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ויהי בנסע הארן AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN THE ARK PROCEEDED [THAT MOSES SAID etc.] — He (the Lord; cf. Shabbat 115a) made for it (for this section) dividing marks (inverted “Nuns”), in front and behind it, in order to indicate that this is not its proper place (it would more fittingly find a place in the section dealing with the march of the people in chapter Numbers II. after v. 17). But why, then, is it written here? In order to make a break between the narrative of one punishment and that of another punishment etc., as is stated in the Talmudic chapter commencing with כל כתבי (Shabbat 115b, cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 84:1).

AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN THE ARK SET FORWARD. “He [the Eternal] made for this section [i.e., this verse and the following one] a special mark in front of it and behind it [by placing two inverted letters nun at the beginning and end of it] in order to indicate that this section is not in its proper place.¹⁴²“And where does it belong? Said Rav Ashi: In the section on the standards” (Shabbath 116 a). That is, above in Chapter 2, after Verse 17, which states: Then the Tent of Meeting … shall set forward etc. This section, beginning with And it came to pass when the ark set forward …, should have followed on there. Why then was it written here? In order to separate between [the narrative of] one punishment and that of another punishment, as is stated in the Chapter of ‘Any of the Holy Scriptures.’”¹⁴³Shabbath 115 a. The text quoted is on 115 b-116 a. This is Rashi’s language. But the Rabbi did not explain to us what is this [first] “punishment” from which it was necessary to separate [the later verses], for there is no “punishment” mentioned here in Scripture before the verse, And it came to pass when the ark set forward. The language of the Gemara there is:¹⁴⁴Ibid., 116 a. “The second punishment is [the section], And the people were as murmurers.¹⁴⁵Further, 11:1. The first ‘punishment’ is that which says, And they set forward from the mount of the Eternal,¹⁴¹Verse 33. on which Rabbi Chanina said: This teaches us that they turned aside from the Eternal.” On this [statement of Rabbi Chanina] the Rabbi [Rashi] wrote there in his commentaries: “Within three days of their journeying the mixed multitude … fell a lusting¹⁴⁶Ibid., Verse 4. complaining about the [lack of] meat, in order to rebel against G-d.” But these are astonishing words, for the “punishment” stated in the verse And the people were as murmurers [… and the fire of the Eternal burnt among them etc.]¹⁴⁵Further, 11:1. is written first,¹⁴⁵Further, 11:1. and that of the lusting is second,¹⁴⁶Ibid., Verse 4. and they are both next to each other [so why did Rashi mention the sin of the lusting following upon their journeying as the first “punishment,” since that of the murmurers is closer to it]? Perhaps the Rabbi [Rashi] thought that these episodes were not written in their [chronological] order, and that He [already] alluded to the first [punishment] in saying, [and they set forward] from the mount of the Eternal,¹⁴¹Verse 33. for perhaps they already intended to do so [to demand meat] from the time that they set forth on that journey; but He made a break [by writing the section of the ark], and then wrote the second [punishment, i.e., that of the murmurers], and afterwards He went back to [relate the actual realization of their original intention to ask for meat, namely] the first punishment. But there is neither rhyme nor reason in this [explanation].
But the meaning of this interpretation [of the Rabbis that they set forward from the mount of the Eternal indicates a punishment, is based on that which] they¹⁴⁷The reference is to the Rabbis in the Talmud, Sabbath 116 a, and Ramban is saying that their interpretation is not based on the explanation given there by Rashi, but on an Agadah, as brought down in the name of Midrash Yelamdeinu by Tosafoth ibid., (see Preface to Vol. I, pp. vii-viii). found in the Agadah, that “they set forward from Mount Sinai with joy, just like a child who runs away from school, saying: ‘Perhaps He will give us more commandments [if we stay]!” This then is the sense of the expression, And they set forward from the mount of the Eternal,¹⁴¹Verse 33. meaning that their intention was to remove themselves from there because it was the mount of the Eternal. This is the first “punishment” [i.e., the first sin, as explained further on], and then He interrupted [with the section on the ark] in order that there should not be three punishments one after the other, so that it would have established a basis for further punishment.¹⁴⁸A repetition of three similar events establishes a legal presumption of recurrence. See also Amos 2:6, that G-d’s long-suffering is at an end with three sins. He called the [first] sin “punishment” even though no actual punishment occurred to them because of it, [but since they deserved to have been punished, it is called a “punishment”]. Perhaps were it not for this sin of theirs He would have brought them into the Land immediately [and so there was indeed a “punishment”].

ויהי בנסוע הארון proceeding to enter the holy Land;

ויהי בנסע הארון, And it came to pass when the Holy Ark would journey, etc. This entire paragraph requires analysis. It may best be explained in connection with a kabbalistic concept (Eitz Chayim 332, chapter 1) I have mentioned repeatedly, i.e. that the reason the Israelites had to trek through the desert was to locate and rescue "sparks" of sanctity which were held captive by the spiritually negative forces whose domain is the desert and other inhospitable parts of the earth. We must appreciate that all these spiritually negative forces may be divided into two categories. One category is essentially a seducer who endeavours to bring his adversary to heel by luring him into immoral and unethical behaviour against man and G'd. The other category consists of various types of destructive forces which simply attack the body of a person trying to kill or to maim him. It is not the nature of this second category of spiritually negative force to engage in seduction of its victim. The words ויהי בנסע הארון refer to the Ark journeying while all kinds of these captive sparks of sanctity cleave to it. As a result of these "sparks" of sanctity establishing contact with the Holy Ark, their captors exploded. This is what is meant by the Torah writing קומה ה׳ ויפוצו אויביך, "Rise up O Lord and let Your enemies be scattered." The "enemies" the Torah refers to are the קליפות, the spiritually negative forces which up until then had held the sparks of sanctity in their grip. Now they would lose that grip. The word ויהי which usually introduces a paragraph containing a painful element refers to the pain experienced by these קליפות. As to the other category of spiritually negative forces, the seductive ones, the Torah writes וינוסו משנאיך מפניך, "let them that hate You flee before You." Here the Torah referrred to those forces who display their hatred of G'd indirectly by seducing G'd's servants into becoming disloyal to Him. The Torah describes these "enemies" of G'd in the plural as there are many such forces as we have learned in Yuma 69 that there are separate evil urges, one luring us to serve idols, another luring us to engage in illicit sexual relations, etc. All of this occurred בנסוע, while the Holy Ark was in motion. Whenever the Holy Ark was stationary the Torah used a different wording to describe how the Holy Ark reacted to such spiritually negative forces. When the Presence of G'd is limited to a specific site, i.e. when the Holy Ark is stationary inside the Holy of Holies, this is equivalent to a declaration by G'd that there are no such "sparks" of sanctity nearby which the Ark would have to search out by moving in their direction and passing such a location.

'קומה ה, seeing that during the period of their wanderings the Shechinah had been absent from its usual place above the kapporet.

ויהי בנסוע הארון, “Whenever the Ark would journey, etc.” Rashi writes that this short paragraph that is bracketed within two inverted letters נ has been inserted here in order to separate one unhappy occurrence from the next one. According to his opinion the Israelites deviated from G’d’s path already during the three days of their very first march away from Mount Sinai. The group of people described as אספסוף, rabble, (11,4) already cultivated a craving for meat, thereby rebelling against the manner in which Hashem had fed the people thus far. Nachmanides has difficulty with Rashi’s interpretation, pointing out that the unhappy occurrence mentioned in verse 1 of chapter 11, preceded the craving of the people for a meat diet. This פורענות, is followed by the rabble’s craving for meat immediately, without any intervening verses in verse 4. Where then did the verses 35 and 36 in our chapter separate one unhappy event from another? Nachmanides concludes that what Rashi meant was that the moving away from Mount Sinai (verse 33) was the first of the unhappy events which occurred so frequently from now on. The Midrash describes the moving away of the people from the spiritually lofty environment of Mount Sinai as similar to a child turning its back on the books from which he is supposed to absorb useful information.

That this is not its place. And where is its place? Above in Parshas Bamidbar along with the banners and the journeying where the Torah writes “The Tent of Meeting journeyed, the camp of the Levites…” (2:17). It would have been correct for this to have been written after that verse, therefore Hashem made the nuns as an indication, meaning that this chapter should have been written fifty (nun has a numerical value of fifty) chapters previously. For this reason the Torah wrote the nuns backwards to teach that its place is fifty chapters above and not fifty chapters below.

VV. 35 u. 36. ויהי בנסע הארן. Wir haben bereits einleitend zu Kap. 8, 1 bemerkt, wie in diesem Abschnitte die mit der Wiedererneuung des Bundesverhältnisses zu Gott nach der Egelverirrung im Schmot Kap. 34 abgebrochene Entwicklungsgeschichte des Volkes Israel wieder aufgenommen und weitergeführt wird. Wäre dieses Volk bereits auf der Höhe gestanden, welche eine Verwirklichung der nunmehr am Gottesberge vollendeten Gesetzgebung voraussetzt, es hätte der weitere Verlauf seiner Geschichte einen anderen, einfacheren Inhalt gewonnen. Der Weg vom Gottesberge hätte sofort ins Gottesland geführt, und eine treue Verwirklichung dieses Gesetzes im Lande hätte das jüdische Gesetzesheiligtum und das jüdische Gesetzesvolk zu einer weithinaus in die Völkerkreise der Menschheit strahlenden Gottesleuchte erhoben — eine Bestimmung, die jetzt erst am Ziele der Zeiten winkt, — und wie Israels Geschichte, so wäre auch die Geschichte der Menschheit eine andere geworden.

'קומה ה' וגו, “rise up O Lord, etc.” this is a prayer that if enemies will gather to attack the Israelites they should be dispersed by G–d before carrying out their plans. If, for some reason they had already succeeded in massing, G–d should put them to flight. [In both instances Israel’s enemies are described as G–d’s enemies by definition. Ed.]

ויהי בנסוע הארון, “It would be that whenever the Ark was moving forward, etc.” According to the Talmud in tractate Shabbat folio 116, quoting the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, this short paragraph in the Torah (which is bracketed) will be removed from the Torah scrolls at some time in the future and it will be rewritten in the appropriate place. If so, why was it not written in the proper place to begin with? It was meant to separate positive occurrences that the people experienced from negative ones, such as the ones we will shortly be reading about. What is the “appropriate” place that it should have appeared in? According to Rabbi Yossi, on the folio of the Talmud in Shabbat 116, it should have appeared when we read about the flags, immediately after verse 21 in our chapter, where the Torah describes the Kehatites as carrying the Holy Ark.'

‘קומה ה RISE UP O LORD — Because it (the Ark) was in front of them a distance of three days’ march, Moses exclaimed, “Stay and wait for us, and do not travel further away from us; this is to be found in Tanchuma 2:10:7 on Sedra ויקהל.

קומה ה' ויפוצו אויביך, if the people had not insisted on dispatching the spies the march would have been proceeding unopposed, the enemies scattering before the armies of G’d without offering resistance. Isaiah 17,9 phrases it thus: “In that day their fortress cities shall be like the deserted sites which the Choresh and the Amir abandoned because of the Israelites, and there shall be desolation.”

Between one punishment and the next. You might ask: The last punishment — “the people were like complainers” — is clear; however what was the first punishment? The answer is that above it is written “and they traveled from the Mountain of Hashem” (v.33) while it should have said “they traveled from the Mountain of God.” This teaches that they left like a child who runs off from school. It is also termed a punishment because they turned away from Hashem.

When the Ark stopped moving and came to "rest," this was equivalent to a declaration that such sparks of sanctity had been located and that the Ark now had to come to "rest" on account of those "sparks." This is what Moses had in mind when he said: ובנחה יאמר שובה השם רבבות אלפי ישראל, "may G'd (the Ark) bring back all these scattered sparks of sanctity in their tens of thousands." The reason is that they are all called "Israel" just as the name Israel is equivalent to the term sanctity. Perhaps Moses alluded to this by using the word אלפי, a word which symbolises something exalted, superior [Aluf, a general, for instance. Ed.] You will find that Samael gave up a great many such sparks of sanctity. Just consider the background Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, came from. Moses intended to strengthen the power of the sanctity of the Jewish people to overcome the power of the spiritually negative forces in that environment and to "rescue" all the "sparks" of sanctity which still abounded in these desert regions with his prayer.

Allein das Volk stand noch nicht auf der Höhe seines Berufes; gleich mit dem folgenden Verse werden wir in die Mitte seines Lagers hinabgeführt und damit eine Reihe von Verirrungen eingeleitet, die zuletzt das ganze damalige Geschlecht als des Einzugs in das Land des Gesetzes unfähig und unwürdig, den verheißenen bleibenden Besitz des Landes für die nächsten Jahrhunderte selbst noch weit erst in die Erziehungsgeschichte Israels zu seinem Berufe hineinreichend (Ps.106, 27) erkennen, und selbst für den Antritt dieses Erziehungslebens im Lande das Aussterben des damaligen und das Heranwachsen eines neuen Geschlechtes abwarten ließen. Der vorangehende V. 34 dildet daher einen der bedeutendsten Abschnitte, einen wahren Wendepunkt in der jüdischen Geschichte. So sehr, dass dieser V. 34 als Ende eines Buches, das folgende Kap. 11 als Anfang eines neuen Buches, betrachtet wird, und die beiden dazwischen stehenden Verse 35 und 36 ein ספר חשוב בפני עצמו, ein bedeutsames Buch für sich bilden, und daher auch durch סימוניות מלמעלה ולמטה eingeklammert sind, also, dass eigentlich nicht fünf Bücher Mosis, sondern in tiefem Grunde deren sieben zu zählen sind (Schabbat 115 b u. 116 a und Jadajim 111).

ויאמר משה קומה ה, “Moses said:” arise O Lord, etc.” He said so as the cloud appeared to have disappeared at the time when the people were on the march.

ויפצו איביך [RISE UP, O LORD] AND LET THINE ENEMIES BE SCATTERED — i.e. those who massed for battle.

וינוסו מפניך, lest the Israelites would wipe them out.

Those gathered together … These are the pursuers. Rashi is answering the question: The Torah should have written the opposite, because it is typical first to flee, and afterwards, out of fear for the pursuers, to disperse. But here it writes first “they will disperse.” Therefore Rashi explains that “they will flee” does not refer to those who will disperse. R. Yaakov Triosh.

Versuchen wir, den Inhalt dieser bedeutsamen Verse zu fassen:

וינסו משנאיך AND LET THOSE THAT HATE THEE FLEE BEFORE THEE, — this refers to the pursuing enemies (those actually engaged in battle) (Sifrei Bamidbar 84:3).

These are the haters of Yisroel. (Nachalas Yaakov) It appears to me that Rashi explained so because it is not possible to use the term “hate” toward Hashem. Nonetheless I do not know why he did not make this comment on the words “May your enemies disperse” which is written before. Kitzur Mizrochi answers that it is because the words “those who hate you have raised [their] heads” that is brought as a proof fits better with the words “those who hate you,” rather than “your enemies,” since there it does not mention enemies.

Es heißt: בנסע הארן ויאמר משה קומה וגו׳ und ובנחה יאמר שובה וגו׳, wenn die Lade aufbrach, forderte sie Mosche zum Aufbrechen auf, und wenn sie zur Rast einging, forderte sie Mosche auf, zu rasten — Aufbruch und Rast geschah ja nicht in Folge von Mosche Aufforderung, und doch begleitete Mosche beides mit seiner Aufforderung, als ob das erst noch zu geschehen hätte, was bereits geschah. — Offenbar spricht dies das höchste, vollste und vollendetste und freudigste Eingehen in den göttlichen Willen aus, das jede Willensbestimmung Gottes, als wäre es die eigene Willensregung begrüßt, die höchste Betätigung jenes Gamaliel'schen: עשה רצונו כרצונך (Aboth II, 4). Ähnlich (ספרי) z. St. ויאמר משה קומה ד׳ וכתוב אחד אומר על פי ד׳ יסעו וכו׳ משל למלך שאמר לעבדו הנראה שתעמידני בשביל שאני הולך ליתן ירושה לבני, wo darin auch der völlig zusammenwirkende Einklang der Willensregung Mosche mit dem göttlichen Willen gefunden wird. Dieses völlige selbstlose Ein- und Aufgehen in den göttlichen Willen ist aber der vollendetste Höhekontrast zu der Stimmungs- und Gesinnungsniedere, auf welcher Mosche zeitgenössisches Geschlecht sich noch befand, wie die sofort zu berichtenden Ereignisse bekunden, es ist eben jene Höhe geistiger und sittlicher Gottdurchdrungenheit die als nationale Gesamteigenschaft erst am Ziele der Zeiten winkt und jenes durch Israel und sein Gesetz angebahnte Ziel der Zeiten bedingt, deren Mangel aber eben den großen Wendepunkt in Israels Geschichte herbeigeführt, welcher die Stelle, die dieses Moschewort uns geschrieben entgegenträgt, als scheidenden Zwischenraum zwischen zwei Büchern jüdischer Geschichte begreifen lässt.

משנאיך THOSE THAT HATE THEE — These are those who hate Israel, because whoever hates Israel, hates “Him who spoke and the world came into existence”, as it is said, (Psalms 83:3, 4) “[For lo, thine enemies are in an uproar] and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head” — and who are these that hate Thee? The next verse states this (v. 4): “They who have taken crafty counsel against thy people” (Sifrei Bamidbar 84:4).

Und es ist הארן, es ist die Lade des von ihm überbrachten Gesetzes, deren Aufbruch und Einkehr Mosche mit der Aufforderung zu Gottes Aufbruch und Gottes Einkehr begrüßte. In den Zügen dieses seines Gesetzes erblickte Mosche somit die Züge Gottes auf Erden. Wo dieses Gesetz seine Stätte nicht findet, da ist keine Stätte für die Gottesgegenwart, und wo sich diesem Gesetze die Stätte bereitet, da gestaltet sich eine Stätte für die Gottesgegenwart auf Erden.

Und es erkannte Mosche, dass dieses Gesetz von vornherein bei seinem Eintritte auf Erden in weiten Kreisen אויבים und משנאים zu erwarten habe. Seine Anforderungen des Rechts und der Liebe stehen zu sehr im Gegensatz zu den Diktaten der Gewalt und der Selbstsucht, deren Fluch zwar die Schwachen und Bedürftigen, so lange ihre Schwäche und ihre Bedürftigkeit dauert, fühlen, deren Aufrechthaltung gegen das Gesetz des Rechts und der Liebe sich aber Koalitionen der Machtaber gegenseitig garantieren. Diese bilden die stillschweigend verbündeten אויבים des Gesetzes, die seinem Einzuge entgegentretenden Gesamtheitsschranken.

Und seine Anforderungen sich selbstbeherrschender Sittenheiligung stehen zu sehr im Gegensatz zu den Reizen unveredelter Sinnlichkeit, um nicht in der Einzelbrust der unveredelten Massen aller Schichten nicht nur שונאים, sondern משנאים, nicht nur Hass, sondern auch Verfolgung zu finden. Und doch erkannte Mosche in seinem Gesetze den letzten Sieger auf Erden. Eben weil die weltgeschichtlichen Ein- und Fortzüge seines Gesetzes die ein- und fortschreitenden Züge Gottes in der Gesellschaft und in den Gemütern der Menschheit bedeuten, die Feinde und Hasser seines Gesetzes, die Feinde und Hasser des Gottesreiches auf Erden sind, darum sprach er, wann er die Gotteslade seines Gesetzes aufbrechen sah, die Zuversicht aus, dass dieses Gesetz seinen Rundgang auf Erden vollenden, dass vor seinem einschreitenden Eintritt die Koalition der Feinde zerstieben und der verfolgende Hass in schene Flucht sich verwandeln werde. So auch קומה ד ויפוצו :ספרי אויביך אלו המכונסים וינוסו משנאיך אלי הרודפים מפניך הם נסים ואין אנו כלום לפניהם וכו׳ (das מכונסים und רודפים ist aus dem Gegensatz zu ויפוצו und וינוסו geschlossen, und ist auch שַנֵא im Piel eine Propaganda des Hasses, ein Gehässigmachen des gehaßten Gegenstandes).

ובנחה und wann die Lade des Gesetzes zur Ruhe ging, schaute Mosche im Geiste nicht נחו, sondern נחה, schaute jene Zeit und jenen Kreis, wo das Gesetz nicht mehr in männlich starkem Gegensatz zu dem Menschenverein auf Erden stehen wird, wo es, in seiner ungeschmälerten Männlichkeit, gleichwohl "die Vermählte" die מאורסה der Gesamtheit und des einzelnen, sich getragen fühlen wird von den Menschen in ihrem Gesamt- und Einzelstreben, und das wird die Zeit sein, wo die Tausende Israels in Myriaden verwandelt sein werden, die Zeit, von welcher einer der letzten Nachfolger Mosche gesprochen: — וגלוו גוים רבים אל ד׳ ביום ההוא והיו לי לעם ושכנתי בתוכך (Secharja 2. 15). Wenn daher "mild" die Lade zur Ruhe ging, sprach Mosche: "Kehre wieder ein, Gott, in die Myriaden der Tausende Israel!" — רבבות אלפי ישראל kann nicht wohl heißen: zehntausendmaltausend, oder gar zweimal zehntausendmaltausend. Es hätte dann die kleinere Zahl voranstehen müssen: אלפי רבבות wie אחותנו את היי לאלפי רבבה (Bereschit 24, 60). Ohnehin zählte Israel zu Mosche Zeiten höchstens 2 1/2 Millionen Seelen, während רבבות אלפי ישראל zwanzig Millionen wären. Wir glauben daher, darin die Myriaden der Tausende Israels, d. h. die Myriaden erblicken zu dürfen, die sich aus den jüdischen Tausenden entwickeln, durch Abstammung und Anschluss. Ohnehin sind ישראל noch nicht gerade strikte: tausend. Es sind die geschlossenen Mengen innerhalb der Nation und der Stämme. Vergl. ראשי אלפי ישראל (Kap. 1, 16 usw.) אלפי הדל במנשה (Richter 6, 15).

Ist unsere Auffassung nicht ganz irrig, so wären diese beiden Verse ein Kompendium der ganzen mit Mosche göttlicher Sendung eingeleiteten Geschichte Israels und der Menschheit, und wohl bilden diese beiden Verse ein bedeutsames Buch für sich. Einen Kommentar zu ihnen glauben wir aber im Ps. 68 zu finden, dessen Inhalt eben die mit Israel und dem Gesetze eingeleitete Geschichte des siegreichen Gottesreiches auf Erden bildet. Selbst im Wortlaut kündigt dieser Psalm sich als Nachklang unserer beiden Verse an. Man vergleiche mit ihnen Verse 2 und 18. Dieser letztere: רכב אלקי׳ רבתים אלפי שנאן אדני בם סיני בקדש, zweimalzehntausend seliger Tausende waren bis dahin die Träger göttlicher Herrlichkeit: jetzt ist Gott unter ihnen und sein Sinai ist im Heiligtum (siehe Schmot 27, 8), ist ebenso umschreibende Erläuterung des שובה ד רבבת ישראל — (die רבכות אלפי ישראל אלפי sind jetzt, was bis dahin רבתים אלפי שנאן waren, שנאן wie שאנן, vergl. צונה und צאן) — wie V. 2 f. יקום אלקי׳ יפוצו אויביו usw. unmittelbar קומה ד ויפוצו אויביך usw. wiedergibt.