As the Israelites prepared to invade the Land of Canaan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and part of Menashe approached Moses with a request to be allowed to stay on the East Bank where there was excellent prairie land, good for herds. Moses at first objected to splitting the people. All the tribes had been involved in conquering the territory…
Sefer BaMidbar
Phineas
Really the incident that brought Phineas (we call him Phineas) fame took place at the end of last week’s reading. Balaam is recorded as returning home and immediately the Moabite women set about seducing the Israelites. Not a military solution of course but then Balak has already thought out of the box already. Why not try this? And it succeeded.…
A Drop of Blood
Phineas was the Zealot, the one character in the Torah who was what we would call an extremist, a jihadi. Yet we mention Phineas’ name at every Brit, every circumcision and we say that the only blood we are commanded to shed is in the rite of circumcision (outside of the Temple killing animals for food, is an option). And…
Families
After dealing with Phineas and his dramatic action to stop the moral collapse of the Israelite princes and a serious plague, the Torah switches to a census of the remaining Israelites. It seems a totally unconnected transition. The clue to the link lies in the fact that this time, the census focuses on families. Each tribe is broken down into…
Succession
When Moses is told that it is time for him to dies, his only response is that someone has to be appointed to lead the people. It is remarkable in that he chose not to recommend anyone to God but accepted the Divine choice. It is true that Moses had two sons. We don’t know what happened to them. Perhaps…
Daughters of Zelophehad
After dealing with tribal structures, Moses is faced with an unusual petition. From the five daughters of Zelophehad, a man who has died leaving no sons. Mahla, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. The Land of Israel will be allocated according to tribes and the males within them. These five unmarried women come to Moses and complain that their father’s name…