And Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
verse value 4543 — יְהֹוָ֣ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·wilderness·of·Sinai" (בְמִדְבַּר־סִ֠ינַ֠י, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "in·wilderness·of·Sinai" (בְמִדְבַּר־סִ֠ינַ֠י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה [to·Moses] (376) + בְמִדְבַּר־סִ֠ינַ֠י [in·wilderness·of·Sinai] (378) + בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה [in·the·year] (357) + הַשֵּׁנִ֜ית [second] (765) + לְצֵאתָ֨ם [to·their·going·out] (561) + מֵאֶ֧רֶץ [from·land] (331) + מִצְרַ֛יִם [of·Egypt] (380) + בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן [the·first] (562) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 4543.
Onkelos
And Hashem spoke with Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year of their going out from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying:
Rashi
בחדש הראשון [AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES] IN THE FIRST MONTH — The section which appears at the commencement of this Book was not spoken before Eyar (the second month; cf. Numbers 1:1): you learn, therefore, that there is no “earlier” or “later” (no chronological order) in the Torah. But why, indeed, did not Scripture open the Book with this section? Because it implies something disparaging to Israel (Sifrei Bamidbar 64:1) — that during all the forty years they were in the wilderness they offered only this single Passover sacrifice (Tosafot on Kiddushin 38b s. v. הואיל)
Ramban
IN THE SECOND YEAR AFTER THEIR COMING OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, IN THE FIRST MONTH. From here the Rabbis have deduced the principle: “There is no [strict] chronological order in the narrative of the Torah” [for the census mentioned at the beginning of this Book of Numbers was on the first day of ‘the second’ month in the second year, and the present chapter about the Passover was in the ‘first month’ of the same year]! Now the reason for this delay [in mentioning the section concerning the Passover] was that since this fourth book [of the Torah] comes to mention the commandments which Israel was given in the wilderness of Sinai for that particular time, He wanted [first] to complete everything related to the Tent of Meeting and its functioning during all the time [that Israel was] in the wilderness. Therefore He mentioned first the [commandments about the four] standards, and the place of the Tent [of Meeting], and the position of its ministers, and the ordinance concerning the divisions [of the Levites] when carrying [the Tabernacle whilst travelling, and] all services of the Tent. Then He mentioned the dedication-offerings of the princes, who brought the wagons in which they would carry it [the Tent] as long as they were to be in the wilderness, and He finished [the account of] their offerings at the dedication of the altar, which began on the first of Nisan or afterwards. After all this He returned and mentioned the admonition that He had given them not to forget the commandment of the Passover. Now in the opinion of our Rabbis [the obligation to bring the Passover-offering] only applied in the wilderness in this [second] year, after the exodus because they did not perform circumcision in the wilderness, and the [non-performance of] circumcision of the male children and the servants prevented them [from slaughtering the Passover-offering]. It is possible that this [specific] command [to bring the Passover] was necessary because at first they were only commanded about making the Passover-offering in future generations after [entering] the Land of Israel, as it is written, And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the Land which the Eternal will give you, according as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this Service. And it is further stated there, And it shall be when the Eternal shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, etc., that thou shalt keep this Service in this month. And now the Holy One, blessed be He, desired and commanded that they should make it [the Passover-offering] in order that the memory of their redemption and of the miracles which were done for them and their fathers should be transmitted from the fathers who saw them to their children, and their children to another generation. Thus He had said at first, And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the Land, meaning to say that this commandment [to bring the Passover-offering] does not apply outside the Land in future generations; therefore now He commanded t...
Sforno
בחודש הראשון, after he had taken a census of the males fit for service in the army according to their ages. Moses was to make all the preparations necessary to arrange for the orderly entrance of the Israelites into the land of Canaan.This involved first and foremost that the inhabitants of the camps of the Israelites be ritually pure in conformity with the Torah’s imperative that the army of the Jewish people when assembled must be holy (Deuteronomy 23,15). Needless to say that it must not contain people who had not cleansed themselves of their ritual impurity. They also had to be certain that no members of the Israelite camp was the product of an illegal union between people whose incestuous relationship carried the karet penalty. The purpose of all this was that G’d’s Shechinah would rest on the troops, and that therefore victory would be assured and casualties minimized. The Talmud in Sotah 11 and 31 relates that the Jewish people had 4 virtues to their credit on account of which they merited entering and conquering the land of Canaan already at that time if the sin of the spies had not intervened. We know that Moses was convinced that the conquest of the land of Canaan was at hand when he asked his father-in-law Yitro to remain with him and to partake in that event. (Numbers 10,29) These merits were: 1) the altar had been successfully consecrated, the offerings of the Jewish people were being accepted by G’d. 2) the Levites had been consecrated. 3) The Jewish people had demonstrated eagerness when observing the anniversary of the Exodus by performing the required ceremonies in difficult circumstances. 4) They had followed their G’d to an inhospitable desert even though they had no idea if and when the cloud would lift and indicate that they were suddenly to break camp. Their entire situation was such that sometimes they would remain in the same spot for months or years, whereas other times they would break camp and re-establish camp after only 24 hours, all of which involved a tremendous upheaval when we consider that we speak about two and a half to three million souls. In order to describe the various merits the Jewish people had in their favour at the time the Torah told us at this point about these events instead of relating them in chronological order, as we might have expected. Consecration of the altar occurred in the first month of the second year, so did the consecration of the Levites, and so did the celebration of the second Passover. Seeing that the beginning of the Book of Numbers speaks of events in the second month of that year, we could have questioned the Torah’s sequence. However, the Torah had a purpose in delaying the report about the last mentioned events in order to demonstrate that had it not been for the disastrous mission of the spies everything would have been in place for an immediate ascent to the Holy Land. The entire paragraph is another illustration of the principle known as אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה, that the ...
Or HaChaim
בשנה השנית, in the second year, etc. Why did the Torah change its style in this instance by mentioning first the year and then the month of this event? When you look at the beginning of the Book of Numbers you will find that the Torah first mentions the month before mentioning the year. Not only this, but in our verse here the Torah does not even mention the month at all until after it referred to the Exodus. It would not have been necessary to interrupt mention of the date if the month in which G'd issued this command had been mentioned first. Another peculiarity in this paragraph is the absence of the customary instruction to Moses to "speak to the children of Israel!" The letter ו in the word ויעשו also needs explaining. To which previous instruction does that letter ו refer? Why was it altogether necessary to issue instructions to the Israelites to observe the Passover when this had already been commanded in Exodus 12,43? Apparently, the Torah was afraid that the Israelites had understood the previous commandment to apply only in Egypt and in the land of Israel so that the Torah had to make plain that it was a commandment which applied also during their stay in the desert. It appears that the repetition has to do with the prohibition of a בן נכר to eat of the Passover. According to the Mechilta on Exodus 12,43 that expression meant that anyone who was either a Gentile or a Jew who deliberately flouted G'd's laws was "estranged" and was not allowed to eat of that sacrifice. Seeing that in the interval since the Exodus the Israelites had become guilty of making the golden calf and worshiping it they had reason to believe that the injunction in Exodus 12,43 applied to them. This is especially so seeing that we are taught in Chulin 5 that anyone who acknowledges any deity other than G'd is considered as if he had denied all of Judaism. While it is true that G'd had accepted the repentance of the Jewish people after Moses had stayed on Mount Sinai three times for 40 days to beg for forgiveness, the people had not yet been told that that sin had been atoned for and there remained a lingering doubt concerning that forgiveness. The people therefore needed special permission in order to proceed and to offer the Passover on the anniversary of the Exodus. This is also why the Torah proceeds without the customary "speak to the children of Israel" to introduce this command simply as a corollary to the original Passover, and it uses the conjunctive letter ו when writing "and they shall perform the Passover." The word ויעשו tells the Israelites that not only had G'd reconsidered His original intent of destroying them but He had even consented to let them bring the Passover. Now we can also better understand why the Torah began this chapter by first mentioning the year in which this command was issued. Seeing that the whole paragraph only intended to sanction the fact that the Israelites would offer the Passover, the Torah speaks of the second year so tha...
Chizkuni
בחדש הראשון, “in the first month;” The Torah writes here: במדבר סיני, “in the desert of Sinai,” and it did so also in Numbers 1,1, when that date was in the second year of the Israelites’ wanderings. This teaches that what was communicated to the Israelites on both occasions was told to them on the first day of the month. Here Rashi comments that the communication recorded there was not communicated to them until the beginning of the second month. This was to teach us that the author of the Torah did not feel obligated to order Moses to write things down in chronological order. Why did the Torah (Moses) not write this chapter at the beginning of the Book of Numbers? He did not want to commence this Book with recording matters which reflected negatively on the Jewish people. If you were to counter: what is so negative, seeing that in the Book of Exodus chapter 12,25, the people’s coming to the land of Israel and receiving it as their ancestral heritage was made conditional on their observing the laws connected with the Exodus? The fact is that had it not been for the people’s complaining as reported in chapter 11, they would have come to the land of Israel much sooner and the question of observing the anniversary of the Exodus in the desert would never have arisen. They would have entered the land of Israel during the month in which the event recorded in this chapter occurred. As it is, they moved away from Mount Sinai on the 20th day of the month of Iyar, and Moses told the people that there was only eleven days’ march to the land of Canaan from Mount Sinai. In fact, in expectation of this, Moses had invited his father-in-law Yitro to accompany them on that short journey in verse 29 of our chapter, indicating that they would move on forthwith. According to Rashi, the way Moses had formulated this invitation it meant that within a maximum of 3 days the Israelites would break camp and enter the Holy Land. They would have had ample time to prepare for the Passover which was to commence on the evening of the fifteenth of that month. Now, seeing that the Israelites had become guilty of the sin of demanding meat in an unfitting manner, and they had spent a whole month eating the quail, except for the ones who died from overindulging even earlier, the time to observe the Passover in the Holy Land had already passed. (Numbers 11,29) They were delayed again on account of having to wait until Miriam had been healed after she had spoken deprecatingly of her brother Moses. (Numbers 12,116). Subsequently, they were delayed for 40 days while Moses had to send out spies to pacify the doubters. To cap it all, the whole generation of the adults who had left Egypt were condemned to die in the desert for having preferred to return to Egypt rather than to trust the Lord to bring them to the Holy Land. All of this were events which Moses did not wish to record at the beginning of this Book.
Tur HaArokh
בשנה השנית לצאתם מארץ מצרים, “during the second year, counting from their Exodus from Egypt.” This verse proves conclusively that the Torah has not imposed upon itself the rule of reporting events in historical sequence only, a rule known as אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה. It is stated specifically that the Book of Numbers commences with events which took place in the second month of the second year, whereas here the Torah backtracked to the first month of that year. The Israelites observed the Passover only once during all the years they were in the desert, i.e. on the first anniversary of the Exodus. One of the reasons was that the Israelites were not able to perform the rites of circumcision due to the northern wind which blew in the desert, exposure to which presented a health risk to the babies. Had they not sinned by accepting the majority report of the spies, they would not have had to wander in the desert and would have been in the Land of Israel before they would have had to observe a second Passover. Uncircumcised males are forbidden to partake of sacrificial meat, something unavoidable in performing the Passover ritual. [This editor has never understood this reason, as the natural increase of the Jewish people was about 2.5 percent annually, and it would have taken over 20 years before the majority of the male Israelites would have been uncircumcised. Why would the majority not perform such an important commandment because a minority was unable to? Ed.] Nachmanides writes that the reason why the Torah did not follow chronological sequence here was that before listing commandments issued to the people in the desert, the Torah wanted to complete the legislation pertaining to the erection of the Tabernacle, its inauguration, and to report on the composition of the encampment as it was to remain throughout the time the Israelites were in the desert. Seeing that the commandment to offer a Passover in the desert, at least according to some of our sages, was a one-time legislation, the record of this legislation and its performance could be deferred until this point. It is possible that mention had to be made of this commandment once more as in Exodus chapter 12 where we read about this legislation originally, it had never been stated that the commandment would remain in effect throughout the generations. [I do not follow, as in Exodus 12,14 this has been spelled out. Ed.] Now G’d wanted the people to perform these rites in order to remind them of what had happened exactly one year ago and to recall how many overt miracles G’d had performed in bringing about the people’s redemption from slavery. It was not necessary in the desert to write again the details of the seven day festival of matzot, etc., as being commandments that must be performed by the body they were automatically valid for all posterity.
Daat Zkenim
בשנה השנית....ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח במועדו, “in the second year after the Exodus....let the Children of Israel offer the Passover sacrifice at its appointed time;” in the Talmud, tractate Pessachim chapter one folio 6, the question is asked why the Torah first wrote the chapter about the census of the people in the first chapter of this Book, although it took place a month later than the observance of the first anniversary of the Exodus. The answer given there is that the Torah is not obligated to record events in their chronological order. Granted that this is true, it is nonetheless in order to enquire why the Torah departs from the chronological order when it does so. The reason may be that seeing the Book of Leviticus, containing all the commandments to be performed by the priests in the Tabernacle, and the tasks performed by the Levites were performed either at or near the Tabernacle, it was considered appropriate to continue with a subject closely related to that discussed in the Book of Leviticus. The flags, the order in which the Israelites encamped around the Tabernacle, were a natural continuation of what had been dealt with in the Book of Leviticus. Rashi explains that the reason why this Book does not commence with the observance of the Passover is that it draws attention to the fact that this was the only time in forty years that the Israelites did observe the anniversary of the Exodus in the manner prescribed. It is therefore an implied criticism of the Jewish people. If you were to ask that actually mandatory observance of the Passover was linked to residence in the land of Israel as spelled out in Exodus 13,5: והיה כי יביאך ה' אל ארץ הכנעני.....ועבדת את העבודה הזאת בחדש הזה. שבעת ימים תאכל מצות וגו', "it will be when Hashem will bring you to the land of the Canaanite........then shall you perform this ritual. For seven consecutive days you are to eat unleavened bread, etc.” So where is the implied criticism? Not only this; even this instance of offering the Passover was observed only after the Israelites had received specific instructions in verse one of our chapter. We would have to understand Rashi as implying that if the Israelites, due to their shortcomings, had not been forced to delay conquest of the land of the Canaanites for forty years, they could have fulfilled this commandment consecutively during all these years already.
"Let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season.
verse value 1677
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 1677 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·let·them·offer" (וְיַעֲשׂ֧וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "the·Israelite·people" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Israelite·people" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·let·them·offer" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "at·its·set·time" (root מועד, 65x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פסח ("the·passover·sacrifice") in Numbers. Full calculation: וְיַעֲשׂ֧וּ [and·let·them·offer] (392) + בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [the·Israelite·people] (603) + אֶת־הַפָּ֖סַח [the·passover·sacrifice] (554) + בְּמוֹעֲדֽוֹ [at·its·set·time] (128) = 1677.
Onkelos
"Let the children of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time."
Rashi
במועדו AT ITS APPOINTED SEASON — even on Sabbath; במועדו AT ITS APPOINTED SEASON (stated again in v. 3) intimates that it must be offered even in a state of uncleanness (i.e. when the whole congregation, or at least its greater part is unclean as a result of having come in contact with a human corpse) (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 65).
Sforno
ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח, apart from the procedures reported as having taken place on the eighth day of the consecration of the Tabernacle, and the consecration of the princes between the first and twelfth of the month of Nissan, 2 days later the whole nation observed the Passover. They did not feel that they had become free from doing so seeing that they had just finished a string of rituals as a result of which they were on a spiritual “high,” full of joy. This was in contrast to the consecration of Solomon’s Temple, on the occasion of which, according to our sages in Moed Katan 9, Solomon ordered a dispensation of the Day of Atonement seeing that the people were on such a spiritual “high” on account of that event.
Chizkuni
ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח במועדו, “let the Children of Israel perform the Passover rites at its appointed time in the calendar. The letter פ in the word: הפסח has the vowel kametz gadol under it.
Rashbam
ויעשו בני ישראל, seeing that the festival of Passover in Egypt had been observed only for a single day, precluding the Israelites from offering all the other sacrifices scheduled for that festival, now that the Tabernacle had become functional the Torah had to instruct that this year the Passover was to be observed in accordance with the legislation recorded in both Leviticus and Deuteronomy where the Torah speaks of the Passover sacrifices which have to be brought when the Passover is observed in future generations.
In the fourteenth day of this month, between the two evenings, you shall keep it in its appointed season; according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances of it, shall you keep it."
verse value 5229
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֜ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·as·all·its·rites" (וּכְכׇל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 776: you·shall·offer, you·shall·offer. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "teen·day" (עָשָֽׂר־י֠וֹם), "as·all·its·rules" (כְּכׇל־חֻקֹּתָ֥יו), "and·as·all·its·rites" (וּכְכׇל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·shall·offer" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "at·its·set·time" (root מועד, 65x in Numbers); "this" (root זה, 61x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ערב ("the·two·evenings") in Numbers. First appearance of the root חקה ("as·all·its·rules") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·its·set·time', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּאַרְבָּעָ֣ה [on·the·four] (280) + עָשָֽׂר־י֠וֹם [teen·day] (626) + בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַזֶּ֜ה [this] (17) + בֵּ֧ין [between] (62) + הָֽעַרְבַּ֛יִם [the·two·evenings] (327) + תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ [you·shall·offer] (776) + אֹת֖וֹ [it] (407) + בְּמֹעֲד֑וֹ [at·its·set·time] (122) + כְּכׇל־חֻקֹּתָ֥יו [as·all·its·rules] (594) + וּכְכׇל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו [and·as·all·its·rites] (521) + תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ [you·shall·offer] (776) + אֹתֽוֹ [it] (407) = 5229.
Onkelos
"On the fourteenth day of this month, between the evenings, you shall observe it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and according to all that is fitting for it you shall observe it."
Rashi
ככל חקותיו ACCORDING TO ALL RITES OF IT [… SHALL YE KEEP IT] — This refers to the laws relating to its body itself (i.e. the animal itself) while alive — that it must be “a lamb, without blemish, a male, one year old” (Exodus 12:5) (Sifrei Bamidbar 65). וככל משפטיו AND ACCORDING TO ALL THE REGULATIONS THEREOF — This again refers to commands which have a bearing upon the animal itself but originating from another place (i.e. outside the animal itself), e.g. seven days for eating unleavened bread and during which the leaven must be removed from one’s home. [Some editions have (cf. Nachmanides): the laws relating to the animal itself are that it must be “a lamb, without blemish, a male and one year old”. Such as have to be practiced upon its body (note the difference in the meaning of this phrase, and the omission of ממקום אחר) are those mentioned in Exodus 12:9: “roasted with fire, its head with its legs and the inward parts thereof”; and finally such as go beyond the sacrifice itself: the eating of unleavened bread and the removal of leaven from the house].
Ramban
ACCORDING TO ALL THE STATUTES OF IT, AND ACCORDING TO ALL THE ORDINANCES THEREOF, SHALL YE BRING IT [i.e., the Passover-offering]. Now it is written in the commentary of Rashi: “According to all the statutes of it — this refers to the laws concerning the animal itself, [that it should be] a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year. And according to all the ordinances thereof — this relates to the laws ‘upon’ the lamb, such as eating unleavened bread for seven days, and the removal of leavened bread.” But this is a copyist’s error. [For the laws which concern the animal itself are as stated above], a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year; the laws “upon” the animal are that it should be roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof; whereas the laws which are “outside” the animal itself are [the duty to eat] unleavened bread [on the first evening of the festival] and the duty of removing leavened bread, concerning which Scripture does not speak here at all. Similarly, it is said of the second Passover that [it should be observed] according to the statute of the Passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, and a person may [then] have both unleavened bread and leavened bread with him in his house, and it applies for only one day. Now Scripture spoke briefly, saying, at dusk, ye shall bring it in its appointed season; according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye bring it, thereby including the laws relating to eating it, that it should not be on the day mentioned by the verse [on which the offering is slaughtered], but it is to be eaten on the following night, since He already explained previously, And they shall eat the flesh in that night etc. Similarly, In the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall bring it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, means they shall eat it at the time of eating mentioned in the command concerning the first Passover.
Chizkuni
וככל משפטיו, “and according to all the ordinances thereof;” according to Rashi, this refers to the festival being observed for the full seven days, the search for chametz and its disposal prior to the beginning of the festival, all in accordance with what has been written in chapter 12 of the Book of Exodus.
Tur HaArokh
בין הערבים תעשו אותו, “you shall prepare it in the afternoon.” The various procedures connected with offering the Passover are all included in the words תעשו אותו, “prepare it.” ככל חוקותיו וככל משפטיו תעשו אותו, ”you shall make it according to all its decrees and its laws.” Here the Torah means to include the laws governing the eating of the Passover, such as that it must not be eaten on the day it was slaughtered but only on the night following it; as had been pointed out in chapter 12 in Exodus already, as well as the fact that similar rules apply to the people offering the substitute Passover known as פסח שני, by people who had been unable to do so on the proper date due to being ritually impure on account of contact with the dead.
And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
verse value 2154
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·offer" (לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + מֹשֶׁ֛ה [Moses] (345) + אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י [to·sons·of] (93) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת [to·offer] (800) + הַפָּֽסַח [the·passover·sacrifice] (153) = 2154.
Onkelos
And Moses spoke with the children of Israel to observe the Passover.
Rashi
וידבר משה וגו׳ AND MOSES SPAKE [TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP THE PASSOVER] — Why is this stated at all? Has it not already been said, (Leviticus 23:44) “And Moses declared [unto the children of Israel] the appointed festivals of the Lord”? But the reason is: when he heard on Sinai the section dealing with the festivals he told it to them then and he used to exhort them again about the festivals at the time when they had to be observed (lit., at the time of action) (Sifrei Bamidbar 66).
And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at dusk, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that Hashem commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
verse value 6013 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֵּ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·passover·sacrifice" (אֶת־הַפֶּ֡סַח, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 70: just·as·all, thus. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "in·the·first" (בָּרִאשׁ֡וֹן). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·Sinai', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Onkelos
And they observed the Passover in Nisan, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, in the wilderness of Sinai — according to all that Hashem commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.
Chizkuni
ויעשו את הפסח, “they performed the ritual of the Passover;” according to Rabbi Yossi in the Tossephta, this was the only time in all the years that the Israelites wandered in the desert that the Passover was actually observed. The reason for this was that at the time described they were encamped in a location where it was possible to perform circumcisions without endangering the lives of the infants being circumcised. This has been explained at the beginning of the Book of Joshua where a mass circumcision took place of all the people who had been born after the Exodus and who could not have been circumcised on account of the danger to the lives of these infants.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויעשו את הפסח בראשון, “They prepared the Passover in the first month, etc.” Nachmanides writes that in accordance with the opinion of the sages this was the only time that the Israelites celebrated the Passover during all the years they were in the desert. The reason was that they had uncircumcised slaves and children whom they could not circumcise due to the hazard of infection in the desert conditions. The matter is discussed in Yevamot 72. However, in Sifri Behaalotcha 67 the word בראשון is understood as a criticism of the Children of Israel for having celebrated the Passover only on that occasion. Similarly, Amos 5,25, where the prophet speaks of “did you offer sacrifice and oblation to Me those forty years in the wilderness?” is also seen as a criticism of the Israelites for not offering all these sacrifices. This criticism is based on the unnecessary words “in the first month, the fourteenth of the month, in the evening in the desert of Sinai.” It would have sufficed for the Torah to write that the Israelites offered the Passover in accordance with the rules laid down by G’d. The additional details provided are a hint that this was the one and only time the people did observe the Passover. (Thus far Sifri). The reason that the Torah saw fit to write this passage at this point was that the inauguration of the Tabernacle and the Altar took place in the first month (of the second year); this was the month the Levites were set apart. Seeing that in connection with the Passover observance the Torah wrote (Exodus 12,25) “it will be when you come into the land, etc.,” and in Exodus 13,11 the Torah also appeared to tie the observance of the Passover to the Israelites coming to the Holy Land, the Torah here had to legislate its observance now as otherwise the people would have thought that the desert was not a suitable location for offering the Passover.
But there were certain men, who were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.
verse value 4036
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "who" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·offer·the·passover·sacrifice" (לַעֲשֹׂת־הַפֶּ֖סַח, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: on·the·day, on·the·day. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·could·not" (וְלֹא־יָכְל֥וּ), "to·offer·the·passover·sacrifice" (לַעֲשֹׂת־הַפֶּ֖סַח). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·there·were" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Onkelos
But there were men who were unclean by reason of the impurity of the soul of a human being, and they were unable to observe the Passover on that day; and they came forward before Moses and before Aaron on that day.
Rashi
לפני משה ולפני אהרן [AND THERE WERE CERTAIN MEN, WHO … COULD NOT KEEP THE PASSOVER AND THEY CAME] BEFORE MOSES AND BEFORE AARON — At a time when both were sitting together in the House of Study they came and put this question to them. It would not be correct to say — as the words “”before Moses and before Aaron” might suggest — that they came to them one after the other, because if Moses did not know the reply whence could Aaron know it? (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 68; Bava Batra 119b).
Ibn Ezra
"And there were men" — It is not conceivable that the camp of Israel was so large and yet no one died there each day.
Or HaChaim
And there were (literally, was) men, etc.: One needs to know why it used the singular form for the many. And also why was it necessary to say, and they could not make the Pesach offering, since it informed us that they were impure. And maybe it is from the angle of that which God commanded on Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the month) about the Pesach offering, as they explained in Pesachim 6a, that the statement (Numbers 9:2), "And the Jews shall make the Pesach offering," was on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. And it would have been proper to guard against impurity [to reach the day of the offering, the fourteenth of Nissan, in a state of purity]. And one might attribute a defect to them that they did not keep the commandment of God and that they became impure and did not concern themselves with the commandment of the Pesach. Hence the verse teaches to say, And there was in the singular form, to say that there was only one matter of impurity by which [all of these] people became impure. And that matter of impurity was not in their power to guard from and they became impure against their will, as per their statement, may their memory be blessed (Sukkah 25a-b). Whether according to Rabbi Yose the Galilean who said that they were the carriers of Yosef's coffin, whether according to Rabbi Akiva or whether according to Rabbi Yitzchak who said they were impure from involvement with a corpse that required burial (met mitsvah), they needed to become impure - even if they knew that their impurity would last through the fourteenth. And this is to what the statement, and they could not make the Pesach offering hints to, saying that they could not guard themselves from impurity to make the Pesach offering. And about its stating, on that day, the rabbis, may their memory be blessed, already made a precise inference (Pesachim 90b) - for one master according to his opinion and for [the other] master according to his opinion. It also wanted to say by using the singular form that it was from the angle of their being individuals that that the could not do the Pesach offering, but if they had been the community, they could have done the Pesach offering, as it can come in impurity [in such circumstances]. Later I saw in the Sifrei of the rabbis, may their memory be blessed, that they made such a precise inference. לנפש אדם, by the dead body of a man; the reason the Torah defines the nature of these people's ritual impurity is to tell us that if their ritual impurity had been of a less severe nature such as due to contact with certain dead animals such as mice, etc., this would not have prevented them from eating of the Passover as their impurity would have ceased at sundown if they had immersed themselves in a ritual bath at some time during the fourteenth of Nissan (Pessachim 90). If a person had been ritually impure due to contact with a dead body he would not have been able to eat the Passover even if the last day of his purification rites (the seventh day) had occurre...
Chizkuni
ויהי אנשים, “There were certain men, etc.” this paragraph teaches that the legislation for a “second Passover”, i.e. instead of the original date, is applicable only to individuals but not to the whole congregation, regardless of why they could not observe the original date. This legislation was made public on the day that the Tabernacle had been erected, i.e. two weeks before the date of Passover, (Sifri on verse 13) אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם, “who had become ritually impure due to contact with a dead human body;” according to Rabbi Yitzchok, if these people’s impurity stemmed from the fact that they had been the carriers of the ark in which the remains of Joseph were being transported, they would have had time enough to purify themselves as the people had been stationary since the first of month at the latest. On the other hand, if these men were the ones who had carried the caskets in which Nadav and Avihu were being carried, they had plenty of time to purify themselves as these two men had died on the eighth day of Nissan; the Tabernacle had been erected on the first day of Nissan; on the second day of Nissan Eleazar had burned the red heifer (Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah, 3,3) and according to the Talmud in tractate Gittin on that day eight different subjects were revealed, one of them being the one containing the legislation about the red heifer. Seeing that the two sons of Aaron died on the first day of Nissan, according to parshat Sh’mini, these men could have completed their purification rites already on the eighth day of that month, in plenty of time before Passover. We are left therefore with the question whose death had caused their ritual impurity? The only answer that is reasonable is that they became ritually impure through burying someone who had no relatives who could bury him, and they fulfilled this commandment, something that if it occurred to a High Priest even he would have been obliged to attend to. (Compare Sifri) ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח, “so that they had been unable to observe the commandment of offering the Passover. ביום ההוא, “on that day.” The emphasis on the word ההוא suggests that if Passover had commenced only a single day later, these people would have completed their purification rites in time. In other words, their last day of purification rites occurred on Passover eve. (Sifri)
And those men said to him: "We are unclean by the dead body of a man; why are we to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of Hashem in its appointed season among the children of Israel?"
verse value 4610 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "of·a·human" (אָדָ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַ֠יֹּאמְר֠וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "those" (הָהֵ֙מָּה֙), "must·we·be·debarred" (נִגָּרַ֗ע), "from" (לְבִלְתִּ֨י). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers). First appearance of the root אנחנו ("we") in Numbers. First appearance of the root מה ("why") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·a·human', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 10 words.
Onkelos
And those men said to him: "We are unclean by reason of the impurity of the soul of a human being — why should we be excluded so as not to bring the offering of Hashem at its appointed time in the midst of the children of Israel?"
Rashi
למה נגרע WHEREFORE ARE WE KEPT BACK? — He (Moses) had said to them, “Sacrifices are not permitted to be offered by anyone who is in a state of uncleanness”. They retorted, “למה נגרע” — Why should that prevent us? Let the blood be sprinkled on our behalf by clean priests, and let the flesh be eaten by the clean”. (i.e. let us partake of the flesh at night when we shall already be clean: see Note). Thereupon he said to them: “Stand still (i.e. wait a short time) and I will hear [what the Lord will command concerning you]” — he said this with confidence, like a pupil who is certain that he will get information from his teacher at any time. Happy, indeed, is a human being (lit., one born of woman) who may so confidently rely that at any time when he wishes to do so he may speak with the Shechinah! — This section, in fact, ought to have been said by Moses, just as all the other sections of the Torah, only that these men were privileged that it should be promulgated through their intervention, because “meritorious deeds are brought about by worthy men” (Sifrei Bamidbar 68; Bava Batra 119b).
Ibn Ezra
"Why should we be excluded" — This is from the nif'al conjugation.
Sforno
אנחנו טמאים לנפש אדם למה נגרע, seeing that the ritual impurity we have incurred was incurred in the process of our fulfilling a positive commandment, why should the result of this be the misdemeanour of not fulfilling such an important commandment as observing the Passover at the appointed time? במועדו, seeing that this is a commandment which can only be fulfilled at its appointed date?
Or HaChaim
Why should we be diminished, etc.: One needs to know the claim of the people in their statement, "why should we be diminished." Is the reason not answered by their own mouths - "we are impure"? And what do they want given to them - a new Torah? And maybe it is from the angle that they became impure with His consent, may He be blessed. Whether according to the opinion that they became impure from a corpse requiring burial or whether according to the opinion that they carried the coffin of Yosef, they thought that God would judge them as if they were pure, and in the same way that we find (Pesachim 77a) that God accepts the Pesach offering of the community when it is impure. And for this [reason], they claimed, "why should we be diminished" - and just because they preformed a commandment, they should be diminished from the Pesach offering? Or they meant to say that they be able to make up for the Pesach offering, like with the festive (chagigah) offering, about which they said (Chagigah 9a), "celebrate (chagog) the holiday through the whole festival." So too, God should command them that they be able to make up for the Pesach offering the next day, and that is the [meaning of the] statement, in its time, which is the time of the Pesach offering. And maybe for this [reason], the [previous] verse was exact to say on that day: According to the opinion that says that it was the seventh (last) day of their impurity, the explanation is that for this reason did they come on that day - so that he would say to them to make it up on the next day. And in this way, we gain the explanation [of something else]: God said this commandment of Pesach Sheni (the second Passover) after these men asked - to say that even if they will be pure during the days of Pesach, like in our case; nonetheless, he does not make it up during the seven days of Pesach like the festive offering, but rather on the second (next) month. It also means by saying, why should we be diminished, etc.: that since it was the seventh day of their impurity, that they were claiming that their Pesach offerings could be slaughtered for them; in the [same] way as we slaughter, and sprinkle [from, the offering] of one impurified by creeping animals (sherets) - since they will become pure at night and they only have [remaining] impurity on that day. And that is the [meaning of the] statement, in its time. And the rabbis, of blessed memory, said other matters - 'and these and those are the words of the living God.' Perhaps this is why the Torah stressed the words ביום ההוא, on that day, telling us that their inability to offer the Passover was only on that day (the 14th of Nissan) They would be ritually pure already on the 15th of that month. They would be able to make up for time lost already on the morrow. This may also account for the fact that G'd did not legislate the "second Passover" on the 14th of Iyar until after the Levites had approached Moses concerning תשלומים, an alte...
Chizkuni
למה נגרע, “what for are we to be denied?” Why are we not allowed to eat holy things while in a state of ritual impurity, seeing that last year when we were in Egypt we also ate it in a state of ritual impurity? The reason is that at that time we had not been warned not to do so.
Kli Yakar
Why should we be diminished so as not to offer… Some question: Was it unknown to them that a ritually impure person is prohibited from eating sacred foods? This is difficult according to the Talmud’s version (Pesachim 66b), which derives from the phrase any man that an individual is deferred to the second Pesach but not the community. However, according to the conclusion in the Yalkut (9:2) in the name of the Sifrei (and see Pesachim 77a and Jerusalem Talmud Pesachim 7:4), from the redundancy of in its appointed time, we learn that a communal Pesach offering is brought even in a state of impurity — there is no difficulty. For after they heard the phrase in its appointed time, they said, Why should we be diminished from the community? And the answer came, Any man — specifically an individual is deferred, but not the community. And these men understood that when Moses said to the children of Israel to keep the Pesach at its appointed time — even in impurity — but did not say so to them specifically, it implied that he excluded them from the general rule. Otherwise, what was the purpose of saying to the children of Israel to keep the Pesach? They were already commanded and obligated to do so! Rather, it came to exclude the individually impure ones. Therefore they said, Why should we be diminished?
And Moses said to them: "Stay, that I may hear what Hashem will command concerning you."
verse value 1492 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·me·hear" (וְאֶשְׁמְעָ֔ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "stand·by!" (עִמְד֣וּ), "and·let·me·hear" (וְאֶשְׁמְעָ֔ה), "what·he·will·command" (מַה־יְצַוֶּ֥ה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moses', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + אֲלֵהֶ֖ם [to·them] (76) + מֹשֶׁ֑ה [Moses] (345) + עִמְד֣וּ [stand·by!] (120) + וְאֶשְׁמְעָ֔ה [and·let·me·hear] (422) + מַה־יְצַוֶּ֥ה [what·he·will·command] (156) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לָכֶֽם [about·you] (90) = 1492.
Onkelos
And Moses said to them: "Wait, and I will hear what will be commanded from before Hashem concerning you."
Ibn Ezra
"Wait" — at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
Rabbeinu Bahya
עמדו ואשמעה מה יצוה ה' לכם, “stand still while I will hear what Hashem will command concerning you (your problem).” According to Rashi the word עמדו means that the people concerned were to wait at the entrance of the Tabernacle and Moses would immediately relay to them G’d’s response. He adds that a human being who can give such an assurance that G’d will respond to him without delay is really one that is blessed. The fact that Moses said: “what Hashem is going to command to you,” rather than “what Hashem is going to say to me” demonstrates his humility in attempting to deflect attention from himself. The reason that Moses added the letter ה to the word ואשמעה, instead of saying ואשמע, may have been an allusion to the last letter ה in the tetragrammaton, a phenomenon we have encountered repeatedly. The voice he expected to hear was the one of which G’d had said in Exodus 15,26 אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלוקיך וגו', “if you will surely hearken to the voice of the Lord your G’d, and do what is right in His eyes. etc.” From that attribute embodied in the letter ה, G’d’s directives would issue forth. Onkelos hints at that in his translation when he translates עד דאשמע מה אתפקד מן קדם ה' על די לכון, “until I hear what it (this attribute) orders from Hashem concerning you.” If Moses did not know the answer himself this is not held against him as it was when he did not know the answer to the query of the daughters of Tzelofchod (Numbers 27,1). In that instance the answer did not need divine guidance as even the Gentile nations appreciate that before the brothers of the deceased are entitle to inherit him, daughters as next of kin take precedence. If Moses nonetheless did not know, this was a punishment for his having made a careless remark when he told the chiefs of tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands that when they encountered a matter too difficult for them they should submit it to him and he would deal with it (Deut. 1,17). Seeing that Moses had not known the answer to a simple question, the sages considered this as a form of punishment for him. The law involving a possible postponement of the Passover celebrations for individuals who through no fault of their own could not participate on the date set aside for it, was something that had to be legislated and could not be arrived at by use of one’s intellect. Not knowing the answer could not therefore be considered a failing on the part of Moses and therefore a form of punishment.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר, 5 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה [to·Moses] (376) + לֵּאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 895.
"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover to Hashem;
verse value 4235
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "or" (אוֹ֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·he·is·defiled" (כִּי־יִהְיֶֽה־טָמֵ֣א, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: anyone, anyone. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "when·he·is·defiled" (כִּי־יִהְיֶֽה־טָמֵ֣א), "far" (רְחֹקָ֜הׄ). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers). First appearance of the root דרך ("on·a·journey") in Numbers. First appearance of the root דור ("for·your·posterity") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 13 words.
Onkelos
"Speak with the children of Israel, saying: Any man who is unclean by reason of the impurity of a human corpse, or is on a distant journey — whether you or your generations — shall observe the Passover before Hashem.
Rashi
או בדרך רחקה [IF ANY MAN … SHALL BE UNCLEAN BY REASON OF A DEAD,] OR BE ON A DISTANT JOURNEY — There is a dot on it (on the ה of the word רחקה which letter is therefore regarded as non-existent; cf. Rashi on Genesis 18:9 and Note thereon), in order to tell that what Scripture means by בדרך רחקה is that it (the journey) need not really be a distant one, but that his sacrifice is postponed even though he was merely outside the threshold of the forecourt during the whole time that the ceremony of slaughtering the Passover sacrifice tasted. (Pesachim 93b, cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 69:2). — On the “Second Passover” one may have with him unleavened and leavened bread together in his house, and there is no festival in connection with it, and the eating of leaven is forbidden only together with it (the Passover Sacrifice) — i.e. while the sacrifice is being eaten (cf. Pesachim 95a).
Ramban
B’DERECH R’CHOKAH’ Rashi commented [that the meaning of this expression — literally “on a distant way” — is] “that he was outside the threshold of the Sanctuary Court during the whole time prescribed for slaughtering [the Passover-offering].” According to this opinion, this interpretation is hinted at by the dot [on the letter hei in the word r’chokah (distant) in the Torah, thus indicating that the journey does not really have to be a distant one, for even if he is only outside the threshold of the Sanctuary Court during the time of slaughtering of the Passover-offering, it is considered “a distant way”, as explained further on].But I am surprised at him [Rashi]! Why did he adopt the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, when it would have been correct to accept the opinion of Rabbi Akiba [that a distant way means] beyond Modiin [a city fifteen miles from Jerusalem; and the verse would thus be referring to someone who cannot reach the Sanctuary Court in time to bring the Passover-offering]. And such is the opinion of the Amoraim in the Gemara [of Tractate Pesachim], where Ula said, [a distant way is if he is at such a distance from Jerusalem that] he cannot come in, in time for the slaughtering [of the Passover-offering]. This is indeed the plain meaning of Scripture, that a person who is situated at the beginning of the afternoon in a place from which he cannot reach the Sanctuary Court [on foot] by the time of the slaughtering, is considered as being on a distant way, and therefore he is free [from the obligation of bringing the Passover-offering]. It is possible that [according to Rabbi Akiba] the reason for the dot [on the letter hei in the word r’chokah (distant) in the Torah] is to indicate that it is too distant for him to bring the Passover-offering, even though it is not actually distant [since fifteen-miles — walking-distance — is the required distance]; therefore when He repeated it He stated, But the man that is clean, and is not on ‘a journey,’ [and forbeareth to bring the Passover-lamb], and did not mention “distant.”Now Scripture commanded that a person who was impure or on a distant way should bring the second [Passover-offering], but the same law, for the same reason, applies to anyone who did not bring the first Passover-offering, even wilfully, namely that he is obliged to bring the second Passover-offering, in accordance with the words of our Rabbis. Scripture, however, mentioned only [those who were impure or on a distant way in order] to say that they are allowed to bring the second Passover-offering, and to forbid an impure person to bring the first Passover-offering. However, one who was on a [distant] way is free from bringing the first Passover-offering, and may bring the second one, but if he wants to fulfill his duty on the first Passover and he told someone [in Jerusalem to include him in a group, and] to slaughter the offering for him [as well], it is acceptable [for him]. For we accept [as the correct interpretation of the ...
Ibn Ezra
"Or on a distant road" — There is no need to search this out, for the Sages have already transmitted how far constitutes a distant road. "For you" — refers to one who is impure of person. "Or for your generations" — applies to impurity of person and to a distant road.
Chizkuni
או בדרך רחוקה, “or on a journey far off;” there is a dot on the letter ה in the word רחוקה; this dot is not connected to the word בדרך, for if so, the word would be treated as if it had not appeared. Rather, that dot connects to the word איש, “a man or person;” we are to understand the person concerned as being spiritually on a journey that had estranged him to Judaism and its G-d. או לדורותיכם, “or someone of your generations;” the verse means that the person described is either at this time far from you spiritually or time wise, in other words, if many years from now there will be someone who due to the time that elapsed since the Exodus feels disconnected to our history, and therefore would not observe the Passover ritual by not having his heart in it.
Rabbeinu Bahya
או בדרך רחוקה, “or on a distant road;” The Massoretes placed a dot on the last letter of this word to teach us that the subject is not physical distance but that even if the person in question stood barely outside the threshold to the courtyard of the Temple during the entire period permitted for the slaughtering of the Passover, he is halachically considered just as distant as if he were miles distant from the Temple. The observance of פסח שני, “an alternate Passover,” involves eating unleavened bread while leavened bread is in the house and does not need to be removed. The date is not considered a Yom Tov, i.e. a festival, with the attendant work prohibitions. The eating of chametz is prohibited only as part of the Passover meal. This is Rashi’s comment.. I have already explained the reason that chametz is prohibited on the (regular) Passover in a kabbalistic way (Exodus 13,3). The principal reason is that one should not think that only the attribute of Justice was involved in orchestrating the Exodus and that the attribute of Mercy did not have a part in it. Anyone thinking otherwise is guilty of a severe form of heresy. Seeing that the “second” Passover is on a date which is historically unrelated to the date of the Exodus, there would not be any significance to not eating chametz at that time. Seeing that both the attribute of Mercy (as represented by the matzah, and the attribute of Justice as represented by the chametz) were involved in the Exodus there is no question of heresy involved by keeping the chametz in the house. Nachmanides sees in the dot by the Massoretes merely a hint that distance is subjective and that what appears distant to one person may be considered nearby to another younger one, someone equipped with transportation, for instance. This is why the Torah repeats that “he was not on the way,” i.e. although the way was not even distant from the Temple.
Tur HaArokh
בדרך רחוקה, “on a remote road.” The dot over the letter ה in the word רחוקה alludes to the respective opinions concerning the distance the traveler has to be from the Temple at sunrise of the 14th of Nissan, the day the Passover must be slaughtered. One sage holds that anyone more distant than the threshold of the courtyard of the Temple during the period that the slaughtering was in progress is included here, whereas the other sage holds that a distance of approximately 30000 cubits, equivalent to the distance of the Hasmonean town of Modiin from Jerusalem constitutes “remote” in the sense that if the person was ritually impure he was equated with someone too far distant to be able to reach Jerusalem on that day. (compare Pessachim 69) Nachmanides writes that although in connection with the substitute Passover known as the “second Passover,” nothing has been written concerning the distance of a potential pilgrim from the Temple on the morning of the day the Passover must be slaughtered, the same rules that apply to someone offering the Passover on the 14th of Nissan also apply to a person who is permitted (commanded) to offer it on the 14th of Iyar. He who omitted offering the first Passover even deliberately, is still commanded to make up for this on the 14th of Iyar, whereas someone who on the morning of the 14th of Nissan was beyond Modiin and thus legally free to wait until the 14th of Iyar, is nonetheless permitted to offer his Passover on the 14th of Nissan if he managed to reach the Temple gates while the slaughtering was still in progress. (by driving or flying instead of walking). In fact, such a person is accorded special praise for having made the effort when legally he need not have exerted himself.
in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs;
verse value 3971
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "teenth" (עָשָׂ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·the·four" (בְּאַרְבָּעָ֨ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "with·unleavened·bread" (עַל־מַצּ֥וֹת), "and·bitter·herbs" (וּמְרֹרִ֖ים), "they·shall·eat·it" (יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·shall·offer" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "day" (root יום, 122x in Numbers); "on·the·four" (root ארבע, 57x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַשֵּׁנִ֜י [second] (365) + בְּאַרְבָּעָ֨ה [on·the·four] (280) + עָשָׂ֥ר [teenth] (570) + י֛וֹם [day] (56) + בֵּ֥ין [between] (62) + הָעַרְבַּ֖יִם [the·evenings] (327) + יַעֲשׂ֣וּ [they·shall·offer] (386) + אֹת֑וֹ [it] (407) + עַל־מַצּ֥וֹת [with·unleavened·bread] (636) + וּמְרֹרִ֖ים [and·bitter·herbs] (496) + יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ [they·shall·eat·it] (72) = 3971.
Onkelos
In the second month, on the fourteenth day, between the evenings, they shall observe it; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Chizkuni
בחודש השני, “in the second month;” seeing that the observance of the original Passover in Egypt was restricted to a single calendar day, they were not commanded concerning this now; but once when the Tabernacle had been built, people who had missed it through no fault of their own would be given a chance to make up for all of its essentials.
they shall leave none of it to the morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the passover they shall keep it.
verse value 3357
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·shall·not·leave·over" (לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "they·shall·not·leave·over" (לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ), "and·a·bone" (וְעֶ֖צֶם), "they·shall·break·of·it" (יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "they·shall·offer" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "until·morning" (root בקר, 43x in Numbers). First appearance of the root שאר ("they·shall·not·leave·over") in Numbers. First appearance of the root עצם ("and·a·bone") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·shall·break·of·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ [they·shall·not·leave·over] (558) + מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ [any·of·it] (136) + עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר [until·morning] (376) + וְעֶ֖צֶם [and·a·bone] (206) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ [they·shall·break·of·it] (526) + כְּכׇל־חֻקַּ֥ת [in·accord·with·all·the·law·of] (578) + הַפֶּ֖סַח [the·passover·sacrifice] (153) + יַעֲשׂ֥וּ [they·shall·offer] (386) + אֹתֽוֹ [it] (407) = 3357.
Onkelos
They shall leave nothing of it until the morning, and they shall not break a bone in it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.
Targum Yonatan
They shall not leave of it till the morning, and a bone in it shall not be broken; according to every instruction in the decree of the Pascha in Nisan, they shall perform it. In the Pascha of Nisan (such persons) may eat unleavened bread, but not perform the oblation of the Pascha on account of their defilement; but in the Pascha of Ijar being purified they shall offer it.
But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbears to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he brought not the offering of Hashem in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
verse value 5189 — יְהֹוָ֗ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·is" (אֲשֶׁר־ה֨וּא, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 17: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·on·a·journey" (וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ), "and·refrains" (וְחָדַל֙), "from·kin" (מֵֽעַמֶּ֑יהָ). The root הוא appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "not·was" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "but·the·one" (root איש, 130x in Numbers). First appearance of the root טהור ("pure") in Numbers. First appearance of the root כרת ("shall·be·cut·off") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·kin', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Onkelos
But the man who is clean, and was not on a journey, yet refrains from observing the Passover — that person shall be cut off from his people; for he did not bring the offering of Hashem at its appointed time. That man shall bear his guilt."
Ibn Ezra
"And was not on a road" — the word 'or' applies here as well, as in 'or one who strikes his father and his mother.' "He shall bear his sin" — he himself personally.
Or HaChaim
והאיש אשד הוא טהור, As to the man who is ritually pure, etc. Why did the Torah delay informing us about the penalty for people who deliberately fail to observe the Passover legislation until now? Why has this not been spelled out in Parshat Bo where the legislation was spelled out? We find a debate in Pessachim 93 between Rabbi and Rabbi Natan concerning whether a person who has failed to observe the Passover both on the 14th of Nissan and the 14th of Iyar incurs the prescribed penalty or whether the Karet penalty applies only if one has deliberately failed to observe the Passover on the 14th of Nissan. Rabbi holds that deliberate failure to observe either Passover results in that penalty, whereas Rabbi Natan holds that there is no Karet penalty for failure to observe the second Passover seeing that the Torah does not mention this penalty in that context. Rabbi Chanina son of Akiva holds that one is not even guilty of the karet penalty for failure to observe the Passover on the 14th of Nissan unless one had also failed to observe it on the 14th of Iyar. All three scholars cite the same verse to support their respective opinions. If the Torah had informed us about the penalty for deliberate non-observance in Parshat Bo, it would not have been possible for the three scholars to hold three different views on the subject.
Chizkuni
ובדרך לא היה, “and he did not have the excuse of being too far away from Jerusalem,” or he had never even set out on the journey to Jerusalem; we find a similar construction in Exodus 21,15: מכה אביו ואמו, “if someone strikes his father or his mother. Not “his father and his mother.” The connective letter ו in the word בדרך here, also means “or,” not “and.” וחדל לעשות הפסח, “and he omits to perform the Passover ritual;” the Torah could have written: מעשות הפסח, thus saving a full word. The choice of words by the Torah teaches that the person the Torah has in mind here is the one who reasons that he can always make up for his failure to observe the Passover in Nissan, by observing it in lyar. We can find the root חדל used in a similar fashion in Genesis11,8, ויחדלו לבנות העיר, when the people of the generation of the Tower gave up that attempt after their languages had become confused. The choice of the word לעשות, instead of מעשות was also used when the Torah described G-d in Genesis 2,3 as having ceased His creative activities of the first six days. Instead of writing כי בו שבת מעשות כל מלאכתו וחדל לעשות, “for on it He ceased from completing all His work,” the Torah wrote אשר ברא אלוקים לעשות, thereby hinting that He was going to continue being involved in the improvement of His universe. The correct translation of that line would be: “for on it He ceased from completing all His work of creating.”
And if a proselyte shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover to Hashem: according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance of it, so shall he do; you shall have one statute, both for the proselyte, and for him that is born in the land."
verse value 4530
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "a·sojourner" (גֵּ֗ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·when·resides" (וְכִֽי־יָג֨וּר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: with·you, and·its·rites. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "in·accord·with·the·rules·of" (כְּחֻקַּ֥ת), "and·its·rites" (וּכְמִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ), "and·for·the·citizen·of" (וּלְאֶזְרַ֥ח). The root גר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "there·shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "one" (root אחד, 165x in Numbers). First appearance of the root גור ("and·when·resides") in Numbers. First appearance of the root גר ("a·sojourner") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·shall·do', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Onkelos
And if a proselyte sojourns among you and observes the Passover before Hashem — according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so shall he observe it. One statute shall there be for you and for the proselyte and for the permanent resident of the land.
Rashi
וכי יגור אתכם גר ועשה פסח AND IF A STRANGER SHALL SOJOURN AMONG YOU, AND WILL KEEP THE PASSOVER [ACCORDING TO THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER … SO SHALL HE DO] — One might think that this verse implies that anyone who becomes a proselyte (גר) must keep the Passover offering rite immediately after his circumcision (even though it has not taken place just before Passover), therefore Scripture states, “yo shall have one ordinance, [both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land]” (which implies that just as the native brings the offering on the fourteenth of Nisan, so the proselyte, too, must bring it only on the fourteenth of Nisan; cf. Rashi on Exodus 12:48). What the first part of the verse implies is, therefore, the following: “and if a proselyte will sojourn among you, and comes to celebrate the Passover rite together with his fellows, then according to the ordinance of the Passover and according to the manner thereof shall he do” (i.e. ועשה פסח is not a predicative clause — when he becomes a proselyte then shall he offer the Passover, i. e. offer it immediately — but it is a conditional clause, coordinate to וכי יגור אתכם and the apodosis begins with כחקת הפסח etc.) (Sifrei Bamidbar 71).
Ramban
AND IF A STRANGER SHALL SOJOURN AMONG YOU. The purpose of this is to command the stranger to bring this Passover-offering in the wilderness just as He commanded the Israelites. It is possible that when He said in Seder ‘Bo El Par’oh’ (Go in unto Pharaoh), And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep the Passover, it refers [only] to the [original] Passover kept in Egypt, for that section was said with reference to the Passover of Egypt, as I have explained there. In that case we might have thought that those strangers who joined us in going out from Egypt, the mixed multitude, should keep the Passover, because they were also included in that miracle [of the exodus], but those who become proselytes afterwards, in the desert or in the Land of Israel, [we might have thought] do not have to bring the Passover-offering, since neither they nor their ancestors were included among [those of whom it is said], and He brought us out from thence; therefore He had to make them liable here to bring the Passover-offering in [subsequent] generations, in the wilderness and in the Land.
Ibn Ezra
"And if a stranger sojourns among you" — he too shall observe the Second Passover according to the prescribed law. But some say that the meaning refers to the First Passover.
Sforno
חקה אחת יהיה לכם, here while you are in the desert. ולגר ולאזרח הארץ, once you will have settled in the land of Israel.
Or HaChaim
וכי יגור אתכם גר, And if a proselyte dwells amongst you, etc. The reason that this paragraph commences with the conjunctive letter ו is to warn the Israelites to ensure that these proselytes do not make light of the Torah's commandments. Just as the previous paragraph addressed itself to the Israelites so this paragraph also addresses itself to the Israelites. ועשה פסח לשם, and he prepares the Passover for the Lord, etc. Why did the Torah uses the conjunctive letter ו at the beginning of the word ועשה? Furthermore, why did the Torah have to write וכן יעשה, "and so he shall do" at the end? One tends to believe that the Torah wanted to make certain that we understand that this legislation does not apply to a resident stranger, i.e. a stranger who has only accepted to observe the seven Noachide laws, but that only a Jew, i.e. a גר צדק, a true convert, is allowed to partake in the Passover observance. This is not a totally satisfactory explanation as we would not have assumed that anyone who is not Jewish would be included in that legislation. Perhaps we should look at what the Sifri has to say on the subject. Here is the quotation from Sifri. "Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar says that I could have thought that the legislation applies to someone who converted between the dates of the first Passover and that of the second Passover. By writing ולגר ולאזרח הארץ, the Torah makes clear that the legislation applies equally to the convert and to the natural-born Jew. The Torah makes it plain that just as the second Passover can be observed only by someone who should have observed the first Passover but did not, so the recent convert who did not yet have an obligation to observe the Passover in the month of Nissan cannot observe it in the month of Iyar following his conversion. He has to wait until Nissan in the year following his conversion. This is the reason." This then accounts for the letter ו at the beginning of the word ועשה, i.e. if the convert in question would have been obliged to observe the first Passover he is now obliged to observe the second Passover if for some reason beyond his control he could not observe the Passover on the 14th of Nissan. The word ועשה represents a condition then. The words כחקת הפסח mean that just as the first Passover could be made up for by a second Passover by natural-born Israelites under certain conditions, the same conditions apply to the recent convert to Judaism. We need to ask ourselves why the Torah singled out the Passover legislation for detailing the convert's obligation to fulfil the commandments similar to the natural-born Israelite. Why did the Torah not mention this in some other context? I believe the reason is simply that logic dictated that the convert should not observe this commandment at all as it recalls an event which occurred to the forefathers of the natural-born Jews and for which the recent convert has hardly any obligation to observe any remembrance, seeing neither he nor his ancestors had been ...
Chizkuni
וכי יגור אתכם גר, “and when a stranger has taken up temporary residence amongst you;” at this point the Torah reverts back to the rules governing the “second,” or “substitute” Passover.
Tur HaArokh
וכי יגור אתכם גר, “when a proselyte shall dwell amongst you, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the reason why in connection with proselytes the Torah emphasized how and under what circumstances he may observe the Passover rites, whereas nothing like this is said about his observing most of the other commandments, is because the parallel paragraph in Exodus 12,48 applied only to converts that had converted prior to the Exodus. If the Torah had not repeated the legislation here, we would have thought that these converts were not obligated to observe the Passover in the desert or subsequently, as their fathers had not been redeemed from slavery, never having been slaves in Egypt.
And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and in the evening there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning.
verse value 4424
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "covered" (כִּסָּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Tabernacle" (אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 816: the·Tabernacle, the·Tabernacle. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Tent·of" (לְאֹ֖הֶל), "and·in·the·evening" (וּבָעֶ֜רֶב), "as·the·appearance·of·fire" (כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ). The root משכן appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·would·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "and·on·the·day" (root יום, 122x in Numbers); "the·Tent·of" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ענן ("the·cloud") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Testimony', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְיוֹם֙ [and·on·the·day] (64) + הָקִ֣ים [he·set·up] (155) + אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן [the·Tabernacle] (816) + כִּסָּ֤ה [covered] (85) + הֶֽעָנָן֙ [the·cloud] (175) + אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן [the·Tabernacle] (816) + לְאֹ֖הֶל [the·Tent·of] (66) + הָעֵדֻ֑ת [the·Testimony] (479) + וּבָעֶ֜רֶב [and·in·the·evening] (280) + יִהְיֶ֧ה [it·would·be] (30) + עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ [as·the·appearance·of·fire] (567) + עַד־בֹּֽקֶר [until·morning] (376) = 4424.
Onkelos
And on the day that the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle — the Tabernacle of the Testimony — and in the evening it was over the Tabernacle in the appearance of fire until the morning.
Rashi
המשכן לאהל העדות means THE TABERNACLE which is made FOR the purpose of being THE TENT for the tablets of THE TESTIMONY. יהיה על המשכן WAS UPON THE TABERNACLE — This has the sense of: was continuously being upon the Tabernacle. Similar is the usage in the whole section (i. e. the verbs יסעו, יחגו, ישכון etc. are imperfects expressing continuous action).
Ramban
AND ON THE DAY THE TABERNACLE WAS RAISED UP. Now He resumes the telling of the journey [through the wilderness] and the commandments which they were commanded about it, such as the trumpets, which Moses was now commanded were to be for the calling of the congregation, and for causing the camps to set forward. The sense of the expression [And on the day the Tabernacle was raised up] the cloud covered the Tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony is to state that the cloud covered only the Tent of the Testimony, but not the court of the Tabernacle.
Ibn Ezra
"And on the day the Tabernacle was erected" — Since the Torah now begins to recount the journeys of Israel, it was necessary to mention the cloud that rested upon the Tabernacle, for when it rested they would encamp and when it traveled they would journey. "Over the Tent of the Testimony" — the preposition means 'upon the tent,' and this usage is common.
Chizkuni
וביום הקים את השמכן, ”and on the day when the Tabernacle had been erected;” since the Torah wished to speak about the journeys and the flags, it informs us about the manner in which the cloud that rested above the Tabernacle when the Israelites were stationary, ever since the Tabernacle had been put up. כסה הענן את המשכן, “the cloud covered the Tabernacle.” This cloud was not the same cloud as the one that enveloped the entire camp of the Jewish people, and which therefore was at a higher elevation, as pointed out by Tanchuma Bamidbar 12. The cloud mentioned as covering the Tabernacle actually covered it as well as the surrounding area where the Levites had their dwellings.
Tur HaArokh
וביום הקים את המשכן, “and on the day the Tabernacle had been erected, etc.” now the Torah resumes the report of the Israelites’ journeys in the desert, prefacing it with the reminder that the clouds of G’d’s glory covered the Tent of Meeting by day and that it would be replaced each evening by a fire visible all night. The movements of these clouds or the fiery appearance would signal that the people were to either break up and move, or make camp, as the case might be. Audible signals were heard by means of the trumpets, as we shall be told in chapter 10 כסה הענן את המשכן לאהל העדות, “the cloud covered the Tabernacle that was a Tent of Testimony.” Nachmanides interprets these words as showing that the cloud only covered the actual Tabernacle, not the courtyard surrounding it.
So it was always: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night.
verse value 1503
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·appearance·of·fire" (וּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "would·cover·it" (יְכַסֶּ֑נּוּ), "and·the·appearance·of·fire" (וּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·would·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "so" (root כן, 31x in Numbers); "always" (root תמיד, 20x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ליל ("by·night") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'would·cover·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: כֵּ֚ן [so] (70) + יִהְיֶ֣ה [it·would·be] (30) + תָמִ֔יד [always] (454) + הֶעָנָ֖ן [the·cloud] (175) + יְכַסֶּ֑נּוּ [would·cover·it] (146) + וּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ [and·the·appearance·of·fire] (553) + לָֽיְלָה [by·night] (75) = 1503.
Onkelos
So it was continually: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night.
And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud remained, there the children of Israel encamped.
verse value 4644
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 72 letters. Verse gematria: 4644 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (כֵ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·at·the·spot" (וּבִמְק֗וֹם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·whenever" (וּלְפִ֞י), "the·lifting·of" (הֵעָל֤וֹת), "and·at·the·spot" (וּבִמְק֗וֹם). The root ענן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "where" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "from·over" (root על, 128x in Numbers). First appearance of the root מקום ("and·at·the·spot") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Onkelos
And according to the lifting of the cloud from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel would then journey; and in the place where the cloud rested, there the children of Israel would encamp.
Rashi
העלות הענן — Understand this as the Targum does: the departure (more lit., the raising itself). Similar is, (v. 21): תעלה הענן which means “when the cloud raised itself” (departed; in both cases the verbs are Niphal). It would not be correct to have written in these passages ולפי עֲלוֹת הענן and וְעָלָה הענן (the verbs in the Kal), because this would not be an expression denoting departure, but “springing forth” and “rising”, just as, (1 Kings 18:44): “Behold a little cloud as small as a man’s hand rises (עלה) from the sea."
Sforno
ואחרי כן יסעו, after the cloud had lifted off the Tabernacle the people would march, following its direction. ובמקום אשר ישכון שם הענן שם יחנו, the Torah records this in order to praise the Israelites for following G’d in the desert regardless of the site where the cloud stopped being a desolate inhospitable place.
Or HaChaim
ולפי העלות הענן, and whenever the cloud would lift, etc. The reason this paragraph begins with the conjunctive letter ו is to remind us that the cloud served two different purposes. 1) Its function was to serve as a cover for the Holy Tabernacle and all its furnishings. As such its function was decorative, a compliment for the Jewish people who had become carriers of the שכינה. This is the meaning of the words in verse 15 that כסה הענן את המשכן לאהל העדות, "it covered the Tabernacle the Tent of Testimony." The Torah adds a second function of the cloud in our verse when it describes the motion of the cloud indicating that the Israelites were to break camp and to start marching on their way to the Holy Land. The cloud signalled both when it was time to move and when it was time to make camp. ואחרי כן יסעו, following this the Israelites journeyed. The expression ואחרי כן seems somewhat misplaced. We would have expected something parallel to ובמקום אשר ישכון שם יחנו without the words ואחרי כן. Why did the Torah write the words כן ואחרי? Had the Torah simply written ולפי העלות הענן יסעו בני ישראל, I would have concluded that the signal for the Israelites to move was the motion or lack of motion of the cloud. In order to make certain we understand that the Israelites journeyed at the direct command of G'd the Torah inserts the words ואחרי כן to direct our attention to verse 18 where the Torah spells out that the journeys were על פי השם. Our verse therefore deserves to be understood thus: "And in accordance with the cloud lifting from above the Tabernacle, shortly thereafter G'd would give the command for the Israelites to start journeying" so that they were actually journeying at the command of G'd. [The letter ו before the words אחרי כן means that the expression is not one describing a time frame, though it does describe a certain sequence of events. Ed.] Another meaning of these words could be that the Torah wanted to inform us that the Israelites did not ever journey before the cloud lifted but only after it had already removed itself from above the Tabernacle. This did not imply however, that they automatically journeyed as soon as the cloud lifted, rather they awaited specific instructions from G'd to do so. Had the Torah used the alternative wording we mentioned earlier the impression would have been created that the lifting of the cloud was equivalent to a command for the Israelites to break camp and to start journeying.
At the commandment of Hashem the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of Hashem they encamped: as long as the cloud remained upon the tabernacle they remained encamped.
verse value 3016 — יְהֹוָ֗ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3016 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·children·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·the·Tabernacle" (עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 74: they·made·camp, they·remained·encamped. The root פה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·made·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: עַל־פִּ֣י [at·the·command·of] (190) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + יִסְעוּ֙ [would·break·camp] (146) + בְּנֵ֣י [the·children·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + וְעַל־פִּ֥י [and·at·the·command·of] (196) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יַחֲנ֑וּ [they·made·camp] (74) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֗י [all·the·days·of] (110) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + יִשְׁכֹּ֧ן [stayed] (380) + הֶעָנָ֛ן [the·cloud] (175) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + יַחֲנֽוּ [they·remained·encamped] (74) = 3016.
Onkelos
By the Word of Hashem the children of Israel would journey, and by the Word of Hashem they would encamp; all the days that the cloud rested over the Tabernacle, they would encamp.
Rashi
(על פי ה’ יסעו (18 ” AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD [THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] JOURNEYED — We have learned in the Boraitha dealing with “the structure of the Tabernacle” (s. 13), “As soon as the Israelites set forth on a journey the pillar of cloud rolled itself up (contracted itself) and extended itself out above the camp of the sons of Judah, like a beam, whereupon they blew a “Tekiah”, a “Teruah”, and another “Tekiah”. It (the cloud) did not, however, move off until Moses said, (Numbers 10:35): “Rise up, O Lord!” — the latter statement is to be found in the Sifrei Bamidbar 84:5 (on the verse quoted) — and then the banner of the camp of Judah marched forward. ועל פי ה' יחנו AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD THEY ENCAMPED — As soon as the Israelites encamped the pillar of cloud rose in a column and extended itself above the camp of the sons of Judah like the roof of a hut, and did not depart until Moses said, (Numbers 10:36), “Return, O Lord, unto the myriads of thousands of Israel!” — You must say (admit; more lit., be saying) that this is the meaning of (Numbers 10:23) “at the commandment of the Lord [they encamped and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed ...]” but also by the agency of Moses (Sifrei Bamidbar 84:5).
Ibn Ezra
"At the command of Hashem they would journey" — The meaning is clear: it was the cloud that Hashem would cause to rest or to travel.
Or HaChaim
על פי ה׳ יסעו בני ישראל, the children of Israel journeyed at the command of G'd. The cloud was the means by which G'd made His wishes in the matter known. כל ימי אשר ישכון, all the days that the cloud would remain stationary, etc. Our verse details the various ways in which the cloud behaved. It also pays a compliment to the Israelites who made their own wishes correspond to G'd's wishes. The verse first tells about instances when the cloud remained stationary for a long period by stating that whenever the cloud remained in place for a long time the Israelites "were willing to remain encamped in that location during the entire length of time that the cloud showed no sign of moving." The proof for this is that the Torah speaks of יחנו in the future tense instead of reporting חנו, "they did remain in camp" in the past tense. The Torah continues by saying ובהאריך הענן, "and when the cloud tarried, etc." (verse 19), to tell us that even if the cloud remained stationary for an inordinately long period of time the Israelites did not demur but were content to stay where they were. The verse goes on to say: ושמרו בני ישראל את משמרת ה׳ ולא יסעו, "the children of Israel observed the orders of G'd and would not journey." This shows that even though there may have been times when the Israelites- had it been up to their own volition alone-would have liked to move on, they resisted such a temptation and voluntarily abided by G'd's wishes in the matter. This is why the Torah wrote ולא יסעו, "and they would not journey" instead of writing ולא נסעו, "and they did not journey," to make certain we would not interpret their remaining in a place for a long time as their first choice.
Rabbeinu Bahya
על פי ה' יסעו ועל פי ה' יחנו, “they would journey at the command of the Lord and they would make camp a the command of the Lord.” The Torah only had to write the words: “the Children of Israel would journey or make camp at the command of the Lord.” The additional words על פי ה' יחנו appear quite superfluous. Seeing that we know all this from Exodus 13,21 where the Torah wrote that “G’d walked ahead of them by day in a pillar of cloud etc.,” the meaning of our verse here has to be that the words על פי ה' יסעו are a reference to the attribute of Justice. The very word has a connotation of the attribute of Justice seeing the word is always used in connection with going to war. By contrast then, the words על פי ה' יחנו, is reminiscent of the attribute of Mercy, the very word יחנו, reminding us of מנוחה, rest, calm, quiet, the opposite of war and warfare. We have a parallel situation where both the attribute of Justice and that of Mercy appear side by side. When the Torah speaks of ויהי בנסוע הארון in Numbers 10,35-36 the word נסע refers to he attribute of Justice and Moses‘ call for G’d’s foes being scattered clearly shows that forces of the attribute of Justice must be at work. When Moses continues speaking about the Ark coming to rest this indicates that now the Torah speaks about the attribute of Mercy. Whenever the Israelites are assembled in their thousands and tens of thousands the attribute of Mercy is nearby. At any rate, we must not perceive of these two attributes as separate and independent entities, rather they are bound up with each other, sometimes one attribute predominating, sometimes the other. Concerning this arrangement the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the kindness demonstrated by Israel in its youth when it followed G’d into the desert an area full of agents of the attribute of Justice in the form of harmful animals. The fact that the Israelites were always saved in such surroundings testifies to the attribute of Mercy being present although the habitat “desert” is that of agents of the attribute of Justice. Similarly, in Egypt, among all the negative influences Israel was exposed to they did not perish, proof of the presence of the attribute of Mercy (in some degree) even there. This is what Hoseah 13,4 had in mind when he said: “only I, the Lord, have been your G’d ever since the land of Egypt.” When the Israelites were being redeemed from Egypt, the Torah testifies that this occurred as an intervention by G’d with a “strong hand.” References to this “strong hand” appear in Moses’ prayer after the golden calf episode (Exodus 32,11) at the sea of reeds, (Exodus 15,2), in Exodus 15,6, etc. There is a constant interchange of references to the attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice, each appearing at the most unexpected times and places. All this demonstrates that both forces are constantly on the alert and circumstances determine which force asserts itself as dominant. At the very moment when the attribute of Mercy appeared at its most near, when G’d took up residence in the Tabernacle, Moses could not enter, as if rebuffed by the attribute of Justice. Having appreciated all this, we must not be surprised when the words 'על פי ה' are understood as the attribute of Mercy instead of as the attribute of Justice.
And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of Hashem, and journeyed not.
verse value 4031 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·did·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·children·of·Israel" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·when·lingered" (וּבְהַאֲרִ֧יךְ). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children·of·Israel" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·did·not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ארך ("and·when·lingered") in Numbers. First appearance of the root רב ("many") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבְהַאֲרִ֧יךְ [and·when·lingered] (244) + הֶֽעָנָ֛ן [the·cloud] (175) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + יָמִ֣ים [days] (100) + רַבִּ֑ים [many] (252) + וְשָׁמְר֧וּ [and·they·observed] (552) + בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [the·children·of·Israel] (603) + אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת [the·mandate·of] (1381) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + וְלֹ֥א [and·did·not] (37) + יִסָּֽעוּ [journey·on] (146) = 4031.
Onkelos
And when the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle for many days, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Word of Hashem and did not journey.
Ramban
AND WHEN THE CLOUD TARRIED. This means that if the cloud tarried upon the Tabernacle many days, and the place [where they happened to be camped] was not good in their eyes, so that they very much desired and wanted to journey away from there, they were nonetheless not to transgress the will of G-d; this being the meaning of the verse, and the children of Israel kept the charge of the Eternal, and journeyed not, namely that [it was only] because of their fear of G-d and because they kept the charge of His command that they did not journey. Similarly, if the cloud was there only a few days, for instance two or three days, and the people were very tired because their strength had weakened in the way, they would nonetheless fulfill the will of G-d and walk after the cloud. And Scripture further relates that sometimes they tarried for only one night and journeyed in the [next] morning, although it was a great strain for them. And at times the cloud tarried a day and a night, when they had journeyed throughout the night and arrived at that place in the morning, and the cloud stayed there all that day and all the night, and was taken up on the second morning and they journeyed. This was an even greater trouble for them than the previously-mentioned one, because the people would think that they were to stay there [for a long time], and would unload the wagons and lay down their burdens, as is the custom of those who come from a journey, and when the cloud was taken up they began reloading, and could not make any preparations for the journey. Whether it were two days, and they journeyed at night. It is possible that it happened during their journeys that they had to do as is narrated here, and not in another way, namely that the cloud first tarried from evening until morning, then a day and night, then two days, then a month and finally a year. This is why Scripture mentioned these periods in detail. It [the cloud] would also tarry for many years, as Scripture mentioned at the beginning [of this section], such as in Kadesh of which Scripture states, And ye abode in Kadesh many days, according to the days that ye abode there.
Ibn Ezra
"And when it prolonged" — meaning: if the cloud lingered. This is a general statement; thereafter Scripture specifies: 'a number of days' — they would journey or encamp at the command of Hashem.
Sforno
. ושמרו בני ישראל את משמרת ה', the reason why the Torah repeats this fact a second time is to emphasise that even when the location selected by the cloud was not only inhospitable, but the cloud remained there for a long period, the Israelites did not grumble or protest this fact. They did not start journeying on their own, looking for a more suitable place to encamp.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ובהאריך הענן , “and when the cloud remained stationary for a long period,” the Torah describes these matters at length to compliment the Israelites who were guided in their journeys or lack of movement by the behaviour of the cloud. The desert was not uniform; some places where the Israelites camped were more pleasant than others, and it would have been understandable for the people to be restless to get away from the less pleasant sites. Proof that there were distinct differences in the natural habitat are such descriptions as “the bitter waters at Marah” contrasted with the pleasant oasis Eylim which was liberally supplied with date palms (Exodus 15, 23 and 27 respectively). The Torah testifies that as soon as the cloud would move, even if the camp was a very pleasant site, the Israelites would get ready to move. To sum up: the Israelites instead of arranging their journeys in accordance with their own preferences submitted willingly to the decision made on their behalf by G’d as expressed by the movement of the cloud. The Torah here also describes another act of kindness by G’d in that all occasions when the people broke camp were in the morning. We derive this from the words או יומם ולילה, “or a day and a night,” instead of או לילה או יום, “or a night and a day” (verse 21). According to the report of the creation (Genesis 1,5 as interpreted by Chulin 83), day followed night, i.e. ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר. However, had the Torah followed that script, we would have concluded that at least on some occasions the Israelites were required to break camp in the evening.
Tur HaArokh
ובהאריך הענן, “and when the cloud remained stationary for a longer period, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the meaning is that the people were not always content that the cloud remained in the same place for a long period as it delayed their progress toward the Holy Land. Nonetheless, the people observed G’d’s expressed will, and the Torah compliments them for this. This is why the Torah added the otherwise superfluous words that the people honoured G’d’s wish by not breaking camp until told to do so. Similarly, when the motion of the cloud signaled that they were to continue their journey although they had only pitched their tents on the day before, they did not complain but obeyed G’d’s wish without protest. On occasion this meant that after a whole night’s journey, and making camp in morning, they had to break camp and move on within literally, a number of hours. Although such uncertainties about their movements must have taken a toll on their nerves, it is recorded to their credit that they did not express discontent about this, ever.
And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of Hashem they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Hashem they journeyed.
verse value 2675 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·there·is" (וְיֵ֞שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·the·Tabernacle" (עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. The root פה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "when" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·the·Tabernacle', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְיֵ֞שׁ [and·there·is] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [when] (501) + יִהְיֶ֧ה [shall·be] (30) + הֶֽעָנָ֛ן [cloud] (175) + יָמִ֥ים [days] (100) + מִסְפָּ֖ר [a·number·of] (380) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + עַל־פִּ֤י [at·command·of] (190) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + יַחֲנ֔וּ [they·shall·encamp] (74) + וְעַל־פִּ֥י [and·at·command·of] (196) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יִסָּֽעוּ [they·shall·set·out] (146) = 2675.
Onkelos
And there were times when the cloud was over the Tabernacle for a number of days: by the Word of Hashem they would encamp, and by the Word of Hashem they would journey.
Rashi
ויש means as much as AND SOMETIMES; (it is therefore to be translated: and there were times). ימים מספר means, A FEW DAYS.
Sforno
ויש אשר יהיה הענן ימים מספר, now the Torah reports the same matter for the third time as sometimes the encampment of the Jewish people was in an area which was pleasant, offered grazing for their animals and in spite of this after a day or two the cloud lifted, something which must have caused the people discontent [especially after the decree that the generation of the spies would die in the desert and they could not expect even if they moved to enter their ultimate destination. Ed.] Still, and this is why the Torah repeats the basic fact, the Israelites never complained about the movements of the cloud. Whatever the situation, על פי ה' יחנו, they journeyed in accordance with G’d’s instructions, regardless if it suited them or not. ועל פי ה' יסעו, even if the location of their camp had suited them very well.
Or HaChaim
ויש אשר יהיה הענן ימים מספר, Sometimes the cloud would remain over the Tabernacle only for a few days, etc. This too reflects credit on the Israelites. It tells us that although the Israelites had only just made camp they did not demur when they had to move again so shortly thereafter. The verse goes on to repeat that they camped at the command of G'd and that they moved at the command of G'd. The two statements are not to be understood sequentially. All the Torah wants to tell us is that just as the making of camp occurred at the command of G'd so the act of breaking camp occurred at the command of G'd. In either case the Israelites were in full accord with G'd's wishes in the matter, no matter that they had only had a few days' rest between journeys. I have noted that Targum Yonatan ben Uzziel translates the words ימים מספר to mean "seven days." If we accept his words we cannot say, as we did, that our verse meant to compliment the Israelites as they had seven days to recover from the effects of their journey. According to Yonatan ben Uzziel we must explain our verse as follows: the Israelites did not demur during encampment or when the time came to break camp although they would have chosen a different time-table for their journeys had they been consulted. They did what G'd said without protest. This is why the Torah emphasised the words על פי ה׳ יחנו ועל פי ה יסעו׳.
And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed; or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
verse value 3254
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֚וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·it·shall·be" (אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֤ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 192: and·they·shall·set·out, and·they·shall·set·out. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "when·it·shall·be" (אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֤ה), "from·evening" (מֵעֶ֣רֶב), "and·night" (וָלַ֔יְלָה). The root ענן appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·it·shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "by·day" (root יום, 122x in Numbers); "and·shall·be·taken·up" (root עלה, 96x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·shall·set·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Onkelos
And there were times when the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would journey. Or a day and a night — when the cloud lifted, they would journey.
Ibn Ezra
"Or by day and night" — Behold, at times they would journey at night. Some say the meaning of 'by day and night' is both together, and in my view this is the correct interpretation; the proof is the word 'or' — 'or by day.'
Sforno
ויש אשר יהיה הענן מערב עד בוקר, this is the fourth time that the manner in which the cloud operated is being mentioned, to show that it was impossible to predict with any degree of probability how long they would stay in one location. Sometimes, only overnight. This was not even time enough to pitch their tents, much less to erect the Tabernacle. The principal reason this detail was mentioned is to make clear that the journeys never started at night.
Or HaChaim
ויש אשר יהיה הענן מערב עד בקר, Sometimes the cloud remained stationary only from evening to the following morning, etc. From this point on the Torah tells us only about the different periods the Israelites stayed in one place. It commences with telling us about their making camp in the evening, i.e. מערב עד בקר, from evening till morning. Following this we are told that the cloud remained stationary for a day and a night; this is followed by a description of the cloud remaining in one place for 2 days, i.e. יומים. The next longer period was a month, i.e. חדש, followed by ימים, a period of a whole year when the cloud did not move and the Israelites remained in the same spot. This paragraph cannot be meant to convey something similar to the previous verses as there would have been no logical reason to first describe the cloud as remaining stationary for ימים מספר, "a number of days, etc." Such a description should have been mentioned after מערב עד בקר and not before. The expression ימים מספר is to be understood like a general heading for the subject matter, the details following in verse 21-22. There can be no doubt that the first two verses were meant to compliment the conduct of the Israelites throughout most of their long journey through the desert, whereas the last 3 verses described the various lengths of time the Israelites stayed in one place during those journeys. According to the Kabbalists the reason why the Israelites did not break camp at regular intervals was that the purpose of traversing these various areas was to locate and rescue stray sparks of sanctity which had been "captured" by forces resident in this unfriendly desert environment. Only G'd Himself was able to determine which time frame was sufficient for this task to be accomplished in the various locations.
Chizkuni
ונעלה הענן בבקר, “and when the cloud had ascended in the morning, etc.” This teaches that G-d did not inconvenience the people by making them break camp at midnight, etc. (B’chor shor)
Whether it were two days, or a month, or many days, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding on it, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
verse value 3502
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Israelites" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: shall·set·out, they·shall·set·out. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "or·a·month" (אוֹ־חֹ֣דֶשׁ), "when·lingered" (בְּהַאֲרִ֨יךְ), "and·when·it·is·taken·up" (וּבְהֵעָלֹת֖וֹ). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Israelites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "over·it" (root על, 128x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·set·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֽוֹ־יֹמַ֜יִם [or·two·days] (107) + אוֹ־חֹ֣דֶשׁ [or·a·month] (319) + אוֹ־יָמִ֗ים [or·days] (107) + בְּהַאֲרִ֨יךְ [when·lingered] (238) + הֶעָנָ֤ן [the·cloud] (175) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + לִשְׁכֹּ֣ן [to·dwell] (400) + עָלָ֔יו [over·it] (116) + יַחֲנ֥וּ [shall·encamp] (74) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [the·Israelites] (603) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִסָּ֑עוּ [shall·set·out] (146) + וּבְהֵעָלֹת֖וֹ [and·when·it·is·taken·up] (519) + יִסָּֽעוּ [they·shall·set·out] (146) = 3502.
Onkelos
Or two days, or a month, or an extended period — whenever the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle, resting upon it, the children of Israel would encamp and would not journey; and when it lifted, they would journey.
Rashi
או ימים means, [OR] A FULL YEAR, just as, (Leviticus 25:29) “A full year (ימים) shall he have the right of redemption”.
Ibn Ezra
"Or days" — meaning a full year.
Sforno
או יומים או חדש או ימים, this is now already the fifth time that the Torah belabours the subject of these journeys, something totally unprecedented. It alerts us to how sometimes the people did not even have time to send their beasts to graze, whereas on other occasions they had to dismantle everything at very short notice, any plans they had made having to be abandoned.
Or HaChaim
בהאריך הענן, when the cloud tarried, etc. The Torah mentions that even when the cloud tarried for a whole year, meaning that during that year the Israelites did not come any nearer to their ultimate goal, they did not demur but were content to remain encamped in that location. ובהעלתו, and when it rose, even when the cloud remained in place only overnight, יסעו they would (willingly) move on. The Torah describes the Israelites' will to make camp as equal to their desire to move on. Moreover, even when their journey commenced after a sojourn in the same location for a whole year and would be followed by a renewed encampment after a journey as brief as a day, they still did not demur but displayed the same willingness to encamp again as they had displayed when bidden to move after not having moved for a whole year. The Torah concludes its report by providing us with the reason why the Israelites displayed such equanimity, namely על פי ה׳, they had trained themselves to recognise that G'd acted in their own best interests when He gave the signal to rest or to move on respectively. The words את משמרת ה׳ שמרו, "they observed G'd's charges," mean that the Israelites' patience matched whatever timetable G'd had worked out for them. You may well ask that if these last verses were full of compliments for the conduct of the Israelites, as we have demonstrated, why did the Torah have to pay them similar compliments in verse 17 and 18 already? Surely their display of patience and obdedience is more impressive when it is based on recurring experiences, i.e. at the end of the passage than at the very beginning of a trek the length of which no one knew at that time? The reason is that unless we had explained the earlier verses in the manner we did we could not have explained the last verse in this vein. We would then have explained those verses as telling us that the Israelites were anxiously awaiting instructions to move whenever the cloud appeared to make an extended stop and they started moving as soon as they received the signal, whereas they would have anxiously awaited a signal to make camp if only the cloud would stop travelling. As soon as that occurred they would have hurried to make camp. This would not have allowed us to form the impression that they had completely assimilated themselves to what appeared to them to be G'd's wishes in the matter. It is only after we knew from the earlier verses that the Israelites did not pre-empt G'd's instructions when it came to making or breaking camp that we were able to see in the later verses proof that the Israelites were totally on the same wavelength as G'd in all matters pertaining to their journeys. When verse 23 concludes with the statement על פי השם ביד משה, Midrash Hagadol on our verse states that the cloud would not start moving or arresting its motion until Moses had bidden it to either arise or come to rest.
Chizkuni
או יומים או חדש ימים, “or two days, or even a month of days.” If the Torah had not written this verse I would have said that the cloud never moved until it had remained in place either for a whole year or only for one night. This is why it had to add the words: “or two days.”
At the commandment of Hashem they encamped, and at the commandment of Hashem they journeyed; they kept the charge of Hashem, at the commandment of Hashem by the hand of Moses.
verse value 3188 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "at·command·of" (עַל־פִּ֤י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·mandate·of" (אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 190: at·command·of, at·bidding·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "they·observed" (שָׁמָ֔רוּ). The root יהוה appears 4 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "through·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "they·shall·set·out" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·shall·set·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: עַל־פִּ֤י [at·command·of] (190) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + יַחֲנ֔וּ [they·shall·encamp] (74) + וְעַל־פִּ֥י [and·at·command·of] (196) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יִסָּ֑עוּ [they·shall·set·out] (146) + אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת [the·mandate·of] (1381) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + שָׁמָ֔רוּ [they·observed] (546) + עַל־פִּ֥י [at·bidding·of] (190) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה [through·Moses] (361) = 3188.
Onkelos
By the Word of Hashem they would encamp, and by the Word of Hashem they would journey; they kept the charge of the Word of Hashem, by the Word of Hashem, through the hand of Moses.
Ibn Ezra
"At the command of Hashem they would encamp" — this applies ultimately to all the days of their dwelling in the wilderness.
Sforno
על פי ה' יחנו, even when the encampment was so short-lived and the time for the to arrange their affairs was so short. ועל פי ה' יסעו, when the dismantling in advance of the next journey would be more time consuming seeing that they had been in the same location for a long time, they still hastened and packed up to follow the cloud.
Tur HaArokh
על פי ה' יחנו ועל פי ה' יסעו, “They would encamp according to the word of Hashem, and they would break camp and commence their journey according to the word of Hashem.” This has been repeated once more to tell us that this pattern continued for all the forty years they were in the desert. Previously, the Torah had described the people as journeying followed by their making camp, whereas here the pattern is reversed and their encamping is mentioned ahead of their breaking camp. The Torah wanted to stress that on all occasions the glory of Hashem accompanied them. It also appears to me that the verse that concludes with ובמקום אשר ישכן שם הענן, שם יחנו בני ישראל is the verse to which the words על פי ה' יסעו apply, to tell us that after having encamped according to the word of Hashem, they also commenced journeying again only at the command of Hashem. On the other hand, when we read על פי ה' יסעו, the Torah follows with the report that the people started to journey at the command of Hashem, by adding that they did not continue but they encamped at the command of Hashem although they might have preferred to keep on journeying toward their ultimate destination.
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Chizkuni
Tur HaArokh
Daat Zkenim