מדרש אויף במדבר 11:11

“Gather to Me” – did they not have elders before then? But is it not written at Mount Sinai: “Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu [and seventy of the elders of Israel] ascended” (Exodus 24:9). This portion was after that, and there were elders then. It is, rather, that when Israel encountered these matters: “The people were seeking complaints...[a fire of the Lord burned in their midst, and it consumed at the edge of the camp]” (Numbers 11:1), they were all burned at that time. Their burning was like the burning of Nadav and Avihu, as they, too, conducted themselves with inappropriate levity when they ascended Mount Sinai, when they saw the Divine Presence: “They beheld God and they ate and they drank” (Exodus 24:11). Was there eating and drinking there? To what is the matter comparable? It is to a servant who was serving his master with his food in his hand and he would take bites from it. So, they conducted themselves with inappropriate levity, as though they were eating and drinking. The elders and Nadav and Avihu were deserving of being burned at that moment, but because the day of the giving of the Torah was very dear before the Holy One blessed be He, therefore He did not want to strike them on that day and cause a breach through them. That is what is written: “He did not extend his hand against the noblemen of the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:11); by inference, they were deserving of His hand being extended against them. However, after the passage of time, he collected from them. Nadav and Avihu, too, were burned when they entered the Tent of Meeting, and they²³The complainers mentioned in Numbers 11:1–3, who the midrash goes on to describe. were burned when they expressed that craving, as it is stated: “The rabble [vehasafsuf] that was among them expressed a craving” (Numbers 11:4).
What is “vehasafsuf”? Rabbi Shimon bar Abba and Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya, one of them says: These are the proselytes who ascended with them from Egypt and were appended to them, as it is stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them” (Exodus 12:38). And one of them says: Vehasafsuf, these are the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “Gather [esfa] to Me seventy men.” What is written there? “The fire of the Lord burned in their midst and consumed the edge [biktze] of the camp” (Numbers 11:1); the thorns [bakotzim] of the camp.²⁴This is in accordance with the interpretation that vehasafsuf is referring to the proselytes who came with them. From where is it derived that those elders who climbed Mount Sinai were burned? It is as it is stated: “A fire blazed in their assembly [baadatam]” (Psalms 106:18), and eda is nothing other than the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “It will be, if from the eyes of the assembly [adat] it was performed” (Numbers 15:24), and it is written: “If the entire assembly [adat] of Israel will err unwittingly” (Leviticus 4:13). Likewise it says: “The anger of God rose against them. He slew the best among them” (Psalms 78:31), these are the Sanhedrin. “He struck down the young men of [baḥurei] Israel” (Psalms 78:31), those baḥurim who were called elders, in whose regard it is written: “David again gathered all the chosen of [baḥurei] Israel” (II Samuel 6:1).²⁵See Bemidbar Rabba 4:20, where this verse is interpreted as referring to elders.
When they again wept and requested flesh [basar], if we say it was the flesh of an undomesticated animal, everything that they requested, the manna was transformed for them in their mouth, as it is stated: “He granted them their request” (Psalms 106:15), “and their craving would be provided them” (Psalms 78:29). If we say that they did not have flocks and cattle, is it not already stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them, and flocks and cattle” (Exodus 12:38). If we say that they consumed them in the wilderness, is it not written: “The children of Reuben…had abundant livestock” (Numbers 32:1). From here Rabbi Shimon said: They did not desire flesh, but they desired a close relative [she’er basar], as it is stated: “He rained she’er upon them like dust” (Psalms 78:27), and she’er is nothing other than prohibited relations, as it is stated: “Any man shall not approach his close relative [she'er besaro] [to uncover nakedness]” (Leviticus 18:6). That is that which they requested: To permit for them prohibited relations. Likewise it says: “Moses heard the people weeping, according to their families” (Numbers 11:10). When they requested that, “the wrath of the Lord was greatly enflamed, and it was bad in the eyes of Moses” (Numbers 11:10). At that moment, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He: “Why have you mistreated your servant?” (Numbers 11:11). In the past, there was someone with me to bear their burden, but now I am alone, as it is stated: “I am unable to bear [this entire people] alone…And if this is what You do to me, please kill me,” (Numbers 11:14–15). At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘In place of those elders, appoint other elders to replace them,’ as it is stated: “Gather to Me seventy men.”

And Moses said unto Joshua: “Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek” (Exod. 17:9). From this verse it is apparent that Moses treated his disciple Joshua as his equal. This teaches us proper behavior. He did not say to his disciple Choose me out men but rather Choose us out men. In this way he made him his equal. As a consequence of this verse, they declared: Your disciple’s honor should be as precious to you as your own. Whence do we learn that respect for one’s associate must be as important to you as respect for your teacher? You find that this was so in the case of Aaron; And Aaron said unto Moses: “O my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us” (Num. 11:11). Was not Aaron actually the elder brother? He was. Thus you learn from this that he treated him as though he were his master. Whence do we learn that respect for one’s teacher should be as important to you as the fear of heaven? We learn this from the verse: And Joshua son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: “My lord Moses, shut them in” (ibid. 11:28). Here he was saying to him: My lord Moses, just as the Holy One, blessed be He, shut them in, so you are able to shut them in.

(Numb. 11:16:) GATHER ME <SEVENTY PEOPLE FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>. But did you not have elders before?¹⁰¹Tanh. Numb. 3:16 cont.; Numb. R. 15:24. Here now it is written concerning Mount Sinai (in Exod. 24:9): THEN THERE WENT UP MOSES … AND THE SEVENTY ELDERS OF ISRAEL; and this parashah (with Numb. 11:16) comes after that. So where were the<se earlier> elders? It is simply that, when Israel did those things which are stated (in Numb. 11:1): NOW THE PEOPLE WERE AS MURMURERS […. THEN THE FIRE OF THE LORD BURNED AGAINST THEM], they were all destroyed by fire at that time. It is simply that their burning was like the burning of Nadab and Abihu, for they also had acted with disrespect on ascending Sinai, when they saw the Divine Presence. It is so stated (in Exod. 24:11): THEY BEHELD GOD, AND THEY ATE AND DRANK. Was there eating and drinking there? To what is the matter comparable? To a servant who attended his master while <holding> a slice of bread in his hand and taking bites from it. Similarly had they acted with disrespect as though eating and drinking. So the elders along with Nadab and Abihu deserved to be destroyed by fire on that day; but because the giving of Torah was dear to the Holy One, he therefore did not want to harm them and bring calamity to them on that day. This is what is written (ibid.): BUT HE (the Holy One) STILL DID NOT RAISE HIS HAND AGAINST THE NOBLES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. From this you may infer that they deserved to have a hand raised <against them>. After a time, however, they were destroyed by fire. Nadab and Abihu were destroyed by fire as they entered the tent of meeting, while the elders were destroyed by fire when they were filled with lusting, as stated (in Numb. 11:4): THEN THE RABBLE WHICH WAS IN THEIR MIDST <BECAME FILLED WITH LUST>. Who were THE RABBLE (ha'safsuf)? R. Simeon ben Menasya and R. Simeon bar Abba <differed>. One said: These were the proselytes who came up with them from Egypt and who were gathered (ne'esafim) together with them as stated (in Exod. 12:38): AND A MIXED MULTITUDE <WENT UP WITH THEM>…. But the other said: RABBLE can only be a sanhedrin, since it is stated (in Numb. 11:16:) GATHER ME [SEVENTY PEOPLE] <FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>. What <else> is written there (in vs. 1)? THEN THE FIRE OF THE LORD BURNED AGAINST THEM AND CONSUMED THEM IN THE OUTSKIRTS (qetseh) OF THE CAMP, <i.e.,> among the officers (qetsinim) in the camp. And where is it shown that those elders who went up onto the mountain were destroyed by fire? Where it is stated (in Ps. 106:18): AND FIRE BROKE OUT IN THEIR COMPANY ('edah), since COMPANY ('edah) can only be a sanhedrin as stated (in Numb. 15:24): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT IF IT WAS DONE <BY MISTAKE> AWAY FROM THE EYES OF THE CONGREGATION ('edah)….¹⁰²I.e. the leaders of the congregation. So Rashi on Numb. 15:24. It is also written (in Lev. 4:13): AND IF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION ('edah) OF ISRAEL¹⁰³This expression was often interpreted as denoting the Sanhedrin. So Sifra to Lev. 4:13 (42: Wayyiqra parashah 4); R. Meir in Hor. 5a; Rashi on Lev. 4:13. SHOULD ERR? Then they wept again and demanded meat. Now if you should say: What they wanted was flesh (not manna), did it not come about that the manna became whatever they wanted inside of their mouths. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 106:15): SO HE GAVE THEM WHAT THEY ASKED FOR. Again in case you should say that they did not have oxen and cattle in the desert, he caused to be written (in Exod. 12:38): AND A MIXED MULTITUDE WENT UP WITH THEM WITH FLOCKS AND HERDS. And in case you should say they ate them in the desert, is it not written (in Numb. 32:1): NOW THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD HAD MUCH LIVESTOCK? From here R. Simeon said: It was not flesh for which they lusted, since it says so (in Ps. 78:27): AND HE RAINED DOWN MEAT (she'er) UPON THEM LIKE DUST. Now she'er must denote illicit intercourse since it is stated (in Lev. 18:6): NONE OF YOU SHALL APPROACH ANY CLOSE (she'er) RELATION TO HIM. Ergo, it <really> says that they desired to permit illicit intercourse for themselves; and so it says (in Numb. 11:10): NOW MOSES HEARD THE PEOPLE WEEPING FOR THEIR FAMILIES.¹⁰⁴See Yoma 75a according to which they were weeping here because of the family relations with whom they were forbidden to have intercourse. Thus when they desired such <relations> (ibid. cont.:) THE LORD WAS VERY ANGRY…. At that time Moses said to the Holy One (in vs. 11): WHY HAVE YOU MISTREATED YOUR SERVANT …? In the past there was one with me who would bear the burden of Israel, but now I am alone. Thus it is written (in vs. 14—15): I AM NOT ABLE TO BEAR <ALL THIS PEOPLE ALONE … SO IF YOU ARE DEALING LIKE THIS WITH ME…. At that time the Holy One said to him: Appoint other elders instead of those elders. [It is so stated] (in vs. 16): GATHER ME SEVENTY PEOPLE <FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>.