“And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting
up the Tabernacle…that the princes of Israel…brought their offering
before God.”
Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. In Numbers 7, Abravanel provides a helpful timeline and adds context, regarding
the sequence of events in the newly-minted Tabernacle. Peppering readers with questions, he asks:
- When did Moses complete the divine task of building God’s earthly haunt?
- When were Aaron and his sons inducted in the Tabernacle services?
- What was the role of the Hebrew princes and the Tabernacle?
To begin with, let us state that the chronicling of the building and inauguration of the Tabernacle has not
been neatly laid out in the Torah. As a result, divergent opinions abound as to what happened when.
Here is how Abravanel ties the disparate sources together.
The Tabernacle’s completion took place on the first day of Nissan, the Hebrew calendar’s first month. To
peg the event to a year, we are speaking about the first anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt (also in
Nissan). No sooner had the holy compound been finished than the priestly inauguration activities
commenced. With Moses’ coaching, Aaron and his sons took to their new tasks in earnest. Supervision
stretched over a seven-day period.
On day eight of Nissan, priests sacrificed animals on their behalf and on behalf of their brethren. For the
balance of Nissan, Moses put on the finishing touches, per se. They included anointing the Tabernacle
and its vessels together with the altar and its accoutrements. “And it came to pass on the day that
Moses had made an end of setting up the Tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it…”
Abravanel continues with the Tabernacle timeline. On the first day of the second month (Iyar), God
commanded His prophet to take a national census. Assisting Moses were the twelve tribal heads or
princes of Israel. By name, the Torah records each and every chieftain. In this way, we learn of the
precise population by tribe, including a count of the Levites.
By now, the Tabernacle was spanking new, and operational. This brings us to our chapter, Abravanel
stresses. The twelve tribal heads saw fit to take the initiative. By that we mean they intended to be the
first Hebrews to enter the Tabernacle, and offer sacrifices. “That the princes of Israel, the heads of their
fathers’ houses, offered – these were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that
were numbered.”
“And the princes brought the dedication-offering of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even
princes brought their offering before the altar.” What does “dedication-offering” mean, asks Abravanel?
For starters, he says, it is not literal.
In absolute terms, the princes were not the first ones to bring sacrifices on the altar. Their offerings had
not preceded those brought earlier by the priests; nor did they come before the sacrifices offered on
behalf of the nation. Instead, posits Abravanel, the princes were the first individuals, as opposed to the
public, to “inaugurate” the altar, or in Torah parlance to bring the “dedication-offering.”
Put differently, the princes pulled rank, we might say. They did so as private citizens, albeit most
distinguished ones. Hence, after the actual altar inauguration – on behalf of the public – our chapter
conveys how twelve select chieftains – as individuals – dashed to the head of the Tabernacle altar line.
Finally, Abravanel enters the princes’ headspace, as it were, and plumbs the depths of their prayers as
they took center stage one-by-one in bringing private sacrifices on the altar. Foremost on these leaders’
concerns was for their tribes’ welfare and prosperity. “My tribe should multiply beyond anyone’s wildest
imagination” they spoke in hushed tones to the Maker as they proffered lavish gifts to Him.
Indeed, the princes’ devotion in the Tabernacle during the “inauguration” could not have been more
fervent and focused. In the best sense of the word, these were noble and selfless leaders.
