"And YHVH spoke to Moses in the wilderness…"
(emphasis added), are the opening words of the Torah's fourth book, Bamidbar
(Numbers). In this first verse YHVH is "speaking" – "va’ydaber"
– “in the wilderness" - "ba-midbar," with both
words originating from the same multifaceted root - d.v.r (dalet, bet/vet, resh). Let us examine this root and follow it to a
number of unexpected places.
“In the beginning was the word (“davar”), and the word (“davar”) was with
Elohim, and Elohim was the word (“davar”)"… And the word (“davar”) became
flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:1,14). Davar is the spoken word, the
all-powerful utterance that creates or generates everything, while “thing”
is also "davar." Thus,
all "things" appear to be the results of that which has been "said"
or "spoken." In the Tanach many
terms, such as “lies, wisdom, falsehood, truth” and more, are preceded by
“d’var” – meaning “thing of….” In
this manner, greater dimension and weight are accorded to these terms. Davar is that which proceeds out of the
mouth of Elohim, and is therefore "the Word of Elohim". “Matters” or “business” are also “davar” (or
“dvarim,” in plural form), as we see for example in Shmot (Exodus) 5:13,19: “Fulfill
your works, your – dvarim - daily tasks" (emphasis added), and in
Shoftim (Judges) 18:7, where reference is made to the Danties who “… had no –
dvarim - business with any man” (emphasis added). Terms such as “deeds" (Jer. 5:28,
speaking of "deeds of the wicked") are also “dvarim.” "Reason,
motives, customs" (“the custom of the king” in Esther 1:13) also fall
within the framework of “davar.” The
famous “after the order of Malchitzedek” (ref. Ps. 110:4) is literally,
“upon my divra, Malchitzedek.” The form “divra” illustrates the depth and
scope of “davar,” which may be also rendered as an “order, pattern, type, arch
or proto type."
From this point, let us venture further a-field to “dever,” which
is "plague," or “pestilence.” Although this abrupt transition (in such a negative
direction) may seem curious, it is consistent with many such disparities found
in the Tanach. If we remember that
"davar" also means "reason," than the "plague,"
or "dever," illustrates the principle that “the curse causeless shall
not come” (Pro. 26:2). Indeed, time
after time the plague is the result of rebellion against Elohim, as in the case
of the plagues of Egypt Land of Yisrael
"Subdue,” or "destroy" is once again from
the root d.v.r, with its infinitive
“lehadbir.”
In T’hilim (Psalms) 18:47 we find, for
example: “Elohim… subdues the people under me” (emphasis added). This
verb also means “to expel or send away," such as
sending off the flock to pasture, or to the desert. Thus, in Mi’cha (Micah) 2:12 the flocks are
seen in the midst of their “hidabar” which is translated "fold"
or "pasture."
Thus, the "subdued" enemy (or the sinner) is often “pursued,"
"sent away," or “driven” to the "wilderness" or
"desert" - the "midbar." But just as the wilderness may turn out to be
a place of “pasture” for the flocks, in the same way it can become a place of
spiritual refreshing to those who are fleeing there. For the latter the quite
desert becomes of a place of learning, experiencing, or of hearing the “Word.” YHVH has many ways in which to sound out His
word in the lonely and deserted wilderness, and the list of those who spent
time there is quite impressive. Another place where YHVH’s voice is heard is in
the Holy of Holies, (or “inner sanctuary”), which in Solomon’s Temple Temple
In summation, the Word, as epitomized by the Son of Elohim, is
life giving, but rejecting Him (the "Davar") may result in a plague
(“dever”), which subdues and drives ("madbir")
one to the desert ("midbar"), there to be spoken
to ("daber") by the Living Word ("Davar")
Who utters the Word of Truth ("dvar emet"). “And I will
woo her to Me in the wilderness…” we read in Hoshe’ah (Hosea) 2:14. D.v.,r.
teaches us why it was essential for the Israelites to go through their
wilderness journey on the road to becoming a nation.
Chapters 1 and 2 describe
the formation of the congregation of Yisrael’s encampment for the purpose of a
census (cf. Ex. 30:11-16). However, whereas on the previous occasion (in
Exodus) each of them had to "give a ransom for his soul to YHVH while
numbering them" (which was of one half shekel that was used for the
Mishkan), here they are not required to do so.
"Lift the heads of all the congregation of the sons
of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number
of names, every male, by their skulls” (literal translation, Num.
1:2 emphasis added). "Nahmanides
emphasizes that the census was personal and individual… impressing on us the
value and sterling worth of each and every soul which is a unique specimen of
divine creativity and a world of its own." In the same vein, Isaac Arama says: "They
were not just like animals or material objects, but each one had an importance
of his own like a king or a priest. Indeed
Elohim had shown special love towards them and this is the significance of
mentioning each one of them by name and status; for they were all equal and
individual in status."[1] Yeshua’s death, for each and every man (ref. Heb. 2:9)
on the Hill of "Galgota," which is Aramaic for "skull,"
lends an even greater credence to the above statements. At the beginning of Parashat Shmot (Ex. 1-6:1)
we noted that, as soon as the Egyptians embarked on their program of
subjugating the Hebrews they treated them as a nameless mass. This is in
striking contrast to what we encounter in Bamidbar chapter 1. In verse 18, the two words
(depending on the translation) for “state their genealogies,” “declare their
pedigree,” or “register their ancestry, is designated by one word - “hit’yaldu”
- the root being y.l.d for “child” or “to give birth.” This is the only place
where this root is used in this form, literally meaning, “becoming a child.”
Thus, the restoration of the nameless individuals and clans to their respective
origins, with the various groupings and families being recognized and
acknowledged and brought to the fore, is part of the redemption process. This
aspect of redemption will one day be experienced again when all the families,
clans and tribes of Yisrael will be revealed and named, so as to make up the
full Commonwealth of the Household of Yisrael.
When the roll call was completed and the Levites' duties in the Mishkan
were dispensed, "YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Everyone of the children of Israel
Concerning the grouping around the Mishkan, which was in
the midst of the camp, Nahmanides says:
“It was a kind of Mount Sinai on which
the Torah was given, accompanying them on all their journeying.” Benno Jaccob follows
up this idea: “The Lord transferred His presence from Sinai to the Tabernacle,
from the sanctuary of the Lord which His hands had established, to the
sanctuary which Israel
The above mentioned orders excluded the Levites, whose services were to
be rendered within the Mishkan, and who were to be at YHVH's disposal. In the
course of the detailed description of their duties and their responsibilities
for the various parts of the Mishkan, mention is made of the edifice’s sides (3:29,
35). The Hebrew word here for “side” is “yarech,” of the root
y.r.ch (yod, resh, kaf/chaf), which means “thigh, loin or base.” The thigh
represents man’s strength and power (see Gen. 24:2; 48:29), both in terms of
virility and force (being also the place upon which the sword was placed). That
is why in order for Ya’acov to become Yisrael his thigh had to be injured, and likewise
the repentant one, who in order to demonstrate his true intentions had to smite
that part of his body (e.g. Jer. 31:19, Ephraim’s repentance). Similar to the
root d.v.r. in some of its uses, “yarech” also refers to the “furthermost point,”
to the “backside” or to the “rear” (Jud. 19:1, Is. 14:15), and hence the
application to “side.”
The vicarious role of the
Levites as firstborn follows in 3:41, 45, as well as a reference to their
required conduct. They were to be taken “instead” or “in the place of all the
firstborn among the sons of Israel
In chapter 4 we view how the chosen family of K'hat (Kohath) was to
dismantle the Mishkan when it was time to move on. During this awesome procedure they had to
restrain themselves and avert their gaze from the holy articles, with the help
of A'haron and his sons (vv 19, 20). "They shall not go in to see the holy things as they are
being covered, lest they die," is the Parasha's last verse, which
literally says, "And they shall not go in to see, at the swallowing of the
holy things, [lest] they die." The usage here of "swallow"
("bela") for "covering" the Mishkan articles is very
unusual. It may be alluding to the fact that an unwarranted gaze could bring
upon the onlookers (that is, the members of the K'hat clan) the penalty of being
swallowed alive (a form of punishment which was sometimes inflicted –
supernaturally - upon offenders, such as in the case of Achan in Num. 16:30-34).
Thus, A'haron’s family was being charged with responsibility over the lives of
their brothers, the K'hats, whose "keepers" they were to be.
1 New Studies in Bamidbar, Nechama
Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner
Library,
Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc.,
2 Ibid
