| 16God spoke to Moses, saying, |
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טזוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר: |
| 17“Speak to the Israelites and take from them a staff for each paternal house—from each of their tribal princes according to their fathers’ houses, 12 staffs—and inscribe each man’s name on his staff. |
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יזדַּבֵּ֣ר | אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְקַ֣ח מֵֽאִתָּ֡ם מַטֶּ֣ה מַטֶּה֩ לְבֵ֨ית אָ֜ב מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־נְשִֽׂיאֵהֶם֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּֽהוּ: |
| 18Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi, for there is one staff for the head of their fathers’ house. |
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יחוְאֵת֙ שֵׁ֣ם אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּ֣ה לֵוִ֑י כִּ֚י מַטֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד לְרֹ֖אשׁ בֵּ֥ית אֲבוֹתָֽם: |
| כִּי מַטֵּה אֶחָד - For there is one staff - i.e., even though I have divided them into two families – the family of priests and the family of Levites – it is nonetheless one tribe. |
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כִּי מַטֵּה אֶחָד.
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁחִלַּקְתִּים לִשְׁתֵּי מִשְׁפָּחוֹת, מִשְׁפַּחַת כְּהֻנָּה לְבַד וּלְוִיָּה לְבַד, מִכָּל מָקוֹם שֵׁבֶט אֶחָד הוּא:
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| 19You must place them in the Tent of Meeting before the Ark of the Testimony, where I commune with you. |
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יטוְהִנַּחְתָּ֖ם בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד לִפְנֵי֙ הָֽעֵד֔וּת אֲשֶׁ֛ר אִוָּעֵ֥ד לָכֶ֖ם שָֽׁמָּה: |
| 20The staff of the man whom I will choose will blossom, and I will thus calm the Israelites’ complaints that they complain against you, ridding Myself of them.” |
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כוְהָיָ֗ה הָאִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶבְחַר־בּ֖וֹ מַטֵּ֣הוּ יִפְרָ֑ח וַֽהֲשִׁכֹּתִ֣י מֵֽעָלַ֗י אֶת־תְּלֻנּוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥ם מַלִּינִ֖ם עֲלֵיכֶֽם: |
| וַֽהֲשִׁכֹּתִי - I will calm. This verb is similar to: “the water began to subside (וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ),” and “the king’s anger abated (שָׁכָכָה).” |
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וַֽהֲשִׁכֹּתִי.
כְּמוֹ "וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם" (בראשית ח'), "וַחֲמַת הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁכָכָה" (אסתר ז'):
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| 21Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their princes gave him a staff, one for each prince according to their fathers’ houses, 12 staffs, and Aaron’s staff amidst their staffs. |
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כאוַיְדַבֵּ֨ר משֶׁ֜ה אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ אֵלָ֣יו | כָּל־נְשִֽׂיאֵיהֶ֡ם מַטֶּה֩ לְנָשִׂ֨יא אֶחָ֜ד מַטֶּ֨ה לְנָשִׂ֤יא אֶחָד֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת וּמַטֵּ֥ה אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן בְּת֥וֹךְ מַטּוֹתָֽם: |
| בְּתוֹךְ מַטּוֹתָֽם - Amidst their staffs - i.e., he placed it in the middle, so that they not say: “It blossomed because he placed it close to the Divine Presence.” |
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בְּתוֹךְ מַטּוֹתָֽם.
הִנִּיח בָּאֶמְצַע, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִנִּיחוֹ בְצַד שְׁכִינָה פָּרַח (תנחומא אחרי מות):
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| 22Moses placed the staffs before God in the Tent of Meeting, which housed the Ark of the Testimony. |
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כבוַיַּנַּ֥ח משֶׁ֛ה אֶת־הַמַּטֹּ֖ת לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה בְּאֹ֖הֶל הָֽעֵדֻֽת: |
| 23On the following day, Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and behold, Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had blossomed. It gave forth blossoms, sprouted buds, and produced ripe almonds. |
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כגוַיְהִ֣י מִמָּֽחֳרָ֗ת וַיָּבֹ֤א משֶׁה֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל הָֽעֵד֔וּת וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּרַ֥ח מַטֵּה־אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן לְבֵ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיֹּ֤צֵ֥א פֶ֨רַח֙ וַיָּ֣צֵ֥ץ צִ֔יץ וַיִּגְמֹ֖ל שְׁקֵדִֽים: |
| וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח - It gave forth blossoms - as it literally implies. |
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וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח.
כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ:
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| צִיץ - This is the budding of the fruit, when the blossoms fall off. |
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צִיץ.
הוּא חֲנָטַת הַפְּרִי כְּשֶׁהַפֶּרַח נוֹפֵל:
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| וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִֽים - i.e., when the fruit became recognizable, one could tell that they were almonds. It is related to: “The child grew up and was weaned (וַיִּגָּמַל),” and is a term commonly used with fruit of trees, as in וּבֹסֶר גֹּמֵל יִהְיֶה נִצָּה “the bud becomes a ripening grape.” And why did it sprout specifically almonds? Because it is the fruit that blossoms quickest of all fruits, signifying that one who challenges the priesthood is likewise punished quickly, as we find regarding Uziyah: “the tzara’at broke out on his forehead.” Onkelos translates it as: וְכָפֵת שִׁגְדִין, meaning it produced a kind of cluster of almonds, bound (כְּפוּתִים) one upon the other. |
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וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִֽים.
כְּשֶׁהֻכַּר הַפְּרִי הֻכַּר שֶׁהֵן שְׁקֵדִים, לְשׁוֹן "וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַיִּגָּמַל" (בראשית כ"א), וְלָשׁוֹן זֶה מָצוּי בִּפְרִי הָאִילָן, כְּמוֹ "וּבֹסֶר גֹּמֵל יִהְיֶה נִצָּה" (ישעיהו י"ח), וְלָמָּה שְׁקֵדִים? הוּא הַפְּרִי הַמְמַהֵר לְהַפְרִיחַ מִכָּל הַפֵּרוֹת, אַף הַמְעוֹרֵר עַל הַכְּהֻנָּה פֻּרְעֲנוּתוֹ מְמַהֶרֶת לָבֹא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְעֻזִּיָּהוּ "וְהַצָּרַעַת זָרְחָה בְמִצְחוֹ" (דברי הימים ב' כ"ו); תַּרְגּוּמוֹ "וְכָפִית שִׁגְדִּין", כְּמִין אֶשְׁכּוֹל שְׁקֵדִים יַחַד כְּפוּתִים זֶה עַל זֶה:
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| 24Moses took out all the staffs from before God to all the Israelites. They saw, and each man took his staff. |
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כדוַיֹּצֵ֨א משֶׁ֤ה אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּטֹּת֙ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־כָּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּרְא֥וּ וַיִּקְח֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ מַטֵּֽהוּ: |
