By Talia Davis
The parsha (weekly Torah portion) for the week ending May 15 is Bamidbar. Bamidbar means "in the desert" in Hebrew and is the fifth word (and first distinctive word) in the portion. It is also the name of the new book we are reading, Bamidbar = Numbers. Be sure to check out the cartoons at the end for some great perspectives on these Torah portions.Numbers is an accurate English name for this book of the Torah as this book is filled with a lot of census numbers and family lineages. The rest of the book is filled with the story of the Israelites from Sinai (where we received the Torah) and Moab where we send the twelve spies to check out the land of Israel. Then there is the exile for forty years after the negative reports from the majority of the spies. Finally, the book ends with the preparations to enter Israel.
This initial parsha tells us about the census of the Israelites and more about the priestly duties. Here is how the tribes break down:
| Reuben: 46,500 Gad: 45,650 Judah: 74,600 Issachar: 54,400 Zebulun: 57,400 |
Ephraim: 40,500 Manasseh: 32,200 Benjamin: 35,400 Dan: 62,700 Asher: 41,500 Naphtali: 53,400 |
This equals 603,550 male Israelites of fighting age (20-60 years old). That's a lot of people to wrangle in the desert (and we don't know the count of the women and children)!
Now that everyone is accounted for, G-d tells us where to sleep. It's like bunks at sleep away camp but on a larger scale. Basically, the Levis are around the Tabernacle; Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun on the front, or east side; Reuben, Simeon, and Gad on the south side; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin on the west side; and Dan, Asher, and Naphtali on the north side.
| North | ||||||
| Asher | DAN | Naphtali | ||||
| Benjamin | Merari | Issachar | ||||
| West | EPHRAIM | Gershon | THE TABERNACLE | Priests | JUDAH | East |
| Manasseh | Kohath | Zedulun | ||||
| Gad | REUBEN | Simeon | ||||
| South |
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