"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". Hence, the “Ten Commandments” - “aseret
ha-d’varim” - are “the ten words” or “things”, or “matters” (Ex. 34:28; Deut.
4:13, 10:4. Notice, none of these terms are related to “commandments” or “laws”).
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” (Prov. 26:2).
Indeed, time after time the plague is the result of rebellion against
Elohim, as in the case of the plagues of
"Subdue”
or "destroy" stem, once again, from the root d.v.r, with its
infinitive “le’hadbir”. 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".
The
"subdued" enemy (or the sinner), therefore, is often “pursued",
"sent away", or “driven” to the "wilderness" or
"desert" - "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
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, on their road to becoming a nation, to experience
a wilderness journey.
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). Notice that, the
counting is referred to as “lifting of the heads”.
"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 "Golgata",
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 began
treating them as a nameless mass (ref. Ex. 1:10-12), while also condemning to
death the baby boys (Ex. 1:16). This is in a striking contrast to what we
encounter in Bamidbar chapter
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
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
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 he was so in injured that he
limped on his thigh (Gen. 32:31), and likewise the repentant one, who in order
to demonstrate his true intentions smites this 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
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
Chapter
4 elucidates 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 Korah 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
