Naso
Numbers 4:21-7:89
Judges 13:2-25
You are given a surprise birthday party and guests come from far and wide. They shout, “Surprise!” You are surprised. The guests leave a large pile of gifts. You have a wonderful evening. The guests go home.
You open the gifts while still radiant with the afterglow of the celebration. However, upon opening the gifts, you are dumbfounded to discover 12 identical presents. You survey the pile of toaster ovens and speculate about what you are going to do with all of them and wonder if this was some kind of joke.
Although we have all occasionally received duplicate gifts, this highly improbable incident of receiving identical gifts actually occurred in Naso, this week’s Torah portion. For the dedication of the completed desert tabernacle, a request was made for each of the 12 tribal leaders to present an offering on successive days.
On the first day, Nahshon, son of Amminadab, presented: “one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels…both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs.”
On the second day, Nethanel son of Zuar, chieftain of Issachar, made the identical offering. On the third day, the chieftain of the Zebulunites presented the same offering (Numbers 7: 13-29). And so it continued through day 12, with identical gifts from each of the tribes.
A very long and repetitive text, a chapter of 89 verses, concludes with an inventory of the gifts: “This was the dedication offering for the altar from the chieftains of Israel upon its being anointed: silver bowls, 12; silver basins, 12; gold ladles, 12. [Weight of] silver per bowl, 130; per basin, 70. Total silver of vessels, 2,400 sanctuary shekels. The 12 gold ladles filled with incense — 10 sanctuary shekels per ladle — total gold of the ladles, 120. Total of herd animals for burnt offerings: 12 bulls, 12 rams, 12 yearling lambs, 12 proper meal offerings, 12 goats for sin offerings. The total of herd animals for sacrifices of well-being: 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 he-goats, 60 yearling lambs” (Numbers 7:84-88).
A reader who wonders why it was necessary to provide such a detailed catalogue of the same gifts is in good company because rabbinic commentators also thought these lengthy, repetitive passages must have a deeper meaning.
One commentator suggests that the reason each gift was spelled out so carefully was to demonstrate that each gift actually was different and only appeared to be alike in outward appearance. Each gift was representative of each tribe’s unique character and history.
The rabbis of later generations defined those gifts in light of this interpretation. For example, in the case of Issachar, the tribe thought to be known for its study of Torah, gifts of the silver bowl and basin were imagined metaphorically to be the written law and the oral law. Similarly, the 10-shekel weight gold ladle was thought to be the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed and the incense was the equivalent of the 613 mitzvot. Each item presented by each tribe was assigned a different meaning, emphasizing the belief that things are not always what they appear to be (Midrash Rabbah 13.14).
This extended passage in Naso provides an example of exegesis, the interpretation of a text by looking beyond the apparent meaning of the text. Exegesis infuses the text with subtle nuances that give added and enriched meaning to text study.
Thus, when reading the Torah, the obvious meaning is not always the one that provides the reader with the best insights. The rabbis taught that each and every word in the text is there for a good reason.
Just as the interpretation of the 12 identical gifts is the route to richer understanding of the text, similarly other verses are filled with equally interesting insights. Discovering them is what makes Torah study so worthwhile.