Commentaire de citation sur Chroniques 1 28:4

EVERY MAN SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD, WITH THE SIGNS OF THEIR FATHER’S HOUSE. “Each standard was to have a colored cloth hanging on it, the color of one being unlike the color of another.¹⁰⁶There were thus twelve standards, one for each tribe (Maskil l’David in his commentary on Rashi). These twelve standards are not to be confused with the four main standards, around each of which three tribes rallied. The color of each standard corresponded to that of the stone fixed in the breastplate [of the High Priest, on which the name of that tribe was engraved], and by this method everyone would recognize his standard.” This is Rashi’s language. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “There were signs on each of the [four main] standards. Thus the ancient Sages said that on Reuben’s standard there was a figure of a man decorated with mandrakes,¹⁰⁷See Genesis 30:14. and on Judah’s standard there was the form of a lion, to which Jacob had compared him,¹⁰⁸Ibid., 49:9. and on Ephraim’s standard was the figure of an ox, based upon [the expression that Moses used in speaking of that tribe], the firstborn of his ox,¹⁰⁹Deuteronomy 33:17. and on Dan’s standard was the figure of an eagle.¹¹⁰This was because of the expression, as an eagle stirreth up his nest (ibid., 32:11), and of Dan it is written that he was the rearward of all the camps (further, 10:25), who stirred the attention of all the camps to any lurking dangers (Tziyoni). Thus [the four signs on the four main standards] were similar to the four figures that the prophet Ezekiel saw [in the Divine Charriot].”¹¹¹Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). The Tent of Meeting was in the exact center, with the camps of the Levites surrounding it in the midst of the camps [of the other tribes], as is mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah:¹¹²I have not found it in our editions of the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation). On the book itself, see Vol. I, p. 24, Note 41. “And the Holy Temple is placed exactly in the middle.”
Now the directions [in which the standards were to be set up] begin with the east, like the movement of the sun [in its daily course], and afterwards the south, and then the west and finally the north. They put the [main] standard of Judah in the east because he was the first to start journeying as he was the prince,¹¹³I Chronicles 28:4. just as G-d commanded, Judah shall go up¹¹⁴Judges 1:2. first,¹¹⁵Ibid., 20:18. and Reuben was [set next to him] in the south to honor him as the firstborn. Thus these two neighboring standards consisted of [the children of] Leah [i.e., Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben Shimon] together with the firstborn of her maidservant who was born upon her [Leah’s] knees [i.e., Gad the son of Zilpah.]. And there was one [main] standard for the children of Rachel [Ephraim, Menasheh, and Benjamin] in the west, and the standard of the [other] children of the maidservants [Dan, Asher, and Naphtali] was last, in the north.
I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the following text]:¹¹⁶Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. “And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four ‘living creatures,’¹¹¹Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). and high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions. Thus He said to him: In the east, whence comes light to the world, shall Judah the sovereign pitch his camp, and next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, who studies the Torah,¹¹⁷“For it is said, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times (I Chronicles 12:32), and Torah is called ‘light,’ For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9) — Thus, just as the royal House of David is referred to by Scripture in terms of light — as it is said, that David My servant may have ‘a lamp’ always before Me in Jerusalem (I Kings 11:36) — so also is Issachar, student of the Torah which is called light. The position of these two tribes is therefore rightfully in the east whence comes light to the world. And as for Zebulun (see further in text). and next to him the tribe of Zebulun, who is wealthy, just as it is written, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea,¹¹⁸Genesis 49:13. and it is also said [of Zebulun], for they shall suck the abundance of the sea.¹¹⁹Deuteronomy 33:19. And riches are also referred to as “light” (Midrash Rabbah ibid.). Thus the three tribes that pitched on the east — Judah (sovereignty), Isaachar (knowledge), and Zebulun (wealth) — all represented aspects of “light” which originates in the east. They were to be the first to journey, just as it is said, And their king is passed on before them, and the Eternal at the head of them.¹²⁰Micah 2:13. From the south come the dews and the rains [which bring] blessing for the world, therefore shall Reuben pitch on that side, for he is the master of repentance,¹²¹See Sotah 7b and Rashi ibid., that Judah’s repentance in admitting his guilt in the case of Tamar (Genesis 38:26) was motivated by Reuben’s prior repentance in the case of Bilhah (ibid., 35:22). Reuben was also first of the brothers who tried to save Joseph in order to return him to his father (ibid., 37:22). According to a Midrash, G-d then said: “‘You [Reuben] were first in making an effort to bring back a beloved son to his father. By your life! A descendant of yours will be the first [of the prophets] to bring back Israel to their Father in heaven.’ And who was that? Hosea the son of Beeri, as it is written, When the Eternal spoke at first with Hosea (Hosea 1:2) [and it was that prophet who proclaimed: Return, O Israel, unto the Eternal thy G-d, for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity” (ibid. 14: 2)] (Yalkut Shimoni, at the beginning of the Book of Hosea). That Hosea was of the tribe of Reuben is indicated in I Chronicles 5:6, where his father Beerah is counted among the descendants of Reuben. Beeri and Beerah, according to the Rabbis, refer to the same person. which is a good quality, and the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the world when people repent [of their evil ways]. Next to Reuben is Gad, who has the quality of heroism.¹²²Genesis 49:19. In our Bamidbar Rabbah: “master of the troop,” as stated in Genesis ibid: Thus there were [in the south] Reuben with repentance, Gad with heroism, and in between them Shimon in order to atone [for his having caused anguish to his father Jacob].¹²³Ibid., Verses 5-7, and in Chapter 34:30. And they shall set forth second,¹²⁴Verse 16 here. because repentance is second to Torah [for by studying Torah one is coming to repent of evil ways]. In the west are the storehouses of snow, and the storehouses of hail, cold, and heat, and corresponding to them were [the tribes of] Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, and the Divine Presence is always in the west within the border of Benjamin, as it is said, Of Benjamin he [Moses] said: The beloved of the Eternal shall dwell in safety by Him.¹²⁵Deuteronomy 33:12. This is an allusion to the fact that the Sanctuary proper, in which the Divine Presence resided, was in Benjamin’s territory. The eastern part of the Temple was in the territory of Judah. These three tribes of Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, to whom G-d grants might (see Psalms 80: 3) are thus the most able to resist the destructive aspects of the natural elements (Eitz Yoseph on Bamidbar Rabbah). And they shall set forth third,¹²⁶Verse 24 here. for heroism is fitting to Torah and repentance, in order that a person may grow strong in Torah and overcome his [bad] inclinations. From the north comes darkness to the world, and corresponding to it was the tribe of Dan. For what reason? It is because the tribe of Dan darkened the world through the idols which Jeroboam made, as it is said, and the one idol he put in Dan.¹²⁷I Kings 12:29. Next to him was the tribe of Asher, to illuminate the darkness, as it is said [of Asher], and he shall dip his foot in oil,¹²⁸Deuteronomy 33:24. and next to him was the tribe of Naphtali who is full of blessings.¹²⁹As it is said of that tribe, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Eternal (ibid., Verse 23). They shall set forth hindmost,¹³⁰Verse 31 here. for whoever worships idols goes backward and not forward. ”¹³¹Jeremiah 7:24.
There [in Bamidbar Rabbah]¹¹⁶Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of Israel according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels [surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in detail.

LET ME, I PRAY YOU, BRING THEM OUT UNTO YOU. From the praise of this man Lot we have come to his disgrace: he made every effort on behalf of his guests in order to save them because they came under the shadow of his roof, but he is ready to appease the men of the city by abandoning his daughters to prostitution! This bespeaks nothing but an evil heart for it shows that the matter of prostitution of women was not repugnant to him, and that in his opinion he would not be doing such great injustice to his daughters. It is for this reason that our Rabbis have said,¹⁸⁷Tanchuma Vayeira 12. “It is the custom of the world that a man fights to the death for the honor of his daughters and his wife, to slay or to be slain, but this man hands over his daughters for dishonor. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him, ‘It is for yourself that you keep them.’”¹⁸⁸See further, Verses 30-36.
Now Lot was fearful [for the welfare of the angels] as he thought that they were men, but when they smote the men of the city with blindness and they said to him, For we will destroy this place… and the Eternal hath sent us,¹⁸⁹Verse 13 here. then he recognized them and believed in doing whatever they commanded him.
Know and understand that the matter of the concubine of Gibeah,¹⁹⁰Judges, Chapter 19. Ramban digresses here to explain the crime of Gibeah, which bears a certain resemblance to that of Sodom, and consequently explains also the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel. Thus Chapters 19 and 20 in the book of Judges are here explained by Ramban. even though it resembles this affair, does not attain the degree of evil of the inhabitants of Sodom. Those wicked ones of Gibeah had no intention of stopping people from coming among them. Rather, they were steeped in immorality and desired sexual relations with the wayfarer, and when he brought his concubine out to them, they were satisfied with her.¹⁹¹Ibid., Verse 25. The old man [who had invited the wayfarer to his house] and who said to the men of Gibeah, Behold, here is my daughter, a virgin, and his concubine; I will bring them out now… and do with them what seemeth good unto you,¹⁹²Ibid., Verse 24. knew that they would not want his daughter and that they would not harm her. This was why they refused to listen to him. And when he finally turned his concubine alone outdoors to them, they ceased molesting him. Now the master of the house, as well as the guest, both wanted to save the man through his concubine, as a concubine does not have the status of a man’s wife. Besides, she had already played the harlot against him.¹⁹³Ibid., Verse 2. In that breach, too, not all of the men of the city were involved as they were in Sodom, concerning which it is said, Both young and old, all the people from every quarter,¹⁹⁴Verse 4 here. while of Gibeah it is said, Behold, the men of the city, certain base fellows¹⁹⁵Judges 19:22. — only some of them, those who were the rulers and strong men of the city, even as the man said in relating the incident, And the masters of Gibeah¹⁹⁶“Masters of Gibeah.” This is obviously the way Ramban understood the verse since the Hebrew had “ba’alei [rather than anshei] Gibeah.” The J.P.S. translation, however, renders it: And the men of Gibeah rose against me. rose against me.¹⁹⁷Judges 20:5. This was why the others did not protest against them. Now the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel¹⁹⁸Ibid., Verse 2. wanted to erect a great guard in the matter of immorality by slaying them, as it is said, Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows that are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death.¹⁹⁹Ibid., Verse 13. It is clear that according to the law of the Torah they were not guilty of the death-penalty as they had done no deed exclusive of the torture of the concubine — harlot. They did not intend her death, nor did she die at their hands for they let her go at the approach of dawn,²⁰⁰Ibid., 19:25. and she walked from them to her master’s house and after that she died,²⁰¹Ibid., Verse 26. weakened perhaps by her numerous violations, and chilled while lying at the door until it was light, and there she died. But because the men of Gibeah had wanted to do a shameful deed just as the men of Sodom, the tribes saw fit “to make a fence unto the Torah” so that this should never again happen or be contemplated in Israel, even as they said, And that we may put away evil from Israel.²⁰²Ibid., 20:13. This judgment has its origin in the principle which our Rabbis have stated:²⁰³Yebamoth 90b. “The Court may administer stripes and the death penalty which are not authorized by the Torah. However, they may not do this [with the intent of instituting a law which] transgresses the words of the Torah but only for the purpose of erecting a fence around the Torah.”²⁰⁴That is, as a temporary measure which the times require, they may act accordingly. See Rashi Sanhedrin 46 a, that this is its meaning. The tribe of Benjamin, however, did not consent to this²⁰⁵That the men of Gibeah, involved in the affair, should be put to death. as they were not guilty of the death-penalty for violating the concubine. Perhaps the Benjamites were also provoked by the fact that the tribes did not communicate with them first and reached a consensus without asking for their opinion.
In my opinion, this [failure to consult Benjamin] caused Israel’s punishment which resulted in their being routed at first since the war was done not in accordance with the law. The obligation of making “the fence”²⁰⁶To punish the men of Gibeah as an extraordinary measure. lay upon the tribe of Benjamin, and not upon them, as it is the tribe itself that is obligated to judge its constituents.²⁰⁷Deuteronomy 16:18. Sanhedrin 16 b: “It is commandatory upon the tribe to judge the people of the tribe.”
Thus both parties were deserving of punishment. Benjamin sinned by not bothering to punish the wicked ones or even rebuke them. Israel sinned by making war not in accordance with the law, and they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Eternal²⁰⁸Joshua 9:14. on this matter. Instead they questioned G-d and said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?²⁰⁹Judges 20:18. They themselves had decided to do battle in any case. Similarly, they did not inquire concerning the outcome of the battle, “If Thou wilt give them into my hand,” since they relied on their man-power which was exceedingly great as they were now more than ten times [as numerous as the Benjamites].²¹⁰The Israelites mustered four hundred thousand (ibid., Verse 17) while the Benjamites numbered twenty-six thousand (ibid., Verse 15). All they asked was, Who shall go up for us first,²⁰⁹Judges 20:18. this being like casting lots among them. Perhaps each tribe was saying, “I will not go up first,” or each tribe was saying, “I will be first.”²¹¹A similar case occurred when the Israelites stood before the Red Sea. There is a difference of opinion among the Rabbis as to their attitude. According to one authority each tribe said, “I will not go into the sea first [to escape the Egyptians],” while another authority maintains that each tribe was saying, “I will go first.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, answered in accordance with their question: Judah first,²⁰⁹Judges 20:18. meaning Judah is always first, For He hath chosen Judah to be prince.²¹²I Chronicles 28:4. This was why He did not say, “Judah shall go up,” as in other places,²¹³As in Judges 1:2. for He did not give them permission. However, He did not stop them, and neither did he tell them, Go not up, neither fight,²¹⁴Deuteronomy 1:42. because of the merited punishment of the Benjamites. Thus did G-d walk with both of them by chance, leaving them to natural circumstances. Accordingly, the Benjamites, who were valiant men and whose cities were well fortified, destroyed the Israelites who had “made flesh their arm of strength.”²¹⁵See Jeremiah 17:5. But now the Benjamites compounded their merited punishment. It would have been sufficient for them to drive the Israelites away from Gibeah. Instead, they killed them, seeking to destroy them by a perpetual hatred,²¹⁶Ezekiel 25:15. and they slew the mighty number of twenty-two thousand of their people.²¹⁷Judges 20:21. Now when the Israelites suffered such a great defeat they became aware of their error, namely, that they did battle with their brethren without receiving Divine permission and engaged in a battle which was not in accordance with the law of the Torah. Therefore, on the second day they asked, shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?²¹⁸Ibid., Verse 23. Now they mentioned the brotherhood among them, asking whether He forbids them to do battle. But now on the second day, G-d permitted them, saying, Go up against him,²¹⁸Ibid., Verse 23. as it was now permissible for them to avenge the spilled blood of their brethren.²¹⁹Spilled needlessly. All the Benjamites had to do on the first day of battle was to drive the Israelites from Gibeah, as explained above. Instead, they killed twenty-two thousand of them. Hence, on the second day, it became “permissible” for the Israelites to attempt to avenge their death. However, they did not ask whether they will be victorious because they were still relying upon their superior numbers to bring victory under all circumstances. But since G-d had explained to them only that the battle was permissible to them, and since their first sin had not yet been atoned for, there fell among them also on the second day eighteen thousand.²²⁰Judges 20:25. On the third day they decreed a fast, and they fasted and they wept… before the Eternal,²²¹Ibid., Verse 26. and they offered burnt-offerings to atone for their sinful thoughts²²²A Burnt-offering is brought only for sinful thought. (Vayikra Rabbah 7:3.) through which they relied upon the strength of their arm. They also offered peace-offerings,²²¹Ibid., Verse 26. which were Thanksgiving peace-offerings, since they considered themselves as if they had all escaped from the sword of Benjamin. This indeed is the law of all who are delivered from danger: they are to bring a thanks-offering, just as it is said, And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with singing,²²³Psalms 107:22. and it is further written, And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Eternal.²²⁴Ibid., 27:6.
Now the number of dead among the Israelites during the two days was forty thousand, and in the end twenty-five thousand²²⁵Judges 20:35. of Benjamin’s warriors fell, besides those that were put to the sword from the whole city and all that they found.²²⁶Ibid., Verse 48. It is possible that among the men, women and children they totalled fifteen thousand additional casualties, thus making the punishment of the two groups equal.
And how significant are the words of our Rabbis²²⁷Sanhedrin 103b. who said that the anger of G-d at that time was due to the idol of Micah!²²⁸See Judges, Chapter 17. “Said the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Concerning My honor, which was violated by those guilty of death and those who raised their hand against the principle of religion, namely, the unity of G-d, you did not protest; but for the honor of a mortal you did protest, to an extent which exceeded the limits of justice!”
Therefore He confounded the counsel of the two groups and made their hearts stubborn, and they remembered not the brotherly covenant.²²⁹Amos 1:9. But after the affair they had regrets, just as it is said, And the people came to Beth-eland sat there till evening before G-d, and lifted up their voice, and wept bitterly. And they said: O Eternal, G-d of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe missing from Israel?²³⁰Judges 21:2-3. For now they realized their mistakes and punishment.
We have thus incidentally explained a concealed matter which is not clear [with a cursory reading of the text], and we have mentioned the cause thereof.

In commenting on the plain meaning of the text of this verse, Nachmanides writes as follows: “the words ‘the scepter will not depart from Yehudah’ mean that Yaakov granted Yehudah the status of Royalty and blessed him by saying that he would not be deprived of that status by any of the other tribes. He assured him that as long as the Israel would be a kingdom, its king would be from the tribe of Yehudah The meaning of the blessing, however, was not that Israel would always be a kingdom and would always be ruled over by a king. After all we have an explicit verse in Deut. 28,36 that under certain conditions “G’d will lead you as well as your king whom you will set up over yourself to a nation you never knew, etc.” Moreover, it is an undeniable fact that nowadays we do not have a king nor princes.” It follows that Yaakov’s promise applied only to the periods in history when the whole Jewish people would be ruled over by a single king. If, temporarily, the Jewish people would be deprived of the conditions which call for it to be ruled by a king, in due course when the proper conditions return, the kingship would again be accorded to a member of the tribe of Yehudah.”
This is why David said (Chronicles I 28,4) “The Lord G’d of Israel chose me of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Yehudah to be ruler, and of the family of Yehudah, my father’s house; and of my father’s sons He preferred to make me king over all Israel;” We also have a verse in Chronicles II 13,5: “surely you know that the Lord G’d of Israel gave David kingship over Israel forever- to him and his sons- by a covenant of salt.”
Seeing that by rights the kingship of Israel was granted only to descendants of the tribe of Yehudah, any kings from another tribe who occupied that throne were punished and could not perpetuate their dynasties. Even King Saul, the first king over Israel, was killed in battle and his sons died a violent death. The Hasmoneans (from the tribe of Levi) who claimed the throne of the Jewish people were all punished and died violent deaths as they had disregarded this cardinal rule established by Yaakov. The Hasmoneans wound up by becoming slaves to slaves (to the extent that any of them survived at all). He who took the crown by force was punished by having it taken away from him by force. Our sages in Baba Batra 3 go so far as to say that anyone claiming to be a descendant of the Hasmonean Kings is an impostor and is in fact a slave (who has falsified his genealogy).
This is what Hoseah 8,4 had in mind when he said: “they appointed kings without My permission, and they made officers but not of My choice.” Apart from the fact that slaves or their descendants must not become Kings over Jews, the tribe of Levi and in particular the priests were prohibited from ascending the temporal throne. We have an explicit verse in Numbers 18,7 telling the Levites and the Priests to dedicate themselves exclusively to their tasks in tending to the altar and what is beyond the curtain. Seeing that the Hasmoneans who appointed themselves kings neglected to observe this commandment they became liable to such terrible punishment.