[Par-reg] Bamidbar - questions for self study

Mon May 21 08:17:43 EDT 2012

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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              SEFER BAMIDBAR - INTRODUCTION

[Note: The first section of questions deals
with Sefer

  Bamidbar in general; the second section
contains questions for

  Parshat Bamidbar.]

PART ONE - FINDING A THEME

     Our shiurim thus far have been based on
the assumption

that each sefer of Chumash should be studied
a 'prophetic

composition' - i.e. each book was written by
God to deliver a

certain message to the people of Israel (and
not simply to

provide us with historical information).
Therefore, we study

each book in search of its primary (and
sometimes secondary)

themes.

  [We based this assumption not only on
'common sense', but

  also on the very fact that many
commentators (such as Ramban

  and Seforno) attempt to identify that theme
in their

  introductory commentaries to each book.]

     The following battery of questions will
reflect a

methodology that helps the student identify
the underlying

theme for Sefer Bamidbar (and basically for
any book in

Tanach).  It will also help you appreciate
the opinions raised

by the various commentators in regard to its
overall theme.

     We begin with some general questions to
think about,

which highlight thematic considerations.
Afterward the

questions will become a bit more 'rigorous'.

PART ONE - Questions to 'think about'

1.  In your opinion, is Sefer Bamidbar a
continuation of Sefer

Vayikra?  If so, explain how and why.

     If not, explain why it is not.

     Could it be considered a continuation of
Sefer Shmot?

          If so, explain why.

     According to your answer, why does Sefer
Bamidbar start

where (and when) it does?  [In other words,
why does it begin

with a census taken on the first day of the
second month in

the second year?]

     What was the last topic discussed in
Sefer Shmot?

  Do we have any indication for when the
mitzvot in Sefer

Vayikra were given?  [Note for example Shmot
40:17 (in

relation toVayikra 1:1), Vayikra 7:37-38,
16:1, 25:1.]

2.  From your previous knowledge of Sefer
Bamidbar, can you

suggest a common theme for the entire Sefer
(or at least for

most of it)?  In other words, what is the
primary topic of its

narrative and/or its mitzovt?

If you did identify any specific theme, how
does it relate to

the themes of Sefer Shmot and Sefer Vayikra?

     If you can't identify a common theme,
explain which

details make it difficult to reach a
conclusion?

     Can you identify at least any distinct
'units' or general

topics?

3.  Recall how the books of Breishit and
Shmot contained

primarily 'narrative', i.e. an ongoing
story), while Sefer

Vayikra contained primarily mitzvot
(commandments).

  In your opinion, does the style of Sefer
Bamidbar seem to be

more like Sefer Shmot (story and some
mitzvot) or Sefer

Vayikra (mostly mitzvot)?

     Re: the stories in Sefer Bamidbar, do
they appear to be

simply a random collection, or do they share
a common theme?

Do they divide into any distinct groups?

     Likewise, re: the mitzvot in Sefer
Bamidbar, when were

they given and do they share any common
theme?

4.  In your opinion, had Bnei Yisrael not
sinned during their

journey in the desert, would there have been
a need for Sefer

Bamidbar?

     If not, explain why not.

     If so, what would have been its primary
topic?

PART TWO - Preparation questions for intro.
shiur

  [Part Two will keep you quite busy, but it
will help you

  arrive at more precise conclusions for the
above questions.

  ]

1.  Our goal (as usual) is to compose a
'Table of Contents'

for Sefer Bamidbar, which will help us
identify its primary

topics and their progression.

     Before you begin, attempt to compose a
Table of Contents

(or outline) for Sefer Bamidbar based solely
on your previous

knowledge of the book.  Be as concise as
possible, i.e. it

shouldn't be more than 15-20 lines long.
Based on your

outline, can you identify an overall theme?

2.  Next, we will construct this same
outline, but this time a

bit more carefully.  To do so, start with a
blank sheet of

paper, on which we will dedicate one line for
each chapter

(and when necessary - sometimes two or three
lines for

chapters that contain more than one primary
topic (e.g.

chapter 15).

  Quickly scan each chapter, and attempt to
write a short

phrase that summarizes its primary topic.
Note as well

whether the primary topic is a story
(narrative) or a mitzva.

[For example, for chapter one, you could
write - counting the

tribes; for chapter six - the laws of Nazir;
for chapter 16 -

the story of Korach's rebellion.]  Be as
brief as possible;

the idea is not to read the entire book,
rather just to review

it to get the general picture.

  [Ideally, it would best to dedicate one
line for each

  'parshia', but as that would probably take
too long, one

 line for chapter will usually suffice.
However, for

  chapters 5,6, 9,10,15, and 27 it is
recommended that you

  dedicate one line for each parshia instead
of one line for

  the entire chapter.]

3.  When you have completed your list for all
36 chapters,

take your list and group together any
chapters that share a

common topic, and give a name for that common
topic.  For

example: chapters 1 thru 4 could be 'counting
& organizing the

camp', while for chapters 22 thru 24 you
could simply write

the story of Bil'am.

     Those common topics now become the
'headers' of each

section of your outline.  If several of these
'common topics'

can group together, then you've found a
general topic - which

can become a sub-title for a certain section
of your outline.

     If possible, continue this process in an
attempt to

identify a title for your entire outline - if
so, you've found

the primary theme of the Sefer.

4.  As you review your outline, attempt to
identify the

progression of topic.  Can you explain where
(and why) there

are certain sections where the topic does not
seem to flow

logically?

     Notice in your outline how there are
several transitions

from 'stories' to 'mitzvot'.  In those
transitions, does the

flow of topic usually make sense?  If not,
can you explain

why?

5.  To clarify the point raised by the last
question, review

your outline once again, this time paying
careful attention to

whether each topic is either a narrative
(story) or a mitzva

(a commandment).

  Then, if it is a mitzva, make note if it is
a 'mitzva le-

dorot' - i.e. a commandment that applies to
future

generations, or a 'mitzva le-sha'a' - i.e. a
one-time

commandment given only for that generation in
the desert.

     Then, make a new list, this time writing
down only the

narratives and the mitzvot le-sha'a, while
leaving out any

topic that is a mitzva le-dorot, i.e. which
does not form an

integral part of the ongoing narrative.

     Now, take this second list (i.e. the one
without the

mitzvot le-dorot) and turn it into an outline
(as before), and

identify its primary topics.  Does its flow
of topic make more

sense than the flow of topic in your first
outline?  If so,

can you explain why?

     How would you title this new outline?

6.  Next, construct a separate list for all
of the parshiot of

"mitzvot le-dorot" - i.e. the ones which you
'filtered' out of

your original list.

     In your opinion, are these mitzvot in
any way connected

to one another?  Are any of these mitzvot
thematically

connected in any matter to the narrative in
Sefer Bamidbar?

If so, explain how.

     Can you find any similarities between
these mitzvot and

the mitzvot found in either Sefer Shmot or
Sefer Vayikra?

7.  In your opinion, when do you think that
these mitzvot were

first given to Moshe Rabbeinu?  In other
words, were they

given early, when Moshe was on (or at) Har
Sinai; or were they

given at different times during the journey
through the

desert, i.e. at the same time that they are
recorded in Sefer

Bamidbar?

     Do any of these mitzvot seem to continue
topics that had

already been discussed earlier in Chumash?
Are any of these

mitzvot 'repeats' from earlier in Chumash?

     Is there one category that seems to be
common to most of

these mitzvot?  If so, where else in Chumash
have we found

mitzvot relating to that category?  Can you
suggest a reason

why these mitzvot are recorded in Sefer
Bamidbar instead?

8.  Finally, see Ramban's introduction to
Sefer Bamidbar

(before his commentary to Bamidbar 1:1).  At
first glance,

some of Ramban's conclusions appear to be
rather strange.

Based on your analysis of the Sefer, attempt
to explain how

(and why) Ramban reached those conclusions.
What

question does Ramban leave unanswered?

     See also Seforno's introduction to Sefer
Bamidbar (if not

found in the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar,
then you will find

it in his introduction to Chumash, before
Sefer Breishit).

9.  Based on your answers to the above
questions, can you

explain why we find so many 'drashot' that
attempt to explain

the juxtaposition between certain parshiot in
Sefer Bamidbar?

  [For example, why the laws of 'para aduma'
(chapter 19) were

  recorded before the story of the death of
Miriam (chapter

  20), or the questions that Korach asked re:
the need for

  'tzizit' in a garment that was made out of
pure 'techelet'

  (see end of chapter 15).

*********************************************
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            THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
www.tanach.org

              In Memory of Rabbi Abraham
Leibtag

        Questions for self study - by
Menachem Leibtag

*********************************************
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                       PARSHAT BAMIDBAR

PART I - QUESTIONS FOR THE 'SHABBOS TABLE'

WHO'S COUNTED or WHO COUNTS!

1.  Chazal refer to Sefer Bamidbar as
'Chumash ha-pkudim'.

Based on the use of this word in Parshat
Bamidbar, what is the

meaning of this name?  [See for example 1:3 &
1:19.]

   Are you aware of any other words in Hebrew
that imply

'counting'?

     To the best of your recollection, are
there any other

places in Sefer Bamidbar where we find the
word 'pkudim' or

the 'shoresh' 'p.k.d.' (in any context)?  If
so, what does the

word mean in each example?  [See for example
26:51-52.]

     Review 27:12-23, noting especially
27:16!  What does the

word 'yifkod' imply in this context, and how
does it relate to

the meaning of this word in chapter one?

     Based on the meaning of "lifkod" in
chapter 27, can you

suggest a deeper meaning of this word for
chapter one?  Can

this help explain why it may be the first
chapter of the book?

[Relate your answer to the theme of Sefer
Bamidbar as

discussed in the Intro to Sefer Bamidbar
questions (above).

     Finally, see Ramban's commentary on 1:3
in regard to the

phrase 'tifkedu otam'.

BIBLICAL NAMES

2.  In 1:4-15 we find twelve examples of
Jewish names from the

time period of Yetziat Mitzrayim.  [In other
words, the

leaders who are chosen in chapter one were
given their names

several decades earlier, when Bnei Yisrael
were still enslaved

in Egypt.  Note as well that we find twelve
more examples of

names at the beginning of Parshat Shlach (see
13:1-16).]

     Review those names, noting how most of
them are based on

a combination of two Hebrew words, and
attempt to understand

the meaning of each.

     How many of these names include God's
Name in one form or

another?  Can you explain why?  [Do most of
these names sound

Hebrew, or do any of them seem to be
Egyptian?]

     Which of God's Names do you find in
these names?

     Which Name of God is not found in these
names?

          Can you explain why?

  Relate to Shmot 6:2-4 and to Bamidbar
13:16!

     Review Bamidbar 13:16, noting how Moshe
'changes' Hoshea

bin Nun's name to Yehoshua.  Based on these
questions, can you

explain the deeper meaning of this name
change, and more

specifically - the use of 'yud.key' for God's
Name?

CARRYING THE MENORA

3.  To the best of your recollection, what
method was used to

carry the 'keilim' [vessels] of the mishkan
(when traveling)?

[Relate to the 'badim' [poles] described in
Parshat Teruma.]

     Do you remember how the Levi'im were
supposed to carry

the 'menora'?  Did the menora have a place to
insert "badim"

[poles], as did the other vessels of the
mishkan?

     Now, see Bamidbar 4:9-10!  Does this
answer the question?

          [How come, you never noticed this
before?]

A DANGEROUS JOB

4.  Review 3:1-4, noting how the Torah goes
out of its way to

mention the death of Nadav and Avihu when
counting the

kohanim.  How does this specific explanation
of how and why

they died (see 3:4) relate to the primary
responsibility of

the Levi'im, as described in the next set of
psukim (i.e. 3:5-

10)?

Relate as well to 1:48-53 and to the special
warning in 4:17-

20!

     Finally, relate this to the tragic story
that takes place

in II Shmuel chapter 6.

MAKING SENSE OF THE CENSUS

5.  Sefer Bamidbar opens on the first day of
the second month

with God's commandment to take a census.
What was the purpose

of this census?  [Support your answer.]

     How does this relate to the date of the
commandment?

          [Relate to 10:11-28! / See Rashbam
& Seforno on 1:2]

     How does this relate to who is counted?

     How does this relate to the theme of
Sefer Bamidbar?

     Towards the end of Sefer Bamidbar we
find that another

census is taken in the fortieth year (see
26:1-52).

     In what manner are these two censuses
similar?  In what

manner are they different?  [Compare them
carefully!]

     What is the purpose of the second
census?  [Relate to

26:52-56 (as well as 26:1)!]  Is it for the
same reason as the

first census?

     Use your answer to explain the
differences between them.

PART II - QUESTIONS FOR PREPARATION (for
weekly shiur)

1.  What is the first general topic of
Parshat Bamidbar (which

is in essence the first topic of Sefer
Bamidbar)?  How does

this topic relate to the theme of Sefer
Bamidbar (based on

your answers in the 'introduction section')?

2.  Considering that all the 'shvatim' are to
be counted, in

what order would you expect the Torah to list
them?

     What was their order in Parshat Shmot
(1:1-4)?

     How many times are the shvatim listed in
Parshat

Bamidbar, and in what order?  [Note 1:20-42 &
2:3-30.]

     Can you explain why the order is
different each time?

3.  Review chapter two once again, and note
the four tribes

who are chosen to lead each group of three.
What is special

about the forefather of each of these four
tribes?

     How does this help you answer question
#2 above?

[If you have time, see Ramban on 2:3.]

4.  As you review chapter two, note how two
additional tribes

join each 'leadership' tribe to form a 'three
tribe brigade'.

Attempt to explain the logic for which tribes
are added to

each leader.  For example, can you explain
why specifically

Gad 'jumps camp' from the group with his
brother Asher to the

camp of Reuven & Shimon?  [How are Gad and
Reuven related?]

5.  In your opinion, is there any
significance in the manner

by which the shvatim travel through the
desert with the

mishkan at the center of their camp?

     Can you relate this to the purpose of
this journey?

     In what manner is it similar to Ma'amad
Har Sinai?  [See

first Ramban on Sefer Bamidbar.]

PART III - PARSHANUT

1.  According the pasuk -"ish al diglo
be-otot le-beit

avotam..." (2:2), each tribe is to have a
'flag' showing its

special 'ot'.  In your opinion, what type of
'otot' were

these?

     See Rashi on 2:2, noting that he offers
two explanations,

one based on the stones of 'choshen'
(described in Shmot 28:15-

21), and one based on Yaakov Avinu's funeral
procession from

Egypt (see Breishit 50:12).  Attempt to
explain the reason for

these two commentaries, and how each
understands the word 'ot'

in a different manner.

     Next, see Ibn Ezra, noting how he offers
a different

explanation of what these 'otot' were; then
see Ramban, noting

how he first quotes Ibn Ezra and then adds on
a few important

lines to Ibn Ezra's peirush.  Explain this
based on Ramban's

intro to Sefer Bamdibar, and his
understanding of 'kabbala'.

     Finally, see Chizkuni, noting how he too
offers two

explanations.  The first - a totally
different explanation for

the 'otot' on the flags, based on the actual
'letters' of the

names of the avot; while the second seems to
be a combination

of earlier commentators.

     Explain the underlying reason for these
two commentaries.

2.  At the beginning of chapter 3, the Torah
first describes

Aharon's family, from the day that God first
spoke to Moshe

Rabbeinu on Har Sinai.  Based on the flow of
the parshiot in

Parshat Bamidbar, can you explain the nature
of this

statement, and why Har Sinai is mentioned (in
contrast to

Midbar Sinai in 1:1)?

     Based on the parshiot that follow, what
else is difficult

about the wording of 3:1?  [Relate to the
mention of Aharon &

Moshe in this pasuk.]

     See Rashi, how does he relate to these
questions?  Then

see Rashbam, noting how he answers these
questions in a

totally different manner.

     Attempt to understand how this reflects
two different

approaches to 'parshanut'.

     Next, see Ibn Ezra.  Note how he also
deals with the same

two questions, but offers a completely
different explanation

(than Rashbam or Rashi).  Try to understand
what problems in

the pasuk lead Ibn Ezra to his conclusions.

      Finally, see Ramban, noting how (and
why) he first

quotes Rashi, and then adds an additional
note.  [Would you

say that Ramban disagrees with Rashi, or is
he 'adding' to his

peirush?]

     Then note how Ramban offers a different
peirush 'al

derech ha-pshat...'.  Be sure that you
understand how that

peirush is different than Rashi's and why
Ramban refers to

this as pshat, even though he would not
necessarily disagree

with Rashi's statement.

3.  In Bamidbar 9:1-8 we find an event that
took place on the

14th day of the first month, while the
opening pasuk of Sefer

Bamidbar (1:1) records an event which took
place two weeks

later on the first day of the second month!
Hence, Sefer

Bamidbar appears to be 'out of
(chronological) order'.

     First, see Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, &
Sforno (on 9:1),

noting how each commentator offers a
different explanation.

  As this pasuk seems to provide a very
strong proof for the

opinion of 'ein mukdam u-me'uchar...'
[Chumash does not

necessarily follow in chronological order],
how does Ramban

(who hold 'yesh mukdam u-me'uchar') deal with
this problem?

     How does Rashi's 'shtita' of 'ein
mukdam...' affect his

interpretation?

     Why do you think that Ibn Ezra considers
this 'parshia'

as a continuation of the dedication ceremony
(i.e. chapters 7-

8)?

     Note especially the final line in
Seforno's peirush.

Based on this Seforno, how would you explain
his approach to

'ein mukdam u-me'uchar'?  Is his approach
more similar to

Ramban's or to Rashi's?  See also Rashbam on
1:1.

4.  Note that the population of shevet Levi
is

(proportionally) much less than any of the
other shvatim.

Note also that they are counted from a much
younger age!

Re: why they are counted from age 30 days,
see Chizkuni 3:15.

Re: why their numbers are so small, see
Ramban on 3:15.

     Note as well that the number of first
born of Bnei

Yisrael (approx. 22,000 from age 30 days and
above) appears to

be much less than would be expected from a
population of

600,000 males (age 20 & above).

  [Assuming that half of the male population
would be under

  the age of 20, there would be one first
born for every 50

  people, and hence an average family size of
50!]

     See Ramban on 3:45, noting how he
relates to and solves

this problem!  Note also how explains why
this 'transfer' of

kedusha to the Levi'im doesn't take place
until this time.

                              be-hatzlacha,

                              menachem

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