Masei
Numbers 33:1 – 36:13
Masei ('Journeys') opens with a detailed itinerary of Israel's forty-two encampments from Egypt to the plains of Moab, a retrospective that traces God's faithfulness through the wilderness. God then commands the Israelites to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan and outlines the precise boundaries of the Promised Land, appointing tribal leaders to oversee the division. Six cities of refuge are established for those who commit manslaughter, providing protection from the blood avenger until the death of the High Priest. The book closes by resolving the inheritance case of Zelophehad's daughters — they must marry within their tribe to keep the land from transferring between tribes.
Key figures
- Moses — Records the journey itinerary and transmits the land-division laws
- The daughters of Zelophehad — Marry within the tribe of Manasseh to preserve their inheritance
- Elazar the priest — Designated alongside Joshua to oversee the division of the Land
- Joshua — Will lead the division of the Land among the tribes
Famous verses
- 33:1 These are the stages of the children of Israel, by which they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron.
- 35:11 then you shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that kills any person through error may flee there.
- 35:34 And you shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I Hashem dwell in the midst of the children of Israel."
Haftarah: {'ref': 'Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4', 'connection': "This is the second of the three Haftarot of Rebuke; Jeremiah accuses Israel of abandoning God after He led them through the wilderness — recalling the journey itinerary of Masei and Israel's ingratitude despite divine guidance."}
Total gematria 381,996 is divisible by 18, the number of life (chai).