Chapter eleven in the book of Bemidbar begins after the people had just left Mount Sinai to go the land of Israel. In the end of chapter ten, things appeared to be going well with the ark and the cloud of G-d leading the way, but suddenly and unexpectedly, everything went awry, even before the failure of the mission of the spies.
The first verse of chapter eleven describes a cryptic episode. The people complained, and they were instantly punished. The Torah does not record what were the complaints and what were the people's sins which caused them to be punished. Were the sins so heinous that they could not be mentioned? It is unlikely that the Torah is hiding some terrible sin, as the Torah records that the people committed idolatry (Shemot 32:1-6) and that Cozbi acted a harlot (25:1-15). Furthermore, it is surprising that after this swift punishment, the people complained about their food, 11:4-6. Why did the people not learn a lesson from this incident in 11:1?
The conjunction of this incident in 11:1 with the traveling of the people in the end of chapter ten has led commentators to suggest that the people's complaints were due to the traveling. Rashbam (on 10:33 and 11:1) suggests that that the people were complaining of hardships on the road. Ramban (on 11:1) suggests that by Mount Sinai, the people had become established and gotten relatively comfortable, but now they were despairing of surviving in the desert.
My guess is that the complaints arose due to the problem of coordinating the movement of all the people in their march to the land of Israel. This coordination problem arises naturally whenever large masses of people travel. Some people want to march earlier in the morning, and some want to start later. Some people walk faster and some people walk slower. This leads to backups and frustration amongst the people. This was not the first time the people had travelled, but previously, when they left Egypt, everybody was in such high spirits from being freed from slavery that they were more tolerant and willing to accommodate other people. However, now after being in the desert a little more than a year, normal human behavior returned.
Possibly, the frustration led some people to stop marching altogether, and hence they were at the back of the camp. Thus, G-d struck them down since they were refusing to march with the rest of the nation, and 11:1 records that the people were killed at the edge of the camp. My son, Binyamin, suggested that the edge could also be in the front of the camp that some people were marching ahead of everybody to separate themselves from the rest of the nation.
With this idea, we understand why the Torah did not list the people's complaints. First of all, these complaints were not serious, i.e., he/ she is walking too slow. Secondly, the complaints consisted of many different complaints from different people. For example, A was upset with B, and C was upset with D, and E was upset with F, etc. The Torah could not have listed all of these insignificant complaints, and hence the Torah just stated in a general way the people complained.
This idea can explain why the swift punishment in 11:1 did not deter some people from complaining for meat immediately afterwards. The people realized that the complaints in 11:1 were "small time" and due to a lack of manners, while they thought that their complaints about food were justified.
This idea can also explain Moshe's statement in 11:14 that he was all alone since he had to deal with all of these little complaints by himself, and then the seventy prophets, 11:16, who were G-d's answer to Moshe's statement in 11:14, were to be a type of traffic police to coordinate the travels of the people.
Hello. The goal of this blog is to enhance our understanding of the Torah and the practice of Judaism. The discussions in the blog are a portion of a more extensive commentary on the Torah, which I will be happy to send to you. You can contact me at ajayschein@gmail.com. Please feel free to send comments. Also, if you want to receive an email with a link to the new posts, send me a request, and I will add you to the email group. Best wishes, Andrew Schein
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
The structure of chapters 25 and 26 in the book of Vayikra and the four words of redemption in Shemot 6:5-8
Chapters 25 and 26 in the book of Vayikra can be divided into four sections based on the concluding sentences, 25:38, 25:55, 26:13 and 26:45 of each section. These verses have a amazing literary connection with Shemot 6:5-8.
Shemot 6:5-8 records eight verbs in reference to G-d: "I will remember," I will take them out," I will save them," "I will redeem them," "I will take them," "I will be for them," "I will bring them," and "I will give them." Of these eight verbs, the Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10:1, 68b) quotes R. Yochanon in the name of R. Biniyah(?) that four of them (take out, save, redeem and take) are the reason why we drink four cups of wine at the Seder, and these four words are referred to as the four words of redemption. Yet, why are only four verbs counted? Why are there not eight cups? Also, three of the four selected verbs, "I will take them out," "I will save them," and "I will redeem them" refer to the same action. If one is only counting the four selected verbs, then maybe there should have only been two cups of wine. It seems that these four verbs are a mnemonic to remember the four cups of wine, but not that they are the source of the four cups.
I believe that a different four words of redemption or four verses can be identified in Shemot 6:5-8 through an analysis of the concluding sentences to the four sections of Vayikra chapters 25 and 26.
The first section is 25:1-38, and refers to laws (yovel, shemitta) relating to the land. The section concludes with 25:38, “I am G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan to be for you a G-d.” (Translations are based on Fox, 1995.)
The second section is from 25:39-55, and records laws concerning slavery. This section concludes with 25:55, “For it is to me that the Children of Israel are servants, my servants are they, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, I am G-d.”
The third section is 26:1-13 and records the rewards for upholding the laws. This section concludes with 26:13, “I am G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt from your being serfs to them; I broke the bars of your yoke, enabling you to walk upright.”
The fourth section is from 26:14-45, and records the punishments for disobeying the laws. This section concludes with 26:45, “I will remember to their (benefit) the covenant of the former-ones whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be for them a G-d. I am G-d.”
Each of the four concluding sentences in Vayikra 25,26 have the common theme that G-d took the people out of Egypt. Also, the phrase "I am G-d " appears in each verse and so too in Shemot 6:6-8 the phrase appears in each verse. With regard to Shemot 6:5, the verse only has the pronoun "I" but in 6:2 the phrase, "I am G-d" appears, and this verse is connected to 6:5 through the word "also" in the beginning of 6:5.
In addition, each of the concluding sentences of Vayikra 25,26 relate to the verbs in Shemot 6:5-8. The conclusion to the first section, 25:38, refers to the fact that G-d gave the land of Canaan to the people, and this corresponds with Shemot 6:8, which records that G-d promised to bring the people to the land of their forefathers (Canaan) to give them the land. The conclusion to the second section, 25:55, refers to the idea that the people are G-d’s slaves and this corresponds to Shemot 6:7, which records that G-d will take the people to be G-d's nation. The conclusion to the third section, 26:13, refers to the fact that G-d took the people out of slavery in the land of Egypt and this corresponds to the three verbs in Shemot 6:6, that G-d promised to free the people from the bondage in Egypt. The conclusion to the fourth section, 26:45, refers to the idea that G-d would remember the covenant and this corresponds to Shemot 6:5 that G-d said that He remembered the covenant.
Not only are the themes identical, but the order of the sections of chapters 25 and 26 has a chiastic structure with the verses Shemot 6:5-8. The conclusion to the first section, Vayikra 25:38, corresponds with the fourth verse, Shemot 6:8. The conclusion to the second section, Vayikra 25:55, corresponds with the third verse, Shemot 6:7. The conclusion to the third section, Vayikra 26:13, corresponds with the second verse, Shemot 6:6 and the conclusion to the fourth section, Vayikra 26:45, corresponds to first verse, Shemot 6:5.
The correspondence between Vayikra 25,26 and Shemot 6:5-8 shows in a literary manner that the passages from Shemot 6 and Vayikra 25,26, are all one unit.
In addition, as Vayikra 26 records the blessings and curses that seal the covenant, the correspondence between Vayikra 25,26 and Shemot 6:5-8 indicate that the purpose of the exodus is the establishment of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people.
Furthermore, the correspondence suggests that the four verses from Shemot 6:5-8 can be called the four verses of redemption. In terms of words or phrases, the four words or verbs would be: One, I will remember them (6:5). Two, I will take out, save and redeem them (6:6). Three, I will take them for me and will be for them (6:7) and four, I will bring and give them the land of Canaan (6:8). This division of the four promises of redemption differs from the usual understanding by the four cups since in the usual understanding all four words are from Shemot 6:6,7, while with this approach, Shemot 6:6 is counted once, and Shemot 6:5 and 6:8 are also included.
Bibliography:
Fox, Everett, 1995, The Five Books of Moses: A new translation, New York: Schocken Books
Shemot 6:5-8 records eight verbs in reference to G-d: "I will remember," I will take them out," I will save them," "I will redeem them," "I will take them," "I will be for them," "I will bring them," and "I will give them." Of these eight verbs, the Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10:1, 68b) quotes R. Yochanon in the name of R. Biniyah(?) that four of them (take out, save, redeem and take) are the reason why we drink four cups of wine at the Seder, and these four words are referred to as the four words of redemption. Yet, why are only four verbs counted? Why are there not eight cups? Also, three of the four selected verbs, "I will take them out," "I will save them," and "I will redeem them" refer to the same action. If one is only counting the four selected verbs, then maybe there should have only been two cups of wine. It seems that these four verbs are a mnemonic to remember the four cups of wine, but not that they are the source of the four cups.
I believe that a different four words of redemption or four verses can be identified in Shemot 6:5-8 through an analysis of the concluding sentences to the four sections of Vayikra chapters 25 and 26.
The first section is 25:1-38, and refers to laws (yovel, shemitta) relating to the land. The section concludes with 25:38, “I am G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan to be for you a G-d.” (Translations are based on Fox, 1995.)
The second section is from 25:39-55, and records laws concerning slavery. This section concludes with 25:55, “For it is to me that the Children of Israel are servants, my servants are they, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, I am G-d.”
The third section is 26:1-13 and records the rewards for upholding the laws. This section concludes with 26:13, “I am G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt from your being serfs to them; I broke the bars of your yoke, enabling you to walk upright.”
The fourth section is from 26:14-45, and records the punishments for disobeying the laws. This section concludes with 26:45, “I will remember to their (benefit) the covenant of the former-ones whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be for them a G-d. I am G-d.”
Each of the four concluding sentences in Vayikra 25,26 have the common theme that G-d took the people out of Egypt. Also, the phrase "I am G-d " appears in each verse and so too in Shemot 6:6-8 the phrase appears in each verse. With regard to Shemot 6:5, the verse only has the pronoun "I" but in 6:2 the phrase, "I am G-d" appears, and this verse is connected to 6:5 through the word "also" in the beginning of 6:5.
In addition, each of the concluding sentences of Vayikra 25,26 relate to the verbs in Shemot 6:5-8. The conclusion to the first section, 25:38, refers to the fact that G-d gave the land of Canaan to the people, and this corresponds with Shemot 6:8, which records that G-d promised to bring the people to the land of their forefathers (Canaan) to give them the land. The conclusion to the second section, 25:55, refers to the idea that the people are G-d’s slaves and this corresponds to Shemot 6:7, which records that G-d will take the people to be G-d's nation. The conclusion to the third section, 26:13, refers to the fact that G-d took the people out of slavery in the land of Egypt and this corresponds to the three verbs in Shemot 6:6, that G-d promised to free the people from the bondage in Egypt. The conclusion to the fourth section, 26:45, refers to the idea that G-d would remember the covenant and this corresponds to Shemot 6:5 that G-d said that He remembered the covenant.
Not only are the themes identical, but the order of the sections of chapters 25 and 26 has a chiastic structure with the verses Shemot 6:5-8. The conclusion to the first section, Vayikra 25:38, corresponds with the fourth verse, Shemot 6:8. The conclusion to the second section, Vayikra 25:55, corresponds with the third verse, Shemot 6:7. The conclusion to the third section, Vayikra 26:13, corresponds with the second verse, Shemot 6:6 and the conclusion to the fourth section, Vayikra 26:45, corresponds to first verse, Shemot 6:5.
The correspondence between Vayikra 25,26 and Shemot 6:5-8 shows in a literary manner that the passages from Shemot 6 and Vayikra 25,26, are all one unit.
In addition, as Vayikra 26 records the blessings and curses that seal the covenant, the correspondence between Vayikra 25,26 and Shemot 6:5-8 indicate that the purpose of the exodus is the establishment of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people.
Furthermore, the correspondence suggests that the four verses from Shemot 6:5-8 can be called the four verses of redemption. In terms of words or phrases, the four words or verbs would be: One, I will remember them (6:5). Two, I will take out, save and redeem them (6:6). Three, I will take them for me and will be for them (6:7) and four, I will bring and give them the land of Canaan (6:8). This division of the four promises of redemption differs from the usual understanding by the four cups since in the usual understanding all four words are from Shemot 6:6,7, while with this approach, Shemot 6:6 is counted once, and Shemot 6:5 and 6:8 are also included.
Fox, Everett, 1995, The Five Books of Moses: A new translation, New York: Schocken Books
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Shemot: Va-era`,
Vayikra: Behar,
Vayikra: Behukkotai
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