"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" - 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….” indicating that the
origin of all things is the ‘utterance’.
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, reference is made to the Danites 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 literal
rendering for “after the order of Malchitzedek” (ref. Ps. 110:4), is
“upon my divra, Malchitzedek,” that is, “upon my word.” The form
“divra” illustrates the depth and scope of “davar,” which may be also rendered
as an “order, pattern, type, arch or proto type." Likewise the “Ten
Commandments” are “aseret ha-d’varim,” that is, “the ten words” (Ex. 34:28;
Deut. 4:13, 10:4).
From this point let us venture further a-field to “dever,” which
is "plague," or “pestilence.” Although this abrupt transition may seem
curious, it is consistent with many such disparities found in the Tanach. If we remember that "davar" also
means "cause," than the "plague," or "dever,"
illustrates the principle that “the curse causeless/without reason 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" stem 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."
Hence 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, it may also become a place of repentance
and spiritual refreshing to those who are fleeing (or are forced) there. In the
“midbar’s” stillness there are many opportunities to hear the voice of YHVH
sounding His Word. The Bible records an impressive list of those who can attest
to this fact. 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") in His inner
sanctuary, or most holy place (dvir). “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 of
Bamidbar 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][1]
Yeshua’s death, for each and every man (ref. Heb. 2:9) on the Hill of "Golgota,"
which is Aramaic for "skull," lends an even greater credence
to the above statements.
In Hebrew Insights into 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 (ref. Ex. 1:10-12), while at the same time
attempting to carry out infanticide (Ex. 1:16). This is in striking contrast to
what we encounter in Bamidbar chapter 1. In Verse 18 we read, “State their
genealogies,” or “declare their pedigree,” or “register their ancestry”
(depending on the translation), which is designated by one word - “hit’yaldu”
- the root being y.l.d (yod, lamed, dalet) for “child” or “to give birth,” or
“midwife” (this, bringing to mind the two midwives who saved the lives of the
baby boys from the cruel edict of Par’oh). The usage here of this verb is the
only place where it is found in this form, literally meaning to “become a
child.” Thus, the restoration of the nameless individuals and clans to
their respective origins, with the various groupings and families being
recognized, 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 names of the families, clans and tribes of Yisrael will be revealed, 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
The "emblems", mentioned above in 2:2,
are "otot" (plural, and "ot" singular). "Ot"
(alef, vav, tav) is a widely used term, denoting "sign, token, pledge,
assurance, miracle, omen" and more.
Although we do not know what the banners looked like, it appears that
each of them had the "ot," or sign, of a particular "father's
house," which rendered each tribe much like a family related to a single
progenitor.
Concerning the grouping around the Mishkan, which was in
the midst of the camp, Nahmanides says in relationship to this edifice: “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, regarding the tribes and their placements,
excluded the Levites who were to serve in the Mishkan, and were to be at YHVH's
disposal. In the course of the detailed description of their duties and
responsibilities for the various parts of the Mishkan, mention is made of the
edifice’s sides (Num. 3:29, 35). The Hebrew word here for “side” is “yarech,”
of the root y.r.ch (yod, resh, kaf/chaf), meaning “thigh, loin or base.” The
thigh represents man’s strength and power (see Gen. 24:2; 47:29), 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
smites 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 Bamidbar 3:41, 45 with a reference to their
required conduct. It says there that, they were to be taken “instead” or “in
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 (vs 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., Brooklyn ,
N.
2
Ibid
Hebrew Tools for
Everyday Use
Most of our
attention in the above article was focused on the root d.v/b.r which is still
used widely and commonly in Modern Hebrew. Let us do some conjugating of this
verb and in this way practice using it. In our Parasha we encountered the
unique usage of “hitya’ldu” for “pedigree”, or “genealogy”, while the noun
“yeled” is the common word for “child” and “moledet” is one’s “homeland”. This
takes us to the “banner”, which in Bamidbar 2:2 is “degel” and in everyday
speech is used for “flag”.
I (masculine)
speak Hebrew
Ani me’da’ber
Ivrit
I (feminine)
do not speak Hebrew
Ani lo
meh’da’be’ret Ivrit
You (masculine)
talk much
Ata me’da’ber
harbeh
You (feminine)
speak English
At
me’da’be’ret Anglit
He is speaking
to the child
Hu meda’ber el
ha’yeled
The girl is
speaking about (lit. “on”) the homeland
Ha’yal’da
me’da’be’ret al ha’moledet
The homeland’s
flag (the flag of the homeland)
Ha’degel shel ha’moledet
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