"Each man according to his camp and each man according to his flag " (1:50)
When the Israelites traveled in the desert, they traveled with flags as per their tribe. There is a controversy, whether there were 4 flags designed for 3 tribes each, or each tribe had their own flag. However, a question can be asked in regard to verse 1:50. Why does it say "each man according to his flag" emphasizing the individual, it should have rather said "each tribe according to their flag" emphasizing the tribe. In other words, only tribes had flags, not individuals ! Why then is the verse concentrating on the individual and "his flag", and not the tribe? I would like to propose the following original answer, Bezrat Hashem: The Torah is teaching us that every individual within his own tribe felt that he was the designated "flag holder" for his tribe. This was very significant. Every person , naturally, wants to be part of something greater than himself. Each Israelite felt personally that he was part of G-d's army on earth. This caused a tremendous metamorphosis to take place within each Israelite. Each Israelite felt that he represented not only his tribe , but G-d Himself. An Israelite on an individual level would work hard to change his ways for the better as a result since the "flag bearer" has to be impeccable in all respects,especially his behavior.
All the tribes get a mention (several times) in Bamidbar. If so, why is the word for Jews ‘yehudim’ - baring a striking resemblance to the tribe of Yehudah; what about all the other tribes? Here are two answers. Firstly, the name Yehudah has the name of HaShem in it (the yud, the heh, the vav, and the heh). Thus, in calling us ‘yehudim’ we are being told that our essence is godly, and that we have a special, innate connection to HaShem. The second answer is that Yehudah comes from the word ‘hoda’ah,’ which means to thank/appreciate/admit. As the Ohr HaChaim and the Ramban point out a (if not the) central character trait of a Jew is his gratitude to HaShem for every breath he takes, everything that happens to him, etc. The first word we say in the morning is ‘modeh’ (thanks), and in the Aleinu prayer the Jewish People are singled out for giving thanks to HaShem (korim u’mishtachavim u’modim). Therefore, the name ‘yehudim’ underlines this central Jewish trait of realising that one’s life, skills, and abilities come from HaShem.
The Sforno at the start of our sedra (1:2) reveals what HaShem’s original plan was - what would have happened had we not succumbed to the sin of the spies. We’d have been counted, put into our special travelling formation (wing-backs and sweeper!), and we’d have then gone straight into Eretz Yisrael. Moreover, the nations of the Land of Israel would have fled from us, leaving us with an easy conquest. However, the sin of the spies saw the plan have a major facelift. We now had to travel for forty years in the desert before going into the promised Land, and (during this time) the spiritual state of the seven nations of the Land plummeted - necessitating a harsher treatment of them on our part.
Rav Chaim Halpern points out that the first Rashi in each Chumash always seems to sing the praises of Klal Yisrael. The first Rashi in Bereishis tells of the present of Eretz Yisrael that HaShem gave to us. The opening Rashi in Shemos tells of HaShem re-counting the names and numbers of Klal Yisrael ‘to publicise His love of them.’ The curtain-raising Rashi in Vayikra speaks about the glory of Moshe Rabeinu our leader, and the starting Rashi of Devarim tells of our being reproached in a les overt way ‘because of the honour of Klal Yisrael.’ Indeed, Chumash Bamidbar is no different; the first Rashi recalls the fact that HaShem counted us again ‘because of our love before Him.’ In fact, this principle that the start of a Chumash cannot refer to any misdeeds of Klal Yisrael is highlighted by Rashi himself in parshas Beha’aloscha (9:1). The theme? We are indeed a treasured nation.
When Hashem revealed Himself to the Jewish people at Har Sinai - the extraordinary event annually commemorated and celebrated on the festival of Shavuos - two things became crystal clear: the reality of G-d's existence, and the absolute necessity to accept the Torah.
Regarding the first of these two, the Possuk says, "You have been shown [the Divine revelation] in order to know that Hashem, He is the G-d! There is none beside Him" (Deuteronomy 4:35). Rashi, comments on this that when Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people, He opened the seven heavens so that every Jew could see that Hashem is the one and only G-d. Every member of the fledgling Jewish nation experienced an encounter with the Divine that would leave and indelible imprint on their lives and
Why is Sukkos followed by Shemini Atzeret, a short one-day continuance, whereas Pesach is not followed by any such brief closing festival? The answer is that the upcoming holiday of Shavuos is really the conclusion of Pesach.
True, we were freed from slavery on Pesach, but that was only a physical freedom. Being free to do whatever we want to do - without any restraints - is not true freedom, for we would remain slaves to our desires. Only when we accepted the Torah at Har Sinai on Shavuos and willingly bound ourselves to Hashem and His way of life did we truly become free. Receiving the Torah imbued our lives with direction
Parashas Bamidbar – Desert, Water and Fire :
This week we enter the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar. Usually translated in English as 'The Book of Numbers', because one of it's major themes which occurs within the book and in particular in this weeks sedra is that of the census of the people. We see from the beginning of this week's parasha that the members of the tribes were counted individually, as every Jew passed in front of Moshe and Aharon and presented proof of his tribal descent. Ramban in fact brings this down as one of the reasons why Hashem wanted a census to be taken, so that each member of the nation would know that they had a right to the personal attention of the two great leaders, and by conducting a census this provided a perfect opportunity for every Jew who passed before them to tell them his name and be counted as an individual of personal worth. Another benefit would be so that they could receive a blessing from the great Prophet and his holy brother, and the half-shekel
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Moshe Shlomo ben R'Shmuel | Shlomo ben R'Chaim | Aryeh Leib ben Pinchas Tzvi
