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, you see, is associated with din – judgment. And Asher? His name suggests ishuro – confirmation. The Midrash 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.
Now, let's dive into the specifics of Asher's offering, detailed in Numbers 7:73. 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.