meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Torah/Numbers/English/The Rashi chumash by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein.txt"}
text: Numbers
  במדבר
  The Rashi chumash by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
  
  
  Numbers
  
  
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd said to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month (Iyyar) in the second year after their going out from the land of Egypt, saying:
  	Take the count of the entire congregation of the children of Israel by their families [to know the number of each tribe], by their fathers' house [(one whose father is of one tribe and his mother of a different tribe being reckoned by the tribe of his father)], according to the number of names, every male by their heads [a beka (half a shekel) for a head (Exodus 38:26)].
  	From twenty years and up, all who go to war in Israel, [twenty being the minimum age], number them by their hosts, you and Aaron.
  	And with you shall be [when you count them] one man of every tribe, each the chief of his fathers' house.
  	And these are the names of the men who will stand with you: Of Reuven — Elitzur ben Shedeur.
  	Of Shimon — Shelumiel ben Tzurishadai.
  	Of Yehudah — Nachshon ben Aminadav.
  	Of Yissachar — Nethanel ben Tzuar.
  	Of Zevulun — Eliyav ben Cheilon.
  	Of the sons of Joseph: Of Ephraim — Elishama ben Amihud; of Menasheh — Gamliel ben Pedatzur.
  	Of Binyamin — Avidan ben Gidoni.
  	Of Dan — Achiezer ben Amishadai.
  	Of Asher — Pagiel ben Achran.
  	Of Gad — Elyasaf ben De'uel.
  	Of Naftali — Achira ben Einan.
  	These are the "called" of the congregation, [so called because they were called upon for every matter of importance affecting the congregation], the chiefs of the tribes of their fathers. The heads of the thousands of Israel (were) they.
  	And Moses and Aaron took these men that were designated [here to Moses] by name.
  	And they assembled the entire congregation on the first (day) of the second month, and they confirmed their birth (claims) [with deeds and witnesses] after their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, (every male) from twenty years and up, by their heads [see 1].
  	As the L-rd commanded Moses — and he numbered them in the desert of Sinai.
  	And the children of Reuven, the first-born of Israel, were — their births, by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, by their heads, every male from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Reuven — forty-six thousand and five hundred.
  	Of the children of Shimon, their births by their families by their fathers' house, their number according to the number of names, by their heads, every male from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Shimon — fifty-nine thousand and three hundred.
  	Of the children of Gad, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Gad — forty-five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
  	Of the children of Yehudah, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Yehudah — seventy-four thousand and six hundred.
  	Of the children of Yissachar, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Yissachar — fifty-four thousand and four hundred.
  	Of the children of Zevulun, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Zevulun — fifty-seven thousand and four hundred.
  	Of the children of Joseph: Of the children of Ephraim, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Ephraim — forty thousand and five hundred.
  	Of the children of Menasheh, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Menasheh — thirty-two thousand and two hundred.
  	Of the children of Binyamin, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Binyamin — thirty-five thousand and four hundred.
  	Of the children of Dan, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Dan — sixty-two thousand and seven hundred.
  	Of the children of Asher, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Asher — forty-one thousand and five hundred.
  	The children of Naftali, their births by their families by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years and up, all who go to war —
  	Their number of the tribe of Naftali — fifty-three thousand and four hundred.
  	These are the numbered, who were numbered by Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel, twelve men; one man for his fathers' house were they.
  	And they were — all that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' house, from twenty years and up, all who go to war in Israel —
  	All those numbered were six hundred and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
  	But the Levites, after the tribe of their fathers, were not numbered among them.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses, saying:
  	Only the tribe of Levi do not number, and do not take their count in the midst of the children of Israel [The "King's legion" merits an independent count.]
  	And you, appoint the Levites over the mishkan of the Testimony, and over all of its vessels, and over all that pertains to it. They shall bear the mishkan and all of its vessels, and they shall minister to it, and roundabout the mishkan shall they camp.
  	And when the mishkan travels, the Levites shall dismantle it [and carry it to the place where the cloud (preceding them) comes to rest], and when the mishkan rests, the Levites shall raise it. And the stranger that draws near [to this service of the Levites] shall be put to death [at the hands of Heaven].
  	And the children of Israel shall encamp, every man in his own camp and every man by his standard, [as per the arrangement of the standards (below), three tribes to each standard], according to their hosts.
  	And the Levites shall encamp around the mishkan of the Testimony and there shall be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel [if you follow these directives; but if not — if strangers appropriate this service, then there will be wrath (as in the instance of Korach, 17:11)], and the Levites shall keep the charge of the mishkan of the Testimony.
  	And the children of Israel did according to all that the L-rd commanded Moses; thus did they do.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	Every man by his standard, with signs according to their fathers' house shall the children of Israel camp. [(On each standard there were colored cloths corresponding to the respective colors of the stones of the tribes on the choshen, by which every man could identify his standard)]. Opposite, [the distance of a mil (two thousand cubits, the permitted Sabbath distance — see Joshua 3:4), so that they could come (there) on Sabbath, Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the Levites encamping nearby], roundabout the tent of meeting shall they camp.
  	And those who encamped in front, in the east — the standard of the camp of Yehudah according to their hosts. And the chief of the children of Yehudah, Nachshon ben Aminadav.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, seventy-four thousand and six hundred.
  	And encamped next to him, the tribe of Yissachar; and the chief of the children of Yissachar, Nethanel ben Tzuar.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, fifty-four thousand and four hundred.
  	The tribe of Zevulun; and the chief of the children of Zevulun, Eliyav ben Cheilon.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, fifty-seven thousand and four hundred.
  	All of the numbered of the camp of Yehudah — one hundred and eighty-six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts; first shall they travel. [When they saw the cloud departing, the Cohanim sounded the trumpets, and the camp of Yehudah traveled first. (And they traveled in the order of their encampment: the Levites and the wagons in the center, the standard of Yehudah on the east; that of Reuven, on the south; that of Ephraim, on the west; that of Dan, on the north.)]
  	The standard of the camp of Reuven, on the south, according to their hosts; and the chief of the children of Reuven, Elitzur ben Shedeur.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, forty-six thousand and five hundred.
  	And encamped next to him, the tribe of Shimon; and the chief of the children of Shimon, Shlumiel ben Tzurishadai.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, fifty-nine thousand and three hundred.
  	And the tribe of Gad; and the chief of the children of Gad, Elyasaf ben Re'uel.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, forty-five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
  	All of the numbered of the camp of Reuven, one hundred and fifty-one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts; and they shall travel second.
  	And the tent of meeting shall travel [after these two standards] with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps. As they encamp [i.e., in the same directions in which they are positioned], so do they travel [see 2:9], each man in his place, by their standards.
  	The standard of the camp of Ephraim, according to their hosts, on the west; and the chief of the children of Ephraim, Elishama ben Amihud.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, forty thousand and five hundred.
  	And next to him, the tribe of Menasheh; and the chief of the children of Menasheh, Gamliel ben Pedatzur.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, thirty-two thousand and two hundred.
  	And the tribe of Binyamin; and the chief of the children of Binyamin, Avidan ben Gidoni.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, thirty-five thousand and four hundred.
  	All of the numbered of the camp of Ephraim, one hundred and eight thousand and one hundred, according to their hosts; and they shall travel third.
  	The standard of the camp of Dan, on the north, according to their hosts; and the chief of the children of Dan, Achiezer ben Amishadai.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, sixty-two thousand and seven hundred.
  	And encamped next to him, the tribe of Asher; and the chief of the children of Asher, Pagiel ben Achran.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, forty-one thousand and five hundred.
  	And the tribe of Naftali; and the chief of the children of Naftali, Achira ben Einan.
  	And his host and their numbered ones, fifty-three thousand and four hundred.
  	All of the numbered of the camp of Dan, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand and six hundred; last shall they travel, by their standards.
  	These are the numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' house, all the numbered of the camps according to their hosts — six hundred and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
  	And the Levites were not counted in the midst of the children of Israel, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And the children of Israel did according to all that the L-rd had commanded Moses. Thus did they encamp by their standards, and thus did they travel, each according to his families, by his fathers' house.
  
  
  
  	And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses [(Even though only the sons of Aaron are mentioned, they are called "the generations of Moses" because he taught them Torah (whence it is derived that if one teaches his friend's son Torah, it is as if he had begotten him)], on the day the L-rd spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai [i.e., on that day they became his "generations," for he taught them what he had learned from the Almighty.]
  	And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: the first-born — Nadav; and Avihu, Elazar, and Ithamar.
  	These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed Cohanim, whom he invested to minister.
  	And Nadav and Avihu died before the L-rd when they presented a strange fire before the L-rd in the desert of Sinai, and they had no sons. And Elazar and Ithamar ministered in the presence [i.e., in the lifetime] of Aaron their father.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Bring near the tribe of Levi and place them before Aaron the Cohein, that they serve him.
  	[And what is this service?] They shall keep his charge [that no stranger come near (to the holy things; the Levites assisted him in this)] and the charge of the entire congregation before the tent of meeting to perform the service of the mishkan.
  	And they shall guard all the vessels of the tent of meeting and (they shall keep) the charge of the children of Israel to perform the service of the mishkan. [The service of the mishkan devolved upon all of Israel, and the Levites became their emissaries for it (in payment for which they give the tithe to the Levites)].
  	And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons. They are given to him [i.e., separated unto him by the L-rd's decree] from the [midst of the] children of Israel.
  	And Aaron and his sons shall you charge that they guard their priesthood [(receiving the blood, sprinkling, smoking, and the services relegated to the priests)], and the stranger that draws near shall be put to death.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, [that the Israelites hire them for My service. And whence comes this "prerogative" of Mine?] In place of every first-born, opener of the womb, of the children of Israel, [i.e., The service originally devolved upon the first-born, and when they sinned with the golden calf, the Levites, who did not sin, were selected in their place.] And the Levites shall be Mine.
  	For Mine is every first-born. On the day I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt, I sanctified unto Me every first-born in Israel, from man until beast. Mine shall they be — I am the L-rd.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:
  	Number the children of Levi, by their fathers' house, by their families. Every male, from one month and above [(after they have left the category of nefalim (non-viable births)] shall you number them. [He is numbered to be called "a keeper of the charge of the sanctuary" (3:28). (The Levites are "conversant" in being numbered from the womb, e.g., Yocheved, the daughter of Levi (see 26:59)].
  	And Moses numbered them by word of the L-rd as he had been commanded. [A heavenly voice would come to Moses from the door of each tent, saying: So many and so many infants are in this tent.]
  	And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kehath, and Merari.
  	And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Livni and Shimi.
  	And the sons of Kehath by their families: Amram and Yitzhar, Chevron and Uziel.
  	And the sons of Merari by their families: Machli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers' house.
  	Unto Gershon [were numbered] the family of the Livni and the family of the Shimi. These are the families of the Gershuni.
  	Their numbered, the number of all the males from one month and above: seven thousand and five hundred.
  	The families of the Gershuni were to encamp behind the mishkan, on the west.
  	And the chief of the fathers' house of the Gershuni, Elyasaf ben La'el.
  	And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting: the mishkan [the lower curtains] and the tent [the goats' hair curtains, which served as a roof], its covering [the hides of the rams and the techashim] and the partition for the door of the tent of meeting [the vilon].
  	And the hangings of the court, and the partition for the door of the court, which is by the mishkan and by the altar roundabout, and its cords [(those of the mishkan and of the tent, but not those of the court)], for all of its service.
  	And unto Kehath [were numbered] the family of the Amrami, and the family of the Yitzhari, and the family of the Chevroni, and the family of the Azieli. These are the families of the Kehathi.
  	The number of all the males from one month and above: eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the sanctuary.
  	The families of the sons of Kehath were to encamp at the side of the mishkan on the south.
  	And the chief of the fathers' house of the families of the Kehathi, Elitzafan ben Uziel.
  	And their charge: the ark and the table and the menorah and the altars, and the ministering vessels of the sanctuary, and the partition (masach) [the parocheth, which is also called "parocheth hamasach" (Exodus 35:52)], and all of its service.
  	And the chief of the chiefs of the Levites, Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein, [this charge being] the appointment of the keepers of the sanctuary.
  	Unto Merari [were numbered] the family of the Machli, and the family of the Mushi. These are the families of Merari.
  	And their numbered, the number of all the males from one month and above, six thousand and two hundred.
  	And the chief of the father's house of the families of Merari, Tzuriyel ben Avichayil. At the side of the mishkan they were to encamp, on the north.
  And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari: the beams of the mishkan and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all of its vessels, and all of its service.	
  And the pillars of the court roundabout, and their sockets, and their pegs, and their cords.
  	And those who encamped before the mishkan, in front, before the tent of meeting, on the east — Moses, and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, for the charge of the children of Israel [see 8]; and the stranger that draws near shall be put to death.
  	All the numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered [(The dots over "Aharon" indicate that he was not included in the count of the Levites)] by word of the L-rd, by their families, all the males from one month and above — twenty-two thousand. [(Actually 22,300; but 300 of the Levites were themselves bechoroth (first-born), so that they are not included in the count, which is the number of those Levites who displaced bechoroth (and does not include those who were bechoroth themselves (see 46-48)].
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel [(after they have left the category of nefalim — see 3:15)], from one month and above, and take the number of their names.
  		And you shall take the Levites for Me — I am the L-rd — in place of all the first-born of the children of Israel, and the beasts of the Levites in place of all the firstlings of the beasts of the children of Israel.
  	And Moses numbered, as the L-rd commanded him, all the first-born of the children of Israel.
  	And all the male first-born were, by number of names, from one month and above, of those that were numbered — twenty-two thousand and two hundred and seventy-three.
  And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  Take the Levites in place of all the first-born of the children of Israel, and the beasts of the Levites in place of their beasts, [the firstling of asses (One lamb of a Levite would redeem many ass-firstlings of Israelites)], and the Levites shall be Mine — I am the L-rd.
  	And (for) the redemption (money) of the two hundred and seventy-three of the bechoroth of the children of Israel over and above the (number of the) Levites,
  You shall take five shekels for a head. By the shekel of the sanctuary shall you take it, twenty gerah to the shekel.
  	And you shall give the money to Aaron and to his sons, the redemption (money) of the excess of them [the bechoroth, over the Levites].
  	And Moses took the redemption money from those (bechoroth) who exceeded the (bechoroth) redeemed [bodily] by the Levites.
  [By ballot] from [two hundred and seventy-three] bechoroth of the children of Israel, he took the money — one thousand and three hundred and sixty-five (shekels) by the shekel of the sanctuary.
  	And Moses gave the money of the redeemed to Aaron and to his sons by the word of the L-rd, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	Take the count of the sons of Kehath [of those fit for carrying (i.e., from the age of thirty to fifty)], from the midst of the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house.
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who enter into service, to do work in the tent of meeting.
  	This is the service of the sons of Kehath in the tent of meeting, holy of holies, [i.e., the holiest of all: the ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the parocheth, and the ministering vessels.]
  	And Aaron and his sons shall come, when the camp is to travel [(being apprised of this by the departure of the cloud)], and they shall take down the parocheth partition and cover therewith the ark of the Testimony. [They placed each article in its designated sheath and the sons of Kehath needed only to carry it.]
  	And they shall put thereon a covering of tachash skin, and they shall spread a cloth all of blue over it, and they shall place its staves.
  	And on the show (-bread) table shall they spread a cloth of blue, and they shall place thereon the [bread-] molds, the censers, the staves, and the canes for covering [see Exodus 25:29]; and the continual bread shall be thereon.
  	And they shall spread thereon a cloth of scarlet and cover it with a tachash skin covering, and they shall place its staves.
  	And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the menorah of lighting and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuff-dishes [see Exodus 25:32] and all its oil vessels wherewith they minister unto it.
  	And they shall place it and all of its vessels into a covering of tachash skin [a kind of sack] and put it on a bar.
  	And on the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a tachash skin covering, and they shall place its staves.
  	And they shall take all the ministering vessels with which they minister in the sanctuary [i.e., the incense vessels with which they minister on the inner altar] and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a tachash skin covering and put them on a bar.
  	And they shall remove the ashes from the [copper] altar, and spread upon it a purple cloth.
  	And they shall place on it all of its implements wherewith they minister upon it: its fire-pans, its spits, its shovels, and its sprinkling basins [see Exodus 27:3] — all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a tachash skin covering, and they shall place its staves.
  	And Aaron and his sons shall finish covering the holy (things) [the ark and the altar] and all the holy vessels when the camp is to travel, and then the sons of Kehath shall come to carry (them), and they shall not touch the holy (things) lest they die [(at the hands of Heaven)]. These (things) are the burden of the sons of Kehath in the tent of meeting.
  	And the charge of Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein was [the carrying of] the oil for lighting, and the spice incense, and the continual meal-offering [(He was charged with commanding and expediting its offering upon encampment)], and the anointing oil. [And, in addition, he was appointed over the burden of the sons of Kehath, to assign to each his service and his burden, viz.] the charge of all the mishkan and all that was in it, the holy (things) and all of its vessels [(as set forth above)].
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kehathi from the midst of the Levites [i.e., take care not to bring about their death].
  	But do this for them and they will live and not die when they approach the holy of holies: Aaron and his sons shall come and set them, each man to his service and to his burden.
  	And they shall not come to see when the holy (things) are being covered [within their sheath (5)] and die.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Take the count of the sons of Gershon, they too, [as I commanded you in respect to the sons of Kehath, to see how many of them qualify for service], by their fathers' houses, by their families.
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who enter into service, to serve in the tent of meeting.
  	This is the service of the families of the Gershuni for service and for burden.
  	They shall bear the curtains of the mishkan [the ten lower ones] and of the tent of meeting [the goats' hair curtains which tented it], its covering [the rams' skins dyed red] and the tachash covering that is on it from above, and the partition for the door of the tent of meeting [i.e., the eastern curtain].
  	And the curtains of the court, and the partition for the door of the gate of the court which shield the mishkan and the [copper] altar roundabout, and their cords, and all their service implements, and all that is relegated to them [the sons of Gershon] that they may serve.
  	By word of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershuni for all of their burdens and for all of their service. And you shall designate unto them the charge of all their burdens.
  	This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershuni in the tent of meeting. And their charge shall be by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the Cohein.
  	The sons of Merari — by their families, by their fathers' house shall you number them.
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years shall you number them, all who enter into service, to perform the service of the tent of meeting.
  	And this is the charge of their burden for all of their service in the tent of meeting: the beams of the mishkan and its bars, and its pillars and its sockets.
  	And the pillars of the court roundabout, and their [the pillars'] pins and cords [for hanging of the curtains on the pillars], with all of their implements for all of their service. And by name shall you reckon the implements of the charge of their bearing.
  	This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari for all of their service in the tent of meeting by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the Cohein.
  	And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kehathi by their families and by their fathers' house.
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who entered the service for service in the tent of meeting.
  	And their numbered ones by their families were two thousand and seven hundred and fifty.
  	These are the numbered of the families of the Kehathi, all who serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by word of the L-rd by the hand of Moses.
  	And the numbered ones of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers' house,
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who entered the service, for service in the tent of meeting.
  	Their numbered ones by their families by their fathers' house were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
  	These are the numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by word of the L-rd.
  	And the numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families by their fathers' house,
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who entered the service, for service in the tent of meeting.
  	Their numbered ones by their families were three thousand and two hundred.
  	These are the numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by word of the L-rd by the hand of Moses.
  	All the numbered ones, whom Moses and Aaron and all the chiefs of Israel numbered of the Levites by their families and by their fathers' house.
  	From thirty years and up until fifty years, all who entered to serve — the service [of song, with cymbals and lutes,] of [i.e., on behalf of] service [the sacrificial service] and the service of bearing in the tent of meeting.
  	Their numbered ones were eight thousand and five hundred and eighty.
  	By word of the L-rd did he count them, by the hand of Moses, each for his service and for his burden. And their numbered ones were as the L-rd had commanded Moses [i.e., from thirty years and up until fifty].
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Command the children of Israel [(This section was stated on the day that the mishkan was erected)] that they send out of the camp [(There were three camps: the camp of the Shechinah — within the curtains (of the mishkan); the camp of the Levites — the encampment of the Levites roundabout (the mishkan); the camp of Israel — from the camp of the Levites until the end of the encampment of the standards on all four sides)] every leper, [to be sent out of all three camps)], every zav [to be sent out of the first two camps (see Leviticus 15:2)] and everyone who has become unclean by a dead body [to be sent out only from the first camp].
  	From male until female shall you send them out. Outside of the camp shall you send them; and they shall not make unclean their camps in whose midst I dwell.
  	And the children of Israel did so, and they sent them outside the camp. As the L-rd spoke to Moses, so did the children of Israel do.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel: A man or a woman, if they do of all the sins of man to commit a profanation against the L-rd [and swear falsely in denial of a claim], and that soul be guilty, [(Although this has already been stated (Leviticus 5:21), it is repeated here for two new teachings: First (7) that one is not liable for the fifth and the guilt-offering by the testimony of witnesses, but only by his own confession; second (8) that the stolen property of a proselyte (without heirs) is given to the Cohanim)],
  	And they confess their sins which they have done, then he shall make restitution for his guilt by (restoration of) its (the theft's) principal, and its fifth shall he add to it, and he shall give it to the one to whom he is liable [for payment].
  	And if the man does not have a redeemer to whom to return the debt, [the claimant, a proselyte, having died and left no heirs], the debt [the principal], which is returned [i.e., "and the fifth"] is the L-rd's [i.e., He has acquired it, and He has given it] to the Cohein [of the officiating watch], aside from the ram of atonement whereby atonement shall be made for him.
  	And every terumah of all the holy things of the children of Israel which they present to the Cohein [i.e., bikkurim (first-fruits)], to him shall it be.
  	And every man, his holy things, to him shall they be [i.e., he has the privilege of giving them to whichever Cohein he wishes.] Whatever [designated gifts] a man gives to the Cohein, to him shall it be [i.e., it shall redound to the giver's wealth.]
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: A man, if his wife go astray, and she be faithless to him,
  	And [(the faithlessness being that)] a man [(excluding a minor or an animal)] lie with her a lying of seed, and it be hid [(but if he saw and made himself "unseeing," the waters do not probe her)] from the eyes [(excluding a blind man)] of her husband, and she had secreted herself [with him long enough for intercourse], and she be defiled, and there be no witness to it [to the act of intercourse (for if there were even one witness to the act, the draught is not administered to her), but there be witnesses to her having secreted herself with him], and she had not been seized [i.e., forced],
  	And [before she had secreted herself] there had passed over him a spirit of rancor and he had warned his wife [not to secrete herself with that man], and she were defiled [i.e., she might have been defiled] — Or, there had passed over him a spirit of rancor and he had warned his wife [and she had transgressed his warning (and secreted herself)] and she were not defiled [i.e., it is not known whether she were or were not defiled],
  	Then the man shall bring his wife to the Cohein, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth of an ephah of meal [(not fine flour)] of barley [(not wheat, the offering for a "beastly" act being the food of a beast)]. He shall not pour oil upon it, [so that her offering not be beautified], and he shall not place frankincense upon it, for it is a meal-offering of rancors [the L-rd's and her husband's], a meal-offering of memorial, a reminder of sin.
  	And the Cohein shall draw her near and stand her before the L-rd [at the gate of Nikanor, the eastern gate, where all entered.]
  	And the Cohein shall take water consecrated [in the laver] in an earthen vessel. And of the dust that is on the floor of the mishkan shall the Cohein take and place it in the water.
  	And the Cohein shall stand the woman before the L-rd [again (see 16). (They would walk her from place to place to "weary" her into confession)]; and he shall dishevel the hair of the woman [in order to shame her], and he shall place in her hands the meal-offering of memorial, [to "weary" her into confession so that the Tetragrammaton not be erased in the waters] — it is a meal-offering of rancors — and in the hand of the Cohein will be the bitter [(causing her a "bitter" end)] blighting waters [("blighting" her from the world)].
  	And the Cohein shall beswear her and he shall say to the woman: If no man has lain with you, and you have not strayed uncleanly from your husband, then be clean (hinaki) of these bitter, blighting waters.
  	And you, if you have gone astray from your husband, and if you have become unclean, and a man has put his lying in you aside from your husband, [then chinaki ("be strangled")].
  	Then the Cohein shall beswear the woman with the oath of the curse, and the Cohein shall say to the woman: May the L-rd render you a curse [(that all curse by you, viz.: "May it happen to you as happened to that woman, etc.")] and an oath [(that all swear by you, viz.: "If I have not spoken truly may it happen to me, etc.")] in the midst of your people by the L-rd's causing your thigh to fall and your belly to swell [("thigh" precedes "belly" in the curse as it did in the act)].
  	And these blighting waters shall enter your innards to swell the belly and to make fall the thigh [of the adulterer (as well)], and the woman shall say: Amen, Amen [(Amen to the curse, Amen to the oath; Amen, in respect to this man, Amen in respect to any other man; Amen, that I did not go astray while betrothed, married, awaiting levirate marriage, or having been taken in levirate marriage.)]
  	Then the Cohein shall write these curses into a scroll and erase into the bitter waters.
  	And when he makes the woman drink the bitter, blighting waters, then the blighting waters shall enter into [all of] her, [(and not only into "thigh and belly," those being singled out because they "initiated" the transgression)] for bitterness [i.e., to be sore and bitter to her].
  	And the Cohein shall take from the hand of the woman the meal-offering of rancors, and he shall wave the meal-offering before the L-rd [back and forth and up and down. And she waves it with him, her hand above that of the Cohein], and he shall present it at the [south-west corner of the] altar [before taking the fistful, as with the other meal-offerings].
  	And the Cohein shall take a fistful from the meal-offering as its "remembrance" [see Leviticus 2:2], and he shall smoke it on the altar, and then he shall make the woman drink the water.
  	And he shall make her drink the water [(to include an instance where she refused to drink after the scroll was blotted out; in which instance she is forcibly made to drink it — unless she admitted having been adulterous.)] And it shall be, if she had been defiled and had been faithless to her husband, then the blighting waters will enter her for bitterness, and her belly will swell and her thigh will fall. [Though in the curses (21) "thigh" precedes "belly," in operation, the waters first enter the belly and then the thigh.] And the woman will be a curse in the midst of her people.
  	And if the woman had not been defiled [in this concealment] and she be clean [of any other act], then she shall be absolved [of the blighting waters] and [what is more,] she will sow seed. [If she had difficult labors, she will have easy ones; if she had borne swarthy children, she will bear fair ones.]
  	This is the law of the rancors for a woman who goes astray under her husband and is defiled.
  	If there pass over a man a spirit of rancor, then he shall warn his wife, and he shall stand his wife before the L-rd and the Cohein shall do with her all of this law.
  	And the man will be free of sin [i.e., of liability for her death by the waters], and that woman shall bear her sin.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: A man or a woman, if he utter a vow, the vow of a Nazirite [lit., "one who separates himself"] to separate himself [from wine] unto the L-rd [i.e., for the sake of Heaven], [(The rationale of the juxtaposition of verses — "All who witness a sotah (a woman suspected of infidelity) in her undoing should separate themselves from wine," wine inciting to licentiousness)],
  	From [new] wine and shechar [old (lit., "intoxicating") wine] he shall separate himself. Vinegar of wine and vinegar of shechar he shall not drink; and any steeping of grapes he shall not drink, and grapes, wet or dry, he shall not eat.
  	All the days of his Naziritism, of all that is made from the grapevine, from the kernels to the husk, he shall not eat.
  	All the days of the vow of his Naziritism a blade shall not pass over his head. Until the fulfillment of the days of his Naziritism to the L-rd, holy shall it [his hair] be [by his] letting grow long the growth [pera ("pera" is not less than thirty days)] of the hair of his head.
  	All the days of his Naziritism to the L-rd, by a dead body he shall not come.
  	For his father and for his mother, for his brother and for his sister, he shall not make himself unclean for them in their death, for the crown of his G-d is on his head.
  	All the days of his Naziritism, holy is he to the L-rd [("holiness" of body — not making himself unclean for the dead)].
  	And if any man die on him [in the tent where he finds himself], of an instant, unexpectedly, and he make unclean the head of his Naziritism, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing [i.e., sprinkling (of the waters of the red heifer, 19:17)]; on the seventh day shall he shave it.
  	And on the eighth day [i.e., from the eighth day on], he shall bring two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the Cohein, to the door of the tent of meeting.
  	And the Cohein shall offer one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt-offering, and he shall atone for him for having sinned through the (dead) body, and he shall hallow his head on that day [i.e., He shall begin again the count of his Naziritism].
  	And he shall consecrate [anew] to the L-rd the days of his Naziritism, and he shall bring a lamb of the first year as a guilt-offering, and the first days shall fall off [from the count] because he made unclean his Naziritism.
  	And this is the law of the Nazirite. On the day of the fulfillment of the days of his Naziritism, he shall bring himself to the door of the tent of meeting.
  	And he shall offer up his sacrifice to the L-rd: one lamb of the first year without blemish as a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish as a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace-offering.
  	And a basket of unleavened bread of fine flour, [ten] cakes [of unleavened bread] mixed with oil, and [ten] wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil, and their [the burnt-offering's and the peace-offering's] meal-offering and their drink-offerings.
  	And the Cohein shall present (them) before the L-rd, and he shall offer his sin-offering and his burnt-offering.
  	And the ram shall he offer as a sacrifice of peace-offerings to the L-rd for the basket of unleavened bread [i.e., he shall slaughter the peace-offerings with the intent of consecrating the bread], and the Cohein shall offer its [the ram's] meal-offering and its drink-offering.
  	And the Nazirite shall shave — [outside the azarah, after the slaughtering of the peace-offerings, which took place] at the door of the tent of meeting — the head of his Naziritism. And he shall take the hair of the head of his Naziritism, and he shall place it on the fire under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings [i.e., under the cauldron (in the azarah) in which they are cooked (the Cohein being required to take the shoulder after it has been cooked and wave it before the L-rd)].
  	And the Cohein shall take the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and he shall place them on the palms of the Nazirite after his shaving of (the head of) his Naziritism.
  	And the Cohein shall wave them, a waving before the L-rd. It [(the cake, the wafer, and the shoulder)] is holy [i.e., terumah] to the Cohein, in addition to the breast of waving and the thigh of lifting, [which revert to the Cohein from all peace-offerings], and thereafter the Nazirite may drink wine.
  	This is the law of the Nazirite who shall vow his offering to the L-rd for his Naziritism, aside from what his hand attains [i.e., if he vows more than the prescribed number of offerings, he must bring them.] According to the vow that he vows, thus shall he do above [(but not below)] the law of his Naziriteship [i.e., the prescribed number of offerings].
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, saying [with full intent and with a whole heart] unto them, [so that they all hear]:
  	The L-rd bless you [that your possessions increase] and keep you [that you not be despoiled of your possessions].
  	The L-rd cause His countenance to shine upon you and grant you favor.
  	The L-rd lift His countenance [i.e., quell His anger] unto you and grant you peace.
  	And they shall place My name [the Tetragrammaton] on the children of Israel, and I will bless them [i.e., I will "concur" in their blessing.]
  
  
  
  	And it was, on the day that Moses had finished (kalloth) setting up the mishkan and had anointed it and consecrated it and all of its vessels, and (he had set up) the altar and all of its vessels, and had anointed them and consecrated them, [(kalloth): On the day of the setting up of the mishkan, Israel was like a bride (kallah) entering the bridal canopy. ("that Moses had finished"): Although Betzalel and other craftsmen had made the mishkan, it is attributed to Moses for having given heart and soul to see to it that the last detail was executed exactly as the L-rd had revealed it to him on Mount Sinai. ("on the day that Moses had finished setting up"): All of the seven days of the investiture, Moses would assemble and dismantle the mishkan, and it was on the eighth day that he assembled it and did not dismantle it. ("On the day that Moses had finished setting up the mishkan"): It was Rosh Chodesh Nissan. On the second (of Nissan) the red heifer was burned; on the third, the first sprinkling (of the cleansing waters) took place, and on the seventh day (the Levites) shaved (see 8:6)],
  	That the chiefs of Israel, the heads of their fathers' house, the chiefs of the tribes, [who were their overseers in Egypt, and who were smitten because of them (Exodus 5:14)], they who stood [with Moses and Aaron] over the ones who were numbered [(1:4)], presented (their offerings).
  	And they brought their offerings before the L-rd, six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two chiefs, and an ox for each, and they presented them before the mishkan [(Moses did not take it from their hands until the L-rd told him to do so)].
  	And the L-rd said to Moses, saying:
  	Take it from them, and they shall be for the service of the tent of meeting, and give them to the Levites, each according to his service.
  	And Moses took the wagons and the oxen and he gave them to the Levites.
  	Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, [which was lighter than that of Merari, who carried the beams, and the pillars, and the sockets].
  	And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Cohein.
  	And to the sons of Kehath he gave none, for the burden of the holy things [the ark, the table, etc.] was theirs, [wherefore] they were to be borne upon the shoulder.
  	And the chiefs presented the inauguration (offerings) of the altar on the day it was anointed [(After they had donated the wagons and the oxen for bearing the wagons, their hearts moved them to donate offerings for the inauguration of the altar)], and the chiefs presented their offerings before the altar. [Moses did not take them from their hands until the L-rd told him to do so.]
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Each chief on his day, each chief on his day, shall present his offerings for the inauguration of the altar. [And Moses did not know whether to follow the order of birth or the order of traveling (see section 2), until the L-rd told him to follow the order of traveling.]
  	And the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah.
  	And his offering was one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a [donative] meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense [This is the only instance of incense offered by an individual, and on the outer altar — a "one-time ruling"]
  	One young bullock ["the choice of the herd"], one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering [to atone for (possible) defilement by a "grave in the depths" and for suspicion of uncleanliness].
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the [(personal, not tribal)] offering of Nachshon ben Aminadav.
  	On the second day, Nethanel ben Tzuar, the chief of Yissachar, presented.
  	He presented his offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Nethanel ben Tzuar.
  	On the third day, the chief of the children of Zevulun, Eliyav ben Cheilon.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Eliyav ben Cheilon.
  	On the fourth day, the chief of the children of Reuven, Elitzur ben Shedeur.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Elitzur ben Shedeur.
  	On the fifth day, the chief of the children of Shimon, Shelumiel ben Tzurishadai.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Shelumiel ben Tzurishadai.
  	On the sixth day, the chief of the children of Gad, Elyasaf ben De'uel.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Elyasaf ben De'uel.
  	On the seventh day, the chief of the children of Ephraim, Elishama ben Amihud.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Elishama ben Amihud.
  	On the eighth day, the chief of the children of Menasheh, Gamliel ben Pedatzur.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Gamliel ben Pedatzur.
  	On the ninth day, the chief of the children of Binyamin, Avidan ben Gidoni.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Avidan ben Gidoni.
  	On the tenth day, the chief of the children of Dan, Achiezer ben Amishadai.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Achiezer ben Amishadai.
  	On the eleventh day, the chief of the children of Asher, Pagiel ben Achran.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the sin-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Pagiel ben Achran.
  	On the twelfth day, the chief of the children of Naftali, Achira ben Einan.
  	His offering: one silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal-offering.
  	One spoon, [weighing] ten gold [shekels], full of incense.
  	One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering.
  	One he-goat for a sin-offering.
  	And for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year — this is the offering of Achira ben Einan.
  	This is the (accounting of the) inauguration of the altar on the day that it was anointed by the chiefs of Israel. [(On the day that it was anointed they presented their offerings)]: silver dishes, twelve; silver bowls, twelve; golden spoons, twelve.
  	One hundred and thirty [shekels was the weight of] each silver dish; seventy [shekels was the weight of] each bowl. All the silver of the vessels — two thousand and four hundred shekels in the shekel of the sanctuary. [(The weights, individual and collective, "tallied" exactly.)]
  	Golden spoons, twelve, full of incense, each spoon weighing ten [gold shekels] in the shekel of the sanctuary. All the gold of the spoons — one hundred and twenty [shekels].
  	All the cattle for the burnt-offering: twelve bullocks, twelve rams, twelve lambs of the first year, and their meal-offering; and twelve he-goats for a sin-offering.
  	And all the cattle for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings: twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, sixty lambs of the first year. This is the (accounting of the) inauguration of the altar after it was anointed.
  	And when Moses came to the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice [(the same mighty voice which spoke with him at Sinai — which, notwithstanding, did not carry beyond the tent of meeting)] communing with itself above the kaporeth on the ark of Testimony between the two cherubs, [the voice traveling from heaven to between the two cherubs, and thence, to the tent of meeting], and He spoke to him [to Moses (Aaron being excluded from this communication)].
  
  
  
  	[The L-rd, beholding Aaron's distress at his exclusion and that of his tribe from the inauguration of the altar (in contrast to the participation of the chiefs of all the other tribes) said to him: Your share (the kindling of the menorah) is greater than theirs.] And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you kindle the lamps (of the menorah), towards the face [the central shaft] of the menorah shall the seven lamps light [i.e., shall their light (by manipulation of the wicks) be directed (so that people not say that He needs the menorah for its light)].
  	And Aaron did so. He kindled its lamps towards the face of the menorah, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And this was the work of the menorah ["this," as pointed out by the L-rd to Moses, who had difficulty in visualizing it]: [It was made of one talent of] beaten gold, from its base [the thickest part] until its flower [its most delicate part] — of beaten work. According to the sight that the L-rd had shown Moses, so did he make the menorah.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Take the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel [("Take them" with words, viz.: "Happy are you, who have merited being servants to the L-rd!")], and cleanse them.
  	And thus shall you do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle upon them the waters of purification [of the red heifer (for those among them who had become unclean by dead bodies)], and have them pass a blade over all their flesh (i.e., have them shave it), and have them wash their clothes and be clean.
  	And they shall take a young bullock, [this, the "burnt-offering" (12), (a communal offering in atonement for idolatry)], with its meal-offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second young bullock shall you take for a sin-offering [("second"): Just as a burnt-offering is not eaten, so this sin-offering (as opposed to all other outer-altar sin-offerings) is not to be eaten — a hora'ath sha'ah ("one-time ruling")].
  	And you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting, and you shall assemble the entire congregation of the children of Israel. [Because the Levites are "given" (16) as an expiatory offering in place of them (the first-born of Israel), let them come and stand by their offerings and place their hand upon them (the Levites).]
  	And you shall present the Levites before the L-rd, and the children of Israel shall place their hands on the Levites.
  	And Aaron shall wave the Levites, a waving before the L-rd, [just as the guilt-offering of the leper required waving live (Leviticus 14:12)] from the children of Israel, and they shall serve the service of the L-rd. [Three "wavings" are mentioned in this section. This first applies to the sons of Kehath, upon whom the service of the holy of holies devolved (i.e., the bearing of the ark, the table, etc.) — thus: "and they shall serve the service of the L-rd."]
  	And the Levites shall place their hands upon the head of the bullocks, and make the one a sin-offering, and the other, a burnt-offering to the L-rd to atone for the Levites.
  	And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave-offering to the L-rd. [This second waving, "to the L-rd," applies to the sons of Gershon, who bore the curtains and the hooks, which were visible in the holy of holies.]
  	And you shall separate the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
  	And after that, the Levites shall come in to do the work of the tent of meeting, and you shall cleanse them, and you shall wave them as a wave-offering. [This third waving applies to the sons of Merari (who carried the parts for the tent of meeting. Thus, "wave-offering" (unqualified by "before the L-rd" or "to the L-rd")].
  	For given, given [(given for bearing and given for singing)] are they [the Levites] to Me from the midst of the children of Israel. In place of the opening of every womb, the first-born of all of the children of Israel, have I taken them unto Me.
  	For unto Me [by right] were all the first-born of the children of Israel, of man and beast; on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt [and defended them from the plague], I sanctified them [and took them (as servants)] unto Me [ — until they went astray with the golden calf].
  	And [now] I have taken the Levites (who did not go astray with the golden calf) in place of all the first-born of the children of Israel.
  	And I have given the Levites, given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the children of Israel, to perform the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there not be a plague among the children of Israel in the drawing near of the children of Israel to the sanctuary [i.e., if they had to draw near, they would die in doing so.]
  	And Moses and Aaron and the entire congregation of the children of Israel did with the Levites in accordance with all that the L-rd had commanded Moses respecting the Levites; thus did the children of Israel do with them. [Moses presented them, Aaron waved them, and the Israelites placed their hands upon them.]
  	And the Levites were cleansed, and they washed their clothes, and Aaron waved them a waving before the L-rd, and Aaron atoned for them to cleanse them.
  	And after that the Levites came to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the L-rd commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they do to them [(There was no demurral neither from the doers nor from the subjects.)]
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	This is what applies to the Levites ["Years" disqualify them (from service), and not blemishes.] From the age of twenty-five and up shall he come to enter into service to work in the tent of meeting. [He studies the service for five years and begins working at the age of thirty.]
  	And from the age of fifty he shall return from the service of the work, and he shall serve [in that capacity (carrying on the shoulder)] no more, [but he returns to closing the gates, singing, and loading wagons].
  	And he shall serve with his brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge [i.e., to encamp around the tent of meeting and to assemble and dismantle it in traveling.] But service (as indicated above) shall he not perform. Thus shall you do with the Levites in their watches.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the second year after their going out from the land of Egypt, in the first month (Nissan), saying: [(Bamidbar begins with the second month (1:1) — whence it is derived that "there is no before and after (i.e., strict chronological sequence) in the Torah." (It does not begin with this section for it is disparaging to Israel that all the forty years that they were in the desert they offered only this one Paschal sacrifice.)]
  	The children of Israel shall offer the Pesach in its appointed time, [even on the Sabbath, even in a state of (communal) uncleanliness].
  	On the fourteenth day of this month, towards evening shall you offer it, in its appointed time. According to all of its statutes [the mitzvoth relating directly to its body] and according to all its [attendant] ordinances shall you offer it.
  	And Moses spoke to the children of Israel to offer the Pesach. [(He exhorted them prior to observance (having already promulgated it to them when he heard it from Sinai)].
  	And they offered the Pesach in the first (month) on the fourteenth day of the month, towards evening, in the desert of Sinai. According to all that the L-rd had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel do.
  	And there were men who were unclean by the body of a dead man, and they could not offer the Pesach on that day, and they drew near before Moses and Aaron on that day.
  	And those men said to him: We are unclean by the body of a dead man. Why should we be held back, not to offer the sacrifice of the L-rd in its appointed time, in the midst of the children of Israel?
  	And Moses said to them: Stand, and I will hear what the L-rd will command concerning you.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel, saying: A man, if he be unclean by a dead body, or on a distant way [(Not literally "distant"; it is sufficient that he should have been outside the threshold of the azarah all the time of slaughtering.)], of you or of your generations, he shall (yet) offer the Pesach to the L-rd.
  	In the second month, on the fourteenth day, towards evening shall they offer it; with matzoth and bitter herbs shall they eat it.
  	They shall not leave over of it until the morning, and a bone shall they not break in it; according to all the statute of the Pesach shall they offer it.
  	And the man who is clean and was not on the way and who failed to offer the Pesach, that soul shall be cut off from his people; for the sacrifice of the L-rd he did not offer in its appointed time. That man shall bear his sin.
  	And if there live a proselyte among you, and he would offer a Pesach to the L-rd, then according to the statute of the Pesach and according to its ordinance, thus shall he do. One statute shall there be for you, both for the proselyte and for the native of the land.
  	And on the day that the mishkan was erected, the cloud covered the mishkan [which had been made] as a tent for the [tablets of the] Testimony. And in the evening there would be on the mishkan a semblance of fire until morning.
  	So was it always: the cloud covered it, and a semblance of fire at night.
  	And when the cloud departed from over the tent, the children of Israel would travel. And in the place where the cloud rested, the children of Israel encamped.
  	By word of the L-rd the children of Israel traveled [The cloud would fold itself up like a beam over the (encampment of) the children of Judah (by word of the L-rd), and did not start moving until Moses said: "Stand, O L-rd!" (see 10:35)], and by word of the L-rd they encamped. [The cloud would ascend as a pillar over the children of Judah and would not spread out (over the mishkan) until Moses said: "Rest, O L-rd, etc." (see 10:36). Thus (23): "By word of the L-rd, at the hand of Moses."] All the days that the cloud abode over the mishkan, they camped.
  	And when the cloud lingered over the mishkan many days, the children of Israel kept the charge of the L-rd and did not travel.
  	And at times the cloud remained over the mishkan but a few days. By word of the L-rd they encamped, and by word of the L-rd they traveled.
  	And at times the cloud remained from evening until morning, and when the cloud departed in the morning, they traveled. Or a day or a night — when the cloud departed, they traveled.
  	Or two days, or a month, or a year — when the cloud lingered over the mishkan, abiding upon it, the children of Israel remained encamped and did not travel; and when it departed, they traveled.
  	By word of the L-rd they encamped, and by word of the L-rd they traveled. The charge of the L-rd they kept — by word of the L-rd, at the hand of Moses.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Make for yourself [i.e., from what is yours] two trumpets of silver; beaten work (from a block of silver) shall you make them. And they shall be for you for convoking the congregation [the Sanhedrin and the rest of the people] and for the [signaling of the] traveling of the camps.
  	And when they [the Cohanim] blow [tekiah] with [both of] them, then all the congregation shall gather unto you, to the door of the tent of meeting.
  	And if they blow with one, there shall gather unto you [at the door of the tent of meeting], the chiefs, the heads of the thousands of Israel.
  	And when you blow a teruah (tremolo), [in sum: tekiah, teruah, tekiah] then there shall travel the eastern encampments.
  	And when you blow a second teruah then there shall travel the southern encampments; a teruah shall they blow for their travels.
  	And when the assembly is to be gathered you shall blow a tekiah (an extended blast), but not a teruah. [In sum: convoking of the congregation, with two trumpets; convoking of the chiefs, with one. In both instances, no teruah. Traveling of the camps, with two trumpets, teruah and tekiah.]
  	And the sons of Aaron the Cohanim shall blow on the trumpets [for these convocations and travels], and they shall be to you for a statute forever throughout your generations.
  	And when you go to war in your land against the oppressor who oppresses you, then you shall sound the trumpets and you will be remembered before the L-rd your G-d, and you will be saved from your enemies.
  	And on the day of your rejoicing and on your appointed times, and on your new moons, you shall sound the trumpets [( — whence is derived "shofar- oth" (on Rosh Hashanah)] over your [communal] burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings. And they shall be to you for a remembrance (zikkaron) [( — whence is derived "zichronoth")] before your G-d. I am the L-rd your G-d [( — whence is derived "malchuyoth" (melech = king)].
  	And it was, in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud departed from over the mishkan of the Testimony [(Israel was in Chorev, then, twelve months less ten days.)]
  	And Israel embarked on their travels from the desert of Sinai [in the order of their standards, as prescribed], and the cloud came to rest in the desert of Paran [in Kivroth Hata'avah (12:34)].
  	They traveled for the first time by word of the L-rd, at the hand of Moses.
  	The standard of the camp of the children of Yehudah traveled first, according to their hosts. And over his host, Nachshon ben Aminadav.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Yissachar, Nethanel ben Tzuar.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zevulun, Eliyav ben Cheilon.
  	And when the mishkan was taken down, there set forth the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, the bearers of the mishkan. [When the standard of Yehudah set forth, Aaron and his sons entered and removed the parocheth and covered the ark with it. Then the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari dismantled the mishkan and loaded it in wagons. The ark and holy vessels to be borne by the children of Kehath stood covered and readied on staves until the standard of the camp of Reuven set forth, whereupon (21): "And the Kehathim set forth."]
  	And the standard of the camp of Reuven set forth according to their hosts; and over his host, Elitzur ben Shedeur.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Shimon, Shelumiel ben Tzurishadai.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad, Elyasaf ben De'uel.
  	And the Kehathim set forth, the bearers of the holy things, and they [the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari (when they saw the signal for encamping on the standard of the camp of Yehudah)], set up the mishkan [so that it was ready to receive the ark, the table, the menorah, and the altars], by the time they [the sons of Kehath (who were traveling two standards behind)] arrived.
  	And the standard of the children of Ephraim set forth according to their hosts; and over his host, Elishama ben Amihud.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Menasheh, Gamliel ben Pedatzur.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Binyamin, Avidan ben Gidoni.
  	And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forth, the rearward of all the camps, according to their hosts; and over his host, Achiezer ben Amishadai.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher, Pagiel ben Achran.
  	And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naftali, Achira ben Einan.
  	This is the traveling order of the children of Israel according to their hosts. And [on that day (11)] they set forth.
  	And Moses said to Chovav [Yithro] the son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses: We are journeying to the place of which the L-rd said: It will I give to you [(Within three days we will enter the land)]. Come with us and we will do good with you, for the L-rd has spoken (the doing of) good for Israel.
  	And he said to him: I will not go; but to my land, [for the sake of my possessions] and to my kindred, [for the sake of my family], I will go.
  	And he said: I pray you, do not leave us, [so that it not be said that you became a proselyte only in expectation of a portion in the land, which, seeing not to be forthcoming, you abandoned us.] [Indeed, it becomes you to remain with us] inasmuch as you have known our camping in the desert [and have seen the miracles and wonders wrought for us], and you have been "eyes" for us.
  	And it shall be, if you go with us, that good which the L-rd will accord to us, we shall accord to you. [(The children of Yithro were given the choicest land of Jericho as a holding until it reverted to the tribe of Binyamin.)]
  	And they traveled from the mountain of the L-rd, a journey of three days. [They traveled a three-days distance in one day, the Holy One Blessed be He desiring to bring them immediately into the land.] And the ark of the covenant of the L-rd [the ark with the broken tablets, which went out with them to war)] preceded them, a distance of three days, to look out a resting place for them.
  	And the cloud of the L-rd was above them by day when they set forth from the encampment.
  	[There are signs (inverted nuns) before (this verse) and after (the next verse) to indicate that this is not where these verses actually belong; they were inserted here to create a hiatus between one misfortune and another (see Shabbath 116a)] and it was, when the ark traveled that Moses said: "Stand [and wait for us (the ark preceding them a three-days distance)], O L-rd, and let Your foes [Your massed foes] be scattered, and let Your haters [the enemies of Israel (those in pursuit)] flee before You."
  	And when it came to rest, he said: "Rest, O L-rd, upon the [two] ten thousands [and two] thousands of Israel," [the Shechinah not resting in Israel upon fewer than twenty-two thousand.]
  
  
  
  	And the people, [the wicked ones,] were as seekers of a pretext [to forsake Him], that was evil in the ears of the L-rd [i.e., that would antagonize Him when it reached His ears and would provoke Him. They said: "Woe unto us — how this three-days journey has wearied us!"] And the L-rd heard and His wrath was kindled [(He said:) I did this for your own good, so that you would enter the land immediately! (see 10:33)], and the fire of the L-rd burned in them, and it devoured in the "end" of the camp [i.e., the lowest among them, the eirav rav (the mixed multitude)].
  	And the people cried out to Moses [to intercede for them], and Moses prayed to the L-rd, and the fire sank [in its place, into the earth. (Had it retreated, it would have consumed that area.)]
  	And he called the name of that place "Taveirah" (conflagration), for the fire of the L-rd burned in them.
  	And the rabble that was among them [the mixed multitude that had gathered unto them in Egypt] lusted lust, and the children of Israel also wept again [with them], and they said: "Who shall give us flesh to eat!" [(They had flesh [see Exodus 12:38 and Numbers 32:1] — they were only seeking a pretext)].
  	We remember the fish that we would eat in Egypt, free [of mitzvoth], the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. [The (flavor of the) manna would change into any (flavor they desired) except these, for they are harmful to nursing women.]
  	And now, our souls are dry; there is nothing. Only to the manna is our eyes [Manna in the morning; manna in the evening!]
  	[What follows is an "interjection" by the Holy One Blessed be He, viz.: See what My children are railing against!] The manna was [round] like coriander seed, and it looked like crystal.
  	The people would stroll out and gather it [effortlessly], and they would grind it in a mill, or beat it in a mortar, or cook it in a pot [i.e., they could make it taste as if it had been ground in a mill, etc.], and they made cakes of it; and its taste was like the "sap" of oil.
  	And when the dew descended upon the camp at night, the manna descended upon it.
  	And Moses heard the people weeping by its families, [who gathered together to air their plaints], each at the door of his tent. And the L-rd was extremely wroth, and in the eyes of Moses it was evil.
  	And Moses said to the L-rd: Why have You done evil to Your servant, and why have I not found favor in Your eyes, to place the burden of all this people upon me!
  	Did I conceive all this people? Did I beget them, that You say to me: Bear them in your bosom, as a nurse bears a nursling, to the land which You promised to their fathers? [see Exodus 32:34 and 6:13].
  	Whence am I to take flesh to give to all this people? For they weep over me, saying: Give us flesh and let us eat!
  	I shall not be able to bear alone all this people, for it is beyond my strength.
  	And if thus [You will do to them (The L-rd showed Moses the calamity that He was going to bring upon them)], You are rendering me "at" [(a term for the feminine), Moses' strength waning as that of a woman]. Kill me, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your eyes, and let me not witness my [(a "euphemism" for "their")] evil.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses [Here is My response to your "I shall not be able to bear alone"]: Gather unto Me seventy men from the elders of Israel [(The original elders had been killed at Taveirah in delayed retribution for their sin [see Exodus 24:11] (delayed so as not to dampen the joy of the giving of the Torah)], whom you know to be the elders of the people and its officers, [who were appointed over them in Egypt (Since they pitied them and were smitten by the Egyptians because of them, it is only fitting that they be raised in Israel's greatness as they shared in its woes.)], and take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you, [so that the people see, and accord them honor, saying: How beloved these must be, who entered with Moses to hear the Word from the mouth of the Holy One Blessed be He!]
  	And I shall go down and speak with you, [but not with them,] there. And I shall increase, from the spirit which is upon you, and I will place it upon them, [as all take light from a lamp on a menorah, without that lamp losing any of its own light.] And they shall bear with you the burden of the people [Stipulate with them: (This grandeur is being accorded them) on condition that they take upon themselves the wardship of My children, who are troublesome and refractory], and you shall not bear alone. [Thus, the response to "I shall not be able to bear alone."]
  	And to the people shall you say: Prepare yourselves for [retribution] tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For you have wept in the ears of the L-rd, saying: Who shall feed us flesh? For it was good for us in Egypt. And the L-rd shall give you flesh and you shall eat.
  	Not one day shall you eat, and not two days, and not five days, and not ten days, and not twenty days.
  	Until a month of days [(this, with the less wicked, who languished in their beds and their souls expired, see 33)], until it comes out of your nostrils [i.e., until it becomes loathsome to you], and it will be rejected by you [more than you sought it]. For you have despised the L-rd who is in your midst [(Had I not reposed My shechinah among you, your hearts would not have been "inflated" unto all these things)], and you have wept before Him, saying: Why, now, did we leave Egypt!
  	And Moses said: Six hundred thousand foot are the people in whose midst I am, and You say: Meat shall I give to them, and they shall eat a month of days!
  	If flocks and herds are slaughtered for them, will it be sufficient for them! If all the fish of the sea are gathered for them, will it be sufficient for them! [i.e., even if You give them what they ask, they will not be satisfied, for they are simply seeking a pretext against You.]
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Shall the hand of the L-rd be found wanting? [i.e., If I do not give it, they will call My omnipotence into question. At this, Moses said: Let me go and attempt to conciliate them — whereupon the L-rd said:] Now You will see whether My word [that they will not heed you] will befall you or not.
  	And Moses went out and told the people the words of the L-rd, [viz.: "Shall the hand of the L-rd be found wanting?" Did He not give you water from the rock, etc.? (but they did not heed him and denied G-d's ability to satisfy their present need)]; and, [seeing that he was not being heeded], he gathered seventy men from the elders of the people, and he stood them roundabout the tent.
  	And the L-rd descended in a cloud and He spoke to him, and He increased from the spirit which was upon him [see 17], and He placed it upon the seventy men, the elders. And it was, when the spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied — but [after that day], they prophesied no more.
  	And there remained two men [of those who had been chosen as elders] in the camp, the name of the one, Eldad; the name of the other, Medad, and the spirit rested upon them. And they were among those [designated as "elders"] on the ballots, but they did not go out to the tent, [saying: We are not worthy of this greatness], and they prophesied in the camp.
  	And the youth [(some say it was Gershon, the son of Moses)] ran, and told Moses, saying: Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.
  	And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said: My Lord Moses, cause them to cease [from prophesying ("Saddle them" with community service and they will cease prophesying of themselves.)]
  	And Moses said to him: Are you zealous for my sake? Would that all the L-rd's people were prophets, that the L-rd would place His spirit upon them!
  	And Moses retired [from the tent of meeting] into [his tent in] the camp, he and the elders of Israel. [(The L-rd did not punish Israel until each one of the righteous had entered his tent)].
  	And a wind went forth from the L-rd and "flew in" quail from the sea, and it spread over the camp, about a day's journey on one side and a day's journey on the other, roundabout the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. [They hovered chest-high so that they could be easily gathered in.]
  	And the people rose all that day and all the night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail. He that gathered least, [the indolent and the lame], gathered ten chamarim (homers), and they spread them in layers roundabout the camp.
  	The flesh was yet between their teeth [(this, with the wicked, see 10)], not yet consumed, when the wrath of the L-rd burned against the people; and the L-rd smote the people with a very great plague.
  	And he called the name of that place Kivroth Hata'avah ("the graves of the lust"); for there they buried the people that lusted.
  	From Kivroth Hata'avah the people traveled to Chatzeiroth, and they abode in Chatzeiroth.
  
  
  
  	And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of [his divorcing] the Cushite woman [(Zipporah, called "Cushite" because she was extremely beautiful in all respects)] that he had taken; for he had taken a Cushite woman, [and now he had divorced her]. [Miriam was with Tzipporah when Moses was told that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp, and she heard her exclaim: "Woe to the wives of these men upon whom prophesy has been conferred, and who will separate from their wives just as my husband (Moses) has separated from me!" Miriam thereupon apprised Aaron of this, (wherefore, being the initiator of the talk against Moses, she is mentioned first)].
  	And they said: Is it only with Moses that the L-rd has spoken? Has He not spoken also with us? [and we have not separated from our spouses!] And the L-rd heard.
  	And the man Moses was extremely humble [lowly and forbearing], more than any man on the face of the earth.
  	And the L-rd said suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam ["suddenly," when they (Aaron and Miriam) were unclean through intercourse, and they cried for water (to purify themselves with) — this, by way of impressing upon them that Moses being constantly ("suddenly") subject to a visitation by the Shechinah, did well in separating himself from his wife] (The L-rd said:) The three of you go out to the tent of meeting [(the three were called by a single utterance, something which (within the framework of nature) the mouth is not capable of uttering nor the ear of hearing)]; and the three of them went out.
  	And the L-rd descended in a pillar of cloud, and He stood at the door of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam [to separate them from Moses, (all of a man's praise not being mentioned to his face, see Genesis 7:1)], and the two of them came forth.
  	And He said: Hear, I pray you, My words. If there be prophets among you, "the L-rd" [i.e., the immanence of My Name] I invest him with in a vision; in a dream I speak to him.
  	Not so My servant Moses. In all My house he is trusted.
  	Mouth to mouth I spoke to him [i.e., I told him to separate from his wife (see Deuteronomy 5:27-28)], and [in clear] revelation [of My words], and not in riddles; and the configuration [i.e., the "back" (see Exodus 33:23)] of the L-rd does he behold. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against My servant, [even if he were not Moses], against Moses, [even if he were not My servant]!
  	And the wrath of the L-rd burned against them, and He departed. [After apprising them of their wrongdoing, He placed them under the ban (whence it is to be derived that one may not manifest anger against his neighbor until he informs him of his guilt.)]
  	And after the cloud had departed from above the tent — behold, Miriam was as leprous as the snow. [("after the cloud had departed":) As a king would say to a pedagogue: "Punish my son — but wait until I have gone."] And Aaron turned to Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
  	And Aaron said to Moses: Pray, my lord, do not impute transgression to us in that we have been foolish and have sinned.
  	Let her [this, our sister,] not be as a dead one [(a leper is reckoned as a dead one, both the leprous and the dead causing uncleanliness by entry (into their domain)]. Since he [the "dead one"] comes out of his [brother's] mother's womb, [then if that brother is in a position to help and does not,] it is as if half his (the latter's) flesh had been consumed, [his brother being his "flesh" (Genesis 37:27)].
  	And Moses cried out to the L-rd to say [whether He would heal her or not]: "G-d, I beseech You; heal her, I beseech You." [(whence it is derived that one who asks a favor of his friend should begin with several words of imploration)] [Moses was not "profuse" in prayer, so that Israel not say of him: "His sister is in distress and he stretches out his prayer!"]
  	And the L-rd said to Moses [This is G-d's "answer" (13)]: Now if her father had spat in her face, would she not be in shame for seven days? [How much more, if the Shechinah "does so"!] Let her be sequestered seven days outside the camp, and then [like a leper who is healed of his leprosy] let her be gathered in.
  	And Miriam was sequestered outside the camp seven days, and the people did not journey until Miriam had been gathered in. [G-d accorded her this honor because of the brief time she had detained herself on Moses' behalf when he had been cast into the Nile (Exodus 2:4)].
  	And afterwards the people traveled from Chatzeiroth, and they encamped in the desert of Paran.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	[The rationale of the juxtaposition of the episode of the spies with that of Miriam: These wicked ones beheld her being smitten for slandering her brother and they failed to take reproof (against slander) therefrom.] Send men at your volition [(I am not commanding you to do so, but if you wish to accede to Israel's request to send spies (see Deuteronomy 1:22), you may do so)], and have them spy out the land of Canaan which I am giving to the children of Israel. One man, respectively, for the tribe of his fathers shall you send, each a chief among them.
  	And Moses sent them from the desert of Paran by leave of the L-rd, all [eminent] men, heads of the children of Israel, were they.
  	And these are their names: Of the tribe of Reuven, Shamua ben Zakkur.
  	Of the tribe of Shimon, Shafat ben Chori.
  	Of the tribe of Yehudah, Calev ben Yefuneh.
  	Of the tribe of Yissachar, Yigal ben Yosef.
  	Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea bin Nun.
  	Of the tribe of Binyamin, Palti ben Rafu.
  	Of the tribe of Zevulun, Gadiel ben Sodi.
  	Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Menasheh, Gadi ben Sussi.
  	Of the tribe of Dan, Amiel ben Gamli.
  	Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur ben Michael.
  	Of the tribe of Naftali, Nachbi ben Vafsi.
  	Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel ben Machi.
  	These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea bin Nun "Yehoshua" [He prayed for him: "May the L-rd (Kah) save you (yoshiacha) from the counsel of the spies."]
  	And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and he said to them [(like a merchant, showing the "poorer wares" first)]: Go up this (way) in the south, and ascend the mountain.
  	And see what kind of land it is [(Some lands "breed" strong men; others, weak ones — some, large populations; others, small ones)]. And the people dwelling upon it — Are they strong or weak? Are they few or numerous?
  	And what is the land that they dwell in? Is it good [i.e., Does it possess good and healthful springs and pools?] or bad? And what are the cities that they dwell in? Are they open or walled?
  	And what of the land? Is it fat or lean? Does it possess a "tree" [i.e., a worthy man, who will shield it in his merit], or not? And strengthen yourselves, and take of the fruit of the land. And the days were the days of the first-ripening of the grapes.
  	And they went up and spied out the land, from the desert of Tzin until Rechov, approaching Chamath [i.e., they traversed its boundaries, length and width — the southern boundary, east to west, and the western boundary until its northern tip (see 34:7-8)].
  	And they went up in the south, and he [Calev] came until Chevron [(He prostrated himself on the graves of the patriarchs to be saved from the counsel of the spies)]. And there, were Achiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of the giant. And Chevron [the lowest-grade soil in Canaan] was superior, seven-fold to Tzoan [the highest-grade soil] in Egypt.
  	And they came to the river-bed of Eshkol, and they cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes [on it], and they [eight of them] carried it by pole, on two [poles], and (they took) of the pomegranates [one man carrying them], and of the figs [another carrying them, (Joshua and Calev carrying nothing, the entire intent of the spies being to draw an analogy from the "awesomeness" of the fruit to that of the inhabitants)].
  	That place was called the river bed of Eshkol (cluster) because of the cluster that the children of Israel cut from there.
  	And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.
  	And they went and they came [(Just as their coming was with evil counsel, so had been their going)], to Moses and to Aaron and to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, to the desert of Paran, to Kadesh; and they returned word to them [to Moses and Aaron] and to the entire congregation, and they showed them the fruits of the land.
  	And they told him and they said: We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is, indeed, flowing with milk and honey, and these are its fruits. [(Any falsehood which does not contain an element of truth in the beginning will not endure in the end.)]
  	But the people are strong, who dwell in the land, and the cities are fortified, very great; and also the children of the giant did we see there.
  	Amalek dwells in the land of the south [(Because they had already been "burnt" by Amalek, the spies mentioned them (first) in order to intimidate the people)], and the Chitti and the Yevussi and the Emori dwell in the mountain, and the Canaani dwell [right] by the sea and by the Jordan [and you will not be able to cross].
  	And Calev silenced the people [to hear (as they thought) what he would speak] against Moses. And he said: [Even if he (Moses) told us: Go up to heaven (with ladders)], we would go up and we would inherit it, for we would prevail against it.
  	And the men who went up with him said: We shall not be able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than He.
  	And they gave out the evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying: The land which we passed through to spy out is a land which consumes its inhabitants [i.e., we found them burying the dead wherever we passed (The Holy One Blessed be He had done this for their good, to preoccupy the natives with their dead so that they not pay heed to the spies!)], and all of the people that we saw in it are men of [great] dimensions.
  	And there we saw the Nefilim ("fallen ones") [giants of the sons of Shamchazai and Azael, who had fallen from heaven in the generation of Enosh], the sons of Anak, from the Nefilim, ["dwarfing" (ma'anikim) the sun with their height]. And we were in our eyes like grasshoppers, and so were we in their eyes [(We heard them saying: "There are ants in the vineyards that look like men!")]
  
  
  
  	And the entire congregation [the Sanhedrin] lifted their voice and clamored and the people cried on that night.
  	And all of the children of Israel railed against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said to them: Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in this desert!
  	And why is the L-rd bringing us to this land to fall by the sword, (with) our wives and little ones to be taken as spoil? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?
  	And one man said to the other: Let us make a leader and return to Egypt.
  	And Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the entire assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
  	And Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, of those who had spied out the land, rent their garments.
  	And they spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying: The land which we passed through to spy out — the land is good, extremely good.
  	If the L-rd desires us, He will bring us to this land, and He will give it to us, a land which flows milk and honey.
  	Only against the L-rd do not rebel, and you will no longer fear the people of the land, for they are our "bread" [to be consumed by us]: Their shade has departed from them [i.e., their worthy ones, who shielded them, (e.g., Iyyov) have died], and the L-rd is with us; do not fear them.
  	And the entire congregation said to stone them [Yehoshua and Calev], and the glory of the L-rd appeared in the tent of meeting [(the cloud descended there)] to all the children of Israel.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: How long will this people provoke Me, and how long will they not believe in Me, after all the signs that I wrought in their midst!
  	I shall smite them with the pestilence and eradicate them, and [as for My oath to the patriarchs], I shall make you a nation greater and mightier than they.
  	And Moses said to the L-rd: When Egypt, from whose midst You with Your might, brought up this people, will hear [of Your destroying them],
  	They will say about the inhabitants of this land: They have heard that You, the L-rd, are in the midst of this people, that face to face You, the L-rd, appear to them, and that Your cloud stands over them, and that in a pillar of cloud You go before them by day and in a pillar of fire by night —
  	If You put this people to death as one man — [(Egypt will say that)] the nations who heard of You [i.e., of Your great love for Israel, (not knowing of their having sinned against You)] will say:
  	It is because of the L-rd's inability to bring this people into the land that He swore to (give) them, [(G-d being able to overcome one king (Pharaoh) but not thirty-one)], that He slaughtered them in the desert.
  	And now, let the power of the L-rd be magnified, I pray You, as You have spoken [See Sanhedrin 111a]:
  	"The L-rd withholds wrath and He is abundant in lovingkindness. He forgives sin and rebellion, and He absolves [those who repent] (and) He does not absolve [those who do not repent]. He remembers the sins of fathers upon sons, upon the third [generation] and upon the fourth."
  	Forgive, I pray You, the sin of this people in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, and as You have forgiven this people from Egypt until now.
  And the L-rd said: I have forgiven because of your words [viz., lest they say: "It is because of the L-rd's inability, etc."]
  	However, [I swear that] as I live and as the glory of the L-rd fills all the earth,
  	That all the men who saw My glory and My signs that I performed in Egypt and in the desert, and who proved Me this ten times [see Erchin 15a] and did not hearken to My voice —
  	They shall not see the land that I swore to their forefathers, and all who provoke Me shall not see it.
  	And My servant Calev, because he had a different spirit in him, [telling the spies one thing ("I am with you"), but intending to speak the truth (see 13:30)], and he filled [his heart to follow] after Me, I shall bring him to the land where he came [(Chevron shall be given to him)], and his seed will drive out [its inhabitants].
  	And the Amaleki and the Canaani dwell in the valley [(If you go there they will kill you, for I will not be with you.)] Tomorrow, turn back, and travel in the desert by way of the Red Sea.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	How long for this evil congregation [the spies (whence it is derived that a "congregation" is ten)], who stir up complaint against Me? The complaints of the children of Israel, whom they [the spies] stir up against Me, have I heard.
  	Say to them: As I live, says the L-rd — Just as you have spoken in My ears [(2): "…or would that we had died in this desert"] — thus shall I do to you.
  	In this desert shall your carcasses fall, and all your number according to all of your count [i.e., according to any count that you take, such as for army duty or for the giving of shekalim] from twenty years and above [(excluding the Levites, who are not counted from twenty)], whom you stirred up against Me.
  	If you come (i.e., you shall not come) to the land concerning which I lifted My hand (in oath) to settle you therein — except Calev ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua bin Nun.
  	And your little ones, of whom you said that they would fall spoil — I shall bring them (into the land), and they will know the land which you despised.
  	But as for you — your carcasses shall fall in this desert.
  	And your children will wander in the desert forty years [(so that those who were twenty at the time reach the age of sixty, none to die before that age)], and they shall bear your guilts [plural, that of the golden calf (of their first year in the desert — see Exodus 32:32) and that of the "railing" (these "combining" with the sin of the spies in the second year)], until your carcasses are consumed in the desert.
  	According to the number of days that you spied out the land, forty days — a day for a year, a day for a year — shall you bear your sins, forty years, and you shall know (of) your removal [of your hearts] from Me.
  	I, the L-rd, have spoken, if I do not do this (i.e., I shall do this) to all this evil congregation who have assembled against Me. In this desert shall they be consumed, and there shall they die.
  	And the men whom Moses had sent to spy out all the land and who, upon their return, stirred up the entire congregation, generating speech against the land —
  	Those men died, who had generated evil speech of the land, in the ["apposite"] plague before the L-rd [i.e., within His system of "measure for measure" (Their slanderous tongues uncoiled to their navels, and worms oozed from their tongues into their navels)].
  	And Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh lived from [the portions of] those men who went to spy out the land.
  	And Moses spoke these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.
  	And they arose early in the morning, and they went up to the top of the mountain [leading to Eretz Yisrael], saying: We are ready, and we will go up to the place [Eretz Yisrael] of which the L-rd has spoken [to give it to us], for we have sinned [in saying: "Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt!"]
  	And Moses said: Why do you now transgress the word of the L-rd? It [what you are about to do] will not succeed.
  	Do not go up, for the L-rd is not in your midst, and do not be smitten before your foes.
  	For the Amaleki and the Canaani are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. For this [will befall you] for having turned back from the L-rd, and the L-rd will not be with you.
  	And they made bold to go up to the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of the L-rd and Moses did not stir from the midst of the camp.
  	And the Amaleki came down and the Canaani, who lived in that mountain, and they smote them and continued smiting them until the Charmah ["Devastation" (so called after the event)].
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the land of your dwellings which I shall give to you,
  	And you would offer a fire-offering to the L-rd, a burnt-offering or a sacrifice, for an expressed vow or as a gift-offering, or in [fulfillment of the obligations of] your festivals, to present a sweet savor to the L-rd [i.e., to "gratify" Him], of the herd or of the flock.
  	Then he that brings his offering shall present [with each beast] a meal-offering, an issaron of flour mixed with a revi'ith of a hin of oil, [(the meal-offering to be burnt entirely (the oil intermixed with it), and the wine (see below) for the (altar) basins.]
  	And wine for libations, a revi'ith of a hin shall you present [in addition to the meal-offering and the oil] with the burnt-offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.
  	And if it is a ram, then you shall present as the meal-offering two esronim of flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.
  	And wine for libations, a third of a hin shall you offer, a sweet savor to the L-rd.
  	And if you offer a bullock as a burnt-offering or as a sacrifice for an expressed vow or as peace-offerings to the L-rd.
  	Then he shall present with the bullock a meal-offering, three esronim of flour mixed with oil, a half hin.
  	And wine shall you offer for libations, half a hin, a fire-offering [("fire-offering" relates to the meal-offering and the oil)], a sweet savor to the L-rd.
  	Thus shall it be done for the one ox or for the one ram, or for the lamb among the sheep or among the goats.
  	According to the number [of animals] that you offer, so shall you offer [libations] for [each] one, according to their number.
  	All the native-born shall thus do these (things) to present a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L-rd.
  	And if a stranger sojourn among you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and he would offer a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L-rd — as you do, so shall he do.
  	The congregation — one statute shall there be for you and for the stranger that sojourns (among you), an everlasting statute unto your generations: As you are, so shall the stranger be, before the L-rd.
  	One Torah and one judgment shall there be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Upon your coming to the land whither I bring you,
  	It shall be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall separate an offering for the L-rd.
  	[Of] the first [i.e., before you eat of it] of your dough [the amount that you were wont to knead in the desert, i.e., an omer], [one] challah shall you separate as an offering; as the terumah of the threshing floor [for which no specific minimum quantity is stated (as opposed to the terumah of ma'aser)], so shall you offer it.
  	Of the first of your dough [i.e., of the first of your (one) dough (and not the whole of the first of several doughs)] shall you give [(an amount that satisfies "giving")] to the L-rd, an offering throughout your generations.
  	And if you err and not do all of these mitzvoth [i.e., if you commit one transgression (idolatry), which is tantamount to non-performance of all of the mitzvoth], which the L-rd spoke to Moses [i.e., the first two (of the ten) commandments (interdicting idolatry), which we heard directly from the mouth of the L-rd],
  	All that the L-rd commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the L-rd commanded and onwards throughout your generations [(One who acknowledges idolatry denies the entire Torah and all that the prophets have prophesied)],
  	It shall be, if by the eyes of the congregation (the sanhedrin) it were done in error [i.e., if they erroneously ruled a service that is forbidden to be performed for idolatry to be permitted], then all the congregation shall offer one young bullock as a burnt-offering as a sweet savor to the L-rd, with its meal-offering and its libation as ordained, and one kid of goats as a sin-offering [(after the burnt-offering, as opposed to all other instances, where the sin-offering precedes the burnt-offering)].
  	And the Cohein shall make atonement for the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unwitting; and they have brought their offering [(that mentioned above)]: a fire-offering to the L-rd [the bullock for the burnt-offering] and their sin-offering [the kid] before the L-rd for their error.
  	And it shall be forgiven to the entire congregation of the children of Israel and to the stranger who sojourns in their midst; for to all the people it was in error.
  	And if one soul sin [(the sin of idolatry)] in error, he shall bring a she-goat of the first year as a sin-offering [(Whereas for other transgressions he may bring either a she-lamb or a she-goat)].
  	And the Cohein shall make atonement for the soul that is unwitting in sinning in error before the L-rd, to atone for him; and he shall be forgiven.
  	(For) the native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourns among them; one Torah shall there be for you for him who acts unwittingly.
  	And the soul who acts with a high hand [i.e., wilfully], of the native-born and of the stranger — it is the L-rd whom he blasphemes; and that soul shall be cut off from the midst of its people.
  	For the word of the L-rd [i.e., the exhortation against idolatry, which he heard directly from the L-rd (as opposed to the others, which he heard from Moses)] he has despised, and His commandment he has broken. Cut off shall be that soul [when] its transgression is in it [i.e., when he has not repented].
  	And the children of Israel were in the desert, [having observed only one Sabbath], when they found a man gathering wood on the [second] Sabbath day.
  	And the ones who found him gathering wood [(and not ceasing even after they had warned him)] brought him near to Moses and to Aaron and to the entire congregation.
  	And they placed him in ward, for it was not made clear what should be done with him [i.e., which death penalty he was to receive].
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: The man is to be put to death [by] the entire congregation's stoning him with stones outside the camp.
  	And the entire congregation took him outside the camp [(whence it is seen that the stoning site is outside of beth-din and distant from it)], and they stoned him with stones and he died, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them that they (shall) make for themselves tzitzith [fringes] on the corners of their garments throughout their generations; and they shall put on the tzitzith (on) the corner a strand of tcheleth [a bluish dye obtained from the chilazon (a kind of shell-fish)].
  	And it shall be for you for tzitzith, and you shall see it and you shall remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd [(The gematria of "tzitzith" is 600, which, together with 8 (the strings) and 5 (the ties) gives 613 (the number of the mitzvoth)]. And you shall do them, and you shall not "spy out" [transgressions] after your hearts and after your eyes [the "procurers" of sin], after which you go astray.
  	So that you remember and do all of My mitzvoth; and you shall be holy to your G-d.
  	I am the L-rd, [(trusted to reward)], your G-d, [(trusted to exact payment)], who took you out of the land of Egypt to be a G-d to you [i.e., so that you accept My decrees]; I am the L-rd your G-d [ — perforce! (You do not have the option of saying: "We shall not do the mitzvoth and not receive reward.")]
  
  
  
  	And Korach set himself apart [from the midst of the congregation (to contend against the "awarding" of the priesthood to Aaron)], the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kehath, the son of Levi [("the son of Jacob" being omitted in consideration of Jacob's prayer (Genesis 49:6)], and Dathan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav [(of the tribe of Reuven, neighbors of Korach in the southern encampment — "Woe to the wicked one; woe to his neighbor!")], and On, the son of Peleth, sons [i.e., descendants] of Reuven.
  	And they arose before Moses — and men of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty, chiefs of the congregation, designates of the time, people of name.
  	And they banded against Moses and against Aaron and they said to them: [You have arrogated] too much for yourselves. For the entire congregation are all holy [(all of them heard things from the mouth of the L-rd on Sinai)], and the L-rd is in their midst, and why would you raise yourselves above the congregation of the L-rd? [If you (Moses) took kingship you should not have taken priesthood for your brother.]
  	And Moses heard, and he fell on his face, ["felled" by their seditiousness].
  	And he spoke to Korach and to his whole congregation, saying: In the morning [(Moses pushing them off on the chance of their repenting)], the L-rd will make known who is His [for levitical service] and the holy one [for the priesthood], and He will draw [them] near to Him. And whom He will choose, He will draw near to Him.
  	Do this: Take for yourselves fire-pans [coal-rakers with handles], Korach and his entire congregation.
  	And place in them fire, and put incense upon them before the L-rd tomorrow [(the offering of the incense being the choicest of the high-priestly services — but that which killed Nadav and Avihu, who were not elected for it)], and it shall be, the man whom the L-rd shall choose, he is the holy one [(I warn you: Just as we have only one G-d, we have only one high-priest; he shall be proved to be "the holy one"; the others, perforce, having offered "strange fire," shall die.)] A great thing have you taken upon yourselves, O sons of Levi [to contend with the Holy One Blessed be He].
  	And Moses said to Korach [He began to speak to him gently, but seeing him to be adamant, and fearing that the other tribes might join him and perish with him, he began exhorting them, viz.:] Hear, I pray you, O sons of Levi.
  	Is it too little for you that the G-d of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to draw you near to Him to perform the service of the mishkan of the L-rd and to stand before the congregation [on the duchan (the platform) to sing] to serve them?
  	And that He has brought you near and all of your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you [to that service from which He excluded the rest of the congregation of Israel] that you also seek priesthood!
  	Therefore, you, and all of your congregation who are gathered [together with you] — it is against the L-rd [that you are gathered (for it is at His bidding that I conferred the high-priesthood upon Aaron)]; and Aaron, what is he that you rail against him!
  	And Moses sent to call to Dathan and to Aviram, the sons of Eliav [(— whence it is derived that one must not nurture dissension, Moses sending to conciliate them)], and they said: "We shall not go up." [Their mouths "tripped them up," for it is "down" that they went.]
  	Is it too little that you brought us up from a land flowing milk and honey to put us to death in the desert [see 14:29] that you would also lord it over us!
  	You have neither brought us to a land flowing milk and honey, [nor] have you given us an inheritance of field and vineyard. Even if you put out the eyes of "those men" [(a euphemism for themselves)], we shall not go up.
  	And Moses was sorely grieved, and he said to the L-rd: Do not turn to their offering [(the incense that they will offer tomorrow)]. Not an ass of one of them have I taken [(Even the ass which I took (on their behalf) to transport my family from Midian to Egypt was not theirs but mine!)], and I have not done evil to one of them.
  	And Moses said to Korach: You and all your congregation be before the L-rd — you and they [your congregation] and Aaron tomorrow.
  	And take each man his fire-pan and put incense upon them, and present before the L-rd, each man [of the two hundred and fifty], his fire-pan, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; and you and Aaron, each his fire-pan.
  	And each man took his fire-pan and they placed fire upon them and put incense upon them. And they stood at the door of the tent of meeting, and Moses and Aaron.
  	And Korach convened against them the entire congregation [(whom he had instigated against them by mockery the night before)] at the door of the tent of meeting; and the glory of the L-rd appeared to the entire congregation [in a pillar of cloud].
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, and I shall consume them this instant.
  	And they fell on their faces and they said: O G-d, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, [who knows all of their thoughts (and can distinguish the guilty from the guiltless)], shall one man sin and You rage against the entire congregation!
  	And the L-rd spoke [(in acquiescence)] to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the congregation, saying: Remove yourselves from around the dwelling of Korach, Dathan, and Aviram.
  	And Moses arose and he went to Dathan and Aviram, [thinking they would defer to him], and there went after him the elders of Israel.
  	And [(his overture failing)] he spoke to the congregation, saying: Depart, now, from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that is theirs, lest you perish in all of their sins.
  	And they removed themselves from around the dwelling of Korach, Dathan, and Aviram. And Dathan and Aviram went out standing [defiantly, to curse and to blaspheme] at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones, [the fomenting of strife (unlike other transgressions) rendering even these susceptible to punishment by the Heavenly tribunal.]
  	And Moses said: By this shall you know that the L-rd sent me to do all these things [viz., to make Aaron high-priest; his sons, deputy priests, and Eltzafan (ben Uziel), the chief of the Kehathi], and that I did not do so of my own volition.
  	If as the death of all men these (men) will die and the fate of all men overtake them, then the L-rd has not sent me, [(but I will have acted of my own volition and he justly challenges me.)]
  	But if the L-rd creates a [new] creation [a new kind of death], and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they descend, living, to Sheol — then you will know that these men have rebelled against the L-rd [and that I have acted as His agent].
  	And it was, when he had finished speaking all of these things, that the earth split, which was beneath them.
  	And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up them and their houses and all the men that were with Korach and all of the wealth.
  	And they descended — they and all that was theirs — living, to Sheol. And the earth covered them, and they were lost from the midst of the congregation.
  	And all of Israel that were around them fled at their sound [the sound of their being swallowed up], saying: Lest the earth swallow us.
  	And a fire went forth from the L-rd and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, the presenters of the incense.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Tell Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein to lift the fire-pans from the conflagration and to scatter the fire (i.e., the coals) [in the fire-pans to the ground], for they the [fire-pans] have been consecrated [as ministering vessels (and may not be used for profane purposes)] —
  	The fire-pans of these who have forfeited their lives [by defying the L-rd] — and they shall beat them into plates (as a) covering for the [copper] altar, for they presented them before the L-rd and they were consecrated; and they shall be a sign [i.e., a "memorial"] for the children of Israel, [viz.: "These (plates) came from those who contested the priesthood and were burned."]
  	And Elazar the Cohein took the copper fire-pans which the burned ones had presented, and he beat them into plating for the altar.
  	A sign for the children of Israel, so that a stranger, who is not of the seed of Aaron, not draw near to smoke incense before the L-rd, so that he not be like Korach and his congregation, as the L-rd spoke to Moses about him [Aaron, viz., that he and his sons are to be Cohanim].
  	And the entire congregation of the children of Israel railed on the morrow against Moses and against Aaron, saying: You have put to death the people of the L-rd.
  	And it was, when the congregation gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned to the tent of meeting, and, behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the L-rd appeared.
  	And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Remove yourselves from the midst of this congregation and I will consume them this instant; and they fell on their faces.
  	And Moses said to Aaron: Take the fire-pan and place upon it fire from the altar, and put incense (upon it) and take (it) quickly to the congregation and atone for them [(This secret was given to him by the angel of death when he ascended to heaven — that the incense aborts the plague)], for the wrath has gone forth from the L-rd; the plague has begun.
  	And Aaron took (it) as Moses had commanded and he ran to the midst of the congregation, and, behold, the plague had begun in the people; and he put on the incense and he atoned for the people.
  	And he stood between the dead and the living and the plague was aborted.
  	And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, aside from those who died in the affair of Korach.
  	And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague was halted.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and take from them a staff for a father's house. From all their chiefs, according to the house of their fathers, twelve staffs; the name of each write on his staff.
  	And the name of Aaron write on the staff of Levi, for there is one staff for the head of their fathers' house [Though I have divided them into two families, the priestly and the levitical, they remain one tribe.]
  	And place them in the tent of meeting before the Testimony, where I am appointed for you.
  	And it shall be, the man that I choose, his staff will blossom, and I shall cause to recede from Me the plaints of the children of Israel which they vent against you.
  	And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all of their chiefs gave to him a staff for one chief, a staff for one chief, for the house of their fathers, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron in the midst of their staffs, [so that they not attribute its blossoming to its having been placed on the side of the Shechinah.]
  	And Moses placed the staffs before the L-rd in the tent of the Testimony.
  	And it was on the morrow that Moses came into the tent of the Testimony, and, behold, the staff of Aaron of the house of Levi had sprouted, and had blossomed, and had brought forth a [fruit] bud, and had gendered almonds.
  	And Moses brought forth all the staffs from before the L-rd to all the children of Israel; and they saw, and each took his staff.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Return Aaron's staff before the Testimony for keeping as a sign against the sons of rebellion [that I have chosen Aaron to be priest, so that they not again contest the priesthood], and their caviling cease from Me and they not die.
  	And Moses did as the L-rd commanded him; thus did he do.
  	And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying: Behold, we shall perish; we shall go lost; we shall all go lost!
  	Whoever draws near [(We are permitted to enter the court of the tent of meeting)], who draws near [(more than his neighbor and inadvertently enters the tent of meeting,)] to the mishkan of the L-rd, will die. Have we been abandoned to death?
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd said [to Moses to say] to Aaron [to exhort him to prevent non-priests from entering the sanctuary]: You and your sons and the house of your father [the children of Kehath, the father of Amram] with you shall bear the sin of the sanctuary [i.e., you will be held responsible for non-priests' sinning with the consecrated things that I have placed in your charge — the tent (of meeting), the ark, the table and the holy vessels. You must keep watch and warn them.] And you and your sons [the Cohanim] with you shall bear the sin of your priesthood, [which is not relegated to the Levites; you must keep them from inadvertently encroaching upon your service.]
  	And also your brothers [the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari], the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, draw near with you, and let them be joined to you [to warn also strangers against coming too close to them], and they shall serve you [by guarding the gates and by serving as (Temple) treasurers and trustees], and you and your sons with you, before the tent of Testimony.
  	And they shall keep your charge and the charge of all the tent. But to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar they shall not come near, so that they not die, both they and you.
  	And they will join you and they will keep the charge of the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and a stranger shall not draw near to you [(the Cohanim are being exhorted to this end)].
  	And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary and the charge of the altar, so that there no more be wrath [(as in 17:11)] against the children of Israel.
  	And I, behold, I have taken your brothers, the Levites, from the midst of the children of Israel, for you as a gift, given to the L-rd [i.e., they are not given to you for your private ends, but for the guarding of the gates, etc. (see 2)], to perform the service of the tent of meeting.
  	And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for every thing of the altar and within the parocheth, and you shall serve. I have given your priesthood [to you] as a service of gift, and the stranger that draws near shall be put to death.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Aaron: And I, behold, I have given to you [with joy the twenty-four priestly gifts, to confirm your title to the priesthood against any claims (such as that of Korach)] the keeping of My terumoth (gifts) [You must "keep" (i.e., preserve) them in cleanliness]. From all the hallowed things of the children of Israel, to you have I given them for greatness, and to your children, as an everlasting statute.
  	This shall be for you from the holy of holies from the fire [i.e., after the burning of the devoted portions]: all of their offerings [(such as communal peace-offerings)], and all of their meal-offerings, and all of their sin-offerings, and all of their guilt-offerings, which they shall return to Me [i.e., the theft of a proselyte (see 5:8)]: it is holy of holies to you and to your sons.
  	In the holy of holies [the azarah (the place where "holy of holies" are eaten)] shall you eat it. Every male [i.e., only a male] shall eat it; holy shall it be to you.
  	And this is for you: the terumah of their gift [-offerings, i.e., what is set apart from the thanksgiving offering, the peace-offerings, and the ram of the Nazirite.] From all the wave-offerings of the children of Israel, to you have I given them, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as an everlasting statute. Every clean one in your house shall eat it.
  	All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat; the first of them [terumah gedolah] which they shall give to the L-rd, to you have I given them.
  	The first-fruits of all that is in their land, that they bring to the L-rd, for you shall it be. Every clean one of your household shall eat it.
  	Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
  	All that opens the womb of all flesh that they offer to the L-rd, in man and in beast, shall be yours; but redeem shall you redeem the first-born of the man, and the first-born of the unclean beast shall you redeem.
  	And his redemption, from one month shall you redeem, according to the monetary valuation, five shekalim in the shekel of the sanctuary; it is twenty gerah.
  	But the first-born of an ox, or the first-born of a sheep, or the first-born of a goat, you shall not redeem. They are consecrated. Their blood shall you sprinkle upon the altar, and their fats shall you smoke, a fire-offering as a sweet savor to the L-rd.
  	And their flesh shall be for you; as the wave-breast and the right shoulder [of peace-offerings, which may be eaten for two days and one night] shall they be for you.
  	All the terumoth of the holy things, which the children of Israel will separate for the L-rd, have I given to you and to your sons and to your daughters with you as an everlasting statute. It is a covenant of salt [(i.e., like salt, which never spoils)] forever before the L-rd, for you and for your seed with you. [The L-rd made a covenant with Aaron by something (salt) which is itself wholesome and lasting and which preserves other things.]
  	And the L-rd said to Aaron: In their land you will not inherit, and you will not have a portion [of even the spoils] in their midst. I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel.
  	And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given every tithe in Israel as an inheritance in exchange for the service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.
  	And the children of Israel shall no more draw near to the tent of meeting, to bear sin, to die.
  	And the Levite shall perform — he — the service of the tent of meeting, and they [the Levites] shall bear their [the Israelites'] sin [if they draw near to the tent of meeting (for the Levites must ward them off)], an everlasting statute for your generations. And in the midst of the children of Israel, they shall not inherit an inheritance.
  	For the tithe of the children of Israel which they set apart for the L-rd as a terumah [(It is called "terumah" until he (the Levite) separates terumath ma'aser from it)] have I given to the Levites as an inheritance. Therefore, I have said to them that in the midst of the children of Israel they shall not inherit an inheritance.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	And to the Levites shall you speak, and you shall say to them: When you take from the children of Israel the tithe (ma'aser) that I have given to you from them as your inheritance, then you shall separate from it the terumah of the L-rd, ma'aser from the ma'aser.
  	And your terumah will be accounted for you as corn from the threshing floor [i.e., your terumath ma'aser is forbidden to non-priests and to unclean priests and makes them liable to the death penalty and to the additional fifth, just as does terumah gedolah (which is referred to as "the first of corn from the threshing floor")] and as the fullness [i.e., ripeness (of produce)] of the pit [i.e., and just as does the terumah of wine and oil which is taken from the pit before the press.]
  	Thus shall you, too, [just as the Israelites give terumah from their threshing floors and their pits], separate the terumah of the L-rd from all of your tithes [(your inheritance)] that you take from the children of Israel; and you shall give of it the terumah of the L-rd to Aaron the Cohein.
  	From all of your gifts shall you separate all the terumah of the L-rd [(If the Levite received his ma'aser before the Cohein received his terumah from the heap, he must first separate that terumah (gedolah), then terumath ma'aser, and give both to the Cohein)]; from all of its best (shall you separate) its hallowed part from it.
  	And you (Moses) shall say to them (the Levites): When you separate [as terumath ma'aser] its best part of it, then it [the remaining produce] shall be reckoned [as permitted] to the Levites, just as produce of the threshing floor and produce of the pit [is permitted to the Israelites (after they have tithed it)].
  	And you may eat it in every place [even in the cemetery], you and your household; for it is payment to you, in exchange for your service in the tent of meeting.
  	And you shall not bear sin because of it when you separate the best part of it, [(but if you do not separate it, you will bear sin.)] And you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, and you shall not die, [(but if you do profane them, you shall die.)]
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
  	[(In anticipation of the taunts of the gentiles as to the seemingly arbitrary nature of this mitzvah:) This is the statute [i.e., decree] of the Torah [(You are not given license to seek its rationale)], which the L-rd has commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and they shall take unto you [(It shall always be called by your name, viz., "the red heifer that Moses 'processed' in the desert")], a red heifer, whole [in its redness (two black hairs invalidate it)], which does not have a blemish, upon which a yoke has not come.
  	And you shall give it to Elazar the Cohein [(Its mitzvah is by agency of the adjutant high-priest)]. And he shall take it outside the encampment [i.e., outside the three camps] and he [a non-priest] shall slaughter it before him [i.e., Elazar looking on].
  	And Elazar the Cohein shall take of its blood with his finger, and he shall sprinkle of its blood opposite the face of the tent of meeting seven times. [He stands in the east of Jerusalem and directs his gaze to the door of the sanctuary while sprinkling.]
  	And he shall burn the heifer before his eyes. Its skin, and its flesh, and its blood, together with its dung, he shall burn.
  	And the Cohein shall take cedar wood, and hyssop and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.
  	And the Cohein shall wash his garments, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and then he may come into the encampment [of the Shechinah (whence he had been excluded)], and the Cohein shall be unclean until the evening [i.e., he shall be unclean until the evening and then he may come into the encampment.]
  	And he who burns it shall wash his garments with water and bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
  	And a man who is clean shall gather the ashes of the heifer and place it outside the encampment in a clean place. And it shall be for the congregation of the children of Israel in keeping for waters of sprinkling; it is for cleansing.
  	And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And it shall be for the children of Israel and for the sojourner who dwells in their midst as an everlasting statute.
  	One who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
  	He shall be cleansed with it [the ashes] on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean. And if he is not cleansed on the third day, then he shall not be clean on the seventh day.
  	Everyone who touches a dead body of the soul of a man that shall die [(This excludes "the soul of a beast," one who touches its carcass not requiring sprinkling)], and he not be cleansed, the tabernacle of the L-rd has he defiled [if he enters the tabernacle without the sprinkling of the third and seventh days], and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; for the waters of sprinkling have not been sprinkled upon him. Unclean shall he be; his cleanliness is yet upon him [even if he underwent ritual immersion].
  	This is the Torah: A man if he die in a tent — all that enter the tent [while the dead body is still in it] and all that is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.
  	And every open [earthen] vessel whose cover is not fastened upon it is unclean.
  	And all who touch, on the face of the field, [where there is no tent (in which instance uncleanliness is conferred only through touching)] one slain by the sword, or a dead body, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
  	And they shall take for the unclean one from the ashes of the burning of the (heifer for) cleansing, and he shall place upon it (the ashes) living water which is in a vessel.
  	And a clean man shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and he shall sprinkle it upon the tent and upon all the vessels, and upon the souls who were there, and upon him who touched a bone, or a slain one, or a dead body, or a grave.
  	And the clean one shall sprinkle on the unclean one on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall cleanse him on the seventh day [i.e., that is the consummation of his cleansing]; and he shall wash his garments and bathe in water and be clean in the evening.
  	And a man, if he becomes unclean and does not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the congregation, for he has defiled the sanctuary of the L-rd. The waters of sprinkling have not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.
  	And it shall be for them for an everlasting statute. And the sprinkler of the waters of sprinkling [i.e., he who bears an amount sufficient for sprinkling (but not the sprinkler himself)] shall wash his clothing [as opposed to the toucher (whose garments are not rendered unclean)], and he who touches the waters of sprinkling shall be unclean until the evening.
  	And all that the unclean one [who touched a dead body] touches shall become unclean; and the soul that touches ["the unclean one" (above)] shall be unclean until the evening.
  
  
  
  	And the children of Israel came, the entire congregation [i.e., the "intact" congregation (those who were condemned to die in the desert having already expired)], to the desert of Tzin on the first month. And the people dwelt in Kadesh, and Miriam died there [(her death being juxtaposed with the section of the red heifer to teach that just as sacrifices atone, so does the death of the righteous)] [("And Miriam died there") by the mouth of the L-rd" (the "Divine kiss") as Aaron (33:38) (Scripture avoids explicit mention of this in the instance of a woman)], and she was buried there.
  	And there was no water for the congregation [(whence it is seen that all forty years they had "the well" in Miriam's merit)], and they banded against Moses and against Aaron.
  	And the people strove with Moses, saying: Would that we had died by the death of our brothers [(i.e., by pestilence)] before the L-rd [(and not by thirst, a sorer death)]
  	And why did you bring the congregation of the L-rd to this desert, to die there, we and our kine!
  	And why did you take us up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.
  	And Moses and Aaron came away from before the congregation to the door of the tent of meeting, and they fell on their faces, and the glory of the L-rd appeared to them.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give its waters, and bring forth water for them from the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their kine [(whence it is seen that the Holy One Blessed be He is solicitous for the possessions of Israel)].
  	And Moses took the staff from before the L-rd as He had commanded him.
  	And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock, and he said to them: Hear, now, you fractious ones: Shall we bring forth water for you from this rock [which has not been designated by the L-rd]!
  	And Moses lifted his hand and smote the rock with his staff twice, [for at first it had issued forth only drops, Moses not having been commanded to strike it but to speak to it (They had spoken to a different rock before, which had emitted nothing, whereupon they conjectured that perhaps they should strike it, as before (Exodus 17:6), whereupon the intended rock presented itself to them, and he struck it)], and much water came out, and the congregation drank, and their kine.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses and to Aaron: Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of the children of Israel [(for had you just spoken to the rock, and not struck it, they would have reasoned: Now if this rock, which does not speak, and does not hear, and does not require sustenance heeds G-d's word, how much more should we do so!)], therefore, [I swear (G-d "hastening" to swear, to ward off imploration)]: You shall not bring this congregation to the land which I have given them.
  	These are the waters of Merivah (contention) [intimated elsewhere (Exodus 1:22), Pharaoh's astrologers foreseeing the Jewish savior's undoing by water (and erroneously "positing" the Nile as the water)], whereby the children of Israel contended with the L-rd, and He was sanctified through them, [Moses and Aaron dying thereby (and the people being struck with awe of the L-rd)].
  	And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. Thus said your brother, Israel [(We are both the sons of Abraham, and the "debt" to Pharaoh (Genesis 15:13) devolved upon both of us)]: You knew [of] all of the travail that has befallen us. [Your father Esau separated from his brother Jacob to avoid the payment of the debt (Ibid. 36:6), and he cast it all upon him.]
  	And our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt many days, and Egypt wrought evil unto us [(we suffered many afflictions)], and to our fathers [— whence it is seen that the patriarchs suffer in the grave when afflictions befall Israel.]
  	And we cried out to the L-rd, and He hearkened to our voice [(in fulfillment of the blessing "the voice is the voice of Jacob" (Genesis 27:22)], and He sent an angel [Moses (whence it is seen that the prophets are called "angels")], and He took us out of Egypt, and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city at the edge of your boundary.
  	Let us pass, I pray you through your land [(As you have not paid the "debt," you have no claim to Eretz Yisrael; give us some assistance, then, in allowing us to pass through your land.)] We shall not pass through field or vineyard and we shall not drink the water of a well [i.e., the well that accompanies us; but we shall buy food and drink from you, though we have food (manna) and drink of our own (whence it is derived that though one has what he requires, he should supply some trade for his host.)] We shall go by the king's way. We shall not turn right or left until we have passed your boundaries. [We muzzle our beasts, and they shall not turn aside to eat of what is yours.]
  	And Edom said to him: Do not pass through me, lest I go out against you with the sword [(in fulfillment of the blessing to me (Genesis 27:40): "And by your sword shall you live" (see 16 above)].
  	And the children of Israel said to him: By the main road shall we go up. And if we drink your water, I and my herds, I shall give its price. Nothing shall harm you; on my feet shall I pass through.
  	And he said: You shall not pass through. And Edom went out against him with a large host and with a strong hand [(in the assurance of (Genesis 22:22): "And the hands are the hands of Esau."]
  	And Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his boundary; and Israel turned away from him.
  	And they journeyed from Kadesh, and the children of Israel came, all of the congregation [(all of them fit and ready to enter Eretz Yisrael, all of those upon whom it had been decreed not to enter having already died)] to Hor Hahar ["the mountain atop a mountain" (like one apple atop another)].
  	And the L-rd said to Moses and to Aaron in Hor Hahar on the boundary of the land of Edom [(Because they sought here to "come close" to the wicked Esau (Edom), "a breach was made in their works" (Aaron died)], saying:
  	Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he will not come to the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the waters of Merivah.
  	Take Aaron and Elazar his son ["Take him" with words of consolation — "Happy are you to see your crown (of high-priesthood) given to your son" (something which I have not merited)], and bring them up to Hor Hahar.
  	And strip Aaron of his garments [of the high-priesthood (with which he had clothed him)] and clothe Elazar his son in them, and Aaron shall be gathered in and he shall die there.
  	And Moses did as the L-rd commanded [(Though it was difficult for him to do so, he did not hesitate)], and they went up to Hor Hahar before the eyes of the entire congregation.
  	And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and he clothed Elazar his son in them, and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain, and Moses and Elazar descended from the mountain.
  	And all the congregation saw that Aaron had died [(They could not believe that Aaron, who had prevailed against the angel of death and stayed the plague (17:12), could be killed by him, until they were shown a vision of Aaron lying upon the bier)], and they mourned Aaron for thirty days, all the house of Israel [(both men and women, for Aaron would "pursue" peace and settle differences between disputants and between husbands and wives.)]
  
  
  
  	And [when] the Canaanite heard [(The Amalekites changed their language to that of Canaan, so that the Israelites pray for victory over the Canaanites" (which they were not)], the king of Arad, the dweller in the south [i.e., Amalek (see 13:29)] — [when he heard that Aaron had died and the clouds of glory had departed and] that Israel was coming by way of Atharim [the southern route, by which the spies had come (see 13:22)], he fought with Israel, and he captured from them a captive [a single maidservant].
  	And Israel vowed a vow unto the L-rd and said: If You give this people into my hand [(When Israel saw them dressed as Amalekites and speaking the Canaanite tongue, they said "this people" — whoever they are], then I shall consecrate [the spoils of] their cities [to the L-rd].
  	And the L-rd hearkened to the voice of Israel, and He delivered up the Canaanites, and he (Israel) exterminated them and [he plundered] their cities [(as per 2 above)], and he called the name of the place Charmah ["devastation"].
  	And they journeyed from Hor Hahar by way of the Red Sea [(the same way they had turned back by G-d's decree (see Deuteronomy 1:40) in the episode of the spies)] to go around the land of Edom, [(having been refused permission to pass through it)], and the soul of the people became constricted [(i.e., unable to "contain" their distress)] by the [duress of the] way [(being "so near and yet so far," and likening their situation to that of their fathers, who turned back thus and languished in the desert for thirty-eight years)].
  	And the people spoke against G-d and against Moses ["they likened the servant to his Master"]: Why did you ["both of you"] bring us up from Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no bread and there is no water, and our souls are constricted by this flimsy bread [(which is absorbed in our limbs and which must ultimately make us "burst")].
  	And the L-rd sent against the people the fiery serpents [(which burn by their venom)], and they bit the people, and a large number died of Israel.
  	And the people came to Moses and they said: We have sinned, for we spoke against the L-rd and against you. Pray to the L-rd that He remove the serpent from us; and Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Make for yourself a fiery serpent (nachash) and place it on a pole. And it shall be, whoever is bitten [(Even if he were bitten by a dog or an ass, he would waste away)], if he sees it [(even without gazing at it intently)], he shall live.
  	And Moses made a serpent of copper (nechosheth) [(Since the L-rd called it "nachash," he made it of nechosheth)], and he placed it on a pole. And it was, if the snake had bitten a man, when he gazed [intently] at the copper snake, he lived.
  	And the children of Israel journeyed, and they encamped in Ovoth.
  	And they journeyed from Ovoth, and they encamped in Iyei Ha'avarim [so called because of those who pass (ovrim) Har Nevo there on the way to the land of Canaan, (Har Nevo separating the land of Moav from the land of the Emori)], in the desert, before Moav toward the rising of the sun [i.e., to the east of Moav].
  	From there they journeyed, and they encamped in Nachal Zared.
  	From there they journeyed, [around the entire southern and eastern border of Moav, (Moav not permitting them to pass through their land)] and they encamped on the [other, northern,] side [of Moav in] Arnon, [Emori territory] which is in the desert, which juts out from the boundary of the Emori. For Arnon is the boundary of Moav, between Moav and the Emori.
  	Of this [encampment and the miracles wrought therein] it will be stated in recounting the wars of the L-rd [i.e., the miracles wrought by the L-rd for our forefathers], what He gave them [i.e., the miracles He performed for them] at the Red Sea and at the valleys of Arnon. [Just as the former miracles are recounted, so should the latter be.]
  	[And what are these miracles?] The spilling [of the blood of the Emorites] in the valleys. [The Emorites secreted themselves in mountain crypts on the Moavite side to waylay the Israelites as they passed through, and the mountain on the Emorite side moved forward and crushed them with its projections] — which [mountain] moved [from its place] to fix itself [i.e., its projections] in Ar [of Moav]; it leaned on the boundary of Moav.
  	And from there [it (the blood flow) came] to the well. [The well (that followed the Israelites) descended into the valley and brought up from there the blood and the limbs of the slain to apprise Israel of the miracle that had been wrought for them] — the well of which the L-rd said to Moses: Gather the people and I will give them water.
  	Then Israel sang this song: "Bring up, O well, [what you are bringing up from the valley]; sing to it.
  	The well which princes [Moses and Aaron] dug, which the nobles of the people hollowed by (word of) the lawgiver, [Moses] with their staff; and from the desert [it was given to them as] a gift.
  	And after it had been given to them, [it descended with them] to the valley, and from the valley [it ascended with them] to the heights.
  	And from the heights [it descended] to the valley in the field of Moav, the top of the height [(where Moses died and the well ceased flowing)], which [height] looks out on the face of Yeshimon" [lit., "the waste" (i.e., the desert)].
  	And Israel [i.e., Moses — the leader of the generation being "Israel" (see Deuteronomy 2:26 and Numbers 20:14)] sent messengers to Sichon, king of the Emori, saying:
  	Let me pass through your land [(They opened with an offer of peace though not having been commanded to do so)]; we shall not turn into field or into vineyard. We shall not drink water from the wells. On the king's way shall we go until we pass your boundary.
  	And Sichon did not allow Israel to pass through his boundary, and Sichon gathered together all his people, and he went out against Israel to the desert, and he came to Yahatz and he fought against Israel.
  	And Israel smote him with the sword and inherited his land from Arnon until Yabbok until the children of Ammon; for the boundary of the children of Ammon was strong, [fortified in the L-rd's monition to Israel (Deuteronomy 2:19): "Do not besiege them (Ammon)"].
  	And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Emori in Cheshbon and in all of its neighboring villages.
  	For Cheshbon was the city of Sichon the king of the Emori, and he had fought against the first king of Moav and had taken all of his land from his possession until Arnon, [so that Israel was not in violation of (Deuteronomy 2:9): "Do not besiege Moav" in taking Cheshbon from Sichon.]
  	About this [war that Sichon waged with Moav] those who speak in parables [Bilam (see 23:7) and Beor] said [when Sichon hired Bilam to curse Moav]: Come to Cheshbon; it shall be built and established as the city of Sichon.
  	For a fire has gone forth from Cheshbon [after its capture by Sichon], a flame from the city of Sichon. It has consumed Ar [a province of] Moav, the possessors of the heights of Arnon.
  	Woe unto you, Moav! [(Bilam and Beor here cursing Moav to fall by the hand of Sichon)] You are lost, people of Kemosh [(the divinity of Moav)]. He has yielded his sons as fugitives and his daughters as captives to the king of the Emori, Sichon.
  	And their [Moav's] sovereignty over Cheshbon is lost; lost is [their sovereignty over] Divon, and [those who speak in parables will say]: We have laid it waste until Nofach, which reaches until Medva.
  	And Israel dwelt in the land of the Emori.
  	And Moses sent to spy out Yazer and they [the spies] took its neighboring villages [(these spies, unlike the first, relying on Moses' prayers to give them victory)], and they drove out the Emori who were there.
  	And they turned and went up by way of the Bashan, and Og, king of the Bashan, went out against them, he and all of his people, to do battle at Edrei.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Do not fear him [Do not fear that the merit of Abraham (see Genesis 14:13) will protect him)], for I have given him into your hand, and all of his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sichon king of the Emori who dwells at Cheshbon.
  	And they smote him [(Moses himself smiting Og)] and his sons and all his people, until no remnant was left of him, and they inherited his land.
  
  
  
  	And the children of Israel journeyed, and they encamped in the plains of Moav across the Jordan from Jericho.
  	And Balak the son of Tzippor saw all that Israel had done to the Emori [He said: If these two kings (Sichon and Og) on whom we relied, could not withstand them, how much more so we alone! — wherefore:]
  	And Moav greatly feared the people, for they were many, and Moav despaired [of their lives] before the children of Israel.
  	And Moav said to the elders of Midian: Now this horde will lap up everything around us as an ox laps up the greens of the field — and Balak the son of Tzippor [one of the princes of Midian] was [made] king of Moav at that time [because of the exigency of the time, though he was not of the royal line].
  	And he sent messengers to Bilam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people to call for him [i.e., for his (Bilam's) benefit, Balak promising to enrich him], saying: Behold, a people has gone forth from Egypt; behold, it has covered "the eye of the land" [Sichon and Moav, who were our protectors — Israel rose against them and killed them], and it abides opposite me, [against me, to cut me off].
  	And now, come, I pray you, and curse this people for me, for it is too strong for me. Perhaps I shall be able to smite it and drive it from the land. For I know [by your having helped Sichon to defeat Moav (see 21:27)] that what you bless is blessed and what you curse is cursed.
  	And the elders of Moav went, and the elders of Midian, with [all kinds of] charms in their hand [(so that Bilam not plead lack of "tools")], and they came to Bilam and they related to him the words of Balak.
  	And he said to them: Lodge here this night [(The Holy Spirit reposes on the prophets of the nations only at night (as one "steals into" his concubine)], and I will return to you a word, as the L-rd speaks to me [(Perhaps He will consider it beneath His dignity to permit me to go with emissaries of your (lowly) rank)], and the officers of Moav abode with Bilam.
  	And G-d came to Bilam and He said: Who are these people with you? [(G-d's purpose was to delude Bilam into thinking that there were some "gaps" in His knowledge and that he might seize upon one of them to curse Israel.)]
  	And Bilam said to G-d: Balak the son of Tzippor, the king of Moav, sent to me [(I may not "rate" with You, but I do rate with kings)]:
  	Behold, the people that has gone forth from Egypt and covers the eye of the land. Now, go and curse (kavah) it for me [("kavah" is more "pointed" and explicit than Balak's "arah" (6)]. Perhaps I will be able to war against it and drive it out ["of the world," whereas Balak had said (6): "and drive it from the land," Balak desiring only to free himself of them.]
  	And G-d said to Bilam: "Do not go with them." [Bilam: "If so, I will curse them in my place."] (G-d): "Do not curse the people" [Bilam: "If so, I will bless them." (G-d): "They do not need your blessing], for it is blessed." ["Neither your honey nor your sting!"]
  	And Bilam arose in the morning and he said to the officers of Balak: Go to your land, for the L-rd refuses to allow me to go with you, [but only with men of higher station, (Bilam shrouding his impotence in his arrogance)].
  	And the officers of Moav arose and came to Balak and they said: Bilam refuses to go with us.
  	And Balak sent officers yet again — more, and more honorable than these.
  	And they came to Bilam and said to him: Thus said Balak the son of Tzippor: Do not, I pray you, refrain from going to me.
  	For I will honor you greatly [(I will give you more than you were wont to receive in the past)], and whatever you tell me I will do; but go, I pray you, and curse this people for me.
  	And Bilam answered and said to the servants of Balak: If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold [— and he really should, for if he hired armies, he would have to pay them; and their success is in doubt, whereas mine is assured (Bilam here "gives away" his lust for the wealth of others)], I will not be able to countermand the word of the L-rd my G-d to do (anything) small or great [(Bilam here perforce reveals that he is not his own master and prophesies that he will not be able to annul the L-rd's blessings to the patriarchs)].
  	And now, abide here, I pray you — you, too [(His mouth "foiled" him — "you, too," like the first, are destined to leave in frustration)], and I shall know what more the L-rd will say to me. [He will not change His blessings to curses — would that He would not bless them more! (Bilam here prophesies that He will!)]
  	And G-d came to Bilam at night and He said to Him: If the men came to call for you [i.e., if their calling is for your benefit; if you think you can turn it toward your profit], arise and go with them, but [perforce] what I speak to you that shall you do [ — in spite of which Bilam went, hoping to "win over" the L-rd].
  	And Bilam arose in the morning and he [himself] saddled his donkey ["Hatred undermines the proprieties"], and he went [of one accord] with the officers of Moav.
  	And the L-rd was wroth that He went [(for though Bilam saw that G-d objected (12), he persisted in going)], and an angel of the L-rd [an angel of mercy] stood in the way to turn him aside [to prevent him from sinning and going lost]; and he was riding on his donkey and his two youths with him [(whence it is derived that a man of eminence going on a journey should take two men to attend him (who relieve each other in turn)].
  	And the donkey saw the angel of the L-rd [(but Bilam did not, G-d allowing animals to see more than men, who, possessing intellect, would become "unhinged" at the sight of mazzikin (destructive agents)], standing on the way with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the way and walked in the field, and Bilam struck the donkey to turn it back upon the road.
  	And the angel of the L-rd stood in the path of the vineyards, a [stone] fence on one side and a fence on the other.
  	And the donkey saw the angel of the L-rd, and it pinned itself against the fence, and it pinned Bilam's leg against the fence, and he struck her again.
  	And the angel of the L-rd passed on [before him] again, and he stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left.
  	And the donkey saw the angel of the L-rd, and it sank under Bilam, and Bilam was wroth, and he struck the donkey with the rod.
  	And the L-rd opened the donkey's mouth and it said to Bilam: What have I done to you that you have struck me this three times? [Would you uproot a nation that celebrates three times (i.e., festivals) in the year?]
  	And Bilam said to the donkey: Because you mocked me! Would there were a sword in my hand and I would slay you now!
  	And the donkey said to Bilam: Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden from the very beginning until this day? Was I ever wont to do thus unto you? And he said: No.
  	And the L-rd uncovered Bilam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the L-rd standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and prostrated himself on his face.
  	And the angel of the L-rd said to him: Why did you strike your donkey this three times? Behold, I went out to turn [you] aside, for [I saw that] the [goer on the] way [i.e., you] hastened [(on the way] against me [i.e., in defiance of me].
  	And the donkey saw me and turned aside before me this three times. Had it not turned aside before me, I would now [not only have delayed you, but] also have killed you and kept it alive, [but since it silenced you with its rebuke, I have killed it so that it not be pointed to as your "undoer" (the Holy One Blessed be He being solicitous of men's honor)].
  	And Bilam said to the angel of the L-rd: I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing against me on the way [(Bilam's own mouth here perforce "undoes" him — "I did not know," as opposed to (24:16): "And he (Bilam) knows, etc.")] And, now, if it is evil in your eyes, I will go back [(a "dig" at the Holy One Blessed be He, viz.: He Himself commanded me to go, and you a (mere) angel countermand His word!)]
  	And the angel of the L-rd said to Bilam: Go with the men [("A man is led on the way he would travel")], but, perforce, the thing that I shall speak to you, that shall you speak. And Bilam went with the officers of Balak [(as happy as they to curse the Jews)].
  	And Balak heard [through messengers sent by Bilam] that Bilam was coming, and he went out towards him to the city [i.e., the metropolis] of Moav [(by way of saying: "See what these Jews would uproot!")] which borders on Arnon at the edge of the boundary.
  	And Balak said to Bilam: Did I not sent to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not, indeed, able to honor you? [(a prophecy that Bilam is destined to depart from him in shame)]
  	And Bilam said to Balak: Behold, I have come to you now. Is there aught that I can speak? The thing that G-d shall put in my mouth, that shall I speak.
  	And Bilam went with Balak, and they came to Kiryat Chutzoth [lit., "a city of (crowded) thoroughfares" — again, by way of saying: "See what the Jews would uproot!"]
  	And Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep [a small amount], and he sent it to Bilam and to the officers who were with him.
  	And it was in the morning that Balak took Bilam and he brought him up to the heights of Ba'al [his deity], and he saw from there the edge of the people (of Israel).
  
  
  
  	And Bilam said to Balak: Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
  	And Balak did as Bilam had spoken, and Balak and Bilam offered a bullock and a ram on (each) altar.
  	And Bilam said to Balak: Stand by your burnt-offering and I will go; perhaps the (word of) the L-rd will chance to (come to) me [(He is not wont to speak with me in the daytime)], and I will tell you; and he went off alone.
  	And G-d chanced upon Bilam [in the daytime, "grudgingly and contemptuously," and only in order to show His love for Israel]; and he said to Him: The seven altars [corresponding to the seven altars that the patriarchs arranged before You] have I arranged, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on (each) altar [whereas Abraham offered up only one ram].
  	And the L-rd placed a word in the mouth of Bilam and He said: Return to Balak and thus shall you speak.
  	And he returned to him, and, behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the officers of Moav.
  	And he took up his parable and he said: From Aram, Balak the king of Moav brought me, from the mountains of the east (saying to me): Go and curse (arah) Jacob for me, and go and curse (zoamah) Israel [(Balak using both terms, being uncertain as to the "lethal" form)].
  	When I would curse, the Almighty would not curse [(Even when they deserved to be cursed, they were not cursed (see citations in Rashi)], and when I would vent wrath, the L-rd would not. [My only power is in knowing G-d's "moment of wrath," and He did not manifest that moment all of these days)].
  	For from [their very] beginning, I behold them [fortified as] rocks [by the patriarchs and the matriarchs]; and [fortified] as mounts, I view them. Lo, the people (of Israel) shall dwell alone [in the world], and among the nations they shall not be reckoned [for destruction].
  	Who can count the dust [i.e., the offspring (see Genesis 13:16)] of Jacob or the number of [one of] the four [banners of the encampments of] Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous [among them] and let my last end be like theirs.
  	And Balak said to Bilam: What did you do to me? To curse my foes did I take you, and, behold, you have blessed them!
  	And he answered and said: Must I not take heed to speak that which the L-rd places in my mouth?
  	And Balak said to him: Come, I pray you, with me to another place whence you will see them. But only their outermost part will you see, and you will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.
  	And he took him to the field of the scouts, to the top of the height [Balak divined that a breach would break forth in Israel there and assumed it to be the effect of the curse (whereas, in reality, the "breach" was Moses' dying there)]; and he built seven altars, and he offered up a bullock and a ram on (each) altar.
  	And he said to Balak: Stand here by your burnt-offering, and I will be chanced upon here [by the Holy One Blessed be He].
  	And the L-rd chanced upon Bilam, and He placed a word in his mouth, [as one places a bit in an animal's mouth (Bilam balking at what he now saw to be a futile errand, and the L-rd "bridling" him to His will)], and He said: Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.
  	And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, and [some of] the officers of Moav with him, [but not all of them (as opposed to (6), some of them having lost hope in him and having left)]. And Balak said to him [mockingly]: What did the L-rd (but not "you") speak? [you being nothing but His mouthpiece]
  	And he took up his parable and he said: Arise, Balak [(This is Bilam's "riposte" to Balak's mockery — Stand! You have no right to sit when being addressed by G-d's emissary!)]; give ear to me, son of Tzippor!
  	The Almighty is not a man that He should deceive [(He has sworn to give them the land, and do you think to slay them in the desert)]; nor the son of man, that He should retract. Would He say and not do? [Would He] speak and not fulfill?
  	Behold, [a fiat] to bless [them] have I received [from Him], and He has blessed [them], and I will not reverse it.
  	He does not scrutinize [exactingly] the iniquity [that is] in Jacob, and He does not see the toil [i.e., the toilsome transgression] [that is] in Israel. The L-rd, his G-d, is with him, [not leaving them even when they are rebellious], and the King's love is in him.
  	The Almighty brought them forth from Egypt [(as opposed to your: "A people has gone forth from Egypt" (22:5)]; and the flight of the heights is His.
  	[They are worthy of blessing] for there is no [practice of] enchantment in Jacob, and there is no divination in Israel. [There is destined to come] a time like this [when His love for them will be revealed, when they are seated within the Divine partition and] it will be asked of Jacob and of Israel: "What hath the Almighty wrought?"
  	Behold, a people that rises like a lioness [in the morning from their sleep to "snatch" mitzvoth] and which lifts itself up as a lion. It does not lie down [to sleep] until [by the reading of the Shema] it consumes its prey, [all of the mazzikin (destructive agents) which come to assail them], and [when armies come against them, the L-rd protects them and fights their wars], and it drinks the blood of the slain.
  	And Balak said to Bilam: Neither curse them nor bless them!
  	And Bilam answered and said to Balak: Did I not tell you: All that the L-rd speaks, that will I do?
  	And Balak said to Bilam: Come, I pray you, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will be right in the eyes of G-d, and you will curse them for me from there.
  	And Balak took Bilam to the top of Peor, which looks out upon the face of the wilderness. [Balak divined that Israel would be smitten by Peor and assumed the (prospective) curse to be the cause.]
  	And Bilam said to Balak: Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
  	And Balak did as Bilam said, and he offered up a bullock and a ram upon (each) altar.
  
  
  
  	And Bilam saw that it was good in the eyes of the L-rd to bless Israel, and he did not go, as [he had gone] twice before to diviners [to divine whether the L-rd would "chance upon" him as he wished; but he said to himself: Whether or not He wishes to curse them, I shall mention their sins and the curse will perforce alight upon them], and he set his face to the desert [to the sin of the golden calf that Israel had made there].
  	And Bilam lifted his eyes [seeking to cast the "evil eye" upon them], and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, [each tribe by itself, and the doors of their tents non-aligned, so that none look into his neighbor's tent], and the spirit of G-d reposed upon him. [It entered his heart not to curse them.]
  	And he took up his parable and he said: The speech of Bilam the son of Beor and the speech of the man of the gouged-out eye.
  	The speech of the hearer of the words of the Almighty, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen [on his bed at night] and his eyes uncovered [(Bilam being granted prophecy only at night)]:
  	How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, [the tent-entrances not being aligned with one another], your dwelling places [i.e., your encampments], O Israel!
  	As brooks which stretch out [into the distance], as gardens by the river, as the aloes planted by the L-rd [in the garden of Eden], as cedar trees by the waters.
  	Water shall flow from his springs [i.e., the king issuing from his sons shall flourish], and his seed in many waters [i.e., his seed will prosper], and his [first] king (Saul) will be exalted above [i.e., he will vanquish] Agag [the king of Amalek], and his [Jacob's] kingdom will rise [ever higher, (David and Solomon following Saul)].
  	[Who accorded this greatness to them?] The Almighty who brought them forth from Egypt [with His strength and grandeur]. The flight of the heights is His. He shall devour the nations, his oppressors, and their bones shall he strip clean, and he shall dye His arrows [in their blood.]
  	He shall crouch and lie down as a lion [i.e., They will settle their land in strength and might], and as a lioness — Who shall make him rise? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.
  	And Balak's anger burned against Bilam and he smote his hands together and Balak said to Bilam: To curse my foes did I call you, and here you have blessed them this three times!
  	And now, flee to your place. I said that I would honor you, but the L-rd has withheld you from honor.
  	And Bilam said to Balak: Did I not also speak to your messengers that you sent to me, saying:
  	If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I will not be able to countermand the word of the L-rd [(Here he omits "my G-d," as opposed to 22:18, knowing that he has been rejected and "cast out" by Him)] to do good or evil as I wish? What the L-rd speaks, that will I speak.
  	And now, behold, I go to my people, [to be as one of them (the L-rd having left him)]. Come, I will counsel you [what to do to them — to undo them by harlotry (see 31:16). And I shall reveal to you] what this people will do to your people in the end of days [viz., 17].
  	And he took up his parable and he said: The speech of Bilam the son of Beor and the speech of the man of the gouged-out eye.
  	The speech of the hearer of the words of the Almighty, and the knower of the knowledge of the Most High [(in that he can determine the time of His anger)]. He sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen and his eyes uncovered [see 4].
  	I see it [the greatness of Jacob], but [it is] not now [but after a time]; I behold it, but [it is] not near. A star [i.e., a king] will arise from Jacob, and a sceptre [i.e., a ruling king] will arise from Israel, and he [David] shall smite the edges of Moav [See II Samuel 8:2] and he shall dig through all the sons of Sheth [i.e., the nations].
  	And Edom will be a possession [to Israel], and Seir will be a possession [to Israel] his enemies, and Israel will do valiantly.
  	And there will be [yet another] ruler [the Messiah] from Jacob, and he will destroy the remnant [of Edom] from [its capital] city [Rome].
  	And he saw [the retribution of] Amalek, and he took up his parable and he said: The first of nations [to war against Israel] was Amalek, and his end is to perish everlastingly [through them].
  	And he saw the Keini [(the grandeur of the descendants of Yithro. See I Chronicles 2:55. Having just spoken of Amalek, he now speaks of the Keini, who were situated in their midst (I Samuel 15:6)], and he took up his parable and he said: [I wonder how you have attained to this. Were you (Yithro) not together with me in the counsel against Israel? (Exodus 1:10), and now] your dwelling place is firm [within the stronghold of Israel] and you have set your nest in the rock!
  	[Fortunate are you in having joined yourself to this strength, for you will thus never be driven from the world]; for though Kayin (i.e., the Keini) be destined to be removed [into exile together with the ten tribes, what of it?] How far will Ashur carry you into captivity? [To Chalach or to Chavor? This is not extinction but removal, and you will return with the other exiles.]
  	And he took up his parable and he said: [(Having mentioned Ashur's conquest, he now says)] Woe, who shall live [i.e., Who shall escape] from the Placer of these [decreeing the same things against him!]
  	[For Sancherev (Ashur) will arise and confound the nations,] and, [thereafter,] great ships shall come from Kittim and they [the Romans] shall afflict Ashur, and they will afflict [those] beyond [the Euphrates], but he, too, [i.e., the Romans] shall perish everlastingly [See Daniel 7:11].
  	And Bilam arose and went and returned to his place, and Balak, too, went on his way.
  
  
  
  	And Israel dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to stray after the daughters of Moav [(a result of Bilam's counsel)].
  	And they [the Moavite women] called the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate, and they bowed down to their gods [(the Moavite women making this a condition for their consenting)].
  	And Israel joined itself to Ba'al Peor (the idolatry of Moav) [so called because they exposed (pa'aru) themselves and defecated before it (this being its mode of worship)], and the L-rd was wroth with Israel. [He sent a plague against them.]
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Take all the heads of the people [to judge the worshippers of Peor] and hang them [the worshippers] up to the L-rd [after stoning them (all who are executed by stoning being hanged thereafter)] in the face of the sun [i.e., before all] so that the wrath of the L-rd turn away from Israel.
  	And Moses said to the judges [88,000] of Israel: Slay each (of you) his [two] men that have joined themselves to Ba'al Peor.
  	And, behold, a man of the children of Israel [Zimri, chief of the tribe of Shimon] came, and he brought near to his brothers the Midianite woman [Kazbi, the daughter of Tzur] in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tent of meeting [(at Moses' seeming impotence to stand up against one man whereas in the incident of the golden calf he had stood up against six hundred thousand! (For a full account of what transpired here see Sanhedrin 82a)]
  	And Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the Cohein, saw [the act, and he remembered the halachah (that zealots may kill one they see cohabiting with an Aramite woman)], and he arose from the midst of the congregation and he took a spear in his hand.
  	And he came after the man of Israel to the tent and he thrust both of them through, the man of Israel [precisely through his genitals] and the woman [precisely] through her genitals [so that all see that he had not slain them for nought], and the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
  	And the dead in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the Cohein, [(Because the tribes denigrated Pinchas — "Did you see the son of this Puti (short for Putiel (Exodus 6:25), whose mother's father (Yithro) fattened (pitem) calves for idolatry, who killed the chief (Zimri) of a tribe of Israel!" — Scripture took pains to trace his genealogy to Aaron)], (Pinchas) turned My wrath away from the children of Israel when he raged My rage [i.e., when he executed vengeance on My behalf] in their midst, and I did not consume the children of Israel in My wrath.
  	Therefore, say: Behold, I give to him My covenant [to be unto him a covenant of] peace.
  	And it shall be unto him and to his seed after him a covenant of eternal priesthood [(Prior to this, the priesthood had been given only to Aaron and his sons who were anointed with him and to their sons born thereafter, but Pinchas had been born before)] — because he was wroth for his G-d and he atoned for the children of Israel.
  	And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was smitten together with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu [(As the righteous one is cited for commendation, the wicked one is cited for condemnation)], chief of a father's house [one of the five] in the house of Shimon.
  	And the name of the woman who was smitten, the Midianitess, was Kazbi the daughter of Tzur; head of the peoples [chief of the five kings of Midian], of a father's house [one of the five] in Midian was he [ — in spite of which, the Midianites, in their fierce hatred of Israel, consigned her to harlotry].
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Afflict the Midianites and smite them.
  	For they afflict you with their schemes which they have schemed against you in the cause of Peor, [consigning their daughters to harlotry to turn you to Peor worship], and in the cause of Kazbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who was smitten in the day of the plague in the cause of Peor.
  
  
  
  	And it was, after the plague, ["the Shepherd counting his surviving sheep after the wolf raid"], that the L-rd said to Moses and to Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein, saying:
  	Take the count of the entire congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years and above by their fathers' house [(the tribes being reckoned according to the fathers and not according to the mothers)], all who go to war in Israel.
  	And Moses and Elazar the Cohein spoke with them [of G-d's having commanded to count them], in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho, saying:
  	[You must be counted] from twenty years and above, as the L-rd commanded Moses and the children of Israel who went out of the land of Egypt [to be counted thus (Exodus 30:14)].
  	Reuven, the first-born of Israel, the sons of Reuven: Chanoch, the family of the Chanochi (hachanochi) [All of the family names are similarly structured (with the heh and the yod), intimating (Psalms 122:4): "The tribes of Kah ('the L-rd') testimony to Israel" — G-d Himself testifying to the (tribal) paternity of Israel (in rebuttal to those who would cast doubt upon it in view of their having been enslaved by the Egyptians)]; Falu, the family of the Palui,
  	Chetzron, the family of the Chetzroni; Karmi, the family of the Karmi.
  	These are the families of the Reuveni. And their number was forty-three thousand and seven hundred and thirty.
  	And the sons of Falu, Eliav.
  	And the sons of Eliav: Nemuel and Dathan and Aviram. This is the Dathan and Aviram, the "called" of the congregation [see 1:16], who incited [Israel] against Moses and Aaron in the congregation of Korach when they incited [Israel] against the L-rd.
  	And the earth opened its mouth and it swallowed them and Korach in the death of the congregation (of Korach) when the fire consumed the two hundred and fifty men, and they became a sign [for G-d's having established the priesthood (with Aaron and his sons)].
  	And the sons of Korach did not die [(Though in the plot at the outset, they repented in their hearts, so that a high place was bastioned for them in Gehinnom, where they abided.)]
  	The sons of Shimon, according to their families: Nemuel, the family of the Nemueli; Yamin, the family of the Yamini; Yachin, the family of the Yachini.
  	Zerach [the same as Tzochar (Exodus 6:14)], the family of the Zarchi; Shaul, the family of the Shauli.
  	These are the families of the Shimoni, twenty-two thousand and two hundred.
  	The sons of Gad, according to their families: Tzefon, the family of the Tzefoni; Chaggi, the family of the Chaggi; Shuni, the family of the Shuni.
  	Azni [the same as the family of Etzbon (Genesis 46:16)], the family of the Azni; Eiri, the family of the Eiri.
  	Arod, the family of the Arodi; Arieli, the family of the Arieli.
  	These are the families of the sons of Gad by their numbers, forty thousand and five hundred.
  	The sons of Yehudah, Er and Onan. And Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
  	And the sons of Yehudah were, according to their families: Shelah, the family of the Shelani; Peretz, the family of the Partzi; Zerach, the family of the Zarchi.
  	And the sons of Peretz were: Chetzron, the family of the Chetzroni; Chamul, the family of the Chamuli.
  	These are the families of Yehudah by their numbers, seventy-six thousand and five hundred.
  	The sons of Yissachar, according to their families: Tola, the family of the Tolai; Puvah, the family of the Puni.
  	Yashuv, the family of the Yashuvi [This is Yov, mentioned among those who went down to Egypt (Genesis 46:13), all the families being called by the names of those who went down to Egypt]; Shimron, the family of the Shimroni.
  	These are the families of Yissachar by their numbers, sixty-four thousand and three hundred.
  	The sons of Zevulun, according to their families: Sered, the family of the Sardi; Eilon, the family of the Eiloni; Yachle'el, the family of the Yachle'eli.
  	These are the families of the Avuloni by their numbers, sixty thousand and five hundred.
  	The sons of Joseph, according to their families: Menasheh and Ephraim.
  	The sons of Menasheh: Machir, the family of the Machiri, and Machir begot Gilad; Gilad, the family of the Giladi [(this family being mentioned separately, being exceptionally large)].
  	These are the sons of Gilad: Iezer, the family of the Iezri; Chelek, the family of the Chelki.
  	And Asriel, the family of the Asrieli; and Shechem, the family of the Shichmi.
  	And Shmida, the family of the Shmidai; and Chefer, the family of the Chefri.
  	And Tzelafchad the son of Chefer did not have sons but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Tzelafchad: Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah.
  	These are the families of Menasheh and their numbered ones, fifty-two thousand and seven hundred.
  	These are the sons of Ephraim, according to their families: Shuthelach, the family of the Shuthalchi; Becher, the family of the Bachri; Tachan, the family of the Tachani.
  	And these are the sons of Shuthalach: Eran, the family of the Erani [The offspring of the other sons of Shuthelach were called by his name. Because the family of Eran was exceptionally large, they are called by his name.]
  	These are the families of the sons of Ephraim by their numbers, thirty-two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.
  	The sons of Binyamin, according to their families: Bela, the family of the Bal'i; Ashbel, the family of the Ashbeli; Achiram, the family of the Achirami [Achiram is the same as Echi (Genesis 46:21). Because he was named after Joseph, Binyamin's brother, he was called "Achi (my brother) ram" (high, i.e., greater than I)].
  	Shefufam, the family of the Shufami [the same as Mupim (Genesis 46:21), Joseph being downtrodden (shafuf) by the peoples], Chufam, the family of the Chufami.
  	And the sons of Bela were Ard and Na'aman, the family of the Ardi; Na'aman, the family of the Na'ami.
  	These are the sons of Binyamin according to their families; and their numbered ones, forty-five thousand and six hundred.
  	These are the sons of Dan according to their families: Shucham, [the same as Chushim (Genesis 46:23)], the family of the Shuchami. These are the families of Dan by their families.
  	All the families of the Shuchami by their numbered ones, sixty-four thousand and four hundred.
  	The sons of Asher, according to their families: Yimnah, the family of the Yimnah; Yishvi, the family of the Yishvi; Beriah, the family of the Beri'i.
  	The sons of Beriah: Chever, the family of the Chevri; Malkiel, the family of the Malkieli.
  	And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarach [(Because she was still alive, she is mentioned here)].
  	These are the families of the sons of Asher by their numbered ones, fifty-three thousand and four hundred.
  	The sons of Naftali, according to their families: Yachtze'el, the family of the Yachtze'eli; Guni, the family of the Guni.
  	Yetzer, the family of the Yitzri; Shilem, the family of the Shilemi.
  	These are the families of Naftali according to their families; and their numbered ones, forty-five thousand and four hundred.
  	These are the numbered ones of the children of Israel, six hundred and one thousand and seven hundred and thirty.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	To these shall the land be apportioned, [and not to those younger than twenty, even if they reached that age by the time of the division of the land], as an inheritance according to the number of names.
  	To the [more] numerous [tribe] you shall increase its inheritance [i.e., you shall give it a larger portion], and to the less [numerous] you shall decrease its inheritance. To each, according to his numbers shall his inheritance be given.
  	Only [(excluding Joshua and Calev, who received special portions)] by lot shall the land be divided, [the lot actually calling out the correct division through the Holy Spirit.] By the names of the tribes of their fathers [(proselytes and slaves hereby excluded), who came out of Egypt] shall they inherit [e.g., If two brothers who left Egypt had sons entering the land — the first, one son; the second, three — (the one son takes one portion; the three, three (as per verse 53), after which their portions revert to their fathers' father (as per verse 55), so that they (the two fathers) divide (four portions) equally.]
  	By the word of the lot [("word," literally, see above)] shall its inheritance be divided between the many and the few.
  	And these are the numbered of the Levites, according to their families: Gershon, the family of the Gershuni; Kehath, the family of the Kehathi; Merari, the family of the Merari.
  	These are the families of Levi [see Exodus 16-19]: the family of the Livni, the family of the Chevroni, the family of the Machli, the family of the Mushi, the family of the Karchi; and Kehath begot Amram.
  	And the name of the wife of Amram was Yocheved the daughter of Levi, who (i.e., whose wife) bore her to Levi in Egypt, [just as they entered Egypt (so that she makes up the complement of the "seventy souls" who entered Egypt (Genesis 46:27)]. And she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses, and Miriam, their sister.
  	And there was born to Aaron: Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Ithamar.
  	And Nadav and Avihu died when they offered strange fire before the L-rd.
  	And their (the Levites') numbered ones were twenty-three thousand, every male from one month and above. For they were not numbered in the midst of the children of Israel [from the age of twenty]; for an inheritance was not given them [as it was to all those over twenty] in the midst of the children of Israel.
  	These are the numbered ones of Moses and Elazar the Cohein, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho.
  	And among these there was not a man of those that had been counted by Moses and Aaron the Cohein, who had counted the children of Israel in the desert of Sinai. [(But the decree of the spies had not gone forth against the women, who, unlike the men, who wished to return to Egypt, desired a holding in the land (for which reason the episode of the daughters of Tzelafchad follows)].
  	For the L-rd had said to them: They will surely die in the desert. And there was left not a man of them except Calev the son of Yefuneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
  
  
  
  	And there drew near the daughters of Tzelafchad, the son of Chefer, the son of Gilad, the son of Machir, the son of Menasheh, of the families of Menasheh the son of Joseph. [Just as Joseph held Eretz Yisrael dear (viz., Genesis 50:25), so did the daughters of Tzelafchad (viz., 4 following). And all of them were righteous (their pedigree being traced back to Joseph, the tzaddik)]. And these are the names of his daughters: Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah.
  	And they stood [in the house of study] before Moses and before Elazar the Cohein [(This occurred in the fortieth year, after Aaron had died)] and before the leaders and the entire congregation at the door of the tent of meeting, saying:
  	Our father died in the desert, and he was not in the midst of the congregation that gathered against the L-rd [i.e., the cavilers (Exodus 16:2), and not] in the congregation of Korach, [who incited to rebellion], but he died in his own sin, [without inciting others to sin], and he left no sons.
  	Why should the name of our father be withheld from his family because he has no son? [We stand in place of a son. And if females are not considered seed, let our mother perform levirate marriage (yibum)! ("because he has no son":) If he had a son they would claim nothing (They were sage women)]. Give us a holding in the midst of the brothers of our father.
  	And Moses brought forth their judgment before the L-rd. [The halachah evaded him — retribution for his "presumptuousness," viz. (Deuteronomy 1:17): "And the thing that is too difficult for you, you shall bring near to me."]
  	And the L-rd said to Moses, saying:
  	Rightly do the daughters of Tzelafchad speak. [Thus is this section (of inheritance) written before Me on high.] Given shall be given to them [(two portions — that of their father, who was among those who left Egypt, and that of his brothers in the property of Chefer (his father, who was also one of those who left Egypt)] the holding of an inheritance in the midst of the brothers of their father, and you shall pass over (veha'avarta) [(an expression of wrath (evrah), directed against one who does not leave over a son to inherit him)] the inheritance of their father to them.
  	And to the children of Israel shall you speak, saying: A man, if he die and he have no son, then you shall pass over his inheritance to his daughter.
  	And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
  	And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the brothers of his father.
  	And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his flesh who is near to him of his family [("family" denotes his father's side)], and he shall inherit it, and it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment as the L-rd commanded Moses.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: Go up to this Mount Avarim and see the land that I gave to the children of Israel. [(The rationale of the juxtaposition: When the L-rd told Moses to give the daughters of Tzelafchad an inheritance, he felt that the decree against his entering the land might have been rescinded — whereupon he was apprised otherwise.)]
  	And you shall see it and you, too, shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered [(whence it is seen that Moses aspired to a death like Aaron's)].
  	[This, your death, was decreed] when you flouted My command in the desert of Tzin, in the contention of the congregation, (My command) to sanctify Me with the waters before their eyes. They [(the waters alone, and no egregious sin, were the cause of their death in the desert)], the waters of Merivath-Kadesh, in the desert of Tzin.
  	And Moses spoke to the L-rd [(When the righteous leave the world, they put aside their own needs in favor of communal needs)] to say [i.e., to tell him whether or not He would appoint a leader for them.)]
  	[When Moses was told to give Tzelafchad's inheritance to his daughters, he felt that the time was ripe to ask that his sons inherit his greatness — whereupon he said:] Let the L-rd, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the congregation [(You know that the minds of all men are different. Appoint for them a leader who can tolerate all of these minds)]
  	who will go out before them (to war) [(Not like the kings of the nations, who sit at home and send their armies to war, but like me (and like Joshua and David), who fought in the vanguard)], and who will come in before them [at their head], and who will take them out [in his merits], and who will bring them back [in his merits]. And let the congregation of the L-rd not be as sheep without a shepherd.
  	And the L-rd said to Moses: [Not as you think, but] take for yourself Joshua the son of Nun [(because "he never departed from the tent" (Exodus 33:11) — "The keeper of the fig tree shall eat its fruit" (Proverbs 27:18)], a man who has spirit in him [(as per your request (16)], and place your hand upon him [Give him an interpreter to expound (Torah) in your lifetime, so that people not say about him (after your death): "He would never dare do this in Moses' lifetime!"]
  	And stand him before Elazar the Cohein and before the entire congregation, and charge him [over Israel] before their eyes. [Impress it upon him that he is accepting the charge with full knowledge of their bothersomeness and refractoriness.]
  	And you shall place [some] of your glory ["shining of countenance"] upon him, so that all the congregation of the children of Israel pay heed [to honor and fear him, as they do you.]
  	And before Elazar the Cohein shall he stand [(an accession to Moses' request that all his honor not depart from his father's house — Joshua, too, having need of Elazar)], and he (Joshua) shall inquire of him [when there is a need to go out to war] as to the judgment of the urim before the L-rd. By his [Elazar's] word shall they go out, and by his word shall they come in, he (Joshua) and all the children of Israel with him, and the entire congregation [the Sanhedrin].
  	And Moses did as the L-rd commanded him, and he "took" Joshua [with words, apprising him of the reward of the leaders of Israel in the world to come], and he charged him before Elazar the Cohein and before the entire congregation.
  	And he placed his hands upon him [(being even more profuse in the conferring of his wisdom than he had been commanded, viz. (18) "Place your hand upon him")], and he charged him, as the L-rd had spoken [(even in respect to the glory" (20) — he imparted of his glory to him)] by the hand of Moses.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Command the children of Israel [(Before commanding Me for My children, viz. (16): "Let the L-rd appoint a man, etc.," command My children for Me!")], and say to them: My offering [the blood], My bread [the devoted portions (see Leviticus 3:16)], for My fires [i.e., which are placed on the fires of My altar], (for) My sweet savor shall you observe [(whence is derived the institution of ma'amadoth ("watches"), Cohanim, Levites, and Israelites standing over the sacrifices)] to offer to Me in its appointed time [(Every day is the "appointed time" of the temidim (the continual offerings)].
  	And you shall say to them [This is an exhortation to beth-din (to charge the people)]: This is the fire-offering which you shall offer up to the L-rd: lambs of the first year, unblemished, two each day [(each to be slaughtered opposite the "day," i.e., the sun; the morning tamid in the west, and the evening tamid in the east)], a perpetual burnt-offering.
  	The one lamb shall you offer in the morning, and the other lamb shall you offer towards evening. [Even though this was already stated (Exodus 29:38), there it was an exhortation for the days of investiture (of the Cohanim), whereas here it is commanded for all time.]
  	And a tenth of an ephah of flour for the meal-offering [the libation meal-offering] mixed with oil of crushing (see Exodus 29:40), a fourth of a hin.
  	A perpetual burnt-offering [like those] offered up [in the days of the investiture] at Mount Sinai, as a sweet savor, a fire-offering to the L-rd.
  	And its [wine] libation, a fourth of a hin for the one lamb. On the holy place [i.e., the altar] shall it be poured, a pouring of strong [intoxicating] drink [as opposed to wine straight from the press] to the L-rd.
  	And the second lamb shall you offer up towards evening. As the meal-offering of the morning and its libation shall you offer it; a fire-offering, a sweet savor [i.e., gratifying] to the L-rd [in that His will was done].
  	And on the Sabbath day, two lambs of the first year without blemish and two tenth measures of flour for a meal-offering, mixed with oil and its libation.
  	The burnt-offering of the Sabbath in its Sabbath [(and not the burnt-offering of this Sabbath on another Sabbath ["The day being past, its offering is annulled")], in addition to the daily burnt-offering and its libation. [(These are the mussafim, the "additional" offerings, which are to be offered between the two daily offerings.)]
  	And in the beginning of your months, you shall offer a burnt-offering to the L-rd: two young bullocks, one ram, seven one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And three esronim of flour for a meal-offering, [as with the fixed libations for a bullock (15:9)], mixed with oil for the one bullock, and two esronim of flour for a meal-offering, mixed with oil for the one ram.
  	And issaron, issaron of flour for a meal-offering, mixed with oil, for the one lamb, for a burnt-offering, a sweet savor, a fire-offering to the L-rd.
  	And their libations: half a hin for the bullock, a third of a hin for the ram, a fourth of a hin for the lamb, wine. This is the burnt-offering of the month in its month [(If the day passes, the offering is annulled and there is no restitution)], for the months of the year.
  	And one kid of goats as a sin-offering to the L-rd [i.e., where only the L-rd knows of the sin — this, in atonement for defiling the sanctuary or its objects without awareness of having done so (this offering serving as the prototype for all of the additional goat offerings (mussafim) as effecting such atonement)]; in addition to the continual burnt-offering shall it [the complete offering (not just the kid)] be offered, with its [the offering's (not the kid's)] libation.
  	And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, it is Pesach to the L-rd.
  	And on the fifteenth day of this month, it is a festival; for seven days matzoth shall be eaten.
  	On the first day it is a calling of holiness; all work of labor you shall not do [(Even essential work, which cannot be made up, which is permitted on Chol Hamoed, is forbidden on Yom Tov)].
  	And you shall present a fire-offering, a burnt-offering to the L-rd, two young bullocks [(in commemoration of the bullock of Abraham (Genesis 18:7)], one ram [(in commemoration of the ram of Isaac (Ibid. 22:13)], and seven one-year-old lambs [(in commemoration of Jacob (Ibid. 30:40)]; unblemished shall they be to you.
  	And their meal-offering, flour mixed with oil, three esronim for the bullock and two esronim for the ram shall you offer it.
  	Issaron, issaron shall you offer for the one lamb, for the seven lambs.
  	And one kid as a sin-offering to atone for you.
  	Aside from the burnt-offering of the morning of the daily burnt-offering shall you offer these.
  	As these shall you offer each day [(They are not to decrease progressively as the bullocks of Succoth)] for seven days, the food of a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L-rd; in addition to the continual burnt-offering shall it be offered, and its libation.
  	And on the seventh day, a calling of holiness shall it be for you; all work of labor you shall not do.
  	And on the day of first-fruits [(Shavuoth is designated as the "first" of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22) by reason of the two loaves (Leviticus 23:17), the first of the wheaten meal-offerings brought from the new grain)], when you offer a new meal-offering to the L-rd in (the completion of) your weeks (see Leviticus 23:15), a calling of holiness shall it be for you; all work of labor you shall not do.
  	And you shall present a burnt-offering, as a sweet savor to the L-rd, two young bullocks, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs.
  	And their meal-offering: flour mixed with oil, three esronim for the one bullock, two esronim for the one ram.
  	Issaron, issaron for the one lamb, for the seven lambs.
  	One kid of goats to atone for you.
  	Aside from the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering shall you offer (them). Unblemished shall they be for you, and their libations. [Their libations, too, shall be unblemished — whence it is derived that mouldy wine is invalid.]
  
  
  
  	And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be unto you a calling of holiness. All work of labor you shall not do; a day of teruah (blowing the shofar) shall it be for you.
  	And you shall offer a burnt-offering as a sweet savor to the L-rd: one young bullock, one ram, seven one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offering: flour mixed with oil, three esronim for the bullock, two esronim for the ram.
  	And one issaron for the one lamb, for the seven lambs.
  	And one kid of goats to atone for you.
  	Aside from the burnt-offering of the month [the mussafim of Rosh Chodesh of Rosh Hashanah] and its meal-offering and the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering, and their libations as prescribed, as a sweet savor, a fire-offering to the L-rd.
  	And on the tenth (day) of this seventh month, a calling of holiness shall there be for you, and you shall afflict your souls; all labor you shall not do.
  	And you shall present a burnt-offering to the L-rd, a sweet savor, one young bullock, one ram, seven one-year-old lambs; unblemished shall they be to you.
  	And their meal-offering: flour mixed with oil, three esronim for the bullock, two esronim for the one ram.
  	Issaron, issaron for the one lamb, for the seven lambs.
  	One kid of goats as a sin-offering, aside from the sin-offering of atonement [the goat offered within the holy of holies (Leviticus 16:9)] and the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering [shall you offer these burnt-offerings], and [you shall offer] their libations [those of the aforementioned mussafim (8)].
  	And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, a calling of holiness shall there be for you; all work of labor you shall not do, and you shall celebrate a festival to the L-rd, seven days.
  	And you shall present a burnt-offering, a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L-rd, thirteen young bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs; unblemished shall they be.
  	And their meal-offering: flour mixed with oil, three esronim for the one bullock, for the thirteen bullocks, two esronim for the one ram, for the two rams.
  	And issaron, issaron for the one lamb, for the fourteen lambs.
  	And one kid of goats for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering, its meal-offering, and its libation.
  	And on the second day, twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed. [The seventy bullocks of the Succoth festival correspond to the seventy nations, their progressive diminution during the festival alluding to the ultimate destruction of the nations. The lambs correspond to Israel, which is called "a scattered lamb" (Jeremiah 50:17). Their number is fixed, and their total (ninety-eight) alludes to their serving to avert the ninety-eight curses of the book of Deuteronomy. The three variant letters (mem in veniskeihem (19), yod in unesachehah (31), and mem in kemishpatam (33), spell out "mayim" (water), an allusion to the water libation on Succoth.)]
  	And one kid of goats for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering and their libations.
  	And on the third day, eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.
  	And one kid for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering and its libation.
  	And on the fourth day, ten bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	Their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.
  	And one kid of goats for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering, its meal-offering, and its libation.
  	And on the fifth day, nine bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.
  	And one kid for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering and its meal-offering and its libation.
  	And on the sixth day, eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offerings and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.
  	And one kid for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering, its meal-offering, and its libations.
  	And on the seventh day, seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen one-year-old lambs, unblemished.
  	And their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed for them.
  	And one kid for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering, its meal-offering, and its libation.
  	On the eighth day, a withholding [from work] shall there be for you; all work of labor you shall not do.
  	And you shall present a burnt-offering, a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L-rd, one bullock, one ram, seven one-year-old lambs, unblemished. [These ("one bullock, etc.") vis-à-vis Israel, the L-rd, as it were, telling His children before they depart from Him: "Abide with Me yet another day."]
  	Their meal-offering and their libations: for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.
  	And one kid for a sin-offering, aside from the continual burnt-offering, and its meal-offering and its libation.
  	These [fixed offerings] shall you offer to the L-rd on your festivals, aside from your vows and your gift-offerings [(If you wish to offer such on the festival, it is "a mitzvah come to hand"; or, your vows or gift-offerings pledged during the year — offer them on the festival (lest you find it difficult to return and offer them and be in transgression of (Deuteronomy 23:22): "You shall not delay, etc.")] for your burnt-offerings, and your meal-offerings, and your libations, and your peace-offerings.
  
  
  
  	And Moses related (it) to the children of Israel, as all that the L-rd had commanded Moses, [viz. 28:2 (This is stated here to obviate the impression that Moses did not tell it to them but proceeded directly to the section that follows.)]
  	And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel [(according them honor by instructing them first, and then instructing the children of Israel (this being stated here specifically in respect to vows though it was the mode for all teachings (see Exodus 34:31-32), in order to teach that the annulment of vows is effected by one expert (in vows), or, in his absence, by three non-experts)], saying: This is the thing that the L-rd has commanded.
  	A man, if he vow a vow to the L-rd [(not to eat something or not to do something)], or if he take an oath to bind a bond upon his soul [i.e., to forbid to himself something which is permitted (but not, to permit to himself something which is forbidden)], he shall not profane his word. According to all that issues from his mouth shall he do.
  	And a woman, if she vow a vow to the L-rd and bind a bond (see above) in her father's house [(i.e., when she is under her father's authority)], in her maidenhood, [after twelve years and one day, (and not when she is a minor, in which instance her vow is not a vow, nor when she is a bogereth (after maidenhood), in which instance she is not under her father's authority for him to annul her vow)],
  	And her father hear her vow and her bond wherewith she bound her soul, and her father be silent to her, then all of her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
  	And if her father constrain her [i.e., if he annuls her vow] on the day that he hears, then all her vows and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall not stand, and the L-rd shall forgive her, for her father has constrained her. [(Scripture speaks of a woman whose husband, unknown to her, had annulled a vow of Naziritism that he had heard her make, and who had violated her vow by drinking wine or by becoming unclean to the dead. Though the vow is annulled, she requires forgiveness. (How much more so, one whose vow was not annulled!)]
  	And if she be [betrothed] to a man, and her vows [that she vowed in her father's house] be upon her, [her father not having heard them, so that they were neither annulled nor confirmed, (annulment being effected only jointly, by her father and her betrothed)], or the utterance of her lips wherewith she bound her soul,
  	And her husband [i.e., her betrothed] hear, on the day that he hear, and he be silent to her, then her vows shall stand, and her bonds with which she bound her soul shall stand.
  	And if on the day that her husband hear, he constrain her and annul [(jointly, with her father)] her vow which is upon her and the utterance of her lips wherewith she bound her soul, then the L-rd shall forgive her.
  	And the vow of a widow [from marriage (as opposed to a widow from betrothal, in which instance she returns to her father's authority)] or of a divorced woman — everything wherewith she binds her soul shall stand with her.
  	And if in the house of her husband [in marriage (as opposed to betrothal)] she vowed, or bound her soul with a bond by swearing,
  	And her husband heard and was silent to her and did not constrain her, then all of her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
  	And if her husband annul them on the day of his hearing, then every utterance of her lips for her vows and for binding her soul shall not stand; her husband has annulled them and the L-rd will forgive her.
  	Every vow and every oath of binding to afflict the soul, her husband shall confirm it and her husband shall annul it.
  	And if her husband be silent to her from day to day [i.e., until it gets dark], then he has confirmed all of her vows or all of her bonds which are upon her. He has confirmed them for he was silent to her on the day of his hearing.
  	And if he annul them after having heard [and confirmed them (even on the same day)], then he shall bear her sin [i.e., he takes her place (for punishment)].
  	These are the statutes which the L-rd commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her maidenhood (in) the house of her father.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Take the revenge of the children of Israel from the Midianites [(but not from the Moavites, the latter having been motivated by fear of Israel's plundering them, but the former having entered into a quarrel which was not theirs)]; afterwards you will be gathered unto your people.
  	And Moses spoke to the people [(with joy, though his death was attendant upon the defeat of Midian)], saying: Arm from yourselves men [tzaddikim] for the host, and let them be against Midian to execute the vengeance of the L-rd against Midian [(opposing Israel being tantamount to opposing the L-rd)].
  	A thousand to a tribe, a thousand to a tribe, of all the tribes of Israel [including the tribe of Levi] shall you send to the host.
  	And there were handed over [(perforce)] of the thousands of Israel, [(the men, knowing that Moses' death was attendant upon the defeat of Midian, refusing to come forward on their own)], a thousand to a tribe, twelve thousand men armed for the host.
  	And Moses sent them, a thousand to a tribe, to the host, them and Pinchas the son of Elazar the Cohein to the host, [Pinchas being "equivalent" to all of them, (and Pinchas going rather than Elazar in that he began the mitzvah (of executing vengeance against Midian) by having slain Kazbi, the daughter of Tzur)], and the holy articles [the ark and the tzitz] and the trumpets of teruah in his hand [i.e., with him].
  	And they warred against Midian as the L-rd had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
  	And the kings of Midian they killed, [causing them to fall] upon their slain: Evi and Rekem, and Tzur, and Chur, and Reva, the five kings of Midian ["of one counsel (against Israel) and of one death"]; and Bilam the son of Beor they slew by the sword [("He exchanged his trade for theirs (desiring to destroy Israel by speech), and they exchanged their trade for his" (killing him by the sword)].
  	And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian; and their little ones and all of their beasts and all of their cattle and all of their goods they took as spoil.
  	And all of their cities where they dwelt, and all of their cloisters [the dwellings of their priests] they burned with fire.
  	And they took all of the spoil, and all of the booty, of man and of beast.
  	And they [took nothing for themselves, but] brought to Moses, and to Elazar the Cohein, and to the congregation of the children of Israel: the captivity [the people], and the booty [the animals], and the spoils [clothing and ornaments], to the camp in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho.
  	And Moses and Elazar the Cohein and all the chiefs of the congregation went out to them outside the encampment, [seeing the youth of Israel going out to snatch the spoils].
  	And Moses was wroth with the commanders of the host [("The leaders, failing to protest, are accountable for the sins of the generation")], the officers of the thousands, and the officers of the hundreds, who came from the host of battle.
  	And Moses said to them: Have you let all the females live!
  	These are the women [(They recognized the particular women with whom particular men had sinned)] who were [consigned to harlotry] to the children of Israel by the counsel of Bilam to commit perfidy against the L-rd in the affair of Peor, bringing the plague upon the congregation of the L-rd.
  	And now, kill every male among the little ones; and every woman [capable of] knowing a man for carnal relations, kill.
  	And all the little ones among the women who did not know carnal relations, keep alive for yourselves.
  	And you, abide outside the camp [the azarah] seven days. Whoever has killed a man [by striking him with a weapon susceptible of uncleanliness] and whoever has touched a slain one shall you cleanse [with the sprinkling waters (of the red heifer)] on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives [who become unclean after they are proselytized].
  	And every garment, and every vessel of skin, and every work of goats [including vessels made from horns or hooves or bones], and every vessel of wood shall you cleanse.
  	And Elazar the Cohein said to the men of the host who came to the war [(Moses, by giving vent to anger (14), having forgotten the halachah)]: This is the statute of the Torah which the L-rd commanded Moses, [Elazar attributing the ruling to his teacher].
  	But [you may not use vessels, even after they have been cleansed from dead-body uncleanliness, until they are cleansed from carrion absorption] — the gold and the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin and the lead —
  	Every thing that comes into the fire [to cook something in it] shall you pass through the fire [to cleanse it from carrion absorption, (vessels being cleansed according to the manner of their use)], and it shall be clean [of carrion uncleanliness]; but with the sprinkling waters shall it be cleansed [of dead-body uncleanliness]. And every thing that does not come into the fire, [such as cups and flasks, which are used for cold things and do not absorb forbidden matter] shall you pass through water [i.e., it is sufficient to immerse them].
  	And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and you shall be clean, and then you shall come to the camp [the camp of the Shechinah (one with dead-body uncleanliness not needing to be sent out of the Levite and Israeli camps)].
  	And the L-rd said to Moses:
  	Count the taking of the captivity in man and beast, you and Elazar the Cohein and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.
  	And divide the booty between the warriors who went out to the host and the entire congregation [(half to the first, half to the second)].
  	And raise a tribute to the L-rd from the men of the war who went out to the host, one soul from the five hundred: from the people, from the herd, from the asses, and from the flock.
  	From their half shall you take it, and you shall give it to Elazar the Cohein, the terumah (offering) of the L-rd.
  	And from the half of the children of Israel shall you take one portion out of fifty: from the people, from the herd, from the asses, from the flock, from all of the beasts; and you shall give them to the Levites, keepers of the charge of the mishkan of the L-rd.
  	And Moses and Elazar the Cohein did as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And the booty [of men and animals] was — aside from the spoils [of metaltelin (movable objects)], which the men of the host had taken for themselves — sheep, six hundred and seventy-five thousand.
  	And cattle, seventy-two thousand.
  	And asses, sixty-one thousand.
  	And souls, of the women who had not had carnal relations, all of the souls, thirty-two thousand.
  	And the (first) half was, the share of those who went out to the host: the number of sheep, three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred.
  	And the tribute to the L-rd from the flock was six hundred and seventy-five.
  	And the cattle, thirty-six thousand; and their tribute to the L-rd, seventy-two.
  	And the asses, thirty thousand and five hundred; and their tribute to the L-rd, sixty-one.
  	And souls, sixteen thousand; and their tribute to the L-rd, thirty-two souls.
  	And Moses gave the tribute, the terumah of the L-rd, to Elazar the Cohein, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And of the half of the children of Israel, which Moses had divided [for the congregation] from the men of the host —
  	The half of the congregation from the flock was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred.
  	And cattle, thirty-six thousand.
  	And asses, thirty thousand and five hundred.
  	And souls, sixteen thousand.
  	— And Moses took from the half of the children of Israel, one portion out of fifty, from the people and from the beasts, and he gave them to the Levites, keepers of the charge of the mishkan of the L-rd, as the L-rd had commanded Moses.
  	And there drew near to Moses those appointed over the thousands of the host, the officers of the thousands and the officers of the hundreds.
  	And they said to Moses: Your servants have counted the men of war who were under our charge, and not one of us is missing.
  	And we have presented the offering of the L-rd, each what he has found: golden vessels, foot bands, arm bands, rings, ear rings, and kumaz [pudendal ornaments (to atone for lustful thoughts towards the daughters of Midian)] to atone for our souls before the L-rd.
  	And Moses and Elazar the Cohein took the gold from them, all wrought articles.
  	And all the gold of the terumah that they devoted to the L-rd was sixteen thousand and seven hundred and fifty shekels, from the officers of the thousands and from the officer of the hundreds.
  	Each of the men of the host had taken spoils for himself.
  	And Moses and Elazar the Cohein took the gold from the officers of the thousands and the hundreds, and they brought it to the tent of meeting, a memorial for the children of Israel before the L-rd.
  
  
  
  	And the sons of Reuven and the sons of Gad had much cattle, a great multitude, and they saw the land of Yazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, it was a place of cattle.
  	And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven came, and they said to Moses and Elazar the Cohein and to the chiefs of the congregation:
  	Ataroth and Divon and Yazer and Nimrah and Cheshbon and Elaleh and Sevam and Nevo and Beon [(of the land of Sichon and Og)] —
  	The land which the L-rd smote before the congregation of Israel — it is a land of cattle, and your servants have cattle.
  	And they said: If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a holding; do not have us cross the Jordan.
  	And Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuven: Would your brothers go to the war and you remain here!
  	And why would you dishearten the children of Israel from crossing into the land which the L-rd has given to them, [giving them the impression that you are in awe of the strength of the Canaanites and fear warring with them]?
  	Thus did your fathers do when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
  	And they went up until Nachal Eshkol and they saw the land, and they disheartened the children of Israel, that they not come to the land that the L-rd gave to them.
  	And the L-rd was wroth on that day, and He swore, saying:
  	If the men who went up out of Egypt from twenty years and above shall see (i.e., I swear that they shall not see) the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, for they have not fulfilled (My behest by following) after Me.
  	Except Calev the son of Yefuneh, the Kenizi [(Calev was the stepson of Kenaz, to whom Calev's mother bore Othniel (see Joshua 15:17)] and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have fulfilled (the L-rd's behest by following) after the L-rd.
  	And the L-rd was wroth with Israel, and He made them wander in the desert forty years until the entire generation that did the evil in the eyes of the L-rd had been consumed.
  	And, behold, you have arisen in your fathers' place, a growth of sinful men, to add even more to the wrath of the L-rd against Israel!
  	If you turn back from Him, He will place them in the desert yet again, and you will have destroyed all this people!
  	And they drew near to him and they said: We will build sheepfolds for our kine here and cities for our little ones [(placing their wealth before their children!)]
  	And we will arm ourselves speedily (to go) at the head [of the columns] of the children of Israel [(the men of Gad and Reuven being warriors (see Deuteronomy 33:20, 3:18, and Joshua 6:13)] until we have brought them to their place, and our little ones will abide in the fortified cities against the inhabitants of the land.
  	We shall not return to our houses until the children of Israel have inherited, each his inheritance.
  	For we will not inherit with them across the Jordan and beyond [on the western side], for our inheritance has come to us [i.e., we have already accepted it] across the Jordan eastwards.
  	And Moses said to them: If you do this thing — If you arm yourselves before the L-rd for the war,
  	And every armed man of you will cross the Jordan before the L-rd until He drives out His enemies before Him,
  	And the land be conquered before the L-rd, and then you return — then you will be clean of (guilt against) the L-rd and of (guilt against) Israel, and this land will be a holding unto you before the L-rd.
  	But if you do not do so, you have sinned against the L-rd, and know your sin that shall find you.
  	Build for yourselves cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep [(first the cities, then the folds! (see 16)] and what leaves your mouths [to the L rd (that you would remain in the land until they have apportioned it (18)] shall you do [(even though Moses had asked that they remain only until they had conquered it (22)].
  And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven said to Moses [all as one]: Your servants will do as my lord commands.
  Our little ones, our wives, our kine, and all of our beasts shall be there in the cities of Gilead.
  And your servants shall pass over, every armed man of the host before the L rd to the war, as my lord speaks.
  	And Moses appointed over them [(to insure the fulfillment of their conditions)] Elazar the Cohein, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
  	And Moses said to them: If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven cross the Jordan with you, each man armed for the war before the L rd, and the land be conquered before you, then you shall give to them the land of the Gilead as a holding.
  	And if they do not cross over armed before you, then they shall have a holding in your midst in the land of Canaan.
  And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven answered, saying: What the L rd spoke to your servants, thus shall we do.
  	We shall pass over armed before the L rd into the land of Canaan, and with us [i.e., in our possession and under our jurisdiction] the holding of our inheritance across the Jordan.
  	And Moses gave to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuven and to half the tribe of Menasheh the son of Joseph the kingdom of Sichon the king of the Emori and the kingdom of Og the king of the Bashan, the land with the cities in its boundaries, the cities of the land roundabout.
  And the children of Gad built Divon and Ataroth and Aroer.
  	And Atroth-Shofan and Yazer and Yagbehah.
  	And Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran [(all of these cities to be)] fortified cities and folds for sheep (see 24).
  	And the sons of Reuven built Cheshbon and Elalei and Kiryathaim.
  	And Nevo and Ba'al Meon [named after Emorite deities], their names being altered, and Sivmah [(the same as Sevam (3)]; and they called by (new) names the names of the cities that they built.
  	And the sons of Machir the son of Menasheh went to Gilead and they took it, and they drove out the Emori that were in it.
  	And Moses gave the Gilead to Machir the son of Menasheh and he dwelt in it.
  	And Yair the son of Menasheh went and he took their villages (chavotheihem) and he called them Chavoth Yair [(as a memorial, having no sons)].
  	And Novach went and he took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Novach by his name.
  
  
  
  	These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their hosts, by the hand of Moses and Aaron. [These are recorded to apprise us of the L-rd's lovingkindness, viz.: Though He decreed that they wander in the desert, they actually made only twenty journeys in thirty-eight years.]
  	And Moses wrote down their goings forth according to their journeys by word of the L-rd; and these are their journeys by their goings forth.
  	And they journeyed from Ra'amses on the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the morrow of the Pesach the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all of Egypt.
  	And Egypt was burying [(engrossed in mourning)] those whom the L-rd had smitten of them — every first-born. And in their gods the L-rd wrought judgment.
  	And the children of Israel journeyed from Ra'amses and they encamped in Succoth.
  	And they journeyed from Succoth and they encamped in Eitham at the edge of the desert.
  	And they journeyed from Eitham and they abode at Pi-Hachiroth, which fronts Ba'al Tzefon; and they encamped before Migdol.
  	And they journeyed from Pi-Hachiroth and passed in the midst of the sea to the desert, and they went a distance of three days in the desert of Eitham and they encamped in Marah.
  	And they journeyed from Marah and they came to Eilim. And in Eilim there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there.
  	And they journeyed from Eilim and they encamped by the Red Sea.
  	And they journeyed from the Red Sea and they encamped in the desert of Sin.
  	And they journeyed from the desert of Sin and they encamped in Dafkah.
  	And they journeyed from Dafkah and they encamped in Alush.
  	And they journeyed from Alush and they encamped in Refidim. And there was no water there for the people to drink.
  	And they journeyed from Refidim and they encamped in the desert of Sinai.
  	And they journeyed from the desert of Sinai and they encamped in Kivroth Hata'avah.
  	And they journeyed from Kivroth Hata'avah and they encamped in Chatzeroth.
  	And they journeyed from Chatzeroth and they encamped in Rithmah [so called because of the spies' slander, which is likened (Psalms 20:34) to juniper coals (gachalei rethamim)].
  	And they journeyed from Rithmah and they encamped in Rimon Paretz.
  	And they journeyed from Rimon Paretz and they encamped in Livnah.
  	And they journeyed from Livnah and they encamped in Rissah.
  	And they journeyed from Rissah and they encamped in Kehelathah.
  	And they journeyed from Kehelathah and they encamped in Har Shafer.
  	And they journeyed from Har Shafer and they encamped in Charadah.
  	And they journeyed from Charadah and they encamped in Makheloth.
  	And they journeyed from Makheloth and they encamped in Tachath.
  	And they journeyed from Tachath and they encamped in Tarach.
  	And they journeyed from Tarach and they encamped in Mithkah.
  	And they journeyed from Mithkah and they encamped in Chashmonah.
  	And they journeyed from Chashmonah and they encamped in Moseroth.
  	And they journeyed from Moseroth and they encamped in Bnei Ya'akan.
  	And they journeyed from Bnei Ya'akan and they encamped in Chor Hagidgad.
  	And they journeyed from Chor Hagidgad and they encamped in Yatvathah.
  	And they journeyed from Yatvathah and they encamped in Avronah.
  	And they journeyed from Avronah and they encamped in Etzyon Gaver.
  	And they journeyed from Etzyon Gaver and they encamped in the desert of Sin, which is Kadesh.
  	And they journeyed from Kadesh and they encamped in Hor Hahar, at the edge of the land of Edom.
  	And Aaron the Cohein went up to Hor Hahar by the "mouth" of the L-rd, and he died there [by the Divine kiss] in the fortieth year of the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
  	And Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died in Hor Hahar.
  	And the Canaanite heard, the king of Arad [that Aaron had died and the clouds of glory had departed (and he felt that Israel was now vulnerable to attack)]. And he was dwelling in the south, in the land of Canaan, when the children of Israel came.
  	And they journeyed from Hor Hahar and they encamped in Tzalmonah.
  	And they journeyed from Tzalmonah and they encamped in Punon.
  	And they journeyed from Punon and they encamped in Ovoth.
  	And they journeyed from Ovoth and they encamped in Iyei ["the wastes"] of Avarim on the boundary of Moav.
  	And they journeyed from Iyim and they encamped in Divon Gad.
  	And they journeyed from Divon Gad and they encamped in Almon Divlathaymah.
  	And they journeyed from Almon Divlathaymah and they encamped in Harei Ha'avarim before Nevo.
  	And they journeyed from Harei Ha'avarim and they encamped in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho.
  	And they encamped by the Jordan from Beth Hayeshimoth until Aveil [the plain of] Shittim in the plains of Moav [a distance of twelve miles].
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you are crossing the Jordan [on the dry land] to the land of Canaan, [cross with the following intent (52), that you will drive out the inhabitants of the land, (lacking which, the waters will return and drown you (See Joshua 4:10)].
  	And you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, and you shall destroy all their temples [where they prostrated themselves to idolatry]; and all their molten images shall you destroy, and all of their sacrificial mounds shall you raze.
  	And [when] you rid the land [of its inhabitants], you will [be able to] dwell therein; for to you have I given the land to inherit it.
  	And you shall possess the land by lot according to your families. For the many shall you increase his inheritance, and for the few shall you decrease his inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for him, it (i.e., that land) shall be his. By the tribes of your fathers [according to the number that left Egypt] shall you inherit.
  	And if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those you leave over of them shall be as pegs in your eyes and as thorn hedges on your sides ["hedging" you in], and they will vex you on the land in which you dwell.
  	And it shall be, as I thought to do to them, I shall do to you.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Command the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the land, Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you [by lot] for an inheritance, the land of Canaan, by its borders: [(Because many mitzvoth obtain in Eretz Yisrael and not outside it, it was necessary to delimit the boundaries exactly.)]
  	The south side shall be to you from the desert of Tzin near Edom. And your southern border shall be for you from the eastern edge of the Salt Sea.
  	And the border shall incline for you, [bearing northwest] to the south of Ma'aleh Akrabim [(so that Ma'aleh Akrabim is within the boundary)], and it shall pass on to Tzin. And its edge shall be south of Kadesh Barnea. And it shall go out [continuing northwest] to Chatzar Addar, and it shall pass on to Atzmon.
  	And the border shall incline from Atzmon to Nachal Mitzrayim [the southwest corner of the boundary], and its [western] edge shall be at the sea.
  	And [what is] the western border? The Great Sea and the bounds [i.e., the islands within it)] shall be for you. This shall be the western border for you.
  	And this shall be the northern border for you. From the Great Sea you shall turn for yourselves [from west to north] to Hor Hahar [at the northwest corner, sloping into the sea].
  	From Hor Hahar you shall turn [and bear east (on the northern border)] to the entrance of Chamath [Antioch]; and the edge of the border [on that particular line, before turning backwards to proceed thence in a wider diagonal] shall be to Tzedad.
  	And the (northern) border shall go out to Ziphron and its edge [the end of the northern boundary] shall be at Chatzar Einan. This shall be the northern border for you.
  	And you shall turn for yourselves to the eastern border, from Chatzar Einan to Shefam.
  	And the border shall descend from Shefam to Rivlah, east of Ayin [(so that Ayin is within the boundary)]. And the border shall go down and hit the shoulder of the Sea of Kinnereth on the east [(so that the Sea of Kinnereth, to the west, is within the boundary)].
  	And the border shall descend to the Jordan [(which flows southeastwards towards Canaan, junctures at the Kinnereth, and spills into the Salt Sea)]; and its [southeast] edge shall be the Salt Sea. This shall be for you the land, by its borders roundabout.
  	And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: This is the land which you shall take possession of by lot, which the L-rd commanded to give to the nine tribes and the half tribe.
  	For the tribe of the sons of the Reuveni by their fathers' house, and the tribe of the sons of the Gadi by their fathers' house, and half the tribe of Menasheh have taken their inheritance.
  	The two tribes and the half tribe have taken their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, to the fore [of the world], to the east.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	These are the names of the men who shall possess the land for you, [each chief acting as the representative of his tribe and apportioning the tribe's inheritance by families and individuals, selecting a portion appropriate for each]: Elazar the Cohein and Joshua the son of Nun.
  	And one chief, one chief, from a tribe shall you take to possess [and take a share in] the land [in your place].
  	And these are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Yehudah, Calev ben Yefuneh.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Shimon, Shmuel ben Amihud.
  	And of the tribe of Binyamin, Elidad ben Kislon.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Dan, the chief, Bukki ben Yagli.
  	Of the sons of Joseph, of the tribe of the sons of Menasheh, the chief, Chaniel ben Efod.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, the chief, Kemuel ben Shiftan.
  	And of the tribe of the children of Zevulun, the chief, Elitzafan ben Parnach.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Yissachar, the chief, Paltiel ben Azan.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Asher, the chief, Achihud ben Shlomi.
  	And of the tribe of the sons of Naftali, the chief, Pedahel ben Amihud.
  	These are (those) whom the L-rd commanded to effect acquisition [of the land according to its divisions (i.e., families, etc.)] by the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
  
  
  
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho, saying:
  	Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their holding, cities to dwell in; and an open space for the cities roundabout [(for beauty, not for building or sowing)] shall you give to the Levites.
  	And the cities shall be for them to dwell in. And their open spaces shall be for their beasts, for their possessions, and for all of their needs.
  	And the open spaces of the cities that you give to the Levites, from the wall of the city and outwards, one thousand cubits roundabout ["two thousand cubits" (5) are to be understood as two thousand cubits all around; the inner thousand for the open space, and the outer, for fields and vineyards.]
  	And you shall measure from outside the city: on the east side, two thousand cubits, and on the south side, two thousand cubits, and on the west side, two thousand cubits, and on the north side, two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst. This shall be for them the open spaces of the cities.
  	And the cities which you shall give to the Levites: the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the slayer to flee there; and, in addition to them, you shall give forty-two cities.
  	All the cities which you shall give to the Levites: forty-eight cities, they and their open places.
  	And the cities that you give from the holding of the children of Israel: From the many, shall you give more, and from the few shall you give less. Each, according to his inheritance that they shall inherit shall give of his cities to the Levites.
  	And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying:
  	Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan to the land of Canaan,
  	You shall designate cities for yourselves. Cities of refuge shall there be for you. And there shall flee there a slayer who kills a soul unwittingly.
  	And the cities shall be for you as a refuge from the avenger [of the blood, who is kin to the slain man]; and the slayer shall not die until he stand before the congregation for judgment.
  	And the cities which you shall provide — six cities of refuge shall there be for you. [(Even though Moses in his lifetime designated three cities across the Jordan as cities of refuge (Deuteronomy 4:41), they did not afford refuge until three had been designated by Joshua in the land of Canaan.)]
  	The three cities shall you provide across the Jordan, and the three cities shall you provide in the land of Canaan [(Though there were nine tribes in the land of Canaan, and only two and a half across the Jordan, there were three cities of refuge for both, Gilead (across the Jordan) being "profuse" in slayers)]; cities of refuge shall they be.
  	For the children of Israel and for the sojourner and for the dweller in their midst shall these six cities be for refuge, to flee there all who kill a soul unwittingly.
  	And if with an iron implement [of any size] he kill him [intentionally], and he die, he is a murderer — die shall die the murderer, [it being known to the L-rd that any amount of iron can kill. (Other implements must first be established as lethal before the slayer is put to death, viz. (17 and 18): "whereby he can die.")].
  	And if with a hand-stone [i.e., the size of a full hand], whereby he can die [see above], he strike him, and he die, he is a murderer — die shall die the murderer.
  	Or if with a wooden implement, whereby he can die, he strike him, and he die, he is a murderer — die shall die the murderer. [(This, to indicate that the "rod" of Exodus 21:20 must be of killing potential.)]
  	The avenger, he shall kill the murderer; when he comes upon him, [even within the cities of refuge], he shall kill him.
  	And if in hatred he thrust him, or hurl aught at him in ambush, and he die,
  	Or if in hatred he strike him with his hand, and he die, then die shall die the smiter; he is a murderer. The avenger shall kill the murderer when he comes upon him.
  	And if by accident, without hatred, he thrust him, or he cast upon him some implement, without ambush,
  	Or with any stone, whereby one can die he strike him, without seeing [him], and he cast it upon him [with a downward (but not with an upward) movement], and he die, and he not be his foe and not intend his evil,
  	Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger according to these judgments,
  	And the congregation shall rescue the slayer from the hand of the avenger, and the congregation shall return him to the city of his refuge to which he had fled, and he shall dwell there until the death of the high-priest who had been anointed with the holy oil, [it not being fitting that he, the slayer, whose act leads to the departure of the Shechinah from Israel and the shortening of their lives abide before the high-priest, whose end is the reposing of the Shechinah upon Israel and the lengthening of their lives)].
  	And if the murderer go beyond he border of the city of his refuge whither he has fled,
  	And the avenger find him outside the border of the city of his refuge, then the avenger may slay the murderer; he has no blood [i.e., he is like one who kills a dead man, who has no blood.]
  	For in the city of his refuge shall he dwell until the death of the high-priest; and after the death of the high-priest, the slayer shall return to the land of his holding.
  	And these shall be for you a statute of judgment throughout your generations in all of your dwellings [A small sanhedrin obtains outside of Eretz Yisrael so long as one obtains in Eretz Yisrael.]
  	Whoever would kill a soul [because he killed another], by the testimony of witnesses [that he killed wittingly and after having been forewarned] shall he kill the slayer; and one witness shall not testify against a soul to have him put to death.
  	And you shall not take ransom for the soul of a murderer who is liable to death, but die shall he die.
  	And you shall not take ransom for him [who killed unwittingly and] who fled to the city of his refuge, to return to dwell in the land before the death of the (high-) priest.
  	And you shall not convict the land in which you are. For the blood convicts the land, and the land will not have atonement for the blood that was spilled in it except by the blood of its spiller.
  	And you shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in which I dwell [(so that you not cause Me to dwell in its uncleanliness)], for I, the L-rd, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel [even when they are unclean].
  
  
  
  	And the heads of the fathers of the family of the children of Gilad, the son of Machir the son of Menasheh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, drew near, and they spoke before Moses and before the chiefs of the heads of the fathers of the children of Israel.
  	And they said: The L-rd commanded my lord to give the land in inheritance by lot to the children of Israel. And my lord was commanded by the L-rd to give the inheritance of Tzelafchad our brother to his daughters.
  	And if they become wives to any of the sons of the (other) tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be diminished from the inheritance of our fathers and it will be added onto the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, [for their sons will inherit them, and the sons are of the father's tribe], and from the lot of our inheritance will it be diminished.
  	And [even] when the Jubilee obtains for the children of Israel, [when sold land (as opposed to an inheritance) reverts to its original owner — Even when the Jubilee obtains (the implication being that it is destined to cease for a time)], their inheritance shall be added onto the inheritance of the tribe to which they are wed, and from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers their inheritance will be diminished!
  	And Moses commanded the children of Israel by the word of the L-rd saying: Rightly does the tribe of the sons of Joseph speak.
  	This is the thing that the L-rd has commanded respecting the daughters of Tzelafchad, saying: To whom it is pleasing in their eyes shall they be as wives; but to the family of the tribe of their father shall they be as wives.
  	And an inheritance of the children of Israel shall not go around from tribe to tribe, but each, to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers, shall the children of Israel cleave.
  	And every daughter who receives an inheritance from the tribes of the children of Israel, [(her father having had no son)], to one of the family of the tribe of her father shall she be as a wife, so that the children of Israel will inherit, each, the inheritance of his fathers.
  	And an inheritance shall not go around from one tribe to a different tribe, but each to his inheritance shall cleave, the tribes of the children of Israel.
  	As the L-rd commanded Moses, thus did the daughters of Tzelafchad.
  	And Machlah, Tirtzah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Noah, the daughters of Tzelafchad, became wives to the sons of their uncles. [Here they are reckoned in order of their seniority, in which order they wed, whereas elsewhere they are reckoned in order of wisdom (whence it is to be derived that they are to be regarded as equals)].
  	(To men) of the families of the sons of Joseph were they wives, so that their inheritance reverted to the tribe of the family of their father.
  	These are the mitzvoth and the judgments that the L-rd commanded through Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moav by the Jordan (near) Jericho.