Moses Blessing and the Tribes Arrayed Like the Heavens

Another interpretation: "And Moses saw all the work, and behold they had done it as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it; and Moses blessed them" (Exodus 39:43). What was the blessing with which he blessed them? He said to them, "May it be His will that the Divine Presence rest upon the work of your hands." Rabbi Meir says: thus he blessed them, "May the LORD, the God of your fathers, add to you," and so on. He said to them, "Just as you have engaged in the work of the Tabernacle and the Divine Presence rested upon the work of your hands, so may you merit and build before Him the Chosen House, and may the Divine Presence rest upon the work of your hands." And they answered, "And may the pleasantness of the LORD our God be upon us" (Psalms 90:17). When Israel is in favor before the Omnipresent, what is said of them? "My offering, My bread" (Numbers 28:2) like children sustaining their father. But in a time of rebuke, what does He say? "For My fires" (ibid.) the scent of all the offerings you bring is only for the fire. And so He says, "Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you... I will take no bull from your house... for every beast of the forest is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine" (Psalms 50:8-12). Is there hunger before Me? And were there hunger before Me, you offer Me a lamb in the morning and a lamb at dusk! And is there a merciful one who hands over his food to a cruel one? What I told you was, "Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High" (Psalms 50:14) only that you should give thanks and pay your vows to the Most High. And it is written, "And let them make Me a sanctuary." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I raise up your tribe, the tribe of Levi, made into four ranks resembling the glory above. He settled them within clouds of glory, as it is said, "the pillar of cloud did not depart" (Exodus 13:22). He made them into standards like the standards on high. The tribe of Judah in the east, with Issachar and Zebulun beside it; corresponding to them on high are Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, serving with the sun in the east, five parts out of eight in the east. The standard of Reuben in the south, with Simeon and Gad beside it; corresponding to them on high are Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, serving with the sun in the south, five parts out of eight, with their camps one part in the east and two in the west, so that most of their service is in the south. The standard of Ephraim in the west, with Manasseh and Benjamin beside it; corresponding to them is the sun in the west, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. The standard of Dan in the north, with Asher and Naphtali beside it; corresponding to them, serving with the sun in the north, are Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces, from the Wagon toward the south, in the season when the world is covered with clouds in the rainy days. He called them "the hosts of the LORD" (Exodus 12:41). And He called them stars, "and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven" (Deuteronomy 1:10). He cherished their names, "the family of the Partzites, the family of the Zarhites" (Numbers 26:20). He made them into ranks upon ranks, singing before Him and ministering in His service, as it is said, "to stand before the LORD to minister to Him," and so on (Deuteronomy 10:8). Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped in the east between the standard of Judah and the tent of meeting Moses for the teachings and Aaron for the offerings. Second to them, the sons of Kohath in the south; and what was their service? All the holy vessels in the tent of meeting, the ark, the table, the lampstand, and the altars. Third to them, the sons of Gershon in the west, and their service was the curtains and the hangings. Fourth to them, the sons of Merari in the north, and their service was the boards, the pillars, and the sockets. And as their encampment, so was their journeying, with the tent of meeting in the center, "as they camp, so shall they journey" (Numbers 2:17).