God Finds Israel Like Grapes in the Desert and Sets Their Standards

EACH WITH HIS STANDARD, UNDER THE BANNERS (Numbers 2:2). This is what Scripture says: He found him in a desert land (Deuteronomy 32:10). A great find did the Holy One, blessed be He, find in Israel, like a person who is walking in the desert and finds grapes there. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, find Israel, as it is said: Like grapes in the desert I found Israel (Hosea 9:10). Therefore it is said: He found him in a desert land. The world was a desert before Israel went out from Egypt. And in the howling waste of the wilderness (Deuteronomy, ibid.) — the world was waste and howling before Israel received the Torah. Once Israel went out from Egypt and received the Torah, the world was lit up, as it is said: For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23). He encircled him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye (Deuteronomy, ibid.). What is He encircled him? That He surrounded them with clouds of glory. He instructed him — that He made them understand the words of the Torah. He guarded him — happy are the ears that heard it! To what extent did He cherish them? To what extent did He keep them? To what extent did He guard them? As it were, as much as the pupil of His eye. See to what extent He cherished them and kept them and guarded them: that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Tell them to make a Tabernacle, and I will dwell among them" — as it were, I leave the upper beings and come down and dwell among them. And not only that, but I will make them standards for My name. Why? Because they are My children, as it is said: You are children of the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 14:1). And they are My hosts, as it is said: And I will bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:4). And so it says: The standard of the camp of Judah by their hosts (Numbers 2:3). Therefore He made them standards for His name, as it is said: Each with his standard (Numbers 2:2).