Bemidbar (parashah)


Bemidbar, BeMidbar, B'midbar, Bamidbar, or Bamidbor, is the 34th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Numbers. The parashah tells of the census and the priests' duties.
It constitutes Numbers 1:1–4:20. The parashah is made up of 7,393 Hebrew letters, 1,823 Hebrew words, 159 verses, and 263 lines in a Torah Scroll. Jews generally read it in May or early June.

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or, aliyot.
Rank by PopulationTribePopulationPercentage
1Judah74,60012.4
2Dan62,70010.4
3Simeon59,3009.8
4Zebulun57,4009.5
5Issachar54,4009.0
6Naphtali53,4008.8
7Reuben46,5007.7
8Gad45,6507.6
9Asher41,5006.9
10Ephraim40,5006.7
11Benjamin35,4005.9
12Manasseh32,2005.3
TOTAL603,550100.0

First reading—Numbers 1:1–19

In the first reading, in the wilderness, in the second month of the second year following the Exodus from Egypt, God directed Moses to take a census of the Israelite men age 20 years and up, "all those in Israel who are able to bear arms." The heads of each of the tribes or army divisions are named.

Second reading—Numbers 1:20–54

In the second reading, the census showed the following populations by tribe:
  • Reuben: 46,500
  • Simeon: 59,300
  • 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
totaling 603,550 in all.
God told Moses not to enroll the Levites, but to put them in charge of carrying, assembling, tending to, and guarding the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Any outsider who encroached on the Tabernacle was to be put to death.
North
AsherDANNaphtali
BenjaminMerariIssachar
WestEPHRAIMGershonTHE TABERNACLEPriestsJUDAHEast
ManassehKohathZebulun
GadREUBENSimeon
South

Third reading—Numbers 2:1–34

In the third reading, God told Moses that the Israelites were to encamp by tribe as follows:
  • around the Tabernacle: Levi
  • on the front, or east side: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun
  • on the south: Reuben, Simeon, and Gad
  • on the west: Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin
  • on the north: Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.

    Fourth reading—Numbers 3:1–13

In the fourth reading, God instructed Moses to place the Levites in attendance upon Aaron to serve him and the priests. God took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites, whom God consecrated when God killed the firstborn in Egypt.

Fifth reading—Numbers 3:14–39

In the fifth reading, God then told Moses to record by ancestral house and by clan the Levite men from the age of one month up, and he did so. The Levites divided by their ancestral houses, based on the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Rank by PopulationDivisionPopulationPercentage
1Kohathites8,60038.6
2Gershonites7,50033.6
3Merarites6,20027.8
Total22,300100.0

  • The Gershonites, numbered 7,500, camped behind the Tabernacle, to the west, and had charge of the Tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent, the hangings of the enclosure, the screen for the entrance of the enclosure that surrounded the Tabernacle, and the altar.
  • The Kohathites, numbered 8,600, camped along the south side of the Tabernacle, and had charge of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sacred utensils, and the screen.
  • The Merarites, numbered 6,200, camped along the north side of the Tabernacle, and had charge of the planks of the Tabernacle, its bars, posts, sockets, and furnishings, and the posts around the enclosure and their sockets, pegs, and cords.
  • Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons camped in front of the Tabernacle, on the east.
The total number of the Levites came to 22,000.

Sixth reading—Numbers 3:40–51

In the sixth reading, God instructed Moses to record every firstborn male of the Israelites aged one month old and upwards, and they came to 22,273. God told Moses to take the 22,000 Levites for God in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites, and the Levites' cattle in exchange for the Israelites' cattle. To redeem the 273 Israelite firstborn over and above the number of the Levites, God instructed Moses to take five shekels a head and to give the money to the priests.

Seventh reading—Numbers 4:1–20

In the seventh reading, God then directed Moses and Aaron to take a separate census of the Kohathites between the ages of 30 and 50, who were to perform tasks for the Tent of Meeting. The Kohathites had responsibility for the most sacred objects.
At the breaking of camp, Aaron and his sons were to take down the Ark, the table of display, the lampstand, and the service vessels, and cover them all with cloths and skins. Only when Aaron and his sons had finished covering the sacred objects would the Kohathites come and lift them. Aaron's son Eleazar had responsibility for the lighting oil, the aromatic incense, the regular meal offering, the anointing oil, and all the consecrated things in the Tabernacle. God charged Moses and Aaron to take care not to let the Kohathites die because they went inside and witnessed the dismantling of the sanctuary.

Readings according to the triennial cycle

Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:
Year 1Year 2Year 3
2023, 2026, 2029...2024, 2027, 2030...2025, 2028, 2031...
Reading1:1–542:1–3:133:14–4:20
11:1–42:1–93:14–20
21:5–162:10–163:21–26
31:17–192:17–243:27–39
41:20–272:25–313:40–43
51:28–352:32–343:44–51
61:36–433:1–44:1–10
71:44–543:5–134:11–20
Maftir1:52–543:11–134:17–20

In inner-biblical interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

Numbers chapter 1

Numbers 1:1 begins, "On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt." According to Exodus 40:17, that would be one month after the date that Moses set up the Tabernacle. Numbers 7:1 then reports, "On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle," the chieftains of the tribes began bringing their offerings and would continue for 12 days. At the same time, the ordination events of Leviticus 8 took place. "On the eighth day," the inaugural offerings of Leviticus 9 took place, followed by the incident of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. Numbers 9:5 then reports, "on the fourteenth day of the month," the Israelites offered the Passover sacrifice. And Numbers 9:11 then reports that the second Passover for those unable to participate in the first Passover would commence "in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month." Thus, the events beginning with Numbers 1:1 would have taken place shortly after the setting up of the Tabernacle, the chieftain's offerings, the ordination and inaugural ceremonies of the Tabernacle, the incident of Nadab and Abihu, and the first Passover, but shortly before the second Passover.
Three times in this parashah the Torah lists the tribes, and each time the Torah lists the tribes in a different order:
123456789101112
Numbers 1:1–5ReubenSimeonJudahIssacharZebulunEphraimManassehBenjaminDanAsherGadNaphtali
Numbers 1:20–43ReubenSimeonGadJudahIssacharZebulunEphraimManassehBenjaminDanAsherNaphtali
Numbers 2:3–31JudahIssacharZebulunReubenSimeonGadEphraimManassehBenjaminDanAsherNaphtali