It's like a secret code, hinting at deeper meanings. Take this verse from Numbers 11:16: "Gather to Me seventy men [ish]..." Why ish, and not the more common Hebrew word for men, anashim?
According to Bamidbar Rabbah 15, the rabbis saw significance in this specific word. The text beautifully quotes Proverbs 22:11, “One who loves, is pure of heart, has grace on his lips; his friend is a king.” The implication here is that ish denotes something special, a certain caliber of person. The Midrash suggests that these seventy men, these seventy ish, are meant to be like God and like Moses. "The Lord is a Man [ish] of war" (Exodus 15:3), and "The man [ish], Moses, was very humble" (Numbers 12:3). This isn't just about gathering any seventy men; it's about finding seventy individuals who embody particular qualities.
But wait, didn't they already have elders? Isn't it written in Exodus 24:9 that Moses, Aaron, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy elders ascended Mount Sinai? The Midrash anticipates this question. The explanation offered is startling: The original elders were consumed by fire!
This fire, the text explains, was a consequence of the people’s complaining, as described earlier in Numbers 11:1. "The people were seeking complaints...[a fire of the Lord burned in their midst, and it consumed at the edge of the camp]” (Numbers 11:1). This fire, the Rabbah continues, was like the fire that consumed Nadav and Avihu. Remember them? They were the sons of Aaron who, according to Leviticus 10, offered "alien fire" before the Lord and were consumed.
According to this Midrash, the elders, like Nadav and Avihu, had acted with "inappropriate levity" on Mount Sinai. Exodus 24:11 tells us, "They beheld God and they ate and they drank." Now, were they really eating and drinking in the presence of God? The Midrash explains this metaphorically. It's like a servant snacking while serving his master – a lack of reverence. They deserved to be punished then, but God, in His grace, waited.
The text continues, weaving together different threads. It connects the burning of the elders to the complaining of the people, the "rabble [vehasafsuf]" who craved meat. The Midrash offers two interpretations of vehasafsuf. One is that these were proselytes, converts who had joined the Israelites when they left Egypt, as mentioned in Exodus 12:38: "A mixed multitude ascended with them." The other interpretation? Vehasafsuf refers to the Sanhedrin itself! This interpretation is based on the similar language used in Numbers 11:16, "Gather [esfa] to Me seventy men." The fire, it says, consumed "the edge [biktze] of the camp," which is understood to mean "the thorns [bakotzim] of the camp," referring to these proselytes.
The Midrash then draws support from Psalms 106:18: "A fire blazed in their assembly [baadatam]." Eda, assembly, is synonymous with Sanhedrin, as shown in Numbers 15:24 and Leviticus 4:13. It continues to cite Psalms 78:31: "The anger of God rose against them. He slew the best among them," which it identifies as the Sanhedrin, and "He struck down the young men of [baḥurei] Israel," which it identifies as elders, referencing 2 Samuel 6:1.
And what about this desire for meat, for basar? Rabbi Shimon offers a striking interpretation. They weren't just craving meat; they were craving "a close relative [she’er basar]." He connects this to Psalms 78:27, "He rained she’er upon them like dust," and then to Leviticus 18:6, which forbids incestuous relationships: "Any man shall not approach his close relative [she'er besaro] [to uncover nakedness]." According to Rabbi Shimon, their craving was for forbidden relationships!
This desire, this rebellion, was the last straw. Numbers 11:10 tells us, "Moses heard the people weeping, according to their families." The verse continues, "the wrath of the Lord was greatly enflamed, and it was bad in the eyes of Moses." Moses, overwhelmed, cries out to God, "Why have you mistreated your servant?" (Numbers 11:11). He feels utterly alone, unable to bear the burden of the people. "I am unable to bear [this entire people] alone…And if this is what You do to me, please kill me," (Numbers 11:14–15).
And so, in response to Moses's despair, God commands him to gather seventy new elders, seventy ish, to replace those who had been lost. "Gather to Me seventy men."
This passage from Bamidbar Rabbah is a powerful reminder that leadership is a sacred responsibility. It's not just about holding a position of authority; it's about embodying certain qualities, like humility and reverence. It suggests that even those closest to the Divine can fall from grace and that true leadership requires constant vigilance, both within oneself and within the community. What does it mean for us today to strive to be an ish? What burdens are we being asked to carry, and how can we do so with grace and humility?