Commentary for Numbers 7:18

הקריב נתנאל בן צוער... הקרב את קרבנו NETANEL BROUGHT HIS OFFERING...HE BROUGHT HIS OFFERING: Why is the word הִקְרִב, “brought [his offering],” used in connection with the tribe of Issachar, but is not used in connection with any of the [other] tribes? Because [the tribe of] Reuben came and complained, “Is it not enough that my brother Judah has preceded me? Let me [at least] offer up after him.” Moses said to him,“I was told by the Almighty that they should offer up in the order in which they travel, according to their divisions.” This is why it says: הִקְרִב אֶת קָרְבָּנוֹ, [in which the word הִקְרִב is] missing a“yud,” [thus] giving it the meaning of הַקְרֵב, in the imperative for he was commanded by the Almighty,“Bring the offering!” What is the meaning of הִקְרִב … הִקְרִב, twice? For because of two reasons he [Issachar] merited to be the second of the tribes to offer their sacrifices: One, because they were [well] versed in the Torah, as it says,“And of the sons of Issachar, those who had understanding of the times” (I Chron. 12:32). Another, because they advised the princes to contribute these offerings (Sifrei Bamidbar 53). In the treatise of Rabbi Moses Hadarshan [“the preacher”], I found [the following]: Rabbi Pinchas the son of Yair says [that] Netanel the son of Zu’ar gave them this idea.

ביום השני, On the second day, etc. The reason the tribe of Issachar was accorded the honour of offering this sacrifice on the second day was that their prince represented a tribe which would become renowned for its command of Torah. This is why he preceded Reuben although the latter was the senior member of the tribes. Not only this, but also the prince of Zevulun was placed ahead of Reuben seeing that it was the generosity of that tribe which would allow the members of the tribe of Issachar to study Torah without worrying about where their livelihood would come from (compare Deut. 33,18 where Moses even blessed Zevulun ahead of Issachar).

ביום השני הקריב נתנאל בן צוער נשיא יששכר, הקרב את קרבנו, “on the second day, Netanel son of Zuor prince of Issachar brought an offering. He brought his offering, etc.” In verse 19 the letter י is absent in the word הקרב. Why is that? Moreover, in connection with the offerings of all the other princes we find the sequence 'קרבנו קערת כסף אחת וגו', whereas in the case of Netanel the Torah wrote הקרב את קרבנו, “he brought forward his offering.” The Torah implies with these words that Netanel was instructed by G’d to offer his sacrifice after Nachshon. There had been a protest by the other princes who felt they should take precedence being that the tribe of Yissachar is the fifth in the order of the tribes. To counter such claims the Torah hints by omitting the letter י from the word הקרב that G’d specifically commanded that Yissachar be the second tribe to bring the offering. This omission implies that they were initially distanced by the other tribes before G-d intervened and 'brought them close'. The tribe of Yissachar merited this honor due to the fact that there were many Torah scholars amongst them, as related in Divrei Hayamim I 12:33 "Of the Issacharites, men who knew how to interpret the signs of the times, to determine how Israel should act; their chiefs were 200, and all their brethren followed them" — this implies that the entire nation "followed them" in Halachic matters.