פירוש על במדבר 2:2

באתת [EVERY MAN OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD] WITH THE SIGNS [OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES] — Each banner shall have a different sign — a piece of coloured cloth hanging on it, the colour of the one not being the same as the colour of another, but the colour of each tribe shall be like that of his stone that is fixed in the breastplate (of. Exodus 28:21), and by this means everybody will be able to recognise his banner . Another explanation of באתת לבית אבתם is: by the signs (i.e., following the signs) which their father Jacob gave them severally when they carried him out from Egypt, as it is said, (Genesis 50:12) “And his sons did unto him exactly as he had commanded them”. For he had commanded that Judah, Issachar and Zebulun should carry him, having their position at the east side of the bier, Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south side, etc., — as it is related in Tanchuma on this section (Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar 12; cf. Rashi on Genesis 50:12).

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.

באתות, there was a symbol on every flag, as for instance, the picture of a lion on the flag of the tribe of Yehudah, or that of an ox on the flag of the tribe of Joseph.

איש על דגלו באותות, “each man by his flag, according to its insignia.” Rashi explains that each flag had coloured insignia woven or embroidered on it reflecting the appearance of the respective gemstone of the tribe on the breastplate of the High Priest. Ibn Ezra writes that each flag had a pattern that easily identified the tribe it belonged to; (possibly reflecting the definitions used by Yaakov when he had blessed his sons before his death.) They could also have reflected the images seen by the prophet Ezekiel in his famous vision of the merkavah. Ancient sources have recorded that the Tabernacle was located in the center of the four army groups. In the space between the Tabernacle and the army groups (presumably in peace time accompanied by the various families of the soldiers), the Levites arranged their huts around the Tabernacle. The details have been described in the ספר יצירה. The respective sides of the camp which was square in shape, began with the east side, the army group headed by the tribe of Yehudah, as per G’d’s command in response to the question who should lead the army. [Compare Bamidbar Rabbah 2,10 on Judges 1,1-2 Ed.] The army group headed by the tribe of Reuven was situated on the south side in order to accord some honour to the biologically oldest son of Yaakov. The third army group under one flag comprised the tribes of Rachel’s descendants who were situated in the west, with the group comprised of sons of Zilpah and Bilhah in the north. I have seen further in the Midrash that just as Hashem created 4 directions on earth, (north, south, west and east) so He surrounded His throne in the heavens with four such directions, the throne of His glory being the loftiest of them all. When telling Moses how to arrange the army groups around the Tabernacle, He told him that what He was directing Moses to do corresponded to the pattern in which the hierarchies in the heavenly regions were arranged. East, the source of the original light, would be represented on earth by Yehudah, who represented the concept of Royalty. He would be flanked by Issachar, who represented the concept of Torah Issachar would be flanked on his other side by Zevulun, who represented the concept of wealth. This concept had been envisioned by Yaakov, who in his blessing of Zevulun (Genesis 49,13) had said זבולון על חוף ימים ישכון, that “Zevulun would make his residence on the shores of the sea.” It has also been said of him (and of Issachar) (Deuteronomy 33,19) כי שפע ימים יינקו, that “they will be nourished by the riches of the sea.” [An allusion to Zevulun sharing his wealth with Issachar, enabling the latter to devote himself exclusively to the study of the Torah. Ed.] This group would be the first one to march ahead of the rest of the camp, as we know from ויעבור מלכם לפניהם, “their king would always march ahead of them” (Michah 2,13). The direction south is representative of the beneficial dews and the rains that dispense G’d’s blessings on earth. This direction would be represented first and foremost by Reuven, who had distinguished himself as a penitent, and thus had revealed himself as possessing a virtue which is very dear to Hashem, a virtue which evokes G’d’s mercy for His creatures. He was flanked by Gad, possessed of the virtue of גבורה, strength and endurance in the face of overwhelming odds. They had the camp of Shimon between them, to help him atone for the sin at Shittim that had decimated that tribe whose members had permitted themselves to be seduced by the Moabites and Midianites. (Numbers 25) They marched in second position, seeing that the virtue of repentance is second only to Torah itself. Seeing that Reuven had excelled in repentance and this is an important virtue, one which brings to the fore G’d’s virtue of רחמים whenever G’d encounters penitent sinners, it was appropriate for the tribe of Reuven to be positioned in second place. West is the direction in which G’d’s storage chamber of snow, hail, and frost as well as heat is stored; the tribes of Ephrayim, Binyamin and Menashe were placed there, seeing that Binyamin’s territory would house the Temple, it was appropriate that he would be positioned in the direction where the Shechinah is presumed to be. North is the direction from which darkness (of the spiritual kind) is presumed to emerge when it does. It was appropriate that the tribe of Dan would be positioned there, as it was this tribe who played a leading role in the re-introduction of idolatry in Israel, King Yerobam later on being the exponent par excellence of this. [Judges 18 describes that the tribe of Dan hired themselves a phony priest and instituted idolatry in their newly conquered territory, formerly known as Layish. These offshoots from the tribe of Dan, who called their new city “Dan,” continued in their idolatrous ways until the first Temple was destroyed. The tribe of Asher was especially blessed, as was the tribe of Naftali, also part of that army group, something that offset the spiritually negative vibes associated with the Danites.

Each one's color. Thus the meaning of “their fathers’ houses” was the names of their fathers that were engraved on the breastplate. But since this is a forced explanation in the understanding of “their fathers’ houses,” Rashi gives another explanation. Nonetheless, according to the other explanation one may question the connection between the word “banner” and “the insignia of their fathers’ houses,” therefore he also needs the first explanation.

V. 2. איש על דגלו באתת וגו׳, wie bereits zu V. 52 des vorigen Kapitels bemerkt, gehört באתת dem Akzente nach zu רגלו. Die Fahne eines jeden בית אב, d. i. ja eines jeden Stammes, hatte ein אות: ein entsprechendes, den Stamm kennzeichnendes Emblem. Nach במדבר רבה z. St. trug jede Fahne die Farbe des entsprechenden Edelsteins auf der Brust des Hohenpriesters und außerdem ein den Stamm charakterisierendes Emblem. Es ist dies dort für jeden Stamm besonders ausgeführt. — מנגד: nach ebendaselbst die Entfernung einer מיל, d.i. 2000 Ellen, einem תחום שבת entsprechend, damit sie, wie es dort heißt, am Schabbat zum אהל מועד kommen konnten. So auch Josua 3, 4.

With the insignia of their fathers’ houses. Each tribe had a number of fathers’ houses, and each father’s house had a small banner with the same picture as the large banner of the entire tribe. However, an aleph, beis, or gimmel was printed on [the banner of] each father’s house. This is the meaning of, “with the insignia (באותות) of their fathers’ houses,” each father’s house had its own אות, letter.

על דגלו באותות, “every man with his own standard according to the insignias of his father’s house;” the flags had the names of the (fore)father’s houses inscribed upon them. How did this work? On the flag of Reuven there was an inscription אי׳י, the respective first letters of the names of the patriarchs אברהם, יצחק, יעקב. On the second flag (there were four flags, for each army group of four tribes.) there were inscribed the letters בצ׳ע, the second letter in the names of each of the three patriarchs. The third flag would have the letters רח׳ק representing the third letter in the respective names of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov, and the fourth flag the letters מק׳ב, representing the last letters each in their names. The letter ה which had been added to Avraham’s name, would be represented by the protective cloud that rested above the Israelites and protected them against nosy intruders during all the years they were in the desert. An alternate interpretation of the line: באותות לבית אבותם. The flag of the camp of Reuven had the outline of a human being in red colour, matching the colour of his stone on Aaron’s breastplate. It represented the mandrakes Reuven had found in the field and brought to his mother Leah, which the latter had traded for an extra night with her husband. (Genesis chapter 30) These mandrakes were shaped like a human being. The outline of a lion was drawn or stitched ion the flag of Yehudah, who was called: “lion” in the Torah by his father (Genesis 49,9) The colour of that outline was turquoise as was the colour of his gem on Aaron’s breastplate. The flag of Ephrayim showed the outline of an ox, whom his father Joseph had reputedly called שור, ox, (Deuteronomy 33,17) The colour of that outline was onyx, as was the colour of his gemstone on the breastplate of Aaron. On the flag of Dan there was the outline of an eagle, coloured in a variety of colours, iridescent, as the gemstone that represented the tribe of Dan on Aaron’s breastplate. (Ibn Ezra) The Tabernacle located in the centre, was flanked by all these camps, and was a symbol of the holy angels called chayot, which surround the throne of G-d forming a square. The various nations learned from the Israelites to make tablecloths and the like in a variety of colours. (Bamidbar Rabbah 2,6)

מנגד AT SOME DISTANCE [AROUND THE APPOINTED TENT THEY SHALL ENCAMP] — at a distance of a mile (2000 cubits), for it is said, (Joshua 3:4) “Yet there shall be between you (the Israelites) and it (the Ark), about two thousand cubits”; the reason for this distance, which was that of a Sabbath day’s journey, was that they might be able to come unto the vicinity of the Tabernacle for instruction on Sabbath, for Moses, Aaron and his sons and the Levites were encamped quite close to it (Bemidbar Rabbah 2:9; cf. Exodus 33:7 and Rashi thereon).

מנגד, from a distance.

When they carried him. Meaning that accordingly one must say that “banner” is a term of gathering as in “ודגלו עלי (and encamped around me)” (Shir HaShirim 2:4). This teaches that each banner was with its group.

At the distance of a mil. One might ask: Previously in Parshas Yisro (Shemos 19:2), Rashi explained that נגד ההר (opposite the mountain) meant to its east, because any time that you find the word נגד it implies facing east, even if it comes as a construct (opposite something). The answer is: Here it is written “around the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp” so it is not possible that they were all facing east. Thus Rashi explains that it is a term of distance. Furthermore, I have found that one may learn this through a gezeirah shavah (comparison); the Torah here says מנגד (opposite) and elsewhere it says ותשב מנגד הרחק (“and sat facing him about the distance”) (Bereishis 21:16). Thus, just as there it refers to distance, so too here it refers to the distance. A mil is a distance of two thousand amos [the maximum distance] that one may travel on Shabbos.

דגל מחנה יהודה, “the banner of the camp of Yehudah, etc.” This camp traveled first and was situated in the east of the Tabernacle. It was accompanied by the soldiers from the tribes of Issachar and Zevulun. The Torah describes these three tribes as ראשונה יסעו, “being the first ones to start journeying.” The word ראשונה is an allusion to the fact that these three tribes were all endowed with more than an average amount of חכמה, wisdom, i.e. the first of the emanations. Scriptural verses supporting this claim are found in Psalms 60,9: “Yehudah My law giver.” The 200 men attending David’s crowning as king over the nation have been described as “people who understood the needs of the times,” (Chronicles I 1,32). The men of Zevulun have been described in Judges 5,14 as “holding the marshal’s staff.” In view of these tribes having wisdom as a common characteristic they were suitable partners traveling together as one single camp. The entire camp was known as the camp of Yehudah, being a counterpart of the camp comprising the angels Gavriel, Ezriel, and Shemiel in the celestial spheres which is known as the camp of Gavriel.

דגל מחנה אפרים לצבאותם ימה, “the flag of the camp of Ephrayim, according to its hosts, to the West.” You are aware that Jerobam both sinned himself and caused the whole people to sin. He was of the tribe of Ephrayim. There was therefore a need to heal the “fracture” or “rift” which this man created among the Jewish people, i.e. their camps. The tribe of Ephrayim was encamped together with the tribe of Menashe and the tribe of Binyamin. This is the meaning of Psalms 80,3: “at the head of Ephrayim, Binyamin, and Menashe! Rouse Your might and come to our help!” They were camped on the West side of the Tabernacle; our sages have stated (Baba Batra 25,) that the Shechinah resided in the Western part of the Temple. Concerning the camp headed by Ephrayim the Torah writes that the members of that camp traveled in third position (verse 24).
It was appropriate that after the camp of Yehudah which represented Torah, followed by the camp of Reuven which represented repentance, there should follow the camp of Ephrayim which represented the attribute גבורה. This camp corresponded to the celestial camp headed by the archangel Raphael supported by the angels Zavdiel and Achziel which was situated immediately behind the Shechinah. This was the camp that Moses alluded to when he prayed that Miriam be healed from her tzoraat by saying אל נא רפא נאלה, “please G’d heal her,” (Numbers 12,13). He appealed to the attribute represented by Raphael.

יחנו בני ישראל מנגד, “the Children of Israel shall encamp at a distance, etc.;” according to Tanchuma Bamidbar 14 this was one mile distant from the Tabernacle. This corresponded to the instructions given by Joshua (Joshua 3,4) to the people to keep a distance of 2,000 cubits between themselves and the Holy Ark which crossed the river Jordan ahead of the main body of the Israelites. The reason the Tabernacle was not to be more distant from the camp was to enable the people to walk to it on the Sabbath to conduct their prayers. The flags were equidistant from one another in each direction, whereas Moses and Aaron and his sons were close to the Ark. We know this as the Torah writes that the ones who were making their camp immediately east of the Tent of Meeting were Moses and Aaron and his sons (Numbers 3,38). G’d had said that He wanted it that way so that in case He had occasion to become angry at the Israelites, Moses and Aaron would be at hand to re-establish harmony between G’d and the people. This is the deeper meaning of Psalms 20,6 נרננה בישועתיך, “we will jubilate when Your Shechinah will be present.” The תשועה the psalmist refers to is the saving of the Jewish people from the Egyptians at the sea, whereas the words following in that same verse, i.e. ובשם אלו-הינו נדגל, “and in the name of our G’d we will display flags,” refer to the flags in the desert; finally, the last words of that verse ימלא ה' כל משאלותיך, “may the Lord grant all your requests,” refer to the additional stature attained by the Israelites at that time giving individual status to each of the tribes as a group beloved by G’d by means of the flags they displayed. (Tanchuma Bamidbar 10). The Midrash further sees in Song of Songs 2,4 an allusion to the same idea. Solomon writes there: “He brought me to the banquet room and His banner of love was over me.” We may understand what is written there as a parable. A wealthy man had a treasure chamber full of wine. When he entered to examine the wine he found that it had all turned to vinegar. As he turned around to leave that treasure chamber he came across a single barrel of good wine. Thereupon he said that this single barrel was dearer to him than the entire amount in the rest of that storage chamber. The Lord has 70 nations at His disposal; however, upon examination the only nation from which He derives any pleasure are the Jewish people. The word יין, “wine,” has a numerical value of 70, an allusion to the nations of the world. Concerning all of the barrels of wine G’d said that only the one (nation) which flies a flag has merited His love so that Israel can say: “it is displayed over me.”
Solomon also says (Song of Songs 6,8) “there are 60 queens and 80 concubines, and damsels without number, whereas unique is she My dove,” a reference to the Jewish people. The former are an allusion to the alufim of the sons of Seir mentioned in Genesis 36. The eighty concubines are a reference to the descendants of Noach which have ben named. The damsels without number refer to the descendants of Ishmael, whereas “the unique one,” which did not intermarry with any of the others are the Jewish people.
Rabbi Yehudah in Tanchuma Bamidbar 10 said that the verse “He brought me to the house of wine” (Song of Songs 2,4), is a reference to the revelation at Mount Sinai. The Torah may be interpreted to yield either 49 aspects of purity or 49 aspects of impurity (depending on who does the studying). He points out that the numerical value of the word ודגלו, “and His flag,” is 49. The next paragraph in Tanchuma (Bamidbar 11) sees in the words איש על דגלו באותות in our portion an allusion to Solomon saying in Song of Songs 6,10: מי זאת הנשקפה כמו שחר יפה כלבנה ברה כחמה איומה כדגלות, “Who is she that shines like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, radiant as the sun, awesome as bannered hosts?” The nations of the world are portrayed as trying to seduce the Jewish people by inviting the beautiful looking Jewish people to become one of them, culturally speaking. They hold out the promise of appointing the converts to important positions in their midst. Israel replies sarcastically, מה תחזו בשולמית, “what can you possibly bestow upon us (7,1) seeing that we have already been granted positions more elevated than any of you can ever attain!”
. והחונים קדמה מזרחה, “and the ones encamped forward, to the east.” The three tribes Yehudah, Issachar, and Zevulun who were stationed right next to Moses and Aaron benefited thereby in that these tribes are described at various times in the Bible as very competent in Torah-law. (compare Judges 5,14 re Zevulun, Chronicles I 12,32 re Issachar and Genesis 49,10 regarding Yehudah). This is what the Talmud Sukkah 56 had in mind when it said that the good experienced by the righteous also devolves upon his neighbour. On the other hand, the tribes of Reuven, Shimon, and Gad were encamped close to the area where Korach and his family had their tents. Concerning them we apply the saying: “woe to the wicked and to those who keep company with him.”
There were a total of seven clouds of glory surrounding these various camps. Four clouds were positioned one in each direction, i.e. east, west, south, and north. One cloud would move a distance of three days’ march in front of the people; the cloud indicating the presence of the Shechinah would be positioned on top of the people’s camp including the Tabernacle. The seventh cloud would form a curtain between the people and the Shechinah. Numbers 10,14 describes the cloud which rested above the camp by day and by night. The cloud which traveled a three-days’ march ahead of the people would cause all snakes and other harmful creatures in the path of the Israelites to die; it would also smooth out valleys and rises in the terrain to enable the people to walk on an even surface. The cloud which acted as a sort of curtain above the entire camp would protect the people against climate changes such as excessive heat or cold. Concerning the experiences of this entire generation Solomon wrote in Song of Songs 6,4: יפה את רעיתי כתרצה, “You are beautiful my beloved when your deeds are pleasing.” In other words, when the Jewish people were pleasing to G’d in their deeds and desires, He in turn made all obstacles in their way disappear (Tanchuma Bamidbar 12). Moses referred to this state of affairs in Deut. 32,10 when he said: ”He discovered them in a desert land....He encircled them and granted them discernment, etc.” This meant that G’d instructed them in the ways of the Torah. The entire verse in Deuteronomy there is a graphic description in poetic form of the uplifting experiences the Jewish people enjoyed in the desert, largely thanks to the flags, i.e. again in the words of Solomon in Song of Songs 5,10 דגול מרבבה, “they were elevated by being surrounded by myriads of angels.” Thus far the Midrash.

Each person shall camp with his/her flag, under the signs of their ancestral house the Children of Israel shall camp - The flag teaches recognition and publicizing to the world, and the Holy One of Blessing taught that even in the encampment of the flags there are levels, that in the East was the flag of Yehudah, and in the West the flag of Dan, which were the last ones to move to their flags. And truly, Oholiav ben Achisamach of the tribe of Dan lifted his heart in knowledge and wisdom just as Betzalel of the tribe of Yehudah. And through this the Holy One of Blessing teaches us that Oholiav did not entertain the [bad] thoughts [such as] 'why is Betzalel first and i have to go last?' And regarding this it is written "a person with his/her flag" - that is, that each person has the recognition of the honor of Heaven and there one should one camp, and not feel jealousy towards one another - in every place there is My honor.