Comentário sobre Números 9:20

ויש means as much as AND SOMETIMES; (it is therefore to be translated: and there were times).

ויש אשר יהיה הענן ימים מספר, now the Torah reports the same matter for the third time as sometimes the encampment of the Jewish people was in an area which was pleasant, offered grazing for their animals and in spite of this after a day or two the cloud lifted, something which must have caused the people discontent [especially after the decree that the generation of the spies would die in the desert and they could not expect even if they moved to enter their ultimate destination. Ed.] Still, and this is why the Torah repeats the basic fact, the Israelites never complained about the movements of the cloud. Whatever the situation,

ויש אשר יהיה הענן ימים מספר, Sometimes the cloud would remain over the Tabernacle only for a few days, etc. This too reflects credit on the Israelites. It tells us that although the Israelites had only just made camp they did not demur when they had to move again so shortly thereafter. The verse goes on to repeat that they camped at the command of G'd and that they moved at the command of G'd. The two statements are not to be understood sequentially. All the Torah wants to tell us is that just as the making of camp occurred at the command of G'd so the act of breaking camp occurred at the command of G'd. In either case the Israelites were in full accord with G'd's wishes in the matter, no matter that they had only had a few days' rest between journeys.

ימים מספר means, A FEW DAYS.

על פי ה' יחנו, they journeyed in accordance with G’d’s instructions, regardless if it suited them or not.

I have noted that Targum Yonatan ben Uzziel translates the words ימים מספר to mean "seven days." If we accept his words we cannot say, as we did, that our verse meant to compliment the Israelites as they had seven days to recover from the effects of their journey. According to Yonatan ben Uzziel we must explain our verse as follows: the Israelites did not demur during encampment or when the time came to break camp although they would have chosen a different time-table for their journeys had they been consulted. They did what G'd said without protest. This is why the Torah emphasised the words על פי ה׳ יחנו ועל פי ה יסעו׳.

ועל פי ה' יסעו, even if the location of their camp had suited them very well.