Kommentar zu Bamidbar 10:12

למסעיהם means, in accordance with the regulations set forth for the journeys of their divisions — which should be the first to set out and which the last.

Kivros Hata’avoh. We see that from the desert of Paran, which was termed Kivros Hata’avoh, they traveled to Chatzeros, and afterwards it is written that the people traveled from Chatzeros and camped in the desert of Paran. But surely they had already been in the desert of Paran, which was Kivros Hata’avoh, as it is written here. Therefore Rashi explains that Kivros Hata’avoh was in the desert of Paran, meaning that the desert of Paran covered a large area and contained the places called Kivros Hata’avoh and Chatzeros, which were all in the desert of Paran. In the end they arrived at the border of the desert of Paran, which is what was meant when the Torah says that they camped in the desert of Paran at the end of the Parshah (12:16).

V. 12. נסע .ויסעו וגו׳ למסעיהם, verwandt mit ויסחך מאהל ,נסח (Ps.52,7), heißt eigentlich: sich aus seinem bisherigen Ruhepunkte erheben, daher: aufbrechen, sich in Bewegung setzen (daher auch das verwandte נפה ,נסה: jemandem eine Tätigkeit aufgeben, ihn prüfen, üben). Es heißt dann auch das fortgesetzte Aufbrechen, sich ununterbrochen erheben, in Fortbewegung bleiben: ziehen. Dieser Begriff: Ziehen wird ja vorzugsweise von der Fortbewegung einer schwer in Bewegung zu setzenden Masse, wie hier eines ganzen Lagers und so auch bei Abraham eines ganzen Hausstandes gebraucht, deren jeglicher Fortschritt eigentlich ein fortgesetztes Aufbrechen ist. In unserem Kapitel kommt es daher in beiden Bedeutungen: Aufbruch und Zug vor. Hier: sie brachen auf, um die ihnen bis zum Eintritt in das Land bevorstehenden Züge anzutreten. — ויסעו וגו׳ ממדבר סיני וישכן הענן במדבר פארן. Für jetzt war es nur noch ein Zug von einer Wüste in die andere.

וישכון הענן במדבר פארן, “and the cloud came to rest in the wilderness of Paran.” This region included the location which became known as Taveyrah, another name for kivrot hataavah, where the meat hungry people died from overeating as if ravenously hungry. Included were also the locations named chatzerot, Ritmah, and Kadesh, all reminders of minor or major disasters. Proof of this is the fact that in Parshat Massey where all 42 way stations of the journeys of the people are listed chronologically, no mention is made of the wilderness of Paran.

במדבר פראן IN THE WILDERNESS OF PARAN — The place “Kibroth-hattavah” (Numbers 12:34) was in the wilderness of Paran and there they encamped after this journey (cf. Numbers 33:16—17 with our verse and with Numbers 11:34—35).

After this journey. So that one would not err and say that they camped there after the second journey, after leaving Kivros Hata’avoh, since that place was called Taveirah. For this reason Rashi explained that it was “after this journey.”