YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Pinchas
We will start by pointing out that Tanach was received from the Heavens, on three "levels," over a period of approximately a thousand years. Moshe Rabbeinu first received himself the Five Books of Moses (Torah), starting from at Mt. Sinai and ending with his death, on the eve of entering the Land. Subsequently, the prophets received the books of The Prophets (Navi). In an overlapping period of time, Ketuvim (Writings) were received through divine spirit.
The Men of the Great Assembly, some of whom were prophets and some had divine spirit, were involved in canonizing Tanach, over hundreds of years, starting from the time of Yeshayahu and Be’eri, the father of Hoshea. Once this was complete, Tanach became one organic work, where books are interrelated. One of the important projects is to connect "all the pieces of the puzzle" that are spread throughout Tanach. Only when all the references and hints on a certain topic, from throughout Tanach, are elucidated, can one get a complete picture. One of the best ways to do this is to connect seemingly unrelated sections, by means of the use of the same word or phrase in each (g’zeira shava). This follows the Rabbis’ rule that "scripture is not coming to keep matters sealed but to explain matters" (Seder Olam Rabba 1). This means that Tanach explains itself by interconnecting different sources and applying a lesson in one to another.
This phenomenon plays out with Tzlofchad, in trying to determine his sin. One opinion in the gemara (Shabbat 96a) reasons that he was the one who gathered wood on Shabbat, because each section surprisingly stresses that it occurred in the desert. The Zohar uses the same basic methodology to derive that Tzlofchad was one of those who complained about the paucity of food in the desert and used this to question Moshe’s leadership. According to the Zohar, there was a hidden criticism of Moshe’s leadership because Yaakov (Bereishit 49:26) had ostensibly given political prominence to the tribes coming from Yosef. (Tzlofchad was a descendant of Yosef’s firstborn, Menashe).
In short, national unity is at the heart of Jewish belief. One G-d gave the Torah to one nation, which stood as one man at Sinai, to receive the Torah. We received one book from Hashem, the united Tanach. In order to fulfill the Torah properly, we must act as a united people. Only under those circumstances can we survive as a political entity over time. Our enemies hope to harm our unity, which would also be a blow to the One G-d.
In times when our army unites its soldiers, serving side-by-side against murderers, we must transcend petty disagreements. We send condolences and blessings to the families of those who have fallen al Kiddush Hashem and pray for a speedy recovery for the injured. We must find that which we can agree upon and fix what we can, while thanking Hashem for what we have, as we patiently wait for our national project to continue expanding and improving.
Rabbis in Midrash
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