Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Bemidbar/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Bemidbar

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Choseness

When and why was the tribe of Levi chosen to be the priests and Levites?  Was the selection merit-based?  If so, for what actions?

• See Jubilees30:17-29About Jubilees who claims that they were rewarded for Levi's avenging of Dinah's honor in Shekhem, Shemot Rabbah3:17About Shemot Rabbah who implies that it was the special character of Moshe's family which elevated the tribe, and RashiDevarim 10:8About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki who points to the Levite's non-participation in the Sin of the Golden Calf.  Which of these approaches do you find most compelling?  Which do you find problematic?  According to Rashi, why should Aharon have merited the priesthood?
• R"Y Behor Shor Devarim 10:8About R. Yosef Bekhor Shorsuggests that the choice was practical in nature.  Though originally the firstborns had been selected for the position, Hashem decided that it was better that the service to be confined to a family line and consolidated into one tribe.¹ What are the advantages and disadvantages of selecting just one tribe rather than one individual from each family?  For elaboration, see Selection of the Priests and Levites.

Tanakh and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Sefer Bemidbar opens with a census of the nation, taken a mere few months after the census of Shemot 30, when the nation had been counted via their half shekel donations to the Mishkan.  Why was it necessary to count the people twice in such a short period?  Moreover, the tallies of the two censuses were identical.  How is this possible?  Were there no deaths or births in the intervening months? 

• U. Cassuto uses knowledge of Ancient Near Eastern censuses to suggest that the two events were were both part of a single extended process which started with the building of the Tabernacle.  Can you think of other instances where knowledge of Ancient Near Eastern norms might shed light on a Biblical narrative or law?  For some examples, see The Mabbul and Mesopotamian Myths, The Torah and Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes, R. D"Z Hoffmann's understanding of Yitro's Visit, and Rachel's Stealing of the Terafim.
• How else might you explain both the identical tallies and the need for two censuses? See Censuses in the Wilderness.

Is the Torah Chronological?

When recording any story, an author must balance the competing demands of chronological and thematic order.  The Torah is no exception, and thought it sets chronological order as the norm, at times it appears willing to sacrifice it for other concerns.

• In the early chapters of Sefer Bemidbar, explicit dates imply that the narrative is not told in its proper order.  Why might this have been the preferred method of relaying the laws and stories of this section?  Is there any other way of reading the chapters? See Chronology of Bemidbar 1 – 10 for details.
• When passage are not dated, what clues might the text, nonetheless, hold that hint to achronological order?
• If a text presents certain difficulties, when is legitimate to posit achronology so as to explain these away?  Can such a hypothesis ever be proven? 
• In each of the following stories some have suggested that the text is not chronological; which do you find convincing? What are the larger ramifications of the suggestions?  See: Avraham's Aliyah for a discussion of when and how many times Avraham moved to Israel,  Chronology – Shemot 18 regarding Yitro's arrival and Matan Torah, The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children and its implications for understanding the Slaughter of Shekhem, and Chronology of Shemuel I 16 – 17 regarding David's killing of Golyat and rise to power in Shaul's court.

¹ He further points out that the the fact that firstborns were given a double portion of the land would hinder them from devoting themselves entirely to service of Hashem.