Les Nombres 7:13 Midrash : Bamidbar Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

“The one who presented his offering on the first day was Naḥshon, son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Judah” (Numbers 7:12).
“The one who presented his offering on the first day was Naḥshon…” That is what is written: “Show Your favor to Zion…. Then You will delight in righteous offerings…” (Psalms 51:20–21). Because in the wilderness, with the establishment of the Tabernacle, they presented only a bit for the dedication of the altar, just as it says: “His offering: One silver dish…one ladle…one bull…one goat…and for the peace offering…” (Numbers 7:13–17). That was the entire offering. To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king who set out on the way and they would bring before him a meal suitable for the way and suitable for the inn. The king said to them: ‘Am I not the king? Do I not rule the kingdom?’¹Why such a small offering at the consecration of the Tabernacle? They said to him: ‘Our lord, we are on the way, and what we brought before you is suitable for the way and the inn. When you enter the province and enter your palace, you will see the extent to which we will honor you.’ So, when the Tabernacle was established, the princes presented to Him a gift and an offering: A dish, a basin, and a ladle; “one bull…, a goat…, and for the peace offering….” The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Is this in keeping with My honor?’ They said to Him: ‘Master of the universe, we are located in the wilderness, and in accordance with the conditions in the wilderness, we have presented before You. When You enter Your palace, you will see how many offerings and how many bulls we will sacrifice before you.’ That is what is written: “Show Your favor to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous offerings…then will be offered on Your altar young bulls” (Psalms 51:20–21) – and not [only] one bull.
Likewise, you find regarding Solomon, who built the Temple and sought to sacrifice for the dedication of the Temple. See what is written there: “Solomon slaughtered the peace offering [that he slaughtered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. The king and all the children of Israel dedicated the House of the Lord]” (I Kings 8:63). Likewise, in the days of Ezra: “They presented for the dedication of this House of God one hundred bulls, [two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve goats as a sin offering for all Israel…]” (Ezra 6:17). That is “Show Your favor to Zion…. Then You will delight….” (Psalms 51:20–21).

“And his offering: One silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering” (Numbers 7:13).
“And his offering: One silver dish…” – that is what is written: “All of you is fair, my love, and there is no blemish in you” (Song of Songs 4:7). It is speaking of Israel. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: When Israel was standing before Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, there were no blind people, deaf people, imbeciles, mutes, lame people, or disabled people among them. Regarding that moment, it says: “All of you is fair, my love, and there is no blemish in you.” This was until they sinned with the calf, and then some of them became zavim and lepers, just as it says: “Moses saw the people, that they were farua…” (Exodus 32:25), and it is written: “And the leper in whom the mark is, his garments shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall be grown [farua]” (Leviticus 13:45). Regarding that moment it says: “They shall send from the camp every leper and every zav” (Numbers 5:2). But before Mount Sinai, they were all complete. That is, “all of you is fair, my love…”
Another matter, “all of you is fair, my love,” is speaking of the tribes. If you say: How could they all be fair, as Jacob blessed the tribes but admonished Reuben, Simeon, and Levi; how can you say: “All of you is fair, my love”? Rabbi Elazar said: Even though he blessed the later tribes and admonished the earlier ones, he then blessed them, as it is stated: “All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve, [and this is that which their father spoke to them and he blessed them]” (Genesis 49:28). He arranged it that they would absorb from one another. What is, “He blessed them; each man in accordance with his blessing he blessed them”? (Genesis 49:28). After he blessed them, he blessed them again? [No,] rather, it teaches that when Jacob blessed his sons and likened them to animals, he likened Judah to a lion, “Judah is a lion cub” (Genesis 49:9), he likened Dan to a serpent, “Dan will be a serpent…” (Genesis 49:17), he likened Naphtali to a doe, “Naphtali is a doe set free” (Genesis 49:21), Benjamin, to a wolf, “Benjamin is a wolf that mauls” (Genesis 49:27), nevertheless, he then called all of them lions, all of them serpents, all of them does, all of them wolves. Know that it is so, as Dan, whom he had called a serpent, was later called a lion: “Dan is a lion cub…” (Deuteronomy 33:22). You learned that he then included Reuben, Simeon, and Levi in the blessing of their brothers, to realize what is stated: “All of you is fair, my love.”
This is why the verse again enumerated Reuben, Simeon, and Levi alone in the book of Exodus³¹Exodus 6:14–25. and did not enumerate the other tribes. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: This is the reason that it enumerated; it is because all the tribes did not preserve their lineage in Egypt, but Reuben, Simeon, and Levi preserved their lineage. That is why it enumerates their lineage. Rabbi Neḥemya says: All the tribes were idol worshippers in Egypt, but the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi did not engage in idol worship; therefore, they were privileged to be enumerated alone. The Rabbis say: All the tribes did not exercise authority in Egypt; Reuben, Simeon, and Levi exercised authority in Egypt. Reuben died, they conferred authority upon Simeon. Simeon died, they conferred authority upon Levi. Levi died, they sought to confer authority upon Judah. A Divine Voice emerged and said to them: ‘Leave it until its time will arrive.’ When did its time arrive? It was after the death of Joshua: “It was after the death of Joshua; the children of Israel asked [the Lord, saying: Who will go up first against the Canaanites for us, to wage war against them?] The Lord said: Judah will go up… (Judges 1:1–2).
Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Ḥanin, one of them said: This is the reason that he again mentioned the lineage of these three tribes, because their father had admonished them. The other said: It is because it mentioned their lineage with Moses and Aaron.³²It is because the Torah sought to mention the lineage of Moses and Aaron, who were from the tribe of Levi. Rather than begin with Levi, the Torah began with Reuben and stopped at Levi. We do not know who said this and who said that. From the fact that Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak: “An ear that heeds life’s rebuke will abide among the wise” (Proverbs 15:31), it was Rabbi Ḥanin who said that it was because he admonished them. Because they accepted their father’s admonishment, they were privileged to have their lineage mentioned alongside Moses and Aaron. That is why it is stated: “All of you is fair, my love.”
Another matter, “all of you is fair, my love…” – because Jeremiah says: “Rejected silver they called them” (Jeremiah 6:30), and Ezekiel called them dross: “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me” (Ezekiel 22:18), Zechariah came and said: “I saw, and behold, a candelabrum, gold in its entirety” (Zechariah 4:2), to realize what is stated: “All of you is fair, my love…”
Another matter, “all of you is fair, my love…” – it is speaking of the princes of the tribes when they were presenting their offerings for the dedication of the altar. They did not all present their offering on one day; rather, each and every one on his day, just as it says: “One prince on each day” (Numbers 7:11). Is it, perhaps, that the one who presented his offering earlier was more beloved, and Judah, who presented his offering first, will be even more beloved? That is why Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Regarding all the princes “his offering” is written, but regarding the prince of Judah, “and his offering.” I wonder, he presented his offering first and it said: “And his offering”? It should not have said so; rather, the first, “his offering,” and the subsequent ones, “and his offering.” Why is it so? Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen bar Rabbi said: It was for Judah, who presented his offering first. Were he to come to act haughtily vis-à-vis his brothers and say, ‘I am more esteemed than you, as I presented my offering first,’ they would respond to him: ‘It is you who presented your offering last, as it is written: “And his offering.” It renders you secondary to your brothers.’ That is, “all of you is fair…”

“And his offering: One silver dish” (Numbers 7:13), it is taught: This tells that they were crafted from the outset only for the sake of his offering.
“One silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel” (Numbers 7:13), I have derived regarding only the basin, as it specified in its regard “in the sacred shekel.” The dish, from where is it derived? The verse states: “Both of them full of high quality flour” (Numbers 7:13). Just as this one is in the sacred shekel, so, too, that one, in the sacred shekel. Rabbi Ḥananya son of the brother of Rabbi Yehoshua says: It is not necessary, as it is already stated: “All the silver of the vessels was two thousand and four hundred, in the sacred shekel” (Numbers 7:85). Why does the verse state: “Both of them full”? It is because they were equal in measure. What is the difference between a dish and a basin? The dish, its wall was thick; the basin, its wall was thin.
“High quality flour mixed with oil,” this was of the gift offering.³⁹It was not from the flour and oil belonging to the Tabernacle.
“One gold ladle, ten shekels, full of incense” (Numbers 7:14).
“One young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering” (Numbers 7:15).
“One goat as a sin offering” (Numbers 7:16).
“And for the peace offering, two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year. This was the offering of Naḥshon son of Aminadav” (Numbers 7:17).
“One gold ladle, ten shekels…” (Numbers 7:14), Rabbi Ḥanin said: It renders everything in the ladle as one, as a sacred vessel connects everything that is inside it to become impure.⁴⁰If there are distinct pieces in the vessel, and one of them comes in contact with impurity, they all become impure, because they are considered one single piece while in the vessel. If one who immersed that day⁴¹His purification will not be complete until the evening, and his status is that of second degree impurity. touches some of what is in it, he disqualifies it all.
“Gold…ten shekels” – it is of gold, its weight is of silver. Do you say thus, it is of gold, its weight is of silver; or, it is of silver and its weight is of gold? The verse states: “All the gold of the ladles, one hundred and twenty” (Numbers 7:86); consequently, you should not say according to the former formulation, but rather according to the latter formulation: It is of gold and its weight is of silver.
“Full of incense,” this is incense of a gift offering.
“One young bull” (Numbers 7:15), that there was not another in its herd that equaled it.⁴²The midrash expounds the word one, eḥad, to mean special, meyuḥad. “One ram,” that there was not another in its herd that equaled it. “In its first year,” this is its own first year, but not the year according to the tally of the world.⁴³The year ends on the anniversary of the sheep’s birth, not at the end of the calendar year.
“As a burnt offering” (Numbers 7:15), it states that they were all fit for a burnt offering.⁴⁴Namely, maybe only the sheep were brought as a burnt offering. Or [should we interpret] “sheep,” in whose regard it was specified, was fit for a burnt offering, but the rest of them were not fit for a burnt offering? The verse states: “One bull…one ram…one sheep,” telling that all of them are fit for a burnt offering.
“One goat as a sin offering” (Numbers 7:16), it is to atone for a grave in the depths.⁴⁵A grave in the depths is one which nobody is currently aware of. Since somebody who walked over the grave would become impure, but would have no knowledge of his impurity, he might unwittingly enter the Tabernacle or partake of consecrated meat while impure. Since he is unaware of his impurity, he will not bring the sacrifice required of a person who unintentionally did one of these acts.
“And for the peace offering” (Numbers 7:17), [does] it state that they were all fit for a peace offering, or “cattle,” in whose regard it was specified, must be fit for a peace offering, but the rest of them need not be fit for a peace offering? The verse states: “And for the peace offering, [two cattle, five rams, five goats, five sheep in their first year],” stating that all of them must be fit for a peace offering.
“This was the offering of Naḥshon son of Aminadav” (Numbers 7:17), he brought it from what was his, and did not collect from his tribe and bring.
“This was the offering,” this one brought incense as a gift offering, but an individual does not bring incense as a gift offering. This one brings a sin offering without having sinned, but an individual does not bring a sin offering without having sinned. This one, his offering overrides Shabbat, but, [normally] an individual’s offering does not override Shabbat.