meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ibn Ezra/Torah/Ibn Ezra on Numbers/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Ibn Ezra on Numbers
  אבן עזרא על במדבר
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Ibn Ezra on Numbers
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  To the home of their father-Because the mother's family is not [in this context] referred to as a family
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  
  
  Verse 36
  
  
  
  Verse 37
  
  
  
  Verse 38
  
  
  
  Verse 39
  
  
  
  Verse 40
  
  
  
  Verse 41
  
  
  
  Verse 42
  
  
  
  Verse 43
  
  
  
  Verse 44
  
  
  
  Verse 45
  
  
  
  Verse 46
  
  
  
  Verse 47
  
  
  
  Verse 48
  
  
  
  Verse 49
  
  
  
  Verse 50
  
  
  
  Verse 51
  
  
  
  Verse 52
  
  
  
  Verse 53
  
  
  
  Verse 54
  
  
  
  Verse 55
  
  
  
  Verse 56
  
  
  
  Verse 57
  
  
  
  Verse 58
  
  
  
  Verse 59
  
  
  
  Verse 60
  
  
  
  Verse 61
  
  
  
  Verse 62
  
  
  
  Verse 63
  
  
  
  Verse 64
  
  
  
  Verse 65
  
  
  
  Verse 66
  
  
  
  Verse 67
  
  
  
  Verse 68
  
  
  
  Verse 69
  
  
  
  Verse 70
  
  
  
  Verse 71
  
  
  
  Verse 72
  
  
  
  Verse 73
  
  
  
  Verse 74
  
  
  
  Verse 75
  
  
  
  Verse 76
  
  
  
  Verse 77
  
  
  
  Verse 78
  
  
  
  Verse 79
  
  
  
  Verse 80
  
  
  
  Verse 81
  
  
  
  Verse 82
  
  
  
  Verse 83
  
  
  
  Verse 84
  
  
  
  Verse 85
  
  
  
  Verse 86
  
  
  
  Verse 87
  
  
  
  Verse 88
  
  
  
  Verse 89
  
  
  And the explanation of "AND HE HEARD": That he alone heard The Voice and it was not heard by anybody else who was in the Tent of Gathering outside of the curtain. This is also correct because Hashem added to his (Moses's) feeling in his ears (ability to hear) just as He had added light to the eyes of the blind Elisha and thus likewise revealed to the eyes of Bilam
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  
  And they were in Chatserot: It is connected to "And Miriam spoke" - since they dwelt there on account of her. As so is it written. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  "And Miriam spoke": She was [the actual] speaker while Aaron agreed or was silent; therefore he was punished [as well].
  And the meaning of "And she spoke (Va't'daber)": (With the Hebrew letter beit) - And the meaning of the Hebrew phrase for “and she spoke” with the preposition “of” (the Hebrew letter beit): In a deceitful? manner such as “And the people spoke against God” (Bamidbar 11:5). It is found both as praise and in a prophet’s manner of speaking. There are those who say that Moshes ruled over Ethiopia (the land of Kush) and married the Kushite (woman). Targum Onkelos says that she was beautiful and it was the language of respect just as the Ishmaelites call tar ‘white stuff (ha-lavan)’, so we call the blind person, ‘full of light’ (a euphemism). And thus it isn’t clear whether it is called a word that is meant to be praise that they turned into criticism. Meanwhile, there are those who say that the son of Kish (קיש) the Benjamite was Saul and thus from here on out, [I will translate the word] as the people of Kush (the Kushites). This is already its plain meaning. Thus the correct interpretation in my eyes is that this Kushite was Tzipporah for she was a Midianite and Midianites are Ishmaelites. (These peoples) live in tents (See Habbakuk 3:7: "The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling. The earth quaked.) and because of the heat of the sun, they have no whiteness among them. Tzipporah was dark and looked like a Kushite.
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  Moses never asked for recognition, nor reward. He was a humble man.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  Send forth: First God said to the Israelites "Go up and conquer."The Israelites then said to themselves: "Let's send people first." After this, God said: "Send forth men."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  “And Korah took” - This matter that was in the wilderness of Sinai, when the firstborns were replaced and the Levites were separated,For the Israelites thought that Moshe our Leader did it according to his own thought, to give greatness to his brother, and also to the sons of Kehat for they are close to him, and all of the Levites that they are his family.And the Levites conspired against him because they were given to Aaron and his sons.Datan and Aviram conspired because the firstborn privilege was removed from Reuven their father and given to Yosef; perhaps they suspected that [Moshe did that] for the sake of Yehoshua his servant [who was from Yosef].Also Korah was a first born, for thus was written.&gt;And those Heads of the Congregation (edah) were firstborns and they were bringing the olah offerings.And the proof for this explanation is the miracle of the staff (Bamidbar 17:16-26) that all of Israel saw that Hashem chose the tribe of Levi in place of the firstborns, and therefore it is written (Bamidbar 17:25) “their mutterings ceased,” for the mutterings were about this.Also Moshe said that “it is not from my own mind” (Bamidbar 26:28), because they suspected that it was from his own mind that he did it.And further proof is “Hashem did not send me” - for this task - because all the Israelites already believed in him [in general]. Another total proof is “all the congregation are holy” and this is a hint to the firstborns that they are holy, because it is written (shemot 13:2) “sanctify to Me every first born” and they are the priests (Kohanim) that approach Hashem and they are the essence of the whole congregation.  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  To perform all of these deeds: i.e. transferring the duties of the firstborns unto the Leviim. And be aware that this is a serious matter. And it bothered them that they were no longer trusted to remove the firstborns from the Kohanim and give it all up to Moshe's family alone. All of this occurred during the sin of the Golden Calf for then they were seen as complete when they surpassed the firstborns who were worshiping since they were then the priests. And the Leviim killed the worshipers of the Calf. And there is here a question whose answer is in Parshas Vayeilech.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  How good. The verb is in the past, as in "how my eyes brightened" (I Samuel 14:29)
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  
  
  
  As in (Isaiah 22:5), "Mekarkar a wall." And its explanation is that he destroys a wall, as in (Isaiah 10:33), "He will hew off the tree-crowns with an ax."...
  The Children of Seth (Shet): [This is] like the sons of Adam (all people), since [Seth] was the main [son of Adam], as Noah was from his descendants (such that everyone who lived afterwards was of the Children of Seth). And the Yitzchaki1 said that its understanding is [that it refers to] the Children of Ammon and also [the Children of] Moab, and its meaning is [hence] twofold. He also said that its usage [is like its usage in], "those with revealed shet" (Isaiah 11:3), which is a reference to the daughters of Lot (the mothers of Ammon and Moab). But that is distant [from the correct understanding] in my eyes; as shet is the posterior, which is like a foundation, as in (Psalms 11:3), "When the shatot are destroyed." And many understood, "all the children of shet" as the same usage as "When the shatot." And the explanation is that when he destroys the countries (which are like foundations). And this is not distant.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  and he was not. the daughters  thought that the people will not inherit braying about Hashem.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  The heads of the tribes: According to my opinion that this section is after the war with Midian, it is for this reason that [the section about that war] is after it; just as "And Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses (Numbers 12:1) is after "and they were in Chatserot" (Numbers 11:35) [even though it happened earlier], as I explained.1 And Scripture states that the Children of Gad came to Moses and Elazar and the princes of the congregation and they spoke their words. And afterwards, it is written (Numbers 32:28), "Then Moses gave instructions concerning them to Elazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes" - which are the princes of the congregation [just] mentioned. And since Moses said to the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben (Numbers 32:24), "you shall do what comes out of your mouth"; it is therefore written (Numbers 30:2), "And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes," and then (verse 3), "he shall do like everything that comes out of his mouth."