Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Bilangan 33:8

The children of Israel traveled from Bәכerot-Bәné-Yaɐqan to Moserah. This verse is inserted here, because Moshe had said “I also prayed for the sake of Aaron at that time” [9: 20]; Scripture accordingly informs us that Aaron did not die, until the fortieth year. The evidence for the correctness of this explanation is that, while they were at Mount Sinai, “at that time, God set apart the tribe of Levi” [: 8] (as I have explained in my commentary on the parasha of Bәmidbar [comment on Numbers 3: 1]). Our ancestors asserted [Palestinian Talmud Yoma 1: 1 (38b)] that they backtracked to a previous encampment — but what then is to be done with the word “there” in there Aaron died, and there he was buried ? The Spaniard Rabbi Isaac ben Y ә hudah ibn Ghiyyat, of blessed memory, translated the word “there” into “then” (similarly, “from then on [literally: from there] he became a shepherd” [Genesis 49: 24]). But in my opinion none of this is needed. Rather, Beerot-Bәné-Yaaqan is not the same as “Bené-Yaaqan” [Numbers 33: 31]; and also, Moserah is not the same as “Moserot” [Numbers 33: 30]. Bәכerot-Bәné-Yaɐqan is another name for Qadesh, and Moserah is the name of the desert region surrounding Mount Hor. There are many similar instances (e.g., note that Scripture calls a place “the Shur Wilderness” [Exodus 15: 22], but in another verse says “the כ Eytam Wilderness” [Numbers 33: 8]).

וקם כל העם וישתחוו, “and the entire nation would rise and prostrated themselves;” this describes what has been written in verse 8; seeing that these two verses were very long, the Torah decided to make sure the reader would not lose track of the subject. We find that the Torah used a similar method in Genesis 15,2, when it quotes Avraham asking G-d what possible enduring gift he could give him seeing that he had no biological heir. Avraham comes back to that subject in Genesis 15,3, “reminding” Him that he has no issue. We also find such a “reminder” when Yaakov and Lavan discuss his remuneration for looking after Lavan’s flocks in Genesis 30,27. There are numerous more examples of this type in the Bible.

ויצאו אל מדבר שור, “they went out to the wilderness of Shur.” The reason that wilderness was called שור was because it was the place where the Jewish people yearned to see further revelations of the emanation חכמה, such as had been granted to them during the crossing of the sea. The name ישורון was bestowed on the Jewish people in recognition of these insights which had been granted to them. The word is also reminiscent of Bileam’s blessing in Numbers 23,9 ומגבעות אשורנו, “and I can see them from the tops of hills.” At that time the Israelites were on a spiritual high, ascending higher and higher. The wilderness of Shur is identical with the wilderness איתם, of which we read in Numbers 33,8: “they set out from Pi Hachirot, and passed through the sea into the wilderness; and they made a three-days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham.” They camped at Marah.