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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Bamidbar
The most obviously significant characteristic is that the center of the encampment was the Mishkan, with its Divine Presence, and the Levi’im, the nation’s spiritual leaders. This set the tone for the encampment and ensured that all of the tribes were essentially equidistant to the place of national service of Hashem.
The encampment was broken up into four groups of three tribes each, with a lead tribe, in the four directions (Bamidbar 2:1-54). The groups were: Yehuda, with Yissachar and Zevulun, to the east; Reuven, with Shimon and Gad, to the south; Ephrayim, with Menashe and Binyamin, to the north; Dan, with Naftali and Asher, to the west. Ibn Ezra (ibid. 1:19) explains the significance of these groupings. They were, basically, according to the various matriarchs of Bnei Yisrael: Leah, Rachel, Bilha and Zilpa. This needed slight adjustments, as we will spell out. While Leah had six sons, which would seem to make two groupings, Levi was "lost" to the realm of the center-Mishkan region. So, while Yehuda was with two full brothers, Reuven "adopted" half-brother Gad, the first born of Zilpa, who was Leah’s maidservant, and whose children gravitated toward Leah’s children. This was followed by Rachel’s sub-encampment. Her firstborn, Yosef, was awarded two tribes, with the more prominent one, Ephrayim’s tribe, being the leader of Menashe and Rachel’s second son, Binyamin. Finally, Dan, the firstborn of the sons of the maidservants, led the final grouping with Naftali and Asher, after Gad was "elevated" to the Reuven group.
Hagut B’Parshiyot Hatorah posits a practical and straightforward idea to explain the logic of the groupings – it was for unity’s sake, to keep together populations that were most likely to get along. This thesis may teach us something important about unity. While ideal unity entails getting close to those with whom he is least likely to be close, practical steps for unity and peace call for people’s closest association being with those with whom they are most likely to cooperate well and less contact with those with more challenging relationships.
While Ibn Ezra suggests that the most prominent encampment was that of Reuven (which is presented first in Bamidbar 1:20-40), the more accepted approach is that Yehuda’s grouping was the most prominent. It is they who were the first to travel, and they are mentioned first in Bamidbar 2. Oznayim Latorah is one of the commentators who highlights the special characteristics of these tribes. Yehuda were the warriors and political leaders; Yissachar were the Torah scholars; and Zevulun were the businessmen who supported Yissachar’s Torah study efforts. This indeed has been a winning combination in successful times in our nation’s history. When such people work together properly, the question of who is first and who follows is not a divisive issue, as each has a sacred and crucial role in the sacred joint effort.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
