In Jewish tradition, even the sequence of seemingly minor details can hold profound meaning. Take, for instance, the offerings of the princes in the Book of Numbers. Why does the prince of Asher offer after the prince of Dan?
Our sages pondered this very question. As we find in Bamidbar Rabbah 14, it's no accident. Dan, is associated with din – judgment. And Asher? His name suggests ishuro – confirmation. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) beautifully explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, ordained this order because a judge must always confirm their judgment. It echoes the call in Isaiah (1:17): "Seek justice, confirm it for the oppressed." The confirmation is just as vital as the initial judgment.
But there's more to Asher than just confirming judgment. Rabbi Tanhuma points out that Asher's name is linked to both the redemption and the praise of Israel. How so? Well, Malachi (3:12) says, "All the nations will praise [ve’ishru] you, as you will be a desired land." And (Psalm 144:15) declares, "Happy [ashrei] is the nation for whom this is so; happy is the nation whose God is the Lord." Asher, therefore, embodies the happiness and praise that come from choosing God.
Bamidbar Rabbah connects this to God's choice of Israel from all the nations, as Deuteronomy (14:2) states: "The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured people of distinction from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth." The prince of Asher’s offering, then, becomes a symbol of this divine selection.It included a silver dish weighing 130 shekels. What does this weight signify? According to our text, it corresponds to the seventy descendants of Noah and the sixty queens. These sixty queens? They represent the nations of the world. The text painstakingly lists the descendants of Ketura, Ishmael, and Esau to arrive at this number.
But why "dishes" [ke’arot]? Here, the Midrash offers a striking interpretation: the Holy One, blessed be He, disqualified them all. Ke’ara is even associated with leprosy, referencing the recessed spots described in Leviticus (14:37). And the "silver" [kesef]? That's linked to shame, hinting at the disgrace that awaits these nations.
In contrast, the "one silver basin" represents Israel, chosen and separated by God, as (Psalms 135:4) proclaims: "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself…" The seventy shekels of the basin mirror the seventy souls of Jacob who descended into Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:22).
The offering also included "high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering [leminḥa]." The Midrash interprets this as the prophets sent to both the nations and Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to give His Torah to all, as Deuteronomy (33:2) suggests: "The Lord came from Sinai, and shone from Seir for them, He appeared from Mount Paran."
But from all those nations, God chose only Israel, His "faultless dove," as the Song of Songs (6:9) beautifully puts it. Why? Because while the other nations rejected the Torah, Israel embraced it. This embrace is symbolized by the "one gold ladle of ten shekels, filled with incense." The incense represents their acceptance of Torah study and action, their declaration: "All that God spoke we will perform and we will heed" (Exodus 24:7).
The offerings continue: a young bull, a ram, a lamb, a goat. These correspond to the three crowns given to Israel: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship. The goat as a sin offering symbolizes a good name, achieved through action. As our sages taught, study is not the principal matter, but action.
Finally, the peace offering of two bulls, five rams, five goats, and five lambs. The two bulls represent the Written and Oral Torahs, each vital in its own way. The three groups of five symbolize the priests, Levites, and Israelites, or perhaps the three types of greatness bestowed upon them: being a treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.
Ultimately, the Torah emphasizes that the Holy One, blessed be He, specifically mentioned and lauded Pagiel's offering because He saw that he presented the offering in this perfect and thoughtful order.
So, what does this all mean for us? It reminds us that even the smallest details can be imbued with meaning. It urges us to seek understanding in the order of things, to appreciate the choices we make, and to strive for both judgment and confirmation in our lives. Just like Asher, we too can find happiness and praise in our connection to the Divine.
“On the eleventh day, prince of the children of Asher, Pagiel the son of Okhran” (Numbers 7:72). “On the eleventh day, prince of the children of Asher, Pagiel the son of Okhran” – what was the reason for the prince of Asher to present his offering after the prince of Dan? It is because Dan is named for judgment [din], and Asher is named for its confirmation [ishuro]; that is why the Holy One blessed be He commanded Asher to present his offering after Dan, because the judge must confirm his judgment, just as it says: “Seek justice, confirm it for the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:17). “His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering” (Numbers 7:73). “His offering was [one] silver dish…” – Rabbi Tanḥuma said: The names of all the tribes were called for the redemption of Israel and for their praise. Asher’s name was called for the redemption of Israel, just as it says: “All the nations will praise [ve’ishru] you, as you will be a desired land, said the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:12), and for their praise, just as it says: “Happy [ashrei] is the nation for whom this is so; happy is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalms 144:15). Israel’s happiness [ishuran] is only because they chose the Holy One blessed be He to be God for them and the Holy One blessed be He chose them to be a treasured nation for Him. That is why when the prince of Asher came to present his offering, he presented his offering for the sake of the choice, that the Holy One blessed be He chose Israel from all the nations, just as it says: “The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured people of distinction [from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth]” (Deuteronomy 14:2), as it is stated: “Happy is the one whom You choose and draw near…” (Psalms 65:5). Therefore, he presented his offering of a silver dish, corresponding to the nations of the world, who were initially attributed to Abraham.66See Genesis 17:5. “Its weight one hundred and thirty” – these are the seventy descendants of Noah and the sixty queens, as Solomon said: “They are sixty queens” (Song of Songs 6:8). Who were they? They were the sixteen sons of Ketura, Yishmael and his twelve sons, and Esau and his seventeen sons and grandsons. How so? The sons of Elifaz are eight and they are: “The sons of Elifaz: Teman, Omar, Tzefi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek” (I Chronicles 1:36); they, with Elifaz, are eight. There it is written: “These are the chieftains of the sons of Esau: The sons of Elifaz firstborn of Esau: The chieftain of Teiman,… the chieftain of Koraḥ, the chieftain of Gatam, the chieftain of Amalek…” (Genesis 36:15–16). They are nine,67They are nine with the addition of Koraḥ, who is listed in the verse in Genesis but does not appear in the verse in Chronicles. Re’uel with his sons are five, as it is stated: “The sons of Re’uel: Naḥat, Zeraḥ, Shama, and Miza” (I Chronicles 1:37), that is fourteen. The sons of Esau are three:68Besides Elifaz and Re'uel. “[The sons of Esau…] Yeush, Yalam, and Koraḥ…” (I Chronicles 1:35), that is seventeen. And the eleven chieftains who are tallied at the end, as it is stated: “These are the names of the chieftains of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: The chieftain of Timna…” (Genesis 36:40), that is fifty-seven. If you say: Are they not fifty-eight, Timna was the daughter of Elifaz. It is completed with three kings of Edom who were descendants of Edom.69See Genesis 36:32–34. They are: Bela son of Beor (Genesis 36:32), who was named after Esau, who was a glutton [bela] and sold his birthright because of his gluttony. “Son of Beor”70“Beir” can mean animal; see Exodus 22:4. – the son of one who rendered himself like an animal, as it is stated: “Feed me [haliteni] now from that red stuff, as I am exhausted” (Genesis 25:30), just as it says: One may not forcibly feed an animal, but one may place food in its mouth [malitin].71Shabbat 155b. The second, “Yovav son of Zeraḥ from Botzra” (Genesis 36:33). Botzra was of Edom, as it is stated: “Who is this, coming from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Botzra, resplendent in His attire, striding in His abundant strength? I speak with justice, potent to save” (Isaiah 63:1). The third, “Ḥusham of the land of the Temanite” (Genesis 36:34), and Teman was the land of Edom, as it is stated: “Your mighty, Teman, will be broken, so that each man from the mountain of Esau will be eliminated by slaughter” (Obadiah 1:9). But the other kings were from other places and other nations, that is sixty. Why did he call all these dishes [ke’arot]? It is because the Holy One blessed be He disqualified all of them. Ke’ara is nothing other than an expression of leprosy, just as it says: “Recessed [shekaarurot], deep green” (Leviticus 14:37). “Silver [kesef]” – due to shame, as they will all go “to reviling and eternal disgrace” (Daniel 12:2). From where is it derived that kesef is an expression of shame. It is as in the Jerusalem Targum, they call disgrace kisufa. “One silver basin” – this is Israel, whom the Holy One blessed be He separated out from them, just as it says: “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself…” (Psalms 135:4). And it says: “I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the river, and I led him throughout the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants, and I gave him Isaac” (Joshua 24:3). “Seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel…” – just as it says: “With seventy people, your ancestors descended to Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:22). “Both of them full of high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering [leminḥa]” – as the Holy One blessed be He dispatched to the nations of the world and to Israel prophets of them and among them. That is leminḥa, just as it says: “The spirit of the Lord will rest [venaḥa] upon him” (Isaiah 11:2), and it says: “The spirit rested [vatanaḥ] upon them” (Numbers 11:26). The Holy One blessed be He wished to give His Torah to all of them, as it is stated: “He said: The Lord came from Sinai, [and shone from Seir for them, He appeared from Mount Paran]” (Deuteronomy 33:2). “One gold ladle of ten shekels, filled with incense” (Numbers 7:74). “One [gold] ladle” – from all of them, the Holy One blessed be He chose only Israel, as it is stated: “Unique is my faultless dove, unique to her mother, pure to the one who bore her” (Song of Songs 6:9). That is why they are the happiest of the nations, just as it says: “Girls see her and laud her, and queens and concubines praise her” (Song of Songs 6:9) – these are the nations. Why did the Holy One blessed be He choose them? It is because all the nations rejected the Torah and did not want to receive it, but these wanted and chose the Holy One blessed be He and His Torah, which is five books corresponding to the five fingers on the hand, and received the Ten Commandments at Sinai. That is, “one gold ladle of ten shekels.” What is “filled with incense”? It is because they all said: “All that God spoke we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7); they accepted upon themselves Torah study and action.72These are sometimes compared to a pleasant smell. See Vayikra Rabba 30:12. “One young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering” (Numbers 7:75). “One goat as a sin offering” (Numbers 7:76). “One young bull…” – these three species of burnt offering, why? They correspond to the three crowns that the Holy One blessed be He gave to Israel for this: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship. The crown of Torah, this is the Ark, as it is written: “You shall craft a gold crown upon it all around” (Exodus 25:11). The crown of priesthood, this is the golden altar, in whose regard it is written: “You shall craft a gold crown for it all around” (Exodus 30:3). The crown of kingship, this is the table, as it is written: “He crafted a crown of gold for it all around” (Exodus 37:11). “One goat as a sin offering” – corresponding to a good name, which is action, just as we learned: Study is not the principal matter but action, as action atones for the person, like what we learned: Repentance and good deeds are a shield before punishment. That crown corresponds to the candelabrum, to realize what is stated: “For mitzva is a candle, and Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23). Why is Torah called light? It is because it illuminates for the person what he should do. And because the Torah teaches the person how he shall perform the will of the Omnipresent, therefore, the reward of study is great. And one who causes another to perform an action is greater than one who performs it, as it is stated: “The act of righteousness will be peace and the work of righteousness will be quiet and security forever” (Isaiah 32:17). “And for the peace offering, two bulls, five rams, five goats, five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Okhran” (Numbers 7:77). “And for the peace offering, two bulls…” – as the Holy One blessed be He gave two Torahs to Israel: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. He gave them the Written Torah, in which there are six hundred and thirteen mitzvot, in order to fill them with mitzvot and accord them merit, as it is stated: “The Lord desires for the sake of His righteousness; He will make the Torah great and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21). He gave them the Oral Torah, so they would excel through it among the other nations. That is the reason that He did not give it in writing, so that the Ishmaelites would not falsify it the way that they did to the Written Torah and say that they are Israel. In that regard, the verse said: “I write for him much of My Torah, but it is regarded like a strange matter” (Hosea 8:12). The Holy One blessed be He said: If I write for Israel much of My Torah – this is the Mishna, which is greater than the Bible – “it will be regarded like a strange matter.” “Five rams, five goats, five lambs in their first year” – these three species of peace offerings correspond to the priests, Levites, and Israelites. Alternatively, corresponding to the three types of greatness that the Holy One blessed be He conferred upon them in reward for the fact that they received the Torah. They are: being a treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation, as it is stated: “You shall be treasured for Me from among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine. You shall be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5–6). They were three species of five each for a total of fifteen, corresponding to the Torah, that is five books, and the Ten Commandments, which they received, which were written on two tablets, five on this tablet and five on that tablet. Another matter: It corresponds to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve tribes, as they are the primary chosen ones, just as it says: “Because He loved your forefathers, He chose their descendants after them, and He took you out before Him, with His great power, from Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:37). “This was the offering of Pagiel…” – since the Holy One blessed be He saw that he presented the offering in this order, He began lauding his offering: “This was the offering of Pagiel son of Okhran.”
