It's not just about the surface story; the Rabbis of the Midrash saw layers upon layers of meaning, connections between seemingly disparate verses, and hidden messages about our ancestors. Today, we’re diving into Bamidbar Rabbah 14, a fascinating exploration of the offerings brought by the princes of Israel, and how those offerings connect to Jacob, Joseph, and the tribe of Manasseh.
The passage in Numbers (7:55) describes the offering of Nachshon, prince of Judah: "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." But the Rabbis don't just read it; they interpret it.
The Midrash begins with a clever play on words. It reads the Hebrew word for "dish," kaarat, not as kaarat but as akart, meaning "he uprooted." Who uprooted what? Jacob, who, as the Torah tells us in Genesis (48:22), "uprooted" or extracted the birthright from Reuben (his eldest) and gave it to Joseph. Think of it as a symbolic transfer of power and blessing. And the "silver"? Ah, that connects to the righteousness of Jacob, as Proverbs (10:20) says, "The tongue of the righteous is choice silver." His words, his blessings, were precious, like silver. And specifically, Jacob's declaration "Ephraim and Manasseh will be for me like Reuben and Simeon" (Genesis 48:5).
And the weight of the silver dish, "one hundred and thirty"? That mirrors Jacob's age when he went down to Egypt to be reunited with Joseph. Genesis 47:9 reminds us, "Jacob said to Pharaoh: The days of the years of my residence are one hundred and thirty years." See how these verses echo and amplify each other?
The "silver basin," or mizrak in Hebrew, is then connected to Joseph. The Midrash finds a link to the word shenizrak, meaning "who was cast out." Joseph, of course, was cast out by his brothers and sold into Egypt. The silver here again alludes to Joseph's righteousness. Remember when Joseph corrected his father when he was blessing his sons? "Joseph said to his father: Not so, my father, as this is the firstborn; place your right hand upon his head" (Genesis 48:18). Again, righteousness, silver, and the story woven together. And the "seventy shekels"? That corresponds to the seventy souls of Jacob's family who descended to Egypt because of Joseph.
The Midrash emphasizes that both Jacob and Joseph were "full-fledged righteous men" who produced tribes, underlining their significance in the Israelite lineage.
Moving on, the "one gold ladle of ten shekels" is linked to the ten districts of Manasseh, referencing Joshua 17:5: "Ten districts fell to Manasseh." The offerings of "one young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year" are connected to the three generations Joseph saw from Manasseh who received a portion in the land: Makhir, Gilad, and Iezer, as we find in Numbers 26:29-30. The Midrash highlights the familial lines, emphasizing the connection to Joseph: "The children of Makhir son of Manasseh, too, were born at Joseph’s knees" (Genesis 50:23).
There's also Ya'ir, son of Manasseh, who captured villages. The Midrash tells us that the "goat sin offering" corresponds to Ya'ir, who, because he had no sons, didn't bequeath his portion; it was inherited by the sons of his brother Makhir. Thus, the villages he captured were named after him: "Ya’ir son of Manasseh went and captured their villages [ḥavot], and he called them Ḥavot Ya’ir” (Numbers 32:41).
The peace offering of "two bulls" represents the split tribe of Manasseh, half on each side of the Jordan. The "five rams, five goats, five lambs" represent Joseph's attempts to elevate Manasseh above Ephraim during the blessing.
But why five of each? This, says the Midrash, is linked to the five daughters of Tzelofchad, who successfully argued for their right to inherit land (Numbers 27:7, Numbers 27:1). They represent the women who received a portion in the land. Alternatively, the five each can be linked to the blessing given to them by Jacob: “May they proliferate like fish in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:16), and fish were created on the fifth day.
The Midrash concludes by noting that because Gamliel presented his offering in this precise order, God praised it: "This was the offering of Gamliel..."
So, what do we take away from this intricate web of connections? It's a reminder that the Torah isn't just a history book; it's a living document, rich with layers of meaning waiting to be uncovered. It encourages us to look beyond the surface, to seek the connections, and to appreciate the depth and wisdom of our tradition. The offerings of the princes become a tapestry woven with the stories of our ancestors, their struggles, their blessings, and their enduring legacy.