Chronology of Bemidbar 1 – 10/1

Chronology of Bemidbar 1 – 10

Introduction

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Mixed Up Dates

Much of Torah is not dated at all, often leading commentators to dispute the chronological order of events. The introductory chapters of Sefer Bemidbar are exceptional in that they not only provide the reader with dates, but also explicitly suggest achronology.

The book opens on the first of the second month of the second year, with a command to count the nation:

EN/HEע/E

(א) וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר. (ב) שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ כׇּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כׇּל זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם.

(1) And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the were come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
(2) 'Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls;

The next few chapters, discussing the set up of the camp (Chapter 2), the appointment and census of the Levites (Chapter 3-4), and several legal passages (Chapters 5-6), are undated, but as they all relate to the census discussed in Chapter 1,¹ it is likely that they too occurred in the second month.  The next dated passage, Chapter 9, however, reverts back to the first month, as Hashem commands the nation to observe Pesach:

EN/HEע/E

(א) וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְמִדְבַּר סִינַי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן לֵאמֹר. (ב) וְיַעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַפָּסַח בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ.

(1) And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
(2) 'Let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season.

 

How are we to understand the organization of the chapters?  Why are the events of Chapter 9 not recorded prior to those of Chapter 1?

Dating the Dedication of the Altar

In between the two dated events discussed above is a description of the dedication of the altar by the tribal princes (Chapter 7).  Though the narrative is not dated, it does open with a time marker:

EN/HEע/E

(א) וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת מֹשֶׁה לְהָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וַיִּמְשַׁח אֹתוֹ וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ וְאֶת כׇּל כֵּלָיו וְאֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת כׇּל כֵּלָיו וַיִּמְשָׁחֵם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתָם. (ב) וַיַּקְרִיבוּ נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי בֵּית אֲבֹתָם הֵם נְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטֹּת הֵם הָעֹמְדִים עַל הַפְּקֻדִים.

(1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them;
(2) that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, offered — these were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were num

A simple reading of verse 1 suggests that the events of the chapter took place when Moshe finished erecting the Tabernacle, ie. in the first month.²  Two aspects of the following narrative, however, raise questions regarding this understanding.  First, the princes are described as "those who officiated in the counting", yet at this point the census has not yet taken place!  Moreover, the princes give the Levites wagons to aid them in their tasks as holy porters, yet there is still a full month until they are appointed! 

Does this suggest that the heading must be understood differently?   Does the wordy phraseology of  "בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת מֹשֶׁה לְהָקִים", perhaps suggests a prolonged process,  changing the dating?  Does the opening relate to all of the events of the chapter or just to some? Alternatively, do the problematic verses suggest that the dating of other chapters needs to be reconsidered?

Dating the Consecration of the Levites

The last undated chapter of the unit is Chapter 8 which discusses the purification of the Levites.  On one hand, its content connects it to the appointment of the Levites in Chapters 3-4, and thus, perhaps to the second month.  On the other hand, it is sandwiched between two chapters which appear to be dated to the first month, suggesting that it too might have occurred then. If so, however, why are the Levites being consecrated before they are appointed?  And conversely, if the purification did not happen in the first month, why is the event recorded here?

¹ Chapter 2 explicitly integrates information from the census of Chapter 1in discussing the camp's organization. Chapters 3-4 contain a second census, likely happening at the same time as the first. counting In addition Bemidbar 3:14 recounts that Hashem spoke to Moshe in Midbar Sinai, usually an indicator of something having been said in the Tent of Meeting, which would mean the command is given only after the Tabernacle's construction.

² See Shemot 40:1-17.