Bamidbar: The Antecedent | Rabbi Ari Kahn May 29th 2025

So this week we we start a new book. So it could be that some people will have this wonderful illusion that since it's a new book, I can just kind of enter over here and catch up on everything because it's a completely new book. So you know I just now added a word completely. And yes, it is a new book. Yes, it is a newer. And yes, we said Kazakh last week, but nonetheless, there seems to be that this book is kind of following on uh on the foothills of the other books and I'm going to come to that in a second. It starts off first observation and I'm I'm sorry because I'm skipping ahead a little bit but if you go further in the book other dates are given and you'll get to next week and you'll find that next week we're going to get to the second year. This is the second year in the first month which means we are going to go backwards. Now I know and hopefully you know that there is this ongoing argument among the commentaries. Do we say which would roughly mean does the Torah necessarily follow a chronology what chronic okay is the Torah written in a chronological fashion or is the Torah written I'll I'll give the other possibility in a thematic fashion not necessarily chronological now that argument is not as absolute as you may think so let's take the person who is generally associated with the strongest advocate for saying that we always follow the chronology and that's the Ramban. The Ramban doesn't say that in absolute terms. The Ramban doesn't say it in absolute terms. The Ramban says that you never claim that we're not following the chronology unless it's clear in the Torah. So the Ramban is not going to argue and start getting philosophical or I'll I'll be anti-Semitic or get Talmudic and explain how no really the second month is before the first month. No, the rabban will agree as well that the Torah is not written in chronological level. He just order he just doesn't think that that's one of the tools in the paran's toolbox to be able to pull out whenever there's something which needs some kind of smoothing over explanation. He believes you can only say it when it's clear. And by the way, there are cases which it's not clear but it's not not clear. It's someplace in the middle. And then the Ramban also does not get all worked up about it. You can see sometimes that he's willing to consider it even though again more often than not he'll reject it but he will accept in a case like this and say for midbar there is just simply nothing else that one could say. So I'm noting that as well over here the other thing is actually the words other than the timing and it says the beta. So, we're told that we should have a census, which is interesting because we've never had a census before. I mean, some people note that why was that not a census perhaps when we left Egypt? Maybe. I think that the answer will become very clear in the next which means it sounds to be that the reason that we're having a census at this point is because we need to put together an army. So I'm I'm going to say another thing about seaf midbar and that is like this tension which exists different commentaries will identify it more or less by the way more often less but it's a tension that exists throughout the book and that is right now and for that matter ever since at least ever since the plague started since we left Egypt since the splitting of the sea since the mud fell since the water the the bear mirror and so on and so forth. We've been living a supernatural existence. Did I skip on an the we've been living a supernatural existence which means everything about our lives again protection, sustenance, water, food, everything about it is supernatural. There most likely was a very strong sense that at some point that's going to come to an end. Now the question is is first of all is that the case? Does it come to an end or do we get to live that way forever? Second point is if it does come to an end then when does it come to an end? I'm going to say again now pay attention because that is going to be beneath the surface of a lot of what's taking place in Bida. Probably the most important will be this question of do you send spies or don't send spies. If we're going to go into a supernatural from a supernatural to a natural existence and we're going to have to conquer the land, then perhaps we need a lot more information. But I'm noting right here in the very beginning, very beginning of the book, God is saying, "Go and have a census. Let's count how many soldiers we have." And that's the word here. I don't know what else to do with it. It says I mean what what what else are you going to say about this is that we need an army. We need there to be soldiers and people from the age of 20 are of soldiering age and therefore that's like like the beginning the middle and the end of the of the discussion. If you look quickly at the rashbam in source number two It says there we have under three weeks to get our army together. We're under three weeks to prepare ourselves. And by the way, I'm going to say it again now if you didn't hear me clearly enough that if the part of the tension which is taking place is this going to be natural supernatural. It sure sounds like God just not kind of gave them a hint and that was at least be prepared for the natural. Okay. Again, whether there's supernatural help or whether something else is going to happen, but our role is not to rely on the miraculous. Our role is to absolutely people of the age of 20 to go and to be counted and therefore to anybody think I'm speaking politically right now. That's uh completely within completely within your imaginations. And by the way, I I I have no tolerance for uh for silliness. I'll just say it like that. And anybody who tells me, "But it's really that the colo guys are protecting," I'll say, "Great. Let's put them on the border. Let's put on the border open col after col after col and they'll protect all of us and therefore we can send everyone else home and everything will be fine. So I apologize for my cynicism but um it's sincere cynicism. I use that as a short how much trouble you want to get into. By the way, think of the bright side. Maybe I won't have to teach her anymore. So let us continue. Thei writes again the same lines we got 20 days under three weeks again they're all getting this. It's that if we and by the way it's also interesting and just in terms of the chron chronological issue. Yes, in part n. So, we're going to go back to what happened on that on that first month, maybe even the first day of the first month of the second year, one month before this, but that's not really the issue. That that's like a side story along the way. Yeah, it happened to be on that day. They did certain things. That's not the story. We're starting the book over here because this is the topic of the book. Oh, oh, by the way, I don't want to ruin the book for you. It doesn't work out. we don't end up entering Israel within uh within 20 days. I'll tell you another secret that this whole book was um not supposed to be supposed to be really short book, right? 3 weeks we're going in. So what happens in 3 weeks? Cloud lifts up and we go in and that's the end of the story. But it didn't work out that way. There's delay after delay after delay. And again, not the obvious things, not the things that you would think, but at the end of the day, we end up with a whole book. And somebody's saying, "Great, we got another book. We got another book of Torah. This is so great." But the problem is is that we have another book of Torah. And this and book, this book is just a book full of failures. And and and I'm going to say another thing about the failures. Again, this is much more introductory to the book itself. We're about to identify people. Again, it says as we move further back to the wrote and it starts mentioning various people if we go through the entire Torah, but certainly if we go from the day that we left Egypt or if you want even before we left Egypt from from the day that Moshe is spoken to at the burning bush at the snare, there are always in the background the Zakanim, the leaders the elders, these others, and these judges and so on. And none of them do anything positive. I'm sorry for overstating that. Show me one positive thing that any of them did. And I and I love And I love when people get up and they give lectures. I call lectures. I can't give it to call it a year. They give lectures and they talk about leadership and how Mosha's leadership wasn't really what it should be. Just stop. Mosha's leadership is great. Again, the the Mosha, I'm not even going to enter into that discussion, but where are the people? Where's the support staff? Again, at every just show me at every single step along the way, where are these people supposed to, you know, where were they by just think a second where were all of these people by the where were they? Where were the elders? the whole story about Yitro when he when he told him to get where are the judges if the stories where are they where where are these people you want to go a little further again I'm going to tell you every single episode you want with the Korak episode where are these people you want by the moranglin where are these people should I keep should I keep on going I if you want by the story of Zimry where are these people I if by every single one of these stages okay there are people in the background there are these elders there are these leaders the and by the way these guys I'm going to say something else which I love their names their names are great there's some midrashin that talk about their names so again you look at this great name over here we'll go first one there's something really great and powerful about that name you look right isn't as good Right. I'm I'm saying name every one of these names or the majority of these names are great powerful names but not just powerful names. God is in is in their names. There seems to be a God consciousness within these names. By the way, you can compare them to the names of the moragum. The names of moragum are are far more problematic. But you look at these names. So I'm saying, okay, these are the people chosen. Why were they chosen? I don't know why they're chosen. But at least superficially, you know, you look at the guy's resume, you say, you know what, I like his name. I know this. I'm not for I'm saying this is what Mosha is doing. He's got six different candidates, then we're going to take this guy because I I think there's something else going on, but I'm going to say it again. If these are the best of the best along the way, I just love to know what happens with them. And as we get to paralotra, Mosha is going to articulate how he feels so absolutely utterly alone. So why is that? Why is it that there is nobody else who is part of a support staff and people are there and they're helping along the way. So therefore, if there is a failure of leadership which is taking place throughout the book of Midbar, I'm not looking at Moshe over here. I'm looking at not only are people not supporting him, people are sharpening their knives and waiting for the opportunity in order to trip him up and to do whatever they can for their own whatever personal considerations are. So, uh the veneer is beautiful right now with all of these great names. But, uh okay, new as Makarayam Aohim, right? That that that is really what uh what troubles me over here. Now, if we've already said that this is a new book, so being a new book, but we know it's not a new book, but but being that it's a new book, so now there's going to be a list of of the various 12 tribes. So, what's about to happen should be really easy, but I don't want you to look inside. I want you just to think, right? I don't know if you know this, but thinking is an important part of learning. Right? I know people think listening is No, listening is not as important. thinking is an important part of learning and the first thing that you need to think about is okay we're going to have a list of the 12 tribes before I look let me now try to anticipate what should that list be now I I can have various ways of doing it one of the most amazing stories and I don't believe I I ever wrote this is that because I did write some things about Rav Gusman but when Rusman was a little kid and he would learn Gamorrah and Rashi he would learn the gamorra and then he would write down what he thought Rashi would write and then he would compare compare his Rashi with the other Rashi and then try to figure out why Rashi didn't necessarily explain things the way that he did. So I don't know how most of us are like trying breaking our heads trying to figure out what it was that Rashi said and he's there anticipating what Rashi should say which by the way if you learn Gamarra enough so that's actually part of it is that you can think through logically what the next step is over here. So in before I confuse you unnecessarily, I'm just going to give you a little bit of information. Throughout the book of Bameidbar, we have various times where the 12 tribes are listed. These lists often are completely different from one another. It's not that there's one list and that's what's always used. Quite the opposite. So, anybody wanted to and I did this once. I went through every single time and I lined them up and I compared them and which ones are being repeated and when are they repeated and what's the contexts and what other contexts are there and I'm going to say it again. There's all kinds of challenges. One of the challenges is going to be as we get to the next chapter when we get to the formation which is going to be in the desert and what what what we would have predicted and what actually the reality regarding what that formation is going to be. But again the simply the list that we're going to have over here and I want to say this a priori none of us would have been able to predict the list as it appears over here. Nobody you can argue with me as I go through it. None of you would have predicted it postfacto after you have the list. Then you're going to start explaining to me why it is. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to understand for the most part. But what I will say is that none of you would have predicted this and I again I could have asked given each one of you 10 opportunities to write lists. None of you would have come up with this list as it is right do you accept that challenge that that's the that that's the case or or not yet? And again let's take a look. We start off with Ruane. Did that make any sense? Yes. Yeah, not only to start with Ruvane, but when you move onward over here, let me just make sure that I have it here someplace and it says Ruvane is right. So, Ruvane is called the Bur. So, those of you just again want to have a chance to speak today. So, why is Ruvane first? Because he's the BR. See how easy that was, right? So, so, so therefore, are you now tempted to say that we're going to be following this uh a chronological order? Yes. Okay. Good. Perfect. So, we're we're we're so far one for one. By the way, you all realize statistically one for one. Okay. Good. That doesn't do very much for you. Good. Ruin. Next. Second pos. Second one is Shimon. So, was that predictable? Yeah. So, now now you're two for two. Next pos Yehuda. So who should who would you have predicted would have been next? Ley. So you're particular to Ley. I know. So so therefore you're but Ley is not here. So now post factor the Ley is not here. So that's actually going to trigger a couple of things. I I'll explain as we get there. But Ley is not here and we skipped Ley went to Yehuda, but we would not necessarily have predicted that. Next. Who should be next? Why should you be next? That means you It means you just now abandoned chronology. If you is next, you just now you just now ignored chronology. Do we need to go back and learn parates? By the way, what's the answer? Yes, we need to go back and to learn parad and take a look because there's a a couple things you so who who's next? Should I remind you of the story? Leia has four kids and then Rael gets worked up and Rael complains and then YaKob and then what happens? Then Bilha gets interested which means that the next two kids are going to be the children of Bila. Do I need to remind you who they were or or no? Okay. By the way, this morning as I was uh sitting by breakfast, I said to my chat GPT, I said, "Put all the 12 sons of Yakov in uh genealogical order and align them with their mothers." Now, the thing is, I don't know the genealological order because I don't know if Billah had two kids and then Zilpa had two kids or Bella had one and then Zilpa had one. So, I don't know the chronological order. I'm just I'm just stating Jack Chat GVT knows better than I do, but uh but it it may not it may not. And then he said, "Do you want to see this as a as a picture?" So I said, "Sure." And it was wrong. It got the picture wrong. So trust it. You could trust it on many things, but you need to know what you're trusting it on. So let let me let me continue now. So who in fact does it mention next? It mentions instead of who is really next. If you were convinced we're doing genealological order where we skipped Ley, that's why I'm saying you never would have guessed this. Now we have Yak and then Zulan, which means what did it just now do? It did all six sons of Leia first. Okay, you say, "Oh, now I understand that makes sense." Well, actually, it didn't do all six of it did five sons of Leia and it skipped one of the sons of Leia. And I'm going to say this again, you never would have done this by yourselves. Afterwards, you say, "Oh, yeah, sure. We got all of Leia, but we took Le'Vi out. Why do we take Leave out?" Well, we'll figure that out as we move on. But right now it's it's all Leia. So now who's going to become after all Leia? So if you're gonna if you're going to go in terms of the genealogy, I mean you really should have put Bilah already, right? Because Bilah is going to have a kid before anyone else. But instead it does something else. And it says next and [Music] persuas. Now that was predictable. So you know what if you go through the whole book then you'll find something out. And what is that? That we always have 12 tribes but in order to get the number of 12 because counting to 12 is not always that easy in order it's not always in order to get to 12. So if you remove Ley so then you have 11. So then you need to put in an extra one. So therefore you're going to have two from Yoseph. So once Ley was gone that should have been predictable but you wouldn't necessarily have predicted it. But there's another problem. Do you know the other problem? And you and it's not going to bother you and you're going to solve it for me immediately. But what's the other problem? It just put a frying before Manasha. So that doesn't bother you. Of course it doesn't bother you. Why doesn't it bother you? Who was born first? Manasha. So why doesn't it bother you? Okay. So now we just now notice something which I hope you already appreciated and that is that you really do know need to know a little bit of safer in order to be understanding this list over here right you need to know the mothers you need to know that Yakov had said I know I know I know yadati right I know I know that he's older right but Aphraim comes before manasha so you're so again postfactor you're all going to say yeah of course Ephraim becomes before Manasha. But if it would have been Manasha before before Fry, what would you have said to me? Of course, Manasha comes before Fry. Which is why you have no credibility, right? Okay. So, I I I keep telling you the reason to come to a shear is to be made to feel inadequate. you say you succeeded because if if you know everything he's going to say first of all you feel good then you say I'm not going to that he doesn't know anything so anyway let's continue so you have this yosef intrigue and then who comes next so now you're all going to say to me of course Byammen comes next why does come next oh by the way's older than a frymana so he should have come first which means go going back again but you're going to say no why are you going to say no you're going to say Because no no no binyamin should become before nasha. So what are you going to say is that no if anda are there because of yoseph. So therefore yoseph is older but but if not older nasha is not old. Which means I'm going to say this again that uh I if came first then what would you all say to me? Of course binyam comes first. By is older. So once again, I could have made all kinds of arguments over here, especially when whoever was after one said it's g who who said that? It's because of we're going in geological order. Who who said that? No one no one wants to raise their hand now. That that right after one, yes, he's he's the oldest. So if he's the oldest, then just continue with that. So you now realize that that was not necessarily the issue was that he was the oldest. Not may maybe it's because he's the Bahour. But if he's the Bahor who just now saw it mentions a little later on, then what's going on with Yoseph? Does he Why is Yoseph getting the two? And hopefully now you are completely confounded. Good. Yes. So, who should come next? I'm not I'm not even going to bother with you. Who should come next? Okay. And who's and and which kid is that? So, who who were Bill's kids? I you don't have time to look up and chat. That was perfect. But the other two D and Nulli done, right? Dali then which by the way is the order it's the order in the beginning of beginning when you have all 12. So it's a so here next is d and then asher dtali asher. So by the way we just now lost our gi geneal genealogy for sure because God is older than asher and don and naftali I don't know. So then you have don then asher then god then nfttali. So what are you going to have to then say? Well, all of mothers are the same. So like don't bother me. I again this that's what I'm saying is there is no way any of you would have done this especially the last four. The last the last four doesn't follow any obvious type of of sequence. And therefore I'll go backwards again and I'll say there is no way in the world I could have given you I did I say 10? I can give I could have given each one of you a hundred different chances of trying to put them in sequence and you would not have succeeded in getting the sequence which is over here. And again I'm going to say now and go through every single time that we have a list of the tribes throughout the book and there are not necessarily the same. Sometimes you can try to you know figure out some things and sometimes you just look say I I I don't know what's going on. Are we good? We're good. This um in source four, the sworno follows the same path. And he says this a bunch of times. He said this in the end of a he says this here. He'll say this in the beginning and he says it multiple times to put them in order, right? We're going in immediately, which by the way, notice something. He's already getting to the next chapter, which means he's not just talking about he's not just talking about counting and army age, whatever. He's also talking about marching formation. He he already went over to the next chapter. He says, but by the way, again, that's part of the issue. He just now said it's it's going to be supernatural. Yes, we need a marching formation. Yes, we need an army, but nonetheless, it's going to be supernatural. So, I'm going to say this again. Keep in mind that this is going to be a theme which commentaries are going to have to grapple with. Which means some people did it and some people just run away completely. And we're waiting for those days that pretenders completely run away. So that which I said before that did Moshe really just look at the names and say, "Well, the names tell you something." Ferno just now said yes. He goes, "The names tell you something." My my my counter to the sworn will be, "So then why did this where what happened to them? Where are they? Why did we not let's put it this way, say it in a Jewish way, why are we getting from them, right? Where were they when we uh when we needed them?" But nonetheless, he is impressed with the names. There's a long midrash, which I only gave you a little bit of it in source number five that goes into the names really a lot. It discusses the various names over here. It also touches a little bit and they're different souls. What to do with the Bhore issue? Who really is the Bore here? Is the Bhore Ruven? Is the Bor Yoseph and what's going on and some of the intrigue it's going to touch. But as I said, originally I had this whole midrash and it took three pages and then I I cut like little of it, another little of it, another part of it, and finally it's all on the cutting floor. So it's uh it didn't make it didn't make it to over here. The Ramban I'm going to mention just for a very simple reason that I really like it and then we move on to where we needed to get [Music] to. So this p this first Raman I'm less concerned with right now. It's actually an argument. It's really important argument, but it's less important, I believe, for the context in the Torah regarding essentially how do you prove that you're Jewish? Everyone's going to be counted. So then you show up. And so Rashi advocates a position saying that you need actually to bring evidence while the Ramban says I don't think that that's the case. But again, you can extend this question. Somebody says I'm a Cohen. How do you know you're a Cohen? Do you have to bring evidence and not bring evidence? This issue is far more important today than it is then. And so within the context in the desert, it's a little doubtful that there would be somebody that nobody knews who you know, right? Some random guy shows up by the desert. No. So that again, Rashi says something interesting, but it seems to be more appropriate for later on. But it's the next Ramban that interests me more in me. Essentially, he asks, "What do you need a census for?" Right? First of all, you're God knows the number. All right? God is giving Mosha all kinds of information. Why go through this process? Which means it's not just that we need to know the number because there's lots of ways you can know the number is that there's a process which takes place and the first thing that he says is that it's in order for us to appreciate the blessing which has taken place and that is that when God said to Abraham that your descendants will be as numerous in the various times stars or sand that now we've gotten to that point. I mean that's what it says. He goes, "I don't know why we had to do it. I don't know why that was necessary." So maybe in order for us to appreciate, wow, look at the numbers of Jews right over here. But we all do know that there's like another subissue over here and that is are you allowed to count? You're not allowed to count. David did get in trouble for counting and so on and so forth. This just creates more problems than anything else. But then he says something and as I said the only reason I'm reading this is because I really really like it and I'll make a comment about it and it's where it's bold again a couple of lines there bold. So first of all I love the way he described Mosha as you're being counted right there's a long long line and then you pass by and who do you pass by? You pause and you stand in front of Mosha Renu. I don't know how much facetime the average person ever got with Moshe. So then you stop and you're looking at Moshe and then you stop and you're looking at Aon. You're looking at you're looking at again he describes him as and they say what's your name son and says the name. He just now turned the both of them into and uh he just has to take a look. They're gonna take a look at them in in a really positive way and Mosh are gonna say a little for them and says as you pass by Moshe and then you get completely transformed, you get lifted. You get this opportunity. And my comment on this is that I think that the great leaders that exist in uh in Amnestra is that people need access to them and people need to meet them. Just imagine something. Again, I don't want to insult everybody. Again, I had a really good start today insulting everybody, but but let let's just say that somebody has a third rate rabbi. No offense to any third rate rabbis. And somebody has like a fourth rate teacher in high school. And then someone says, "Well, the kid asked the, you know, the how am I supposed to trust the system?" No, you trust the ra the rabbis. And they're looking at and saying, "Trust the Well, let's say they got to meet, again, I'm just going backwards to my youth. Let's say they got to meet with Mosha Feinstein." My mother-in-law to who was not, you know, an educated woman in the sense of ever having a yeshiva type of education. She once had an experience that a friend of hers was getting divorced and had to go to a baiton that Rev Mosha was on. And sitting in front of her Moshe during a get was transformative. She said his kindness is she you can see it. You look in his eyes. Mosha by the way had blue eyes. And she said just looking at him and and there was a kindness and there was a gentleness and there just the way that he spoke and there was wisdom like you every moment there was one which was again transformative. So I I'll say it again is that there are these people that are these great people. So now do do the kids into the teenagers and young adults and do people get any time to have access and to meet and to understand that when we say no you can trust the msora because there really are these great people who've been passing on the masura if you never get to meet them. So then how are you supposed to really have full uh full faith within it? So I'm just saying I love this ramban. I love that everyone got to stand in front of Mosher Rabenu and have their you know their little couple of seconds and you know that's something which could uh stay with them for a a very long time. Okay, we move over that mentioned that they've had through as far as I recall. We can now look towards source number seven and now we move to peric bet. Now peric bet is going to deal with the formation the same thing that I did with you before and maybe I exaggerated a little bit predictability in terms of the of the of who's comes first and who comes second because over here as well the formation what no you give up right away. That's another Exactly e exactly exactly. So when we come first so all of you can say well because you're clever because of last week last peric and you can say yeah so Ruven comes first. No Ruben kind of doesn't come first unless you're going to turn the thing on its side. Ruin doesn't go. So you say ah I get it. Yoseph comes first. Well not exactly. So it says this word we're going to come back to soon in a place a commentary that you will not necessarily predict. So we're just now told something else. And what is the center? What is like the apex? The center is the word. I don't know how to say that in English. What anchor the anchor. So Yehuda is first. Now anyone say hold it. Why is Yehuda first? Who who decided you die should be first? What? So, who decided that Yehuda's the melik? Where did that come from? By the way, there's two things you could do now. The thing which is right and the thing which isn't right. Where do you see the Yehudas first? Ah, you're working too hard. So, you could tell me about that he jumps in. So, I hope that you realize that that's that's that's backwards. It's backwards because the midrash about Nash jumping in is because in paraso when you have the 12 tribes each day bringing a korban on the first day is Yehuda Yehuda's first by the way once again a list of the tribes in Yehuda's first why is Yehuda first well Yehuda's first just like over here Yehuda's first. So there the midra says, "Hold it a second. Why is you first?" Says, "Oh, I'll tell you why you first cuz they were all standing there before the sea is split and and right everyone I'm you to go first and you go first." So Nakshan goes and he goes diving in and he goes first because Nakshan went first. So therefore you is first. So that's the wrong answer. But but it's but it's beautiful because it's what's what's the the right answer? I'll give you a hint and that is to take a look at source number eight. And the answer is once again you need to remember the book of berit right and so on who was the one who decided that yehud is going to be the leader and the answer is already going back now you could tell me oh but why did ya choose you could tell me the story the narrative you could chuva whatever you want you could tell me all kinds of I may even believe some of them. But what's the right answer? The right answer is because Yakov decided. So now again when I say okay in the formation therefore the leader is Yehuda and Yehuda is there. So why is Yehuda first? What's the answer? Because of course Yehuda's first. Now I'm going to say it again to you. If it would have been six other people first, then you would have given me a clever explanation why they were first. And therefore I will say again that you have no credibility with me anymore. Yehuda, can I ask a question? formation if the if the if they're all Yeah. Why does it matter who's first? Because still it depends how you march. If if Yeah. Good. And Yehud is flanked by Zulen. So now again once you say this, yeah, of course he's flanked by I mean they're right. It's also interesting especially you need a short vertra. I'm not going to repeat everything I'm saying here. represents Torah Enzible and represents work and therefore leadership needs to be supported. Both have uh have a Torah, you know, basis on the one hand and then have this uh other basis in terms of the business and and accomplishment on the other hand. So there you go. Then that's all they have to say over Friday night. You have Sra Torra. You can say said, "Oh, you know why they're here?" Okay, good. Um the next one we're told is is Shimon. So who you going to put with Shimon? So I just hope that you're giving up. Sorry. The next Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I skipped I skipped. The next one is So who you going to put? So you put Shimon. So that made sense. Now who's the third one going to be? Because you can't Okay, you can't use. So who do you use? God. So God was stuck and said by the way in our last list right where was God put in terms of the sequence of being uh in terms of this we went from done right one second what did we do we went from done to God so maybe God maybe God just right and God is after so why did he get pushed up maybe something to do with this but I'm going to tell you I have no idea so so God and and and God is from who's his Zilpa. So right is is Zilpa. So Zilpa. And then after you have Gel M Ephraim. So Ephraim's the leader. Who's he with? Minasha and Binyamin. So you can say, "Oh, that was predictable because now you have all the Ben Rael together in one group. And who's going to be the fourth fourth group?" Answer is whoever is left over. That's the that's the that that is the answer. And who's left? Should be left soon. Who's left? We [Music] have Dan. Yeah. Dan. Sorry. Dan. Sorry. Asher and Nali. Right. Those are the ones who are left still. Which again is various children. Various children of who? And zilpa it's it's of of the so you have your you have your lea you have your y you have but but even you have your sorry your layer your rail then you have your mixed leia with zilpa and then you have the and I'll say it again okay and and where's ley so Ley we're told that Ley has another job ley's job is to protect the center. Ley's job is to protect the the middle, to protect the Mishkan, to carry the Mishkan, to carry the Aon, to carry the caim. And therefore, Ley got taken out of this list and gave it another job. Why? When? Where? Right. How far back do you need to go to say hold it? Why was Why was Ley what say to Ael? And we didn't know at the time when you said that now they get to deal with the Hashem things. They get to deal with the Mishkan. They get to deal with the caum. They get to deal with the aon. Are we good? We're good. Now there is an interesting comment by Rashi. So again rashies you should know. I mean I I would pick on you for not knowing uh Rashi, right? What what it says what you were asking me before in very end of seven this is the way that they encamped and this is the way that they marched as well. This is the marching formation as well as the encampment formation. So in source number nine So it says they traveled. What's the context? Perk nun. So what's the context? Jacobu has died. He spent the last 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before he passes away, he makes Yoseph promise that he's going to take him out and bury him back in Eritskan. So now we're told that it's fulfilled. his children take him out and they fulfill what he requested and he's buried in the lots of information that you already know. Rashi here says his children but not his grandchildren which is very interesting because also none of us would have said you would if I would have said the grandchildren also say of course because Bav includes says no and but be careful because he's about to contradict himself again nobody can touch my coffin or the bed as it Right? No one who is not Jewish. And none of your children who were born of non-Jewish mothers. Now who exactly the various were married to? It says only you. Not only that, he told them exactly how to stand and what the formation was. He told them three on this side, three on this side, three on this side, and three on this side. Khan, who was the one who decided what that formation was when they marched in Jacob Ainu did on his deathbed. Yakov told them this is how you do it. By the way, the extension of this could or should be perhaps and the rav that creates they're not as part of this right they're we know that maybe took over other people as well but I'm just saying is that this goes here now not only that there is a logical problem that you have to deal with and that is the next word ley ah what about ley ley loa tidl Ton and Yakov already says no le which is wonderful. What it's saying is that when we march to the land of Israel in safidbar it's the same sequence or the same order or the same phenomena of marching into the land of Israel when we left Egypt the first time and that is the first time when we go to bury Yakov. But then it adds another sentence and Yoseph is also not going to be involved in this because Yseph is a king. Now I want to stop right here. We're still in Beret and we're about to continue and Manash will take his place. Now I want to stop here for a second. I have a particular sensibility sensitivity not sensibility. I have a particular sensitivity to anytime Yoseseph's not included because I mean think about the brothers for a moment. I mean that's the last third of abrasion is the brothers are saying yeah yeah but Yseph is not really one of us. Yseph is not Yoseph he includes all of his brothers in his dreams. They're all his brothers and he wants his brothers. He looks for his brothers but his brothers try to force Yose. So now anytime you're going to have an articulation of Yseph being so there's going to be something disturbing. Now this is great in the sense that where Yakov again in this midrash is saying yeah Yseph's not included and now the brothers could be taking it as of course Yseph's not included. We've been saying that for a really long time that Yseph isn't included. And on the other hand, Nash and Ephraim are there, but Yoseph isn't there. Because Yseph, it's not that Yoseph is too low and Yseph is outside. Is that Yoseph is Yoseph is far more central to this? And I'm going to try to explain all of this in a moment. And then it continues. It says remember I told you someone's going to explain the carrying the remains of Jacob there was a sign that Yakov said this is how you guys march and therefore this is how they march because this all goes back to Jacobu now that that that's just a phenomenal midrash which Rashi quotes over here I want to take a look in source number 11 it is Mikila Mikila is an ancient midrash generally is more but it has some Yseph was buried in the capital. I think that's what it means that you get right what you do. Miriam waited for Moshe, right? When he was being thrown into the Nile and then God waits for her even though she had Sarat and so on, right? and so on. Yoseph Yseph was the key in burying the father. He's the one who got permission from parro. He's the one who behind it man who no one was as great as him. It's a bunch of other people including his brothers. Yseph is the main person. And then what's the So who took responsibility for Yoseph's burial and who took him out? That's when then Moshe dies then who takes care of him? Then God takes care of him. So it's all this like it's mid plus interest that that that's what we're seeing here along the way. But just to pause for a moment, you know, our two exceptions who were taken out from in Yakov's description, Ley and Yoseph are both here in this episode where someone from Ley Moshe carries out someone from Yoseph Yoseph. And then let's continue. It says I got messed up there. So obviously this discussion is after we've already received the and the levim are carrying what are they carrying? Levim are carrying two aronote. One Aron they're carrying has theer tadro inside and the other aron they're carrying has the remains of Yseph inside and what and what's the job of levim the job of is to deal with what's holy and people are asking what are these two are not this is anon a coffin of someone who's dead and this is a box which has within it something which of he who lives forever people then question. Why should someone dead deal with be together with something which lives forever? And this is great because this is Ley speaking. Remember I spoke about Yseph being now who by the way she says the one who is in this box as it were this coffin has fulfilled everything which is written in this one. He swears by parro, not by God's name. And it goes on and on and on and on and on and how Yseph kept all of these things. It says that uh again And it goes on and on and on how Yseph keeps everything which is here. It ends up again this whole midash getting to the end is when uh it goes back to when Yseph dies again came down willfully and then we took him up according to his will. I was taken down to Egypt against my will. from the place I was stolen. I want to be returned and so on and so forth. Now what what I love about this whole description over here is that the challenge about Yoseph was that there are those who would feel that it's justified and Yoseph is not included. So I'm going to go back now and say that as I look through the tribes. So again, Ley's out and Yoseph is out and people can read that in different ways and of course Fry and Manasha then take the place but once again there's always sensitivity with Yoseph because that you know that's the that's you know like geographically of a fault. That's the fault line. the fault line that things could end up creating a great deal of uh of of again jealousy, hatred and it goes worse from there almost murder goes to the point of Yoseph and then to imagine that not only are shave at leu himself are carrying Yoseph out and then being questioned. So what is this questions concerning Yoseph and the Yoseph is get Yseph is being carried together with all of the utensils with the Mishkan with the Aon with the loot and on top of all that you know what's the connection over here no he is again Yoseph was a livingot y and again from the people that had rejected him yoseph is the loot so I'm just gonna ask one more question because I want to tie this up one more And that is so and what's the connection with Yoseph and the midbar? Why are we going back to the midbar? And I'll put it like this. The connection with the midbar is so much stronger than you imagine. And there's a really strong chance that you're not going to remember what I what I'm about to show you. meaning till this point and when you see it you're going to say has that always been there but I can assure you it was and is so let's let's continue and let's take a look in source 13 which is where Yseph takes place that's where we're just now up to Yseph complained you know you took me against my will and so on and so forth so you all know the Right? What does Rashi say? Right? There's no water. But Scorpion, right? Now, why in the world did he say that? Look, look at Don't I know that there wasn't any water? Now, if you're clever, you'd remember this. If you're not as clever, then you can look at some of the commentaries invarim where it describes the midbar. It says, right, this is remember God. Don't forget God. Please have God consciousness by the way like Yseph. What's the midbar like? It's a place full of. So therefore this verse seems to be and even the in verse number 17 he again he's quoting here the he's saying oh you know this is really right there's no but there right there is and therefore it's kind of like this but he missed the crucial part he missed the crucial part now I thought about this years ago this part everything else about this year was this week but I thought about this years ago and I said it to a friend of mine and he goes don't you remember when we learned by lab she said that. So, I actually went back and I looked at Nama's notes and this and I can't find that she said what we're about to say. If she said it, I give her credit, but I don't remember if she went any further than the went over here. But there's one word that, as I said, the word that we've been missing. If you look at source 16, which is the rest of the Yoseph, right? Yseph's brothers go, they go to and so on. Yakov says, "Well, go take a look and see how your brothers are doing." And Yseph goes and Yseph gets lost and what what are you doing? Right. And then they said, "Let's kill him." And they said, "Okay, maybe don't kill him." And Ruin says, "Don't to kill him." My roommates, let's not kill him. Ruin says, "What's the next word?" Did you remember that takes placebar? You never saw that word before, right? And you're going to go home and check if it's written as well because you kind of think that I just added that right now. But not only did I not add it, it's always been there. By the way, that was the missing part because what Rash is coming in saying is that ah it's there's no water but there's why because that's what the midbar is like. That's what that whole pock was. But why would you connect the midbar to y and what's the answer? Because it says because it says it. It says that they threw elabor in this case most likely means a place where nothing is growing and I don't know if the English here would be desert but it means some nothing's growing over here but nonetheless these took place by a midbar and therefore the tikun is going to be that as they're going through the midbar y is not just going to be first of all he's not going to be he's not going to be thrown way he's not going to be rejected but quite the opposite there's going to be two tribes but more than that Yseph is going to be in the very center and now carrying Yoseph together with Dro and this person kept everything in there and they say this and they believe it and they know it which means now you realize that marching again what do you need if you're about to go to war you need unity what do you need we're about to enter the land of Israel we need there to be unity and where was the place that we had a lack of unity especially with Yoseph so therefore anytime Yoseph gets rejected or pushed aside then we get you know a a little anxious. Hold it. What happened to Yoseph? And therefore, this midash is so beautiful by saying, "No, no, no. Yoseph is not." First of all, there is the the two tribes, Arymanasha. They're going to take over, right? They are their part. They're going to have their camp. They're a central part of all this. You by the way, I talk about all the failed leaders. There's one guy. He wasn't a failed leader. You know what tribe he came from? He came from Ephraim. And you know who? From Ephraim. You know who he was? He was Yoshua. Which means there is one person there, right? And again, somebody from Yoseph helping Ley, Ley helping Yoseph. All of this is counter to what happened in Safer Besid, but now they're going to march through the desert and they're going to have with them this Mishkan. They're going to have with and they're going to have with them the Aon with the Owen's going to be the L. And right next to the L is going to have remains of Yoseph. And they're going to say, and they're going to believe. They're going to point as they go through the midbar which is where Yoseph took place and say this person is a was a living example of everything which is there and now even as dead we're taking him back to where he needs to go to and this is absolutely the tikun that AI is needs as we are at least theoretically about to go to land of Israel z