מדרש על במדבר 7:18

On the second day, brought (hikriv) Netanel, etc.: Why does it state, "brought" [only with Netanel]? Because Reuven came and appealed: He said, “It is enough that Yehudah should precede me with the encampments; I should bring [next] based on the order of birth! Moshe rebuked him and said to him, “It is from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, that it was told to me – bring (hakrev, which is the ketiv – the way the word is spelled in the Torah) from the [order of the] encampments!” Another explanation: Hikriv (which also means ‘he put him forward’) – Moshe put him forward against the will of Reuven. Another explanation: As if he brought first (even before Yehudah). Why is this so? Since he merited to have the counsel of the princes [to offer wagons], the verse counts it as if he were the first one to bring [it] up. Abba Chanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, “Since he merited to have the counsel, he merited to have understanding given to his tribe, as it is stated (I Chronicles 12:33), ‘And from the children of Yissachar, who know understanding of times.’” And it is stated (Judges 5:15), “And Yissachar’s chiefs were with Deborah, etc.” And so does the verse recount his praise in the courts in Egypt, as it is stated (Numbers 26:24), “To Yashuv was the Yashuvite family” – and Yashuv is always [referring to] courts, as it is stated (Ezekiel 33:31), “They will come to you in crowds and sit (yeshvu) before you, etc.”; “and Yaakov was a simple man who sits (yoshev) in tents” (Genesis 25:27), and it states (Deuteronomy 33:18), “and Yissachar in his tents.” Brought his sacrifice, etc. – Rabbi Pinchas be Yair said, “Why did it add [the word,] hikriv and remove [the letter,] yod? Rather it is corresponding to the red heifer that they made that day. Therefore, it added [the word,] hikriv missing yod, and left the word with four letters – corresponding to the four things that the heifer required: red, complete, without a blemish, without the carrying of a yoke. As you would say (Numbers 19:2), ‘and they shall take to you a red heifer that is complete, etc.’” One silver bowl – the prince of Yissachar came and brought the offering for the sake of the Torah; as they love the Torah more than the other tribes, as it is stated (I Chronicles 12:33), “And from the children of Yissachar, who know understanding of times, etc.” What is “of times?” Rabbi Tanchuma said, “ Of holidays.” Rabbi Yose said, “Of intercalations.” [This verse in Chronicles continues,] “to know what Israel shall do” – on which day they shall make the holidays. [And further in the verse,] “their heads are two hundred” – these are the two hundred leaders of the Sanhedrin groomed by the tribe of Yissachar. [Still in the verse,] “and all of their brothers according to their mouths” – that they would agree to the law based on their mouths. And it states (Genesis 49:15), “bent his shoulder to haul” – since they would haul the yoke of Torah. [The verse in Genesis continues] "and he will be a conscripted worker" - as anyone who was mistaken in the law would ask it to the tribe of Yissachar and they would clarify it for them. A silver bowl – corresponding to the Torah that is called ‘bread,’ as it stated (Proverbs 19:5), “Come repast on my bread.” And it is said about the showbread (Exodus 25:29), “And you shall make its bowls and its ladles”; and we learned, “its bowls” - these are the molds, as they would make the showbread in molds. One hundred and thirty was its weight – go out and calculate: twenty-four books of the written Torah and eighty from the Mishnah; which begins with [the letter,] mem (which has a numerical equivalent of forty), “me’imatai korin et haShema, etc. and ends with mem, “Hashem yivarech et amo be’shalom”. Mem is forty and [another] mem is forty; behold eighty, [so] one hundred and four, as this is the count that the written Torah and the oral Torah come to. Another explanation: The beginnings of the six Orders of the Mishnah – the first letters come to eighty. Go out and calculate: Mem (forty) from “me’imatai” from the Order of Seeds; yod (ten) from “yitziot haShabbat” from the Order of Appointed Time; chet (eight) from “chamesh-esreh nashim” from the Order of Women; one (alef) from “arbaah avot nezikin” from the Order of Salvations (Damages); caf (twenty) from “kol haZevachim” from the Order of Holy Things; one (alef) from “avot haTumaot ” from the Order of Purities - behold eighty, [so] from here [you see that] the count of the written Torah and the oral Torah come to one hundred and four. And it was given in twenty-six generations which were from Adam to Moshe, through whom the Torah was given – behold, one hundred and thirty. Hence the weight of the bowl was one hundred and thirty.

Another interpretation (of Numb. 7:1): SO IT CAME TO PASS ON THE DAY THAT MOSES HAD FINISHED SETTING UP THE TABERNACLE, HAD ANOINTED THEM (sic), <AND SANCTIFIED IT>…. When he had anointed it, he returned and anointed its vessels. Then the princes of Israel offered sacrifices. They said: Now is the hour when we shall joyfully offer sacrifices, since the Divine Presence is dwelling among us.⁹⁸Numb. R. 12:16. Then when they saw that the Tabernacle had been made and that there was nothing at all [lacking] for them in it, they said: What is there for us to bring? They went and brought wagons on which they would carry the Tabernacle. But who gave them this suggestion? The tribe of Issachar, since they were wise and mighty in the Torah, as stated (in I Chron 12:33 [32]): AND FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISSACHAR, THOSE WHO HAD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TIMES, <TO KNOW WHAT ISRAEL SHOULD DO>.⁹⁹Cant. R. 6:4:2. For that reason they had the right to offer sacrifice (HQYB) on the second day, as stated (in Numb. 7:18): ON THE SECOND DAY NETHANEL BEN ZUAR, PRINCE OF ISSACHAR, PRESENTED (HQRYB, rt.: QRB) <HIS> OFFERING. In <the order of> all the princes, why is his sacrifice mentioned <on second day, immediately after Judah>?¹⁰⁰Cf. Numb. R. 13:15-16. It is also mentioned here (in vs. 19): HE PRESENTED (HQRB; rt.: QRB) HIS OFFERING. <It is so mentioned> because he offered (HQRYB; rt.: QRB) it in accordance with the <Divine> command. When the rest of the tribes, who were greater than <Issachar>, wanted to sacrifice (rt.: QRB) [first], they decided <the matter> from heaven. So the tribe of Issachar was commanded to approach (rt.: QRB) with a sacrifice (rt.: QRB) for the altar and offer (rt.: QRB) its sacrifice (rt.: QRB). You yourself know that it is so written (in vs. 19) where PRESENTED (HQRB) lacks a Y (i.e., a yod) <and as such is really an imperative meaning "bring near."> When <that tribe> was far away, it was brought near to come (i.e., to offer sacrifice).¹⁰¹The verb, NTHQRB (rt.: QRB), used here means “brought near,” but the root also denotes the offering of a sacrifice. Thus the tribe of Issachar was moved up in order for offering sacrifice. And why all this? Because they were knowledgeable in the Torah, as stated (in I Chron. 12:33 [32]): AND FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISSACHAR, THOSE WHO HAD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TIMES, <TO KNOW WHAT ISRAEL SHOULD DO>; [ … ] AND ALL THEIR KINFOLK WERE AT THEIR COMMAND ('al-pihem). <This verse> is for teaching you that they all affirmed the oral law (halakhah) ON THEIR LIPS ('al-pihem).

(Bamidbar 7:18) "On the second day, Nethanel ben Tzuar, the chief of Yissachar, presented": (Ibid. 19) "He presented (hikriv) his offering": What is the intent of this (i.e., why the redundancy?) Because Reuven came and protested, saying: It is enough that Judah preceded me; let me (now) present according to the order of (precedence) in birth, Moses rebuked him, saying: The Holy One told me to present according to (precedence) in (the order of) journeying — it being written "hakrev" (imperative - "Present"). "He (Nethanel) presented his offering." Because Nethanel merited in counsel (i.e., to counsel the presentation of these offerings), Scripture accounts it to him as if he had presented first and he merited the bequest of binah (understanding) as his (Yissachar's) portion, viz. (I Chronicles 12:33) "And of the sons of Yissachar, knowers of understanding for the times," and (Judges 5:15) "And the leaders of Yissachar (the Sanhedrin) were with Devorah, and as Yissachar, so, Barak, in the valley, etc." And thus does Scripture praise him (Yissachar) in the batei-din in Egypt, viz. (of Yissachar) "Yashuv, the family of the Yashuvi, "yishuv" connoting beth-din, as in (Ezekiel 33:31) "and they will come to you as a people comes, and My people will sit (in judgment) before you," and (Devarim 33:18) "Rejoice Zevulun on your going forth (to trade), and Yissachar in your tents (of Torah)," and (Bereshit 25:27) "… and Yaakov was a "whole" man, sitting in the tents (of learning)."