"Subject matter in the Bible is often arranged
and linked together by a process of thought and, in particular, word
association, probably originally designed as an aid to memory".1 This
principle is well illustrated in Parashat Nasso. There is no need to look far
and wide in the Parasha's three and a half chapters for a unifying theme. It is
apparent. In spite of the assortment of
different and seemingly unrelated subjects that the Parasha presents, the root
of "nasso" pops up in a number of places and in different
connotations.
Bamidbar 4:22 says:
"Lift the heads of the sons of Gershon…" (literal translation).
"Lift" here is "nasso", of the root n.s.a
(noon, sin, alef), which we have already encountered in previous portions, and
several times in the same context of taking a census in last week’s Parasha (of
the leaders of the sons of Israel 1:2, and of the Kohathites 4:2)2. Although the English translations use the
imperative form ("take" or "lift"), in actual fact this is
not what the Hebrew text says. The form “nasso” which is used here as a charge,
is more like the English present progressive, rendering “nasso” almost as,
"lifting up". This unusual
usage in an address form (cf. 3:40 in last week's Parasha, where the usual
imperative form "sa" was used) serves to call attention to this verb
and lends it the character of a noun.
Let us follow "nasso" throughout our
Parasha, and examine its usages within the contexts of the different topics
presented. The reason for the census as
it applies to the Gershonites is given as: "This is the service of the
families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens
["masa"]… they shall bear ["venas'ou"]
the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the
covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the
tent of meeting… At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the
service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden
["masa'am"], and in all their service; and you shall appoint unto
them the charge of all their burden ["masa'am"]” (4:24,25,27
italics added).
"Lifting" and "bearing
a burden" or a “charge” are all rooted in n.s.a, which
describes the essence of the Gershonites' service in the Mishkan. The Meraris'
census, on the other hand, is not qualified by the verb n.s.a, but rather by “pakod”,
which is translated "number" but basically means to “attend
or visit" (it was also used in this form in last week’s Parasha in
relationship to the census of the army, ch. 2). Yet the Meraris’ work is also
described as "a charge of their burden" (v. 31), which is, once again,
"masa". Altogether the essence of the Levites and their work may,
therefore, be summarized as: "All those that were numbered of the
Levites… every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing
burdens ["masa"] in the tent of meeting… every one that
entered in to do his work of service, and the work of his burden
["masa'o"] in the tent of meeting… they were numbered by the hand of
Moses, each according to his service and his burden…" (4: 46, 47,49
italics added). The ultimate purpose of "bearing" these
"burdens" (literally “carrying” or “lifting”), was in order to
"lift high” or “elevate” (same root – n.s.a) the One to Whom the Levites
were rendering this service.
The next section where the
root n.s.a makes an appearance is at the very end of the "law of
jealousy" (5:11-31), as it is called (or “Sota” – ‘sinning woman’), which
is the inspection of possible adultery on the part of a married woman. If and
when proven that the wife has transgressed in such a manner, and after having
gone through the various rites enumerated, she was to "bear
["tisa"] her iniquity" (v. 31, italics added). Whereas the
priests’ duties in "bearing the burdens" of the Mishkan were of the
more 'uplifting' kind, here "nasso" connotes 'carrying' a heavy
burden of guilt.
The issue of "lifting" comes up again in
the famous priestly or Aaronic blessing or benediction, which seals chapter 6.
Toward the end of the blessing we read: "YHVH lift up
["yisa"] His face upon you and give you peace" (v. 26, italics
added), which is an altogether different application of the root n.s.a,
touching Elohim and His relationship with His People. Notice that the whole
benediction is written in second person singular, implying that each individual
within the Nation is being addressed. "Yisa YHVH panav", the lifting
of YHVH's face, or countenance "toward you" or "upon you"
indicates favor, acceptance, and turning toward the object of the benediction
(as we have already seen in the past, regarding the meaning of "face"
- "panim"), thus instilling hope in one’s heart.
Finally, chapter 7 is dedicated in its entirety to
the offerings brought for the dedication of the Mishkan (or "Ohel
Mo'ed") by the "princes" or "leaders", the "nesi'im",
those who are "lifted up" (verses 2,3). Each of those
“leaders” is called “nassi” - “one who is elevated”. Because of
the specific conjugation that is used for this noun, its literal translation should
be, “one who is elevate-able”. In other words, the leaders were not
merely the heads of their tribes by virtue of birth; in order to be in their
lofty positions they had to be equal to these positions - proving their
faithfulness and leadership capabilities.
“Nesi’im” is also plural for “cloud”. In Proverbs
we find this word used metaphorically: “Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind
without rain” (Proverbs 25:14, italics added). In 1st Peter the same
imagery is used regarding those “who walk according to the flesh in the lust of
uncleanness and despise authority…. These are wells without water, clouds
carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness
forever (ch. 2:10, 17 italics added).
Let us return now to
Umberto Cassuto, who makes the following point: "The book of Bamidbar is
arranged chiefly after such a fashion… with various items being included
because of a similarity of thought, or phrases recurring in the chapters
concerned…"4, as, indeed, is the case
of the root n.s.a. Cassuto incorporates other examples from our Parasha:
"The laws applying to the suspected adulteress (5:11-31) succeed by those
treating the Nazirite (6:1-21), after
which is appended the formula for the priestly blessing (6:22-27)". Preceding the law of the suspected adulteress,
which focuses on a "man's wife [who] trespasses a trespass
[“uma'ala bo ma'al”], are the laws of the guilt offering, where
we encounter the phrase "to do a trespass/commit unfaithfulness
["li'm'ol ma'al"] against YHVH" (5:6 italics
added). Before we continue to follow our
‘chain’, let us pause to look at the verb “ma’al”. A common noun that stems from the same root is
“m’eel”, which simply means a “robe”. Thus we infer that “trespass” is a form
of deception, as it is rooted an attempt to cover up one’s actions. By
contrast, we read in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 61:10: “…For He [YHVH] has clothed me
with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe – m’eel
- of righteousness…”
Back to Bamidbar 5:18, where
it says about the alleged adulteress: "And the priest shall set the woman
before YHVH, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose -
u'fara" (italics added). In 6:5 it says concerning the Nazirite: "He
shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long - "pera".
Both u'fara and pera share the root p/f.r.a (pey/fey, resh, ayin). According to
the above-mentioned principle, there are similarities shared by the Nazarite
and the high priest, both of whom are not to touch the dead (cf. 6:6 Lev.
21:11), being the reason why the Priestly Blessing is appended to this chapter which
deals with the Nazirite's laws.
Within the specifications of the laws of guilt
offering and compensation, mentioned in 5:5-10, the topic of confession -
"viduy" - comes up (v. 7). This is not the first time we encounter
this topic. In fact, we have already examined the term in Parashat Vayikra
(Lev. 1-5, e.g. 5:5). Sefer Ha-hinukh sheds further light on this issue:
"The verbal confession of guilt provides an indication that the sinner
truly believes that all his deeds are revealed and known to the Lord, blessed
be He, and he will not deny the omnipresence of the All-seeing. Again, by
verbally specifying the sin and regretting it, he will be more careful in the
future not to stumble thereon. After he has said with his mouth… he will as a
result, become reconciled with His maker. The good God who desires the welfare
of His creatures guided them in this path through which they would gain merit".5 Similarly, we read in 1st John:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1:9). Hirsh notes that the
form of the Hebrew verb "to confess," "hitvadeh",
conjugated as it is (in the "hitpa'el" form) “…indicates that the confession
consists of man speaking to himself, admonishing his [own] conscience".6
Let us conclude by
reviewing once again the case of the jealous husband from another angle. When
Yeshua came up out of the grave on the first of the week (see John 20:1) He was
acting as the fulfillment of the first of the Omer, which was “waved for our
acceptance” (see Lev. 23:11). An omer of
barley (i.e. one tenth of an ephah, see Ex. 16:36), was also to be used as an
offering by the husband who was overcome by a spirit of jealousy, and so we
read in 5:15 “… the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the
offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah [i.e. an
omer] of barley meal…” (emphasis added). The
priest was then to make the woman drink bitter water in order to determine
whether she was innocent or not (ref. 5:17,18, 22-24, 27), with the effect of
the drink on her body being such that it would disclose her true state. When on
the stake, Yeshua was also given a bitter drink (gall mixed with wine), which
although He did not actually drink, He did taste (see Matt. 27:34). Thus,
Yeshua as the jealous husband (see 34:14; Deut. 6:12-16 etc.), whose
wife Israel has gone astray (e.g. Jer. 3:6) has also become the very
offering for her sin, the Priest who makes the offering (e.g. Heb. 5:10), and the
One who takes upon Himself her transgression, drinking, as it were, the bitter drink
in her place (see. Mat. 26:42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 18:11).
In a response
letter to the above, Garret Lukas says the following: This
past week I saw similarities between the Bitter Waters test and Isaiah 53 that
I haven't seen before. In Numbers 5, a guilty woman "bears (tisa, carries)
her iniquity", like you pointed out. If she is guilty, the
presumption is that she'll be barren from then on. If she is innocent,
the scripture says, "She will conceive seed."
But
Messiah Yeshua stepped in for her: Isaiah 53:4: "Surely our
sicknesses he carried (nasa) and our pains he bore (s'valam - synonym to
nasa)." 53:11 "...and their iniquity he bore (yisbol)." 53:12
"and he carried (nasa) the sins of the many."
He
bore her iniquity for her. You mentioned the cup of gall mixed with wine
that Yeshua tasted. In Delitzch's Hebrew translation of Matthew 27:34, he
translates gall as "m'rorot", from maror, meaning "bitter".
(What a picture of Pesach as well; just as we are commanded to eat maror
at Pesach and taste the bitterness of suffering, so did he.)
One
passage in Isaiah 53 that always puzzled me was verse 10. Even though
Messiah would be crushed as a trespass offering, "he will see seed
(descendants)."
But
reading it in light of Numbers 5, I see now that if Israel
And
after the suffering of Isaiah 53 is accomplished, what is spoken in Isaiah
54:1? "Sing Barren One who did not bear! Burst forth with song, you
who were not in labor! For more are the children of the desolate wife
than the sons of the married, says YHWH."
The
Barren One is free to conceive seed because her husband has borne her sins and
atoned for them himself.
"If
it be Your desire, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my
desire, but Yours be done."
"And
YHWH desired to crush him with sickness, in order to make his soul a trespass
offering..."
1 Umberto Cassuto in 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.Y.
2 For more on the root n.s.a, look up Hebrew
Insights into Parashat B’resheet (Genesis
- with special reference to 3: 13; 4:7, 13).
3 Although "nasso" in reference to
the Kohathites is found in last week’s Parashat Bamidbar (Numbers) 4:2.
4 Umberto Cassuto in New Studies in
Bamidbar, Leibowitz
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
Hebrew Tools for Everyday
Use
Since in this week’s Hebrew
Insights, above, we focused mainly on the verb n.s.a and its Biblical usages,
of which there are more words than in everyday common Hebrew, we will highlight
only one which is in daily usage and that is “nassi” – “president”. “Pakod” –
visit, count, muster – is used currently to form the word for office, worker, or
clerk - “pakid”. In an indirect way we also discovered the word “me’eel” which
in modern usage is simply “coat”. Let’s see how we may put these words into use
and increase our Hebrew vocabulary.
The president wore a coat
Ha’nassi lavash me’eel
The clerk works with the
president
Ha’pakid oved eem ha’nassi
The president and the clerk
are wearing coats
Ha’nassi ve’hapakid lovshim
me’eelim
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