupture"—here the priest mentions the organs in the order in which the water reaches them. The woman shall accept the oath of the curse by saying, "Amen" to the oath and "amen" to the curse. Her double acceptance also implies that she accepts the consequences even if she committed adultery with a different paramour or before her marriage, while only betrothed to her husband.

23 Then the priest shall write these curses—including God's Name—on a scroll and erase it in the bitter water.

24 The priest will then offer the woman's grain-offering, as will be described presently. Afterwards, he shall give the bitter, fatal water to the woman to drink, and this fatal water shall enter her entire body, becoming bitter for her (if she is indeed guilty) by causing her whole body—not only her womb and reproductive organ—to rupture.

25 But first, the priest shall take the grain-offering of jealousies from the woman's hand, and then, with her hand in between his and the offering, wave the grain-offering before God horizontally and vertically. He will then bring it to the south-west corner of the Altar, as is done with all grain-offerings.16

26 The priest shall scoop out from the grain-offering its reminder, i.e., a handful of it,17 and burn it upon the Altar, and then he shall give the woman the water to drink.

27 Even if she refuses to drink the potion, the priest shall make her drink it once God's Name has been blotted out by the water—unless she explicitly admits her guilt, for then we need not proceed with the test. And it shall be that, if she had been defiled and was unfaithful to her husband, the fatal water shall enter her to become bitter, and her 'belly' will swell, and her 'thigh' will rupture. At the same instant, the paramour will die in the same way she does, wherever he may be.18 The woman will be a curse among her people.

28 But if the woman had not become defiled when she secluded herself with this man and she is guiltless with regard to other men, as well, she shall be exempted from the effect of the potion, and moreover, the potion will cause her19 to bear seed better than before: if she formerly experienced pain in childbirth, she will be relieved of this from now on; if she formerly had ugly children, she will have beautiful ones from now on.

29 This is the law of jealousies, which is applied when a woman strays from the norms of modest behavior with someone other than her husband and is suspected of having been defiled,

30 and a spirit of jealousy comes over a husband and he warns his wife as we have described, and thus he eventually presents the woman before God. In such a case, the priest shall do to her all that we have detailed regarding this law.

31 Even if the woman dies because of this, the husband shall be absolved of iniquity, and the woman shall bear her iniquity herself. And if she is proved innocent, the husband may resume married life with her—and in doing so he shall be absolved of the iniquity of cohabiting with a woman forbidden to him, for once he suspected her of adultery he was forbidden to cohabit with her until she would be proven innocent.' "

The Nazirite

6:1 Having illustrated the gravity of adultery, the Torah now discusses one of the ways of preventing it: being careful about drinking wine, since drinking can lead to impropriety, which in turn can lead to adultery. Someone who senses that he needs to strengthen his control over alcohol is advised to become a Nazirite ("abstainer") for a period of time. God spoke to Moses, saying:

2 "Speak to the Israelites, and you shall say to them: 'If a man or woman utters a Nazirite vow to abstain from wine for the sake of God, i.e., in order to be a more Godly person,

3 he shall abstain from new wine and aged wine; he shall not drink even vinegar made from new or aged wine, nor shall he drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, and he shall eat neither fresh grapes nor dried ones.

4 For the entire duration of his abstinence, he shall not eat any product of the grape vine, from seeds to skins.

5 In addition, all the days of his vow of abstinence, no razor shall pass over his head; until the completion of the term that he abstains for the sake of God, his hair shall be sacred, i.e., off limits, and he shall therefore allow the growth of the hair of his head to grow wild, i.e., for at least 30 days. Thus, 30 days is the minimum amount of time a person can be a Nazirite.

6 Finally, all the days that he abstains for God, he shall not come into contact with the dead.

7 Even for his father, his mother, his brother, or his sister, he shall not defile himself if they die, for the crown of abstinence20 for his God, i.e., his uncut hair, is upon his head.

8 For the entire duration of his abstinence, his body is to be considered holy to God by being forbidden to come in contact with the dead.

9 If someone in the same room dies unexpectedly or suddenly, and thereby causes his Nazirite head to become defiled, the Nazirite shall shave off the hair of his head on the day of his purification, i.e., he shall shave it off on the seventh day after he was defiled, when the water containing the ashes of the red cow are sprinkled on him for the second time.21

10 On the eighth day or later, he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

11 The priest shall prepare one for a sin-offering and one for an ascent-offering and atone on his behalf for sinning by both coming into contact with the dead and by abstaining from wine in the first place. For although it may have been necessary in this case, it is still an affront to God to exceed the Torah's prohibitions and to abstain from permitted pleasures. In any case, he shall sanctify his head anew on that day and resume growing his hair.

12 He shall consecrate to God the entire period of his abstinence by beginning to count the days of his Naziritehood from the beginning. Only then, after completing the full term of Naziritehood uninterruptedly, he shall bring a lamb in its first year as a guilt offering, as will be detailed presently. The previous days before he was defiled shall be canceled, because his Naziritehood was defiled in the middle.

13 This is the law of how the Nazirite completes his period of abstinence: On the day his period of Naziritehood is completed, he shall present himself at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

14 He shall bring his offering to God: one unblemished male lamb in its first year as an ascent-offering, one unblemished ewe-lamb in its first year as a sin-offering, one unblemished ram as a peace-offering,

15 a basket of unleavened bread containing 10 unleavened loaves of fine flour kneaded with olive oil and 10 flat unleavened cakes baked without oil but brushed with olive oil, and the grain-offerings and libations that always accompany ascent-offerings and peace-offerings. (Even though the Nazirite's ascent- and peace-offerings are exceptional in that they require bread offerings, they still require grain-offerings and libations like other ascent- and peace-offerings.)

16 The priest shall present it before God, and offer the Nazirite's sin-offering and his ascent-offering.

17 He shall then offer the ram as a peace-offering to God, intending while slaughtering it to also sanctify the basket of unleavened bread, and the priest shall then offer the grain-offering accompanying the ram as well as its libation.

18 After it is slaughtered, the ram must be cooked while still in the forecourt. After the priest slaughters the peace-offering—which must be offered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, as we know22—the Nazirite shall shave the hair off the head of his Naziritehood outside the forecourt. He shall then take the hair of the head of his Naziritehood and place it upon the fire that is under the pot in which the peace-offering is being cooked.

19 The priest shall then take the cooked foreleg of the ram, one unleavened loaf from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and place them in the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaven off his Nazirite head.

20 The priest shall wave them as a waving before God; this wave-offering—i.e., the foreleg, the loaf, and the wafer—is consecrated to the priest, along with the breast of the waving and the thigh of the uplifting that are the priest's regular portion of every peace-offering.23 After this procedure, the Nazirite may once again drink wine.

21 The above description prescribes the minimum number of animals the Nazirite must offer when completing his term of Naziritehood. But the following is the law for a Nazirite who wishes to pledge an offering to God for completing his Naziritehood in addition to what the Torah has prescribed as being within his means: He may indeed do according to the vow that he vows as long as this is in addition to what the law of his Naziritehood prescribes. He may not vow to become a Nazirite on condition that he offer less than the prescribed number of animals at the completion of his term.' "

The Priestly Blessings

22 The Torah now returns again to the events of the first day of Nisan, 2449. God spoke to Moses, saying:

23 "I have already promised the people that if they obey My commandments I will reward them with material prosperity in order to make it easier for them to continue to do what I require of them.24 In addition to this, however, My presence in their midst—ensured by the Tabernacle25—will make them abundantly prosperous, beyond their minimal needs. The vehicle for this beneficence will be the priestly blessing. Therefore, speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: 'This is how you shall bless the Israelites after you offer the daily morning sacrifice (and on certain other occasions). You must address them in the singular, intending to bless each person individually, but you must also pronounce the blessings loud enough for them all to hear, intending to bless them all collectively, as well. Nonetheless, do not let this confuse you; bless them with full concentration and bless each individual wholeheartedly.26 Say the following words to them:

24 "May God bless you with wealth, making you extraordinarily prosperous, and watch over you, protecting this wealth entirely from theft.

25 May God shine His face to you in friendship and endow you with grace so that you will be liked and esteemed by others.

26 As for your shortcomings, may God raise His face toward you, i.e., show you discriminatory favor by overlooking them, and thereby grant you peace." '27

27 When reciting this blessing, the priests shall bestow My Name upon the Israelites, i.e., pronounce My proper Name (the Name Havayah) as it is written, and I will bless the Israelites through the priests' benediction and also bless the priests themselves."

The Princes' Offerings

Fifth Reading 7:1 The following also took place on that day, the first of Nisan, 2449, which was the day that Moses finished erecting the Tabernacle. During the preceding week—in which he performed the installation rites on Aaron and his sons—Moses erected and dismantled the Tabernacle each day. Now that the installation rites were completed and the priests were ready to officiate, the Tabernacle could function on an ongoing basis, so this time Moses erected it and left it standing. Although other people made the Tabernacle, the Torah ascribes its construction here to Moses, since he made extra efforts to ensure that it was made precisely as God had commanded him. He now anointed and sanctified it and all its vessels, and anointed and sanctified the Altar and all its vessels, as he had been commanded.28

2 The princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, presented their offerings. They were the same princes of the tribes who had been appointed by the Egyptian taskmasters as foremen to oversee the slaves' work. They had been beaten on account of their mercy on the people,29 and this earned them the right to be their princes. They were also the ones who would be present to assist Moses and Aaron during the counting that would take place at the beginning of the following month.30

3 As was seen previously,31 when Moses had asked for donations to build the Tabernacle, the princes allowed the people to donate first, thinking that they would supply what the people could not after they had finished. But the people were so generous that they gave more than enough to construct the Tabernacle,32 rendering the princes' donations technically superfluous. The princes understood from this that since the Tabernacle was a collective concern of the whole community, they should have made their contributions immediately while, at the same time, encouraging the people to donate also. Having learned from their mistake, they now brought their personal dedication offering before God first, before anyone else did. This personal offering of theirs consisted of six covered wagons and 12 oxen, a wagon from each two princes, and an ox from each one, to be used for transporting the Tabernacle. They presented them in front of the Tabernacle, but Moses would not accept this unauthorized offering until God told him to.

4 So God spoke to Moses, saying:

5 "Take these oxen and wagons from them, and let them be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting. You shall give them to the Levites, in accordance with each man's work."

6 So Moses took the wagons and the cattle and gave them to the Levites.

7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the clan of Gershon, according to their work.

8 And he gave four wagons and eight oxen—twice as much—to the clan of Merari, according to their work under the direction of Itamar the son of Aaron the priest, for their burden—the boards, the columns, and the sockets, was much heavier than that of the clan of Gershon.

9 But to the clan of Kehat he did not give any wagons, for incumbent upon them was the work involving the holy objects—the furnishings of the Tabernacle—which they were to carry on their shoulders.

10 After they presented their personal offerings, the princes brought offerings on behalf of their respective tribes for the dedication of the Altar on the day it was anointed. The suggestion to bring this offering, what its components should be, and the allegorical intentions behind each of these components was given by the prince of Issachar, Netanel the son of Tzu'ar.33 The princes suggested34 presenting their offerings all together in front of the Altar, but again, Moses would not accept them until God told him to.

11 So God said to Moses, "Accept them, but not all at once. True, the princes are giving these offerings all with the same general intention in mind, but they also have specific intentions unique to their respective tribes. Therefore, let one prince each day present his offering for the dedication of the Altar, and let them do so in the order in which their respective tribes will be organized as an army at the beginning of next month.35 But even though they will be organized into four camps of three tribes each and set out on their journeys three tribes at a time, they will offer their sacrifices now one prince each day."

12 Thus, the one who brought his offering on Sunday, the first day of Nisan was Nachshon the son of Aminadav of the tribe of Judah. He paid for his offering himself, as did all the princes; they did not collect any money from their respective tribes, even though the offering was made on behalf of the whole tribe.36

13 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

14 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

15 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

16 one young he-goat for a sin-offering in case he had walked over an unknown grave and had thereby unwittingly become defiled and incurred guilt by entering the Sanctuary grounds or eating sacrificial meat,

17 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nachshon the son of Aminadav. These were the only times incense was brought as a private offering and the only time it was offered on the Outer Altar. As we will see later,37 the shekel mentioned in these offerings is the "holy" shekel, i.e., the shekel used to weigh items donated to the Sanctuary.38

In these offerings, the princes wished to express the great, historic significance of the giving of the Torah and its effect on the nature of humanity's relationship with God as achieved through the sacrifices that would be offered in the Tabernacle. To express the fact that they shared this common intention, they all brought the exact same offerings.39 The common allegorical significance that the princes shared in these offerings was as follows:

• The silver bowl alluded to Adam. The numerical value of the words for "silver bowl" (ka'arat kesef) is 930, the number of years Adam lived. Its weight, 130 shekels, alludes to the age at which Adam bore children.40
• The silver basin alluded to Noah. The numerical value of the words for "one silver basin" (mizrak echad kesef) is 520. 500 alludes to the age at which Noah began to have children, and 20 alludes to the 20 years the decree regarding the Flood preceded this time.41
• The weight of the basin, 70 shekels, alluded to the 70 nations that descended from Noah.
• The spoon alluded to the Torah, which was given by God's hand, since the Hebrew word for "spoon" (kaf) is the same as that for "hand."
• The weight of the ladle, 10 shekels, alluded to the Ten Commandments.
• The incense alluded to the 613 commandments of the Torah. The numerical value of the word for "incense" (ketoret) is 613 when a dalet is substituted for the kuf in accordance with the atbash system.
• The young bull alluded to Abraham, who took a calf as an offering.42
• The ram alluded to Isaac, for Abraham offered up a ram in place of Isaac.43
• The lamb alluded to Jacob, who separated his sheep from Laban's.44
• The he-goat atoned for the selling of Joseph. After selling him, his brothers slaughtered a he-goat and dipped his coat in its blood.45
• The two oxen for peace-offerings alluded to Moses and Aaron who brought peace between Israel and God.
• The three types of animals—rams, he-goats, and lambs—alluded to the priests, Levites, and Israelites, and to the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
• These animals were given in three sets of five alluding to (1) the Five Books of Moses, (2) the five commandments on the first tablet, and (3) the five commandments on the second tablet.

The fact that each prince also had unique allegorical intentions behind his offering was alluded to by the fact that each component of the above offering is a general entity that comprises a plurality of details:

• The years of Adam's life were all part of one life, but they were all different.
• Adam's descendants all resembled him, but they were all different.
• The years of Noah's life were all part of one life, but they were all different; and his age when he began to have children alludes to how he contributed to the continuity of human life, while the 20 years of the decree alludes to the destruction of human life.
• The 70 nations are all descended from Noah, but they are all different.
• The Torah is one entity, but it comprises the Ten Commandments and 613 commandments.
• The patriarchs were each unique, yet they are the patriarchs of the entire Jewish people.
• Jacob's sons all participated in selling Joseph, but they did not all hate him equally.
• Moses and Aaron both brought peace between God and Israel, but they did so differently.

• The Jewish people are one people and the Torah is one entity, but they both divide into specific subdivisions.

Since each prince had a unique allegorical intention in mind when he offered his sacrifice, specific to the spiritual nature of his tribe, each of their offerings is given in full detail.46

18 On the second day, the tribe of Reuben, the firstborn, protested and asked that their prince offer at least second. But Moses refused, reminding them that God had told him to have the princes present their offerings in the order of their encampment. Accordingly, the tribe of Issachar offered second, and in this way their excellence in Torah study and their prince's initiative in suggesting these offerings was acknowledged. Thus, on the second day of Nisan, Netanel the son of Tzu'ar, the prince of Issachar brought his offering.

19 He brought his offering of one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

20 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

21 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

22 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

23 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Netanel the son of Tzu'ar.

24 On the third day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Zebulun: Eliav the son of Chelon.

25 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

26 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

27 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

28 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

29 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliav the son of Chelon.

30 On the fourth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Reuben: Elitzur the son of Shede'ur.

31 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

32 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

33 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

34 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

35 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elitzur the son of Shede'ur.

36 On the fifth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Tzurishadai.

37 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

38 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

39 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

40 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

41 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Tzurishadai.

Sixth Reading 42 On the sixth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Gad: Eliasaf the son of De'uel.

43 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

44 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

45 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

46 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

47 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaf the son of De'uel.

48 On the seventh day of Nisan, which fell on the Sabbath, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Amihud.

49 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

50 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

51 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

52 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

53 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Amihud;

54 On the eighth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Manasseh: Gamliel the son of Pedahtzur.

55 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

56 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

57 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

58 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

59 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamliel the son of Pedahtzur.

60 On the ninth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Benjamin: Avidan the son of Gidoni.

61 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

62 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

63 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

64 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

65 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Avidan the son of Gidoni.

66 On the tenth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Dan: Achiezer the son of Amishadai.

67 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

68 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

69 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

70 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

71 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Achiezer the son of Amishadai.

72 On the 11th day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran.

73 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

74 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

75 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

76 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

77 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

78 On the twelfth day of Nisan, the prince who brought his offering was of the tribe of Naphtali: Achira the son of Einan.

79 His offering was one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver sprinkling basin weighing 70 shekels according to the holy shekel, both filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil for a voluntary grain-offering,

80 one gold spoon weighing 10 shekels filled with incense,

81 the choicest young bull in his herd, the choicest ram in his flock, and the choicest lamb in its first year in his flock for an ascent-offering,

82 one young he-goat for a sin-offering,

83 and for the peace-offering: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Achira the son of Einan.

Seventh Reading 84 The above was the dedication offering of the Altar presented by the princes on the day the Altar was anointed, the first day of Nisan,47 even though they brought their offerings over a period of 12 days. The Torah now repeats the tally to indicate that nothing happened to disqualify these items from use between the first of Nisan and the specific day on which they were offered. There were 12 silver bowls, 12 silver basins and 12 gold spoons.

85 The weight of each silver bowl was 130 shekels, and that of each basin was 70 shekels; all the silver of the vessels weighed in total exactly 2,400 shekels according to the holy shekel.

86 The 12 gold spoons were filled with incense. Each spoon weighed 10 shekels according to the holy shekel; all the gold spoons thus totaled 120 shekels.

Maftir 87 The total of the cattle for the ascent-offerings was 12 bulls, 12 rams, and 12 lambs in their first year with their grain-offerings. There were 12 young he-goats for sin-offerings.

88 The total of cattle for the peace-offerings was 24 oxen, 60 rams, 60 he-goats, and 60 lambs in their first year. This was the dedication offering for the Altar, which was offered after the Altar was anointed, i.e. beginning later the same day and continuing over the next 11 days.

89 The Torah now continues48 to describe how God spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle once it was erected. When Moses would come into the Tent of Meeting so God could speak with him,49 he would hear His voice as loud as it was heard on Mount Sinai, but the sound miraculously stopped at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, so no one heard it outside. Even though the voice was this loud, it sounded to Moses as if it was speaking to itself and he was simply overhearing it. God's voice issued from between the two cherubim above the covering that was over the Ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies, and Moses heard it while standing in the outer chamber of the Tent of Meeting. God spoke only to Moses and not to Aaron, except when it is explicitly stated otherwise.