Make a count of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi by

their families, according to their fathers' houses. From the age of thirty until

the Tent of Meeting-the Holy of Holies. (Bamidbar 4:2-4)

To do work – la'asot

melakha – This is different from the description of the function of the

sons of Gershon and Merari – to perform service – la'avod avoda;

here it says to do work [melakha]. Through this it

makes clear that there was no avoda [labor] in what the sons of Kehat

did, since the Ark

would carry itself (Bamidbar Rabbah 4:20),

and only melakha is done with it.

It also seems that since they had to keep proper order in their marches

when they carried [the holy vessels] on their shoulders, and since they walked

alongside the glory of God's Ark, like someone carrying his master on his

shoulder (see Sota 35), their service is

called work, which is not so in the case of the service of the sons of

Gershon and Merari.

(Or HaHayyim 4:3)

All who enter the service, to do work in

the Tent of Meeting, but in reference to the sons of

Gershon and Merari it uses the expression avoda – "labor." The

difference between them is well known: melakha refers to skilled work

that requires craftsmanship, while avoda refers to something involving

physical effort. That is why the service of the sons of Kehat, which involved

sacred objects that had to be treated with thoughtful attention lest they [the

priests] be distracted from their sacredness, were said to do melakha. Avoda

includes the service of God, but melakha refers to the way in which it

was performed, that it required thought to cleave to the sacred with pure

thoughts, and therefore it could be referred to by both terms.

(Malbim Bamidbar 4:3)

"For a gift is

given from the wilderness": on Torah, Wilderness,

and Humans Created in

the Divine Image

Yehoshua Granat

Parashat Bamidnar is named (as is the book it

begins) after the opening verse, And the Lord spoke to Moses in the

wilderness [bemidbar] of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting… (Bamidbar 1:1). The

Shabbat when parashat Bamidbar is read comes near in time to the festival of

Shavuot, the festival of the Giving of the Torah. This juxtaposition may prompt

thoughts regarding the connection between the Torah and the wilderness. The

wilderness served as the "arena" in which occurred most of the events

recorded in the five books of the Torah (beginning from the Exodus and up to

the entrance into the Land). The exalted occasion of the giving of the Torah

also took place in the wilderness, and the word midbar – "wilderness"

features prominently in the verses which open the description of that event: In the third month of the children of Israel's departure

arrived in the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness

(Shemot 19:1-2).

The aggadic Sages already cast light on

various aspects of the Torah/wilderness pairing. The Mekhilta (Bahodesh, 5 [p. 222]) opens its discussion:

"This is why it [the Torah] was given in the wilderness: a commons, a

place unowned." Two explanations are given, both of which say that the

Torah is available to all and transcends borders. Let us begin with the second,

shorter explanation of why the Torah was given in the wilderness: "So as

not to create controversy between the tribes, lest one say, 'The Torah was

given in my land!' and the other say, 'The Torah was given in my land!'" The

Torah was given in the wilderness, outside of the settled Land of Israel and beyond the

Israelite tribal territories in order to keep the Torah from becoming a kind of

private possession of a particular tribe, or a source of preeminence of one

tribe over another. By being given in the wilderness, the Torah becomes the

possession of the entire nation, without prejudice towards one tribe over

another – and we might add – of one community or family over another. The first

explanation offered by the Mekhilta for the Torah's having been given in the

wilderness goes further: "So that the nations of the world will not have

an excuse to say, 'We did not accept the Torah because it was given in his [Israel's]

land."' According to this explanation, the Torah is addressed beyond the

general Israelite community to all of humanity. It was given outside the Land

of Israel,

in the wilderness which is open to all, in order to say that it was intended

for every nation and individual. This becomes even more explicit later in the

passage the Mekhilta: "The Torah is compared to three things – wilderness,

fire, and water, in order to tell you: just as these are freely accessible, so

too, the words of the Torah are freely accessible to all the world's

inhabitants.'" A parallel passage reads: "For if the Torah had been

given in the Land

of Israel, they would

have told the nations of the world 'You have no part in it.' Instead, it was

given in the wilderness… Anyone who wants to receive it can come and

receive it" (Mekhilta Bahodesh, 1

clearly represent a "universalistic" trend in Tannaitic literature,

whose supporters held that, "The nations of the world also have their

portion in the Torah of Israel."¹

While the Mekhilta explains that the Torah

was given in the wilderness in order to express its unconstructed and universal

nature (whether at the collective national level or even at the international

level), Pesikta DeRav Kahana (Bahodesh,

20 [pp. 218-219]) relates to the individual who comes to take his part

of the Torah: "Why was the Torah given in the Sinai wilderness? To teach

you that if one does not relinquish himself like that wilderness, he will not

merit receiving words of Torah." One must undergo extremely demanding

preparation before receiving the Torah: in order to succeed, he must

"relinquish himself like this wilderness," and as the parallel

passage in Tanhuma (Bamidbar 6) puts it:

"Anyone who does not make himself relinquished cannot possess the

Torah." What is the meaning of this severe statement? It seems to be

saying that in order to cling to the Torah, one must first practice great

humility and free oneself of any speck of arrogance or pride. This is

apparently necessary so that one will not consider the Torah one studies to be

one's own private property, which would undermine its infinite nature, a nature

which goes beyond the attitude of "Mine is mine and thine is thine." As

the Pesikta there explains: "Just as the wilderness is endless, so

too the Torah is endless… and just as it is endless, its reward is

endless." These words are reminiscent of the beginning of a short personal

prayer attributed to the Amora Mar Birya Derabina (Berakhot

17a), and which has been adopted as part of the silent prayer following

the Amidah: "My God, protect my tongue from evil… And my soul will be

as dust to all, open my heart with Your Torah, and let my soul pursue Your

commandments." And in Pirkei Avot (2:12)

we read, "Prepare yourself for Torah study, for it is not your birthright."

The

Babylonian Talmud (Eruvin 54a) contains a

dictum proclaiming a similar sentiment; it relates to a verse describing the

stations of the Israelites' march through the wilderness: and from the

wilderness to Matana (Bamidbar 21:18).

The dictum is attributed to the Amora Rav Matana (perhaps the attribution is

based upon his name?): "If a man allows himself to be treated as a

wilderness on which everybody treads, his study will be retained by him, otherwise it will not."

This statement is not repeated in the midrashic literature of the Land of Israel, but something like it is echoed

in an early piyyut [liturgical poem], the kedushata for Shavuot

known as Abirut Ayuma,² which gives the following description

of Kenesset Yisrael on its way to receiving the Torah:

On

the month of her exodus she went out to the wilderness/ for Matana

The

significance of that gift being given "from the wilderness" is

dwarfed in importance by the way the choice of Mount Sinai

is later explained in the piyyut. The latter was chosen due to its modesty and

humility:

This

Mount Sinai cast down pride/

glory

The

conclusion of that early liturgical work presents a unique and interesting link

between the famous verse na'aseh venishma [we shall obey and listen]

from the story of the giving of the Torah (Shemot

24:7) and the verse, na'aseh adam betzalmeinu – let Us make a

man in Our image – from the story of the creation of humans (Bereishit 1:26):

He

and honor Me with nishma.

This

unique "drasha" seems to subsume the universal, pan-human dimension

of the Torah given to Israel:

the giving of the Torah to Israel

and the creation of man in God's image are organically joined together. Early

authors of piyyutim such as Yanai and Eliezar Berabi Kalir added this dimension

to their poems written for Shavuot by tying the sixth commandment – Thou

shalt not kill – with the notion that all human beings are created in the

image of the Creator God:

Do

not murder and destroy a creature/ created in the image of the Rock…

Do

not murder the image of any creature/ when he is created like the Rock.³

Do

not murder one created in the image of life/ a life for a life…

Do

not murder one of flesh and blood/ in God's image He made man.⁴

1. See: M. Hirschman, Torah LeKhol Ba'ei Ha' Olam,

Tel Aviv 1999, especially pp. 24, 37-42.

2. See: O. Fleischer, "Lekadmoniyut

Hakedushata, Kedushata Kedam-Yanai'it LeYom Matan Torah," HaSifrut

II (5730), pp. 390-414, and S. Elitzur, Shira Shel Parasha, Jerusalem 5759, pp.

126-130.

3. See: M. Zulai, Piyyutai

Yanai, Berlin

5698, pp. 369-70.

4. See: S. Elitzur, R. Eliezer Birabi

Kalir: Kedushta'ot LeYom Matan Torah, Jerusalem

5760, pg. 196.

Dr. Yehoshua Granat teaches at the Hebrew University

in Jerusalem

and has recently been researching the role of the Book of Jonah in medieval poetry.

Take a census of the whole Israelite community by clans of its

ancestral homes, listing the names, every male, head by head.

(Bamidbar 1:2)

The king said to Yoav, his army commander, "Make the rounds

size of the population.

(II Samuel, 24:2)

Did David Sin?

…In my opinion, David's sin demonstrates that he depended upon mortals

and the large size of the nation was the source of his confidence. However, it

was improper for him to trust in anything save in God alone. In addition, (as

we explained in the parasha of Ki Tissah) the Torah commanded us to count

people indirectly, by having each man give a certain amount of money, and then

counting the total sum collected, so that no plague may come upon them

through their being counted (Shemot 30:12).

(RaLBaG on II Samuel 24:1)

…It would seem from the chapter's (II

Samuel 24) details that this census has a military purpose, since Yoav,

his army commander and the other officers were placed in charge of

it, and only soldiers ready to draw the sword (24:9) were counted.

One might ask: The Torah never prohibited people from taking active

steps in the fight for survival – quite to the contrary, it demands of people

work, activity, assiduousness, and devotion of strength, energy and spirit to

the preservation of life and settlement of the world. The army which defends

its people and land from enemies are part of all this. In that case, what was

the RaLBaG's (and Abravanel)'s point…?

The root of the matter is this: The army cannot serve as an

that is needed only when the necessity arises.

(Prof. Nehamah Leibowits, z"l, Iyyunim be-Sefer Bamidbar,

pg. 22)

In that day, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of

faithfulness; then you shall be devoted to the Lord.

(Hosea 2:20-21, from the haftara for parashat Bamidbar)

With righteousness and justice – Which should guide your

behavior.

And with goodness and mercy – Which you shall receive from

me in recognition of them [i.e., in recognition of your righteousness and

justice]. It is written of our father Abraham: For I have singled him out,

that he may instruct…to do what is just and right (Bereishit 18:19). In return, his sons were given goodness and

mercy from God, as it says, and [He] will show you compassion (Devarim 13:18) and the Lord your God will

maintain for you the covenant and the goodness (Devarim

7:12).

Desist from the just and the right, as it says, you who turn justice

into wormwood and hurl righteousness to the ground (Amos 5), and God will withdraw his goodness and mercy, as it

says, for I have withdrawn my favor from that people, the goodness and the

mercy (Jeremiah 16:5). And when you

resume doing the just and the right, as it says, Zion shall be saved by justice (Isaiah 1:27) God will add goodness and mercy

to them, making a crown of the four of them [i.e., justice, righteousness,

goodness, and mercy] which He will place upon your head.

(Rashi Hosea 2:21)

Acceptance of the Torah is a Personal Decision, Made "Not in

Order to Receive a Reward"

…That is why Israel

was not given the Torah immediately after the splitting of the Red Sea, because

if they had received it after the splitting of the Red Sea,

it would have looked as if they accepted the Torah in order to receive a

reward, as a result of the great miracles that had just been performed for

them. That is why God waited a bit – meanwhile they could partially forget the

miracles performed for them, as it says, there was no water for the community,

and they complained. Afterwards, they received the Torah, saying that they

would do it and hear it, which proves that they accepted the Torah

solely out of love for the Torah.

(From Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev's Kedushat Levi)

Now all of the people were seeing the thunder-sounds, the

saw, they moved and stood far off.

(Shemot 20:15)

The people saw, but could not understand, the content of the words and

their meaning. Therefore, immediately after the great revelation, comes the

additional expression: When the people saw, they moved and stood far off

— it is possible to see, and to move – and still stand far

off."

(Rabbi Menachem Mendel of

Kotsk, quoted by Prof. Y. Leibowitz in Sihot al Haggei Yisrael Umoadav)

Why is the Book of Ruth Linked with Atzeret (Shavuot)?

To teach us that Torah was given only via suffering and poverty.

(Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth)

Because the story takes place at the beginning of the barley harvest,

and Shavuot is the time of the barley harvest.

(Aboudraham)

Because our ancestors received the Torah and entered the covenant only

through circumcision, immersion, and sprinkling of blood; Ruth, too, converted.

(Aboudraham)

In the Festival Parasha (Parashat Emor),

following the parasha on the two loaves of bread which are offered on Shavuot,

it is written, Now when you harvest the harvest of your land . . . for the

afflicted and for the sojourner you are to leave them. This was observed by

Boaz, who said: You must also pull some stalks out of the heaps and leave

them for her to glean… Ruth was a pauper and a convert, and therefore we

read Megillat Ruth on this day.

(The Levush, quoted

by Rabbi Zevin in Hamoadim BaHalakha)

May the Lord reward your deeds. May you have a full recompense

under whose wings you have sought refuge! – Come and see how great is

the power of the righteous, how great the power of charity, and how great the

power of those who perform acts of kindness, for they find shelter not in the

shade of dawn, nor in the shade of the ends of earth, nor in the shade of the

wings of the sun, nor in the shade of the wings of animals, nor in the shade of

the wings of the cherubim, nor in the shade of the wings of the seraphim,

but in the shade of He Who Spoke and the World Came into Being, as

is written (Psalms 36:8), How precious

is Your faithful care, O God, Mankind shelters in the shade of Your wings.

(Ruth Rabba, Parasha 5)

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