Naphtali's Offerings Honor the Patriarchs and Torah

Legends of the Jews turns to Naphtali's Offerings Honor the Patriarchs and Torah.

Then comes a silver bowl, used for sprinkling blood. Its weight? Seventy shekels. Who lived to seventy when a major covenant was made? Abraham! Ginzberg's retelling echoes this, pointing out that Abraham was seventy years old when God made the covenant between the pieces – the Brit Bein HaBetarim. This wasn't random; it was intentional, a way to honor Abraham's commitment.

It gets deeper. The charger and bowl were filled with fine flour mingled with oil. What's that all about? It represents, says Legends of the Jews, the love for good and pious deeds that Abraham and Sarah embodied. Their home was a beacon of hospitality and kindness. The offerings are mirroring their very essence.

There's also a golden spoon, weighing ten shekels. This, too, alludes to Abraham. Why? Because he conquered the evil inclination, the yetzer hara, and resisted ten temptations! It’s like a little golden badge of honor for spiritual fortitude.

The three burnt offerings and the sin offering? They corresponded, in this symbolic reading, to the offerings made by Abraham at the covenant between the pieces. Everything is connected; every detail seems to point back to these foundational figures.

Even the animals offered had meaning. The two oxen for the peace offering represent Isaac and Rebekah. And the three kinds of small cattle? Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. But here's where it gets really interesting: the sum total of these three species was fifteen, corresponding to these three and the twelve fathers of the tribes!

So, what does all this tell us? It shows that the Torah isn't just a collection of laws and stories. it weaves layers of meaning, connecting us to our past and reminding us of the values that shaped our people. The seemingly mundane act of bringing an offering becomes a profound act of remembrance and reverence. It's a reminder that even the smallest details can hold immense significance, if we only know how to look.

As Jacob blessed after Asher and the Naphtali, so too did these two tribes succeed each other in the offerings at the dedication of the Tabernacle. Naphtali, Jacob's son, was a very affectionate son, who was ever ready to execute his father's every command. The prince of the tribe of Naphtali followed his ancestor's example, and by his gifts to the sanctuary sought to recall the three Patriarchs and their wives. "One silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels," symbolized Sarah, who was unique among her sex in her piety, and who almost attained the age of hundred and thirty years. A silver bowl for sprinkling blood recalled Abraham, who was thrown far away form his home. The weight of the bowl was seventy shekels, as Abraham also was seventy years old when God made with him the covenant between the pieces. The charger and the bowl were both filled with fine flour mingled with oil, as also Abraham and Sarah were imbued with a love for good and pious deeds. The spoon of ten shekels of gold alludes to Abraham as well, for Abraham conquered the evil inclination and resisted the ten temptations, whereas the three burnt offerings and the sin offering corresponded to the offerings made by Abraham at the covenant between the pieces. The two oxen for the peace offering indicate Isaac and Rebekah, whereas the three kinds of small cattle allude to Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, but the sum total of the offerings of these three species was fifteen, corresponding to these three and the twelve fathers of the tribes.