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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashat Nasso

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Nasso: 4:21 - 7

"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 are dealt with here, 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 portions1. Although the English translations use the imperative form (whether it be, "take" or "lift"), in actual fact it 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 for an address (cf. 3:40, in last week's Parasha, where the usual imperative form "sa" is used) 3, serves to call attention to this verb, lending 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 Gershonite priests is hereby given presented. And so we read: "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 in charge of all their burden" ["masa'am"], (4:24,25,27 italics added). "Lifting" and "bearing a burden" are both of the root 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", although their work is also described as "a charge of their burden" (ref. vs. 29-31), which is, once again, "masa". Altogether the essence of the Levites' work may therefore be described 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" (vs. 46, 47,49, italics added). In "bearing" these "burdens", the Levites were truly "lifting" high the One to Whom they 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, 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 blessing 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 God 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 a turning toward (as we have already seen in the past, regarding the meaning of "face" - "panim"), and contributes towards sowing 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" that is, those who are "lifted up".

Let us return no to Umberto Cassuto, who says the following: "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 of the Nazirite (7:1-21), 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 ["li'm'ol ma'al"] against Adoni" (5:6 italics added). But the 'chain' does not stop here. In 5:18 it is written about the 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 the similarities shared by Nazarite and the priests, both of whom are not to come in contact with the dead (cf. 6:6 Lev. 21:11), is 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. This is not the first time we encounter this issue. In fact, we have already examined the term in Parashat Vayikra. 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

1 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).

2 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.

3Although "nasso", in reference to Levitical Kehats, is found in Parashat Bamidbar 4:2.

4 Umberto Cassuto in New Studies in Bamidbar, Leibowitz

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashat Bamidbar

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Bamidbar - Numbers: 1 - 4:20

"And YHVH spoke to Moses in the wilderness..." (emphasis added), are the opening words of the Torah's fourth book, Bamidbar ("Numbers" in English). In this first verse YHVH is "speaking" - "vay'daber" - "in the wilderness" - "bamidbar", 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 was with God, and God 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 (O.T.) we find that 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 is lent 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 daily tasks" (emphasis added), and in Shoftim (Judges) 18:7, when reference is made to the Danties who "... had no 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, emphasis added) fall within the framework of "davar" too. The famous "after the order of Malchitzedek" (emphasis added) is "davar", or literally, "upon my divra, Malchitzedek" The form "divra" illustrates the depth and scope of "davar", which may be rendered as an "order, pattern, type, and an arch or prototype".

From this point let us venture further a-field, to "dever," which is "plague" or "defeat". Although this abrupt transition, from that which we have just examined, to something so negative may seem curious, it is not inconsistent 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" (Prov. 26:2). Indeed, time after time the plague is the result of rebellion against God, as in the case of the plagues of Egypt. YHVH says to Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) about the people of Israel: "I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine and by the plague" (Jer. 14:12). The following is what He speaks to the land of Israel, through the prophet Y'chezkel (Ezekiel): "The sword from without and the plague from within" (Ez. 7:15). Amos 4:10, which is where Elohim promises to send a plague upon His people. is another such example.

"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: "God... subdues the people under me" (emphasis added). It also means to "expel or send away", such as sending off the flock to pasture, or to the desert. Thus in Micha (Micah) 2: 12 the flocks are seen in the midst of their "hidabar" which is translated "fold" or "pasture".

And so, the "subdued" enemy (or sinner) is many times being "pursued" or "sent away" 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 turn out to be 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 very long indeed. Another place where YHVH's voice is heard in is the Holy of Holies, which in Solomon's Temple is called Dvir (ref. 1st Kings 6). Dvir is the furthest and innermost place within the Temple. Divine communication, therefore, is to be found in the furthest and remotest of places; sometimes in a land of exile and punishment, which may not only become a refreshing oasis, but may even turn into a 'Holy of Holies'.

In summation, the Word, as epitomized by the Son of God, is life giving, but when He (the "Davar") is rejected it may result in a plague ("dever"), which subdues and drives ("madbir") one to the desert ("midbar"), there to be talked ("daber") to 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) 2:16. 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.

The rest of chapter 2 describes a situation similar to the one that we have already encountered in Parashat Ki Tissa, where the Israelites were charged to take a census (Ex. 30:11-16). However, whereas on that occasion they each had to "give a ransom for his soul to YHVH while numbering them", here they are not required to do so. The "ransom" of one half Shekel was used at that time for the "service of the Tabernacle", while here there appears to be no such need.

"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 God 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". Yeshua's death, for each and every man (ref. Heb. 2:9) on the Hill of "Galgota", which is "skull" in Aramaic, lends an even greater credence to the above statements.

When Israel's roll call is completed, and the Levites' duties in the Mishkan are dispensed, "YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father's house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting'" (2:1,2). The organizational process, of turning these nomadic tribes into a nation, is continuing. The Israelites were to array themselves according to their tribes and in specified directions around the Tent of Meeting. The "standard" mentioned here is "degel", of the root d.g.l (dalet, gimmel, lamed). In Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 5:10 we read: "My Beloved is bright and ruddy, standing out among ten thousand". "Standing out" is "dagul", of the same root. "Dagul" may also be interpreted as "chosen" and "selected." Again in the same book, the betrothed says about her beloved, "And His banner ("diglo") over me is love" (2:4). The various banners, or standards (according to the respective tribes) with the emblems, were indicative of YHVH's favor and love over His "select" people. The "emblems" 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 thus 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: "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 had made'". This may account for the strict particulars of the camp's formation.

The above 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. The Hebrew word here for "side" is "yarka", of the root y.r.ch (yod, resh, kaf/chaf), which means "thigh, loin or base". The thigh represents Man's strength and power, both in terms of virility and force (the place where the sword was placed). That is why in order for Ya'acov to become Israel, his thigh had to be impaired, and so with 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" and "yarka" also refer to the "furthermost point", to the "backside", or to the "rear" (Gen. 49:13, 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 their required conduct. They were to be taken "instead" or "in the place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel". "Instead", or "in the place of" is rendered here (and in numerous other places) "tachat", meaning "rear, under or underneath "; thus underscoring the required attitude of humility and servitude.

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'ha'ron and his sons (v. 19). "They shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die", is the Parasha's last verse (v. 20), which literally says, "And they shall not go in to see, as the swallowing of the holy things, [lest] they die". The usage here of "swallow" ("bela") for "covering" the Mishkan articles is very unusual, perhaps subtly alluding to the fact that an unwarranted gaze could bring upon the onlookers (that is, the members of the K'hat clan) the punishment of being swallowed alive (a form of punishment which was sometimes inflicted upon offenders, such as in the case of Achan in Num. 16:34). Thus, the family of A'ha'ron is being charged with responsibility over the lives of their brothers, the K'hats, whose "keepers" they are to be.

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