Nasso - Elevate

²⁵ They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Appointment, its covering and the outer covering of hides of sea cows, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Appointment,

²⁶ the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its service. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things.

²⁷ All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aharon and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry.

²⁸ This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Appointment. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aharon, the priest.

The Sons of Merari

²⁹ "Count the Merarites by their clans and families.

³⁰ Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Appointment.

³¹ This is their duty as they perform service at the Tent of Appointment: to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,

³² as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry.

³³ This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Appointment under the direction of Ithamar son of Aharon, the priest."

The Census of the Lewites

³⁴ Mosheh, Aharon and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families.

³⁵ All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Appointment,

³⁶ counted by clans, were 2,750.

³⁷ This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Appointment. Mosheh and Aharon counted them according to Yahuwah's command through Mosheh.

³⁸ The Gershonites were counted by their clans and families.

³⁹ All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Appointment,

⁴⁰ counted by their clans and families, were 2,630.

⁴¹ This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Appointment. Mosheh and Aharon counted them according to Yahuwah's command.

⁴² The Merarites were counted by their clans and families.

⁴³ All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Appointment,

⁴⁴ counted by their clans, were 3,200.

⁴⁵ This was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Mosheh and Aharon counted them according to Yahuwah's command through Mosheh.

⁴⁶ So Mosheh, Aharon and the leaders of Yisrael counted all the Levites by their clans and families.

⁴⁷ All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Appointment

⁴⁸ numbered 8,580.

⁴⁹ At Yahuwah's command through Mosheh, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as Yahuwah commanded Mosheh.

The Quarantining of Unclean Persons

5:1 Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

² "Command the sons of Yisrael to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is unclean because of a dead body.

³ Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them."

⁴ The sons of Yisrael did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as Yahuwah had instructed Mosheh.

Confession of Sin and Restitution

5 Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

⁶ "Say to the sons of Yisrael: 'When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to Yahuwah, that person is guilty

⁷ and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.

⁸ But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to Yahuwah and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for him.

⁹ All the set apart contributions the sons of Yisrael bring to a priest will belong to him.

¹⁰ Each man's set apart gifts are his own, but what he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.'"

The Law of Jealousy

¹¹ Then Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

¹² "Speak to the sons of Yisrael and say to them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

¹³ by sleeping with another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act),

¹⁴ and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure-- or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure--

¹⁵ then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt.

¹⁶ "'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before Yahuwah.

¹⁷ Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water.

¹⁸ After the priest has had the woman stand before Yahuwah, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.

¹⁹ Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.

²⁰ But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband"--

²¹ here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath-- "may Yahuwah cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell.

²² May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away." "'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."

²³ "'The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water.

²⁴ He shall have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter suffering.

²⁵ The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before Yahuwah and bring it to the altar.

²⁶ The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water.

²⁷ If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away, and she will become accursed among her people.

²⁸ If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.

²⁹ "'This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her husband,

³⁰ or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before Yahuwah and is to apply this entire law to her.

³¹ The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.'"

Another example in the Torah where the man is depicted as being the head over his wife can be seen in the account of a spirit of jealousy. If a man suspects that his wife has been with another man, he can have her stand before the priest and before Elohim and have Elohim make known the truth of the matter. The instructions for this procedure of ascertaining her guilt or innocence in found in Bamidbar 5.

This ritual is to be performed at the request of the jealous or suspecting husband. When a man has doubts about his wife's faithfulness but has no evidence, he may subject her to undergo the test before the priest, drinking the poison water and waiting to see how Yahuwah will judge.

So how does this procedure support the headship of a man over his wife? There are several things which indicate the headship/subordination relationship. First and most obvious, the fact that the man can force his wife to undergo this test implies his authority over her. His headship over her is displayed in his right to bring her before the priest. Since the man as head of his wife has full responsibility for his wife's actions (see above the instructions regarding women taking oaths), then he is empowered by this Torah directive to be able to test his wife's faithfulness, because ultimately, he is responsible for his wife.

Second, while the jealous husband can subject his wife to the test to find out if his wife has cheated on him, there is no corresponding instruction in Torah about the right of a jealous wife to subject her husband to the same test. The Torah does not allow the woman to bring her husband into such an inquiry. She has no recourse if she is suspicious of her husband's wrongdoing. If man and woman were on an equal plane and had equal rights under the Torah, then we would expect to see such a right-ruling.

And third, whether the woman is proven guilty or not, the man is completely innocent of any wrongdoing when he subjects his wife to the ritual. The man is given the right to question his wife's fidelity but the woman has no such right to question his. It is the man's prerogative to do this without incurring any guilt, but the same is not so for the woman. Again, this implies his ruling role over his wife.

The Law of the Nazirite Vow

6:1 Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

² "Speak to the sons of Yisrael and say to them: 'If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to Yahuwah as a Nazirite,

³ he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.

⁴ As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

⁵ "'During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to Yahuwah is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long.

⁶ Throughout the period of his separation to Yahuwah he must not go near a dead body.

⁷ Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to Elohim is on his head.

⁸ Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to Yahuwah.

⁹ "'If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing-- the seventh day.

¹⁰ Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment.

¹¹ The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head.

¹² He must dedicate himself to Yahuwah for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation.

¹³ "'Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Appointment.

¹⁴ There he is to present his offerings to Yahuwah: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering,

¹⁵ together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made without yeast-- cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil.

¹⁶ "'The priest is to present them before Yahuwah and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.

¹⁷ He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to Yahuwah, together with its grain offering and drink offering.

¹⁸ "'Then at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ "'After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast.

²⁰ The priest shall then wave them before Yahuwah as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ "'This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to Yahuwah in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.'"

The Aharonic Blessing

22 Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

²³ "Tell Aharon and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the sons of Yisrael. Say to them:

²⁴ "'"Yahuwah bless you and keep you;

²⁵ Yahuwah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ Yahuwah turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

²⁷ "So they will put my name on the sons of Yisrael, and I will bless them."

The Offerings of the 12 Tribes for the Dedication of the Tabernacle

7:1 When Mosheh finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils.

² Then the leaders of Yisrael, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings.

³ They brought as their gifts before Yahuwah six covered carts and twelve oxen-- an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.

⁴ Yahuwah said to Mosheh,

⁵ "Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the Tent of Appointment. Give them to the Levites as each man's work requires."

⁶ So Mosheh took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.

⁷ He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required,

⁸ and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aharon, the priest.

⁹ But Mosheh did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.

¹⁰ When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar.

¹¹ For Yahuwah had said to Mosheh, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar."

¹² The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Yehudah.

¹³ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

¹⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

¹⁵ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

¹⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;

¹⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering.

¹⁹ The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

²⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

²¹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

²² one male goat for a sin offering;

²³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, brought his offering.

²⁵ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

²⁶ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

²⁷ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

²⁸ one male goat for a sin offering;

²⁹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Re'uven, brought his offering.

³¹ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

³² one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

³³ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

³⁴ one male goat for a sin offering;

³⁵ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Shim'on, brought his offering.

³⁷ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

³⁸ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

³⁹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁴⁰ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁴¹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering.

⁴³ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁴⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁴⁵ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁴⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁴⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elisha'ma son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering.

⁴⁹ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁵⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁵¹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁵² one male goat for a sin offering;

⁵³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elisha'ma son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering.

⁵⁵ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁵⁶ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁵⁷ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁵⁹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering.

⁶¹ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁶² one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁶³ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁶⁵ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering.

⁶⁷ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁶⁸ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁶⁹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁷⁰ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁷¹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering.

⁷³ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁷⁴ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁷⁵ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁷⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;

⁷⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering.

⁷⁹ His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

⁸⁰ one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

⁸¹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

⁸² one male goat for a sin offering;

⁸³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

⁸⁴ These were the offerings of the Yisraelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes.

⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

⁸⁶ The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels.

⁸⁷ The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering.

⁸⁸ The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

⁸⁹ When Mosheh entered the Tent of Appointment to speak with Yahuwah, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

Messiah in the Torah Parashah

Prophetic End Time Shadows in the Torah Parashah

Parshat Naso -
Sota and Nazir: Why are They 'Out of Place?'

Parshat Naso contains what appears to be a very strange progression of parshiot. After all, what logical connection exists between:

Certainly, if we use our imagination, we could find some tangential connection between each of these parshiot, but the fact remains that in simple "pshat," these parshiot have almost nothing in common.

So why does the Torah record them together?

To your surprise, this week's shiur will not explain why they are indeed connected.

Instead, we will do exactly the opposite; we will explain why these parshiot do not follow in logical progression!

To understand why, we must consider the 'nuts and bolts' of Sefer Bamidbar. That means that we will analyze the sefer (as usual) in search of its unifying theme. While doing so, we will uncover a rather fascinating pattern, one that is unique to Sefer Bamidbar and explains why many of its 'pieces' just don't seem to fit.

Introduction
As our Parsha series assumes that each "sefer" of Chumash carries a unique theme, we posit that we should be able to find a unifying theme that explains the structure of Sefer Bamdibar, just as we have found unifying themes that helped us understand the flow of parshiot in Sifrei Breishit, Shmot and Vayikra.

Nonetheless, finding such a theme for Sefer Bamidbar will be much more difficult, for it contains numerous parshiot that appear to be totally unrelated.

Take for example Parshat Naso. As we explained above, it provides us with an excellent example of a Parsha that contains many unrelated topics with no obvious explanation for their progression.

Parshat Shlach provides us with yet another example. After the story of the 'spies' (see chapters 13-14), we find a set of several totally unrelated mitzvot in chapter 15:

chapter 16

Furthermore, many of the mitzvot that we have mentioned in the above examples relate to the Mishkan and thus seem to belong in Sefer Vayikra!

So what's going on in Sefer Bamidbar?

To answer this question, we'll need to take out our 'macroscope' and set up a few charts and tables.

Divide and Conquer
Before we begin our analysis of the sefer, we must differentiate between the two basic types of 'parshiot' that we encounter when we study Chumash:

1) Narrative

story

2) Commandments

mitzvot

In our study of Chumash thus far we have shown how:

Sefer Breishit

narrative

story

Sefer Shmot

narrative

and

mitzvot

Sefer Vayikra

mitzvot

Let's take a closer look now at Sefer Bamidbar in search of the relationship between its narrative and mitzvot. Board #1 charts its progression by differentiating between the story of Sefer Bamidbar (recorded in the left column) and its mitzvot (recorded in the right column). As you study this table, note the logical flow of its story in contrast to the random progression of its mitzvot.

Carefully study this table. Note how the narratives in the left hand column simply record the story of Bnei Yisrael's journey from Har Sinai (through the desert) until they reach Arvot Moav some forty years later. Thus, if Sefer Bamidbar did not contain any of the mitzvot that are listed in the right column, this story would constitute the theme of Sefer Bamidbar.

Note as well how most of the mitzvot l'dorot (i.e. those listed in the right column) appear to be totally unrelated (or at most tangentially related) to the ongoing narratives listed in the left column. Furthermore, almost all of these mitzvot seem to 'belong' in Sefer Vayikra!

A 'Break' in the Action...
Thus, the following pattern emerges: Sefer Bamidbar describes Bnei Yisrael's forty year journey from Har Sinai until they reach Arvot Moav. However, that narrative is periodically 'interrupted' by certain mitzvot, usually unrelated to that narrative, which appear to belong in Sefer Vayikra. [To use a "mashal" from the 20^th century: the mitzvot of Sefer Bamidbar act as 'commercial breaks' [or sort of a "halacha yomit"] that interrupt the flow of its narrative!]

This structure is most definitely unique to Sefer Bamidbar. To explain how, we will compare this structure to the structures of Sefer Shmot and Sefer Vayikra.

Sefer Shmot, although it also combines both mitzvot and narrative, is fundamentally different than Sefer Bamidbar for its mitzvot constitute an integral part of its ongoing narrative! Let's explain.

Sefer Shmot records the story of Bnei Yisrael's journey from Mitzrayim until their arrival at Har Sinai. This includes the Exodus (chapters 1-13), the journey from Egypt until Har Sinai (chapters 14-17), Ma'amad Har Sinai, Chet Ha'Egel, and the building of the Mishkan (chapters 18-40).

However, these stories include several events during which God commanded Bnei Yisrael to keep certain mitzvot. For example, as Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt, they are commanded to keep the mitzvot of Pesach and Chag HaMatzot (which commemorate that event). At Ma'amad Har Sinai, they are given the Ten Commandments. As a reaction to Chet Ha'Egel (or as a perpetuation of Har Sinai), Bnei Yisrael are given the laws of the Mishkan.

Thus, the mitzvot that we find in Sefer Shmot are simply an integral part of its narrative!

[Note as well that the mitzvot recorded in Parshat Mishpatim (20:18-23:33) constitute the "sefer ha'brit" (see 24:3-7) over which Bnei Yisrael proclaim "na'aseh v'nishma" during the ceremony that took place at Har Sinai (see Ramban 24:1).]

Sefer Vayikra contains a totally different structure, which is almost the opposite to that of Sefer Shmot. Vayikra, as we explained in our shiurim, contains primarily "mitzvot l'dorot" organized by topic ("kedushat ha'Mishkan v'ha'am" or "torat kohanim"). The lone narrative that we do find in Sefer Vayikra, the dedication of the Mishkan (8:1-10:10) relates to the specific laws of korbanot that the beginning of the sefer discusses.

Thus, the structure of Bamidbar - an ongoing narrative, periodically 'interrupted' by 'unrelated' miztvot - is quite unique.

Ramban's Introduction
The above analysis can help us understand the strange statement made by Ramban in his introduction to Sefer Bamidbar:

"... and this book deals entirely with 'mitzvot sha'ah' (transient commandments) that applied only during Bnei Yisrael's stay in the desert..."

Then, a few lines later, he makes a very bold, yet puzzling, statement:

"This book does not contain any mitzvot l'dorot (commandments for all generations) except for a few mitzvot dealing with korbanot that the Torah began discussing in Sefer Vayikra, but did not finish their explanation there, and they are finished here instead."

Note how Ramban differentiates between two types of mitzvot that are found in Sefer Bamidbar; one type - "mitzvot l'sha'ah " - belong in the sefer, while the other type - "mitzvot l'dorot" - do not belong!

[If you are not familiar with this distinction, here are a few examples:

1) "Mitzvot l'sha'ah"

chapters 1-4

chapter 8

2)"Mitzvot l'dorot"

chapter 5

chapter 6

The fact that Ramban makes this distinction between parshiot that belong and do not belong implies that Sefer Bamidbar indeed carries one primary theme, i.e. the story of Bnei Yisrael's forty year journey from Sinai to Arvot Moav. Those stories and mitzvot that relate to that topic 'belong' in the sefer; those mitzvot that are unrelated to that topic do not belong!

Although Ramban never explicitly tells us what the primary topic is, we can deduce it from two additional statements regarding the narrative of Sefer Bamidbar that he makes in his introduction:

"[This book contains... ] the miracles that were performed for Bnei Yisrael and how He began to deliver their enemies before them... and He commanded them how the Land should be divided among the tribes..."

Thus, according to Ramban, Sefer Bamidbar details the events that take place during Bnei Yisrael's journey from Har Sinai towards the Promised Land. This includes both the narrative that details those events, as well as the special mitzvot - mitzvot l'sha'ah - that Bnei Yisrael are given concerning that journey.

The mitzvot l'dorot, dealing with topics unrelated to the journey through the desert, do not belong in Sefer Bamdibar!

So why does the Torah include mitzvot that don't belong in Sefer Bamdibar? Unfortunately, Ramban seems to have left this question unanswered.

Where Do They All Belong?
Before we suggest our an answer to this question, let's review the list of mitzvot that don't belong in Sefer Bamidbar, and attempt to determine where they do belong.

After a quick glance at the list in the right hand column of Board #1, the answer is quite obvious: they belong in Sefer Vayikra. Take for example:

Parshat "parah adumah" (chapter 19):
Belongs in Parshiot Tazria/Metzora, together with the presentation of all of the other laws of how one becomes "tamey" and the necessary procedures to become "tahor."

The laws of "korbanot t'midim u'musafim" (chapters 28-29):
Belong with the chagim in "Emor" (Vayikra 23). Note that on each holiday mentioned in Emor we must bring an "ishe l'Hashem." Sefer Bamidbar details the specific "ishe" (korban) that must be brought for each chag. (See Vayikra 23:37.)

Thus, it appears as though Chumash has deliberately taken parshiot that could have been in Sefer Vayikra and 'randomly' placed them throughout the narrative of Sefer Bamidbar! But why would the Torah take a mitzvah that 'belongs' in one sefer and move it to another?

One might suggest that these 'unrelated parshiot' are recorded in Sefer Bamidbar for the 'technical' reason that they just happened to have been given to Moshe Rabbeinu at this time (i.e. during the journey from Har Sinai through the desert). For example, the mitzvah of "shiluach t'mayim" (5:1-4) - sending unclean persons outside the camp - most likely was commanded only after the camp was organized (chapters 1-4).

[This most likely would be Ramban's answer, for he maintains that Chumash generally follows in chronological order ["yeish mukdam u'muchar..."].)

However, this approach explains only a very few parshiot. Most of the mitzvot l'dorot in Bamidbar must have been given at an earlier time, most probably on Har Sinai. For example, the laws of "tum'at meyt" (chapter 19) must have been given before the Mishkan was erected; otherwise it would have been impossible for the kohanim to perform the "avodah." Furthermore, certain mitzvot recorded in Bamidbar had already been mentioned earlier in Chumash (see, for example, 5:5-8 and compare with Vayikra 5:20-26).

Hence it would seem that this 'commercial break' pattern of Sefer Bamidbar is deliberate! And thus, our question remains: why does the Torah employ this unique structure?

The Pshat of Drash!
If this special structure of Bamidbar is deliberate, then the obvious temptation is to find a connection, even if only tangential, between these 'unrelated mitzvot' and the juxtaposed narrative in Sefer Bamidbar.

In fact this pattern may be the "pshat" of "drash." In other words, the Torah deliberately juxtaposes certain parshiot together, even though they were given at different times, and even though they appear to be unrelated, in order that we search for a thematic connection between them! Thus, the Torah is telling us through the 'pshat' of its structure that we are obligated to look for 'drash' as well. This unique style of Sefer Bamidbar challenges us to find a thematic connection between these "mitzvot l'dorot" and the ongoing story.

This also explains why so often the commentaries ask the famous question: "lama nis'm'cha..." (why are certain parshiot juxtaposed?). The Torah is telling us to ask this question.

Therefore, when we study Sefer Bamidbar, we should not be surprised to find certain parshiot of mitzvot that don't seem to belong. Nonetheless, we are 'obligated' to attempt to uncover a more subtle message that the Torah may be transmitting through the intentional juxtaposition of these mitzvot to its narrative.

With this background, we will now suggest possible reasons for the inclusion of these specific parshiot of mitzvot in Parshat Naso, even though they could have been recorded in Sefer Vayikra as well.

Sh'china in the Camp
The first topic of Sefer Bamidbar is the organization of the camp ("sidur ha'machanot") surrounding the Mishkan (chapters 1-4). As we explained last week, this re-organization of the camp stresses the importance of the interdependent relationship between the camp and the Mishkan, i.e. between the nation and the Kohanim and Leviim.

This may explain the reason that Sefer Bamidbar chose to include the parshiot that follow:

A) "Shiluach T'mayim" (5:1-4)

B) "Gezel HaGer" (5:5-10)
Here we find laws that reflect the special relationship between the nation and the kohanim. This mitzvah begins with the standard law of the Korban Asham as explained in Parshat Vayikra (5:20-26). The halacha requires that prior to bringing the korban, the transgressor must first repay the person ("keren v'chomesh"). This parsha describes the case when the payment is given to the Kohen, i.e. when the person who is owed the money has passed away and left no inheritors (see Rashi 5:8). The parsha continues with a general statement regarding the legal ownership of tithes that the nation must give to the kohanim (see 5:9-10).

C) Parshat Sotah (5:11-31)
Here again we find a special relationship between the Kohanim (as servants in the Mishkan) and the nation, as the kohen is instrumental in solving problems in a marital relationship. Even though this is a korban mincha, its nature is quite different from those mentioned in Sefer Vayikra (see Ramban 5:9).

D) Parshat Nazir (6:1-21)
Here we find a case where a member of the nation takes upon himself laws similar to those of a Kohen (see 6:6-8), as well as the 'kedusha' of a Kohen. Note also the similarity between the korban that the nazir must bring (6:13-21) and the special korbanot brought by the kohanim during the 7 day miluim ceremony (8:1-30).

E) Birkat Kohanim (6:22-27)
The blessing that the Kohanim bestow on the nation is yet another example of the connection between the Kohanim and the machaneh. The kohanim serve as vehicle through which God can bless His people.

Travelling with the Sh'china
Why are specifically parshiot from Sefer Vayikra woven into Sefer Bamidbar? This structure of Bamidbar may reflect a 'way of life.' In our study of Sefer Vayikra, we explained how the kedusha of the Mishkan (first half of Vayikra) affects the kedusha of the entire nation (second half). This fundamental concept is now applied to Sefer Bamidbar. The Torah periodically interrupts its detail of the journey of Bnei Yisrael through the desert with mitzvot that deal with the special connection between the kohanim and the nation.

As the nation leaves Har Sinai, Bnei Yisrael begin to deal with mundane tasks such as preparation for the conquest of the Land. At the same time they must constantly remind themselves of their spiritual goals, symbolized by the Mishkan at the center of the camp.

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For Further Iyun:

Chanukat HaMizbayach (7:1-8:26)
This parsha, discussing the dedication ceremony of the Mishkan, appears to be out of place. The story of the dedication of the Mishkan was already detailed in Parshat Pkudei (Shmot 40) and Parshat Shmini (Vayikra 9). Furthermore, this dedication ceremony took place on the first of Nisan, while the narrative of Sefer Bamidbar began a month later, on the first day of Iyar (1:1)! Why then is it included in Bamidbar, and why specifically here?

The primary topic of this perek is the 'korban' that the tribal leaders brought on the day of the dedication of the Mishkan. Their offering included a joint presentation of six wagons and twelve oxen as well as an offering for the mizbayach presented by each "nasi" individually.

Those wagons are given to the Leviim to help them while transporting the Mishkan. Therefore, this detail of the dedication ceremony is recorded in Bamidbar for it relates to the organization of the camp ("sidur ha'machaneh") and the duties of the Leviim in preparation for the journey from Har Sinai. Even though the wagons were presented a month earlier, Sefer Bamidbar begins with the census of the army in anticipation of the journey from Har Sinai. Once the detail of how the camp will travel is completed, Sefer Bamidbar recalls the story of how "n'si'im" presented the Leviim with the wagons. The remaining details of that joint presentation of the n'si'im are detailed in the parsha which follows (7:12-89 - the individual korban of each "nasi").

Parshat Naso - Sota and Nazir: Why are They 'Out of Place?'

Parshat Naso -
Sota and Nazir: Why are They 'Out of Place?'