Bamidbar

📜 The Story

Bamidbar is the first parsha in the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah. 'Bamidbar' means 'in the desert.' One year after leaving Egypt, the Israelites were camped in the desert. God told Moses to count all the men twenty years old and up who could serve in the army, tribe by tribe. Moses did the count with Aaron and one leader from each tribe.

The tribe of Levi was not part of this count, because the Levites had a different job. They did not go to war. Instead, they served in the Tabernacle and carried and guarded it whenever the Israelites traveled or camped. The Levites were counted separately, starting from babies one month old. They took the place of the firstborn sons, who were first meant to do this job.

Next the Torah tells how the twelve tribes camped around the Tabernacle. There were four camps of three tribes each: one to the east, one to the south, one to the west and one to the north. Each camp had its own flag and its own leader. The Tabernacle stood in the middle, with the tribe of Levi camped right around it.

The three Levite families, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, each had their own job. The family of Kohath carried the holiest things, like the Ark and the Menorah. The family of Gershon carried the curtains and coverings. The family of Merari carried the heavy boards and posts. Everything was carefully organized.

The total count, not counting Levi, was 603,550 men. Many teachers point out that God had each tribe and family counted one by one, because every person matters to Him. This parsha is almost always read just before Shavuot. The Torah was given in the desert, a place that belongs to no one, so it could belong to everyone.