(Numb. 2:2:) “Each with his standard, under the banners for their fathers' house.” [This text is related] (to Job 36:3), “I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and justify my maker.” It was only necessary to say, "under the banners shall the Children of Israel camp.<sup class="footnote-marker">55</sup><i class="footnote">Numb. R. 2:8.</i> Then what is the significance of saying (in Numb. 2:2), “under the banners [for their fathers' house].” Simply that when our father Jacob departed from this world, he said to them (in Gen. 47:30), “When I sleep with my ancestors, you are to take me up from Egypt and bury me in their grave.” He went around to all his sons, blessed them, and gave them a charge. He said to them, “When you take me, you are to take me with reverence and honor. Let no other person, neither one of the Egyptians nor one of your children, touch my bier, because there are some among them who have taken [wives] from the daughters of Canaan.<sup class="footnote-marker">56</sup><i class="footnote">Cf. Gen. R. 84:21; <i>PRK</i> 39, according to which there was no such intermarriage.</i> And so it says (in Gen. 50:12-13), “So his children did for him just as he had commanded them. And his children brought him up to the land of Canaan.” His children, but not his grandchildren (who were forbidden to touch the bier)! How did he charge them? He said to them, “Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun shall carry my bier on the East; Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, on the South; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, on the West; Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, on the North. Joseph is not to carry [at all], because he is a king; and you must impart honor to him. Nor is Levi to carry. Why? Because he will carry the ark (<i>aron</i>), and whoever carries the ark of the One who lives forever is not to carry a coffin (<i>aron</i>) of the dead. If you do this and carry my bier, just as I have charged you, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to have you encamp by the various standards.” When he passed away, they carried him just as he had charged them. It is so stated (in Gen. 50:12), “So his children did for him just as he had commanded them.” What is written next (in vs. 13)? “And his children brought him up to the land of Canaan.” When Israel went forth from Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Now is the time for them to make standards, just as their father had proclaimed to them that they were going to make standards.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Make those standards for my name.” Immediately Moses began to be concerned. He said, “There is going to be dissension among the tribes. If I tell the tribe of Judah to encamp in the East, they will say, ‘It is impossible for us to encamp anywhere but in the South.’ And so each and every tribe [would act] like that one.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “What concern is that to you? They do not need you in this matter. They will recognize their dwellings by themselves. Why? Because their father's will was in their hand on how to encamp by the standards. I am not establishing something new. They already have their father's arrangements<sup class="footnote-marker">57</sup><i class="footnote">Gk.: <i>taxeis.</i></i> in their hands. Just as they have taken positions around his bier, so let them take positions around the tabernacle.” Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Numb. 2:2), “Each with his standard, under the banners [for their fathers' house].” How were they encamped? The Levites camped around the tabernacle of witness, with Moses, Aaron, and his children on the East.<sup class="footnote-marker">58</sup><i class="footnote">See Numb. R. 2:10.</i> It is so stated (in Numb. 3:38), “Those who camped before the tabernacle, in front before the tent of meeting to the East, were Moses, Aaron, and his children.” And adjacent to them were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Hence they said, “Fortunate is the righteous person and fortunate are his neighbors.”<sup class="footnote-marker">59</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Suk</i>. 56b. See below, Numb. 5:8.</i> This refers to the three tribes (rt.: <i>shbt</i>) which were adjacent to Moses and Aaron.<sup class="footnote-marker">60</sup><i class="footnote">Gen. R. 3:13; Numb. R. 3:12.</i> They became great in the Torah, as stated (in Gen. 49:10), “The scepter (<i>shbt</i>) shall not depart from Judah, nor the inscriber from between his feet.” In the case of Issachar it is written, (in I Chron. 12:33), “And from the Children of Issachar, those who had an understanding of the times,<sup class="footnote-marker">61</sup><i class="footnote">The midrash regards UNDERSTANDING as synonymous with Torah.</i> to know what Israel should do; their heads numbered two hundred and all their kindred under their command (<i>'al pihem</i>),” because they harmonize law (<i>halakhah</i>) at their command (<i>'al pihem</i>). [Of Zebulun it is written] (in Jud. 5:14), “and from Zebulun those who wield the scribal pen.” Because they were neighbors [of Torah, embodied by Moses] they all became children of Torah (i.e., Torah scholars). Now on the South were the Children of Kohath (ben Levi), and adjacent to them were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. Hence they say, “Woe to the wicked person; and woe to his neighbor.”<sup class="footnote-marker">62</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Suk</i>. 56b; Numb. R. 18:5; <i>ARN</i>, A, 9:1; see <i>Avot</i> 1:7.</i> These are the three tribes which were neighbors of Korah (the grandson of Kohath) and his community in the South. These were destroyed with him in his dissension (as stated in Numb. 16:32), “And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, every person that belonged to Korah, and their property.” On the West were the Children of Gershom (i.e., Gershon ben Levi), with Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin being adjacent to them. And on the North were the Children of Merari (ben Levi), with Dan, Naphtali, and Asher being adjacent to them. Seven clouds of glory were surrounding them, and this was their [method] of travel: There was a sign<sup class="footnote-marker">63</sup><i class="footnote">Gk.: <i>semeion.</i></i> for Moses in the cloud when it departed. When it departed, he would say (in Numb. 10:35), “Rise up, O Lord, and may Your enemies be scattered.” Then the cloud would depart. When the cloud departed, they all prepared to travel and put away their implements. Whoever had a domestic beast put them on it; and if [a person] had none, the cloud took the remainder. When they were settled, they blew the trumpets. Then Judah and its standard moved out, first its prince and his tribe after him.<sup class="footnote-marker">64</sup><i class="footnote">CF. Numb. R. 2:7.</i> And as signs for each and every prince there was a flag.<sup class="footnote-marker">65</sup><i class="footnote">Lat. (from the Punic): <i>mappa</i></i> And from them the empire learned to make a flag. There was also a color for each and every flag, like the color of the precious stones which were on the heart of Aaron. Each and every tribe had its flag dyed like the color of its stone. Then over them were the clouds. Until they were settled, they blew the trumpets. They traveled, and likewise the clouds [traveled over them]. Moreover, something like a kind of beam came out of the cloud, so that they would know in which direction they would be traveling. So was the journey of each and every standard. [When] they finished going to where it wanted them to camp, [since] that cloud which appeared like a kind of beam had, as it were, been traveling independently, they knew that they would camp in that place. [When] clouds of glory stood still for them, they began putting [things] away in their tents where they were to rest. Then the cloud which was over the tabernacle, moved over the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps. First it stood still. When it stood still, the Children of Kohath and the Children of Levi set up the tabernacle in the presence of all the camps before they came, as stated (in Numb. 10:21), “And they would set up the tabernacle before they came.” When they had set up the tabernacle, each and every one set up [camp] in his [proper] place. Then the clouds of glory stood over them. This was grandeur in the hands of Moses, for the cloud of the glorious Divine Presence did not come down to the tabernacle, until Moses had said (in Numb. 10:36), “Return, O Lord, to the myriad thousands of Israel.” Then the clouds of glory encompassed them. Moreover, the holy spirit says through Solomon (in Cant. 6:4), “You are as beautiful my darling, as (<i>ke</i>) <i>tirzah</i>.” What is the meaning of “<i>ketirzah</i> (<i>ktrtsh</i>, rt.: <i>rtsh</i>)?” That I am pleasing (<i>mtrtsh</i>, rt.: <i>rtsh</i>) to you.<sup class="footnote-marker">66</sup><i class="footnote">Numb. R. 2:5.</i> Another interpretation (of Cant. 6:4), “<i>Ketirzah</i>" (rt.: <i>rtsh</i>) [means] just as you are pleasing (rt.: <i>rtsh</i>) to Me in the sacrifices. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 1:4), “And it shall be pleasing (rt.: <i>rtsh</i>) for Him to atone for him.” (Cant. 6:4, cont.,) “As comely as Jerusalem (<i>yrushlym</i>),” [means] like these ministering angels, in that they feared (rt.: <i>yr</i>') [Me] and were reconciled (rt.: <i>shlm</i>) to Me. (Ibid., cont.,) “Awesome as [hosts] with standards,” like the standards which I gave you. So when David sees [them], he says (in Ps. 147:20), “He has not done so for any nation,” only for it.