Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 2:9

Our sages have said that the [letter] bet was added, like the bet in barishonah (“in the beginning”) Bereshit 13:4, for you find “at the beginning (rishonah) they travelled” Bamidbar 2:9. But were that the meaning, the bet would have been vocalized with a kamatz gadol. And there are those who say that [the word] bereshit always [appears in] attached [form], where the meaning is “at the beginning of the evening, or the night, or the darkness”. But behold, they forgot “he saw a beginning reishit for himself” Devarim 33:21. And there are those who say that the bet is a subject without meaning. Their reason is that it is unthinkable that there is no beginning to the heavens and the earth. Therefore, it said “bereshit. But according to my opinion, it is indeed an attached form, like “At the beginning (bereshit) of the rule of Yehoyakim” Yirmiyahu 26:1. Now don’t wonder how can it be attached to a past tense verb [instead of a noun], for behold, thus: “At the beginning (techilat) spoke Hashem with Hoshea, and Hashem said to Hoshea” Hoshea 1:2, “The city (kiryat) where David camped” Yishayahu 29:1. The meaning [of this usage] will be explained for you in the second verse.

AND HIS HOST, AND THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM. The meaning thereof, as well as of all that were numbered of the camp of Judah,¹³²Further, Verse 9. and so also all [such verses in this chapter], is that these are the words of G-d to Moses, connected with [the opening statement], And the Eternal spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron,¹³³Verse 1. since they did not count them now a second time. This is also the sense of the verse, These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel,¹³⁴Further, Verse 32. because He stated [in that same verse] all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts [which indicates that He is referring to a census which had previously taken place, and not to a new census]. He mentioned all this in order to tell us that from the day of the census [which was on the first of Iyar]¹³⁵Above, 1:1. until the camps were established [according to the four standards] and they so pitched by the standards, and so they set forward¹³⁶Further, Verse 34. [which was on the twentieth of Iyar],¹³⁷Ibid., 10:11, and see Taanith 29a [“on that day they turned aside” and hence they became subject again to death] not one man was missing. This was miraculous, in that not one person of this great multitude died [in the period of twenty days].
The change in the name of the father of the prince of the children of Gad [who is called Deuel above in 1: 14, and here in Verse 14 is referred to as Reuel], is because it is customary in the Sacred Language to change names of the same meaning, such as Zerah¹³⁸I Chronicles 4:24. [one of the sons of Shimon], and Zohar¹³⁹Genesis 46:10. [referring to the same son of Shimon, both names meaning “brightness”], of the expression as ‘tzachar’ (white) wool.¹⁴⁰Ezekiel 27:18. Now [the father of the prince of the children of Gad] was called “Deuel” [of the root dei’ah, “knowledge”] because he “knew” G-d, [and he was also called] “Reuel” [of the root ra’ayon, “thoughts,” or re’uth, “longing” “striving”] because “he set all the thoughts of his heart on G-d,” similar to the expression in these verses: How weighty also are ‘rei’echa’ (Thy thoughts) unto me, O G-d;¹⁴¹Psalms 139:17. Thou understandest ‘l’rei’i’ (my thought) afar off.¹⁴²Ibid., Verse 2. Since people used to call that person by two names [e.g. Deuel and Reuel], therefore the Torah mentioned both of them.

You need to do a little research to understand what was meant in Chronicles where the verse concluded with the statement עם המלך במלאכתו ישבו שם " ”with the king to help him with his work they dwelt there.” Consider that in chapter one the Torah had written in connection with man’s creation “let Us make a human being in Our image,” and had continued: “G-d created man in His image.” At that time the word עפר, “dust,” had not been mentioned at all. G-d had never said: “let Us make man out of dust. or out of the soil.” The reason was that everything connected with the creation of man contains both revealed and hidden aspects. That which impacts on the creatures in the “lower” world has been revealed. That which impacts only on the beings in the “higher” worlds has remained hidden. This is why we are forced to arrive at our knowledge of what the text has seen fit to conceal by careful study of what the text has seen fit to reveal. When we are told in our chapter ויטע ה' אלוקים followed by the statement that man was placed in the garden the Torah speaks of, this means that man has a residence in celestial regions also. Obviously, in that connection we do not expect the Torah to mention things which exist only on earth such as soil and dust. In chapter five, however, where the Torah again reports the creation of man and even says that he was created to resemble G-d, בדמות אלוקים עשה אותו, this refers to the word ויצמח in verse 9 of our chapter here where the Torah speaks of earth and dust, i.e. refers to man’s terrestrial habitat. It is quite easy to understand then that the verse which speaks of planting man in his celestial habitat mentions neither trees nor garden. This is reserved for verse 9 where the expression used by the Torah is ויצמח.
What we learn from all this is that the whole of the story of creation is one that played on two levels, so that what have been described as the products of heaven and earth at the beginning of our chapter are inseparably interwoven with one another.