Literary Devices – Bemidbar 10/0

Literary Devices – Bemidbar 10

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Structure

Literary Envelope

• Bemidbar 1-10 is sandwiched by mention of the various tribal princes and their standards, marking these chapters as one coherent unit with an overarching theme: the journey to and preparation for entry into Israel. 

Articles

• See סדר ותוכן בספר במדבר, by R. Aviyah HaCohen, for analysis of the structure of the book of Bemidbar as a whole. He divides the book into three sections a) Bemidbar 1-10: the structure of the camp and its travels  b) Bemidbar 11-20: complaints of the nation c) Bemidbar 21-34: preparations for conquest and inheritance.
• Watch Bemidbar: The Story of Two Generations, by Dr. Yael Ziegler, for discussion of an alternative structure of the book of Bemidbar¹ and an in depth look at the first sub-unit, chapters 1-10, which portrays an obedient, trusting nation, marked by inner harmony.
• For further discussion of the use of literary envelopes (also called "inclusios") and analysis of other structural devices found in Tanakh, with many examples, see Structural Devices.

Key Words

"טוב"

• Keyword –  At the end of Bemidbar 10, the root “טוב” appears five times in a span of just four verses (29-32). This indicates the sense of optimism and moral goodness that characterizes the Israelites’ behavior at this juncture in their journey to Israel, which will rapidly deteriorate beginning in the next chapter.
• Articles – See Bemidbar: The Story of Two Generations, by Dr. Yael Ziegler, mentioned above, for discussion of the keyword and the theme of harmony that it represents, but also how it highlights the stark contrast to the coming chapters in which this serenity is destroyed.

"עיניים" and "לתור"

• Keyword – Though each of these related words, "eyes" and "to scout", appears only once in this chapter, they both appear 13 more times in Bemidbar 11-16, the unit describing the complaints of the Israelites and the commandment of tzitzit.²  This suggests that the text is trying to draw a connection between the various stories (Bemidbar 10, the sin of the spies or other rebellion stories, and the commandment of tzitzit).
• Articles – Listen to משמעות של פרשת ציצית לאור הפרשיות הקודמות לה, by R. Amnon Bazak, which discusses the usage of these repeating words and suggests that the commandment of tzitzit, whose stated goal is "לא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם", serves as a corrective to the mistakes described in the narratives that precede it.

¹ Dr. Ziegler divides the book into two main units, Bemidbar 1-19 which focuses on the generation that left Egypt and chapters 20-end which focus on the generation that entered the land.

² The root "תור" appears 12 times in the narrative of the spies, once at the end of Bemidbar 10 in the context of the ark, and once in the unit discussing tzitzit.  The noun "עיניים" appears once in the conversation of Moshe and Chovav, once in the context of tzitzit and is scattered throughout the complaint narratives.