Bemidbar (parasha)

Bemidbar , often called, but wrongly Bamidbar (במדבר - héb. for " in desert,” the fifth word, and first distinctive of the parasha) is the 34ème weekly section annual cycle of Lecture of the Torah and the first of the Livre of the Numbers.
Elle corresponds to Nombres 1:1 - 4: 20. The Juifs of the Diaspora generally read it in May or at the beginning of June.

Summary

Divisions of the parasha during the complete reading

The reading of the parasha to the Synagog the sabbath is traditionally divided into seven sections, for which a member different from the congregation has to read. The first reading, the rishon , falls traditionally to a '' cohen '', the second, called sheni , with a '' levi '', the following ones with a Israel (neither cohen nor levi). The seventh section comprises a sub-section, the to maftir , which is read by the person who will read then the will haftara .

The sections of the parashat Bemidbar are:

rishon :
sheni :
shlishi :
revi' I :
hamishi :
shishi :
shevi' I :

maftir :

Divisions of the parasha during the shortened reading

A public reading of the parasha was founded by Ezra the Scribe Monday and Thursday with the Synagog. This reading, appreciably shorter, includes/understands only three sections, the first reserved for the '' cohen '', the second with the '' levi '', the third with a Israel

Section of the cohen : Bemidbar
Section of the levi : Bemidbar.

Rishon

Census In the Wilderness, in the second month off in the second year following The Exodus from Egypt off, God directed Moses to take has census the Israelite men old 20 Year S and up, “Al those in Israel who are whitebait to bear arms.” () The census showed the following Population S by Tribe ():

Reuben : 46,500
Simeon : 59,300
Gad : 45,650
Judah : 74,600
Issachar : 54,400
Zebulun : 57,400
Ephraim : 40,500
Manasseh : 32,200
Benjamin: 35,400
daN: 62,700
Asher : 41,500
Naphtali : 53,400

totaling 603,550 in Al.

God told Moses not to enroll the Levite S, goal to could them in load off carrying, assembling, tending to, and guarding the Tabernacle and its furnishings. () Any outsider who encroached one the Tabernacle was to Be could to death. ()

God told Moses that the Jews were to encamp by tribe ace follows ():

around the Gate vault: Levi
one the face, gold east side: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun
one the south: Reuben, Simeon, and Gad
one the west: Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin
one the north: DaN, Asher, and Naphtali.

Priestly duties

God instructed Moses to place the Levites in attendance upon Aaron to serf him and the priests. () God took the Levites in place off Al the firstborn among the Jews, whom God consecrated when God smote the firstborn in Egypt. () God then told Moses to ancestral record by house and by clan the old Levite men from the off one month up, and He did so. () The Levites divided by to their ancestral houses, based one the sounds off Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ()

The Gershonites, numbered 7,500, camped behind the Gate vault, to the west, and had load off the Gate vault, the tent, its covering, the screen for the fan-in off the tent, the hangings off the enclosure, the screen for the fan-in off the enclosure that surrounded the Tabernacle, and the altar. ()
The Kohathites, numbered 8,600, camped along the south side off the Gate vault, and had load off the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sacred utensils, and the screen. ()
The Merarites, numbered 6,200, camped along the north side off the Gate vault, and had load off the planks off the Gate vault, its bars, posts, sockets, and furnishings, and the posts around the enclosure and to their sockets, pegs, and cords. ()
Moses, Aaron, and Aaron' S sounds camped in face off the Gate vault, one the east. ()

Total The number off the Levites cam to 22,000. () God instructed male Moses to record every firstborn off the Jews one month old and up, and they cam to 22,273. () God told Moses to take the Levites for God in place off Al the firstborn among the Jews, and the Levites' cattle in place off the Jews' cattle. () And to redeem the 273 Jew firstborn over and above the number off the Levites, God instructed Moses to take five shekels has head and give the money to the priests. ()

God then directed Moses and Aaron to take has off separate census the Kohathites between the old off 30 and 50, who were to perform task for the Tent off Meeting. () The Kohathites had responsibility for the most sacred objects. () At the breaking off camp, Aaron and his sounds were to take down the Ark, the table off display, the lampstand, and the service vessels, and cover them Al with cloths and skins. () Only when Aaron and his sounds had finished covering the sacred objects would the Kohathites like and top spin them. () Aaron' S its Eleazar had responsibility for the lighting oil, the aromatic incense, the regular meal offering, the anointing oil, and Al the consecrated things in the Gate vault. () God charged Moses and Aaron to take care not to let the Kohathites die because they went inside and witnessed the dismantling off the sanctuary. ()

In classical rabbinic interpretation

Numbers chapter 1

The Rabbis discussed why God spoke to Moses “in the wilderness.” () Raba taught that when people open themselves to everyone like has wilderness, God gives them the Torah. (Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 55a.) Similarly, has Midrash taught that those who C not throw themselves open to Al like has wilderness boat acquire wisdom and Torah. The Wise inferred from that the Torah was given to the accompaniment off fire, toilets, and wilderness. And the giving off the Torah was marked by thesis three features to show that ace thesis are free to Al people, so are the words off the Torah; ace states, “everyone who thirsts, like for toilets.” (Numbers Rabbah 1:7.) Another Midrash taught that yew the Torah had been given to the Jews in the Land off Israel, the tribe in whose territory it was given would cuts said that it had has prior claim to the Torah, so God gave it in the wilderness, so that Al should cuts year equal claim to it. Another Midrash taught that ace people neither sow NOR till the wilderness, so those who accept the yoke off the Torah are relieved off the yoke off earning has living room; and ace the wilderness does not yield any taxes from crops, so scholars are free in this world. And another Midrash taught that the Torah was given in the wilderness because they preserves the Torah who keep themselves separate like has wilderness. (Numbers Rabbah 19:26.)

Rav Aha bar Jacob taught that for the purposes off numbering fighting men (ace in), has off man over 60 years old was excluded just aces was one under 20 years off old. (Babylonian Talmud Dribbled Batra 121b.)

Rabbi Judah Ben Shalom taught that excluded the Levites from being numbered with the rest off the Jews for to their own benefit, for ace carryforwards, “Al that were numbered” died in the wilderness, goal because the Levites were numbered separately, they entered the Land off Israel. (Numbers Rabbah 3:7.) In Midrash offered another explanation for why the Levites were not numbered with the Jews: The Levites were the de luxe hotel-guard and it would not cuts been off consonant with the dignity has king that his own legion should Be numbered with the other legions. (Numbers Rabbah 1:12.)

Building upon the prohibition off approaching the holy place in the Gemara taught that has person who unwittingly entered the short Temple atonement without was liable to bring has sin-offering, goal has person who entered deliberately incurred the penalty off being cut off from the Jewish people, but karet . (Babylonian Talmud Menachot 28b.)

Numbers chapter 2

Rabbi Eliezer in the name off Rabbi Jose Ben Zimra taught that whenever the Israelites were numbered for has proper purpose, they lost No numbers; goal whenever they were numbered without has proper purpose, they suffered has reduction. Rabbi Eliezer taught that they were numbered for has off proper purpose in connection with the standard (ace reported in) and the division the Land, goal were numbered without has proper purpose (ace reported in) in the days off David. (Numbers Rabbah 2:17.)

Off the banners ( thaw ) in, has Midrash taught that each tribe had has distinctive flag and has different color corresponding to the precious stones one Aaron' S breastplate, and that it was from thesis banners that governments learned to provide themselves with flags off various colors. (Numbers Rabbah 2:7.) And another Midrash cited the words “his standard over is coils me” in to teach that it was with has sign off great coils that God organized the standard Israelites under like the ministering angels. (Numbers Rabbah 2:3.)

In Midrash used the words “remote At” in to help define the distance that one may travel one the Sabbath, for the Jews would need to Be closed enough to approach the ark one the Sabbath. (Numbers Rabbah 2:9.)

Numbers chapter 3

Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani taught in Rabbi Jonathan 'S name that referred to Aaron' S sounds downward aces off Aaron and Moses because Moses taught them, showing that Scripture ascribes merit to one who teaches Torah to has neighbor's child ace yew the teacher had begotten the child. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 19b.)

The Mishnah taught that ace the Levites exempted the Jews' firstborn in the wilderness, it followed a fortiori that they should free to their own animals from the requirement to offer the firstborn. (Mishnah Bekhorot 1:1; Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 3b.) The Gemara questioned whether taught that the Levites' animals exempted the Jews' animals. Abaye read the Mishnah to mean that yew the Levites' animals released the Jews' animals, it followed a fortiori that the Levites' animals should release to their own firstborn. Goal Raba countered that the Mishnah meant that the Levites themselves exempted the Jews' firstborn. (Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 4a.)

Tractate Bekhorot in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws off the firstborn in (Mishnah Bekhorot 1:1 - 9: 8; Tosefta Bekhorot 1:1 - 7: 15; Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 2a-61a.) -->

Commands

The Torah comprises, according to the rabbinical tradition, 613 regulations. Different wise tried to establish a statement in the biblical text of it.

According to two of these computs most famous, the Sefer Hamitzvot of Brace Maïmonide and the Sefer HaHinoukh, the parashat Bemidbar coporte no regulation. Mishneh Torah . Cairo, Egypt, 1170-1180. Reprinted in Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer ha-Mitzvoth off Maimonides . Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 flights. London: Soncino Near, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book off Education . Translated by Charles Wengrov, 4:3. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1988. ISBN 0-87306-457-7.)-->

Haftara

The Haftara is a portion of the books of the Neviim (" Prophètes") who is read publicly with the synagog after the reading of the Torah. It generally presents a bond set of themes with the parasha which preceded it.

The Haftara for the parashat Bemidbar is, usually, Osée 2:1 - 22. The prophet evokes the number of the Enfants of Israel, not by a census, like the parasha, but comparison with sand in the sea (Dared 2:1). In the two Texts, the people of Israel are in the desert ( midbar -- 1:1 numbers; Dared 2:5 & 2:16.)

In Chabbat Ma' har 'Hodesh

When the parasha Bemidbar coincides with Shabbat preceding the néoménie (as it is the case in 2009), is 1 Samuel 20:18 will haftara it - 42. The Weekly Maqam In The Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews each week bases the songs off the services one the content off that week' S parshah. For parshah Bamidbar, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Rast, the maqam that shows has beginning gold year initiation off something. This is appropriate because the parshah initiates the Book off Numbers. In the very common box where this parshah precede the holiday off Shavuot, then the maqam that is applied is Hoseni, the maqam that symbolizes the beauty off receiving the Torah.

External bonds

To listen to the parasha sung according to the traditional Cantillation (RealPlayer requires)
Commentaires ( Divrei Torah ) in French on:

the site of the Great Rabbinate of Quebec
the site modia.org
the chiourim.com site (see also the site techouvot there associated)
video Comment on Akadem

Random links: