Bamidbar

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. In the first half of Numbers 4, he explains the prestigious role given to Kohath,
son of Levi.

“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting – the
holiest of matters.”

Levi, son of Jacob had three sons: Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. In time, their respective clans would be
entrusted with and responsible for specific desert tasks within the rubric of assisting the priests.

Abravanel puts things into perspective, regarding Levi’s three sons. At this juncture, however, we shall
only focus on Kohath, son of Levi. He stood out as the most prominent of Levi’s three sons.

“And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the holy furniture, and all the holy vessels,
as the camp is to set forward – after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear them.” How do we
know Kohath rated as Levi’s number one son? “This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of
Meeting – the holiest of matters.”

Abravanel teaches that Kohath’s job was to transport the holy ark, as our verse writes: “the holiest of
matters.” Ensconced within the holy ark was, inter alia, the Torah. By dint of the fact that Kohath carried
the Tabernacle’s most sacred furniture, we understand his greatness.

Indeed, from all of the Tabernacle’s fixtures, the ark stood out as “the holiest of matters.” Apropos to
the ark’s uniqueness, God demanded that it be bedecked with no less than three distinct coverings.

• The partition. “And drew the covering of the partition and covered the ark of the testimony with
  it.”
•  Tachash skin: “And they put over it a covering made of tachash leather.” This served as
  protection against rain or sand sandstorm.
•  Rich blue cloth. “And they covered that from the top with a wholly rich blue cloth.” This
  outermost coating sat over the tachash leather. Its hue was reminiscent of a gorgeous azure sky,
  creating an ambience as if one peered right through to the highest heavens.

In sum, we have shown Kohath, son of Levi’s illustriousness over his two brothers Gershon and Merari,
evidenced by Kohath’s being entasked to carry the holy ark – “the holiest of matters”– throughout the
desert sojourn.

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. Numbers 4 straddles two Torah portions: Bamidbar and Naso. A single thread
crisscrosses both sections. That is, the respective roles of Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and
Merari feature front and center.

“And God spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron saying. Do not cut off the
tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites.”

Abravanel notes an important discrepancy with the way each Levite clan or family is discussed. And this
variance is informative, he states.

Counterintuitively, writes Abravanel, the Torah broaches the subject of Levi’s three sons out of birth
order. Levi’s oldest was, in fact, Gershon. Kohath followed and was the middle son; Merari the youngest.
Yet, the Torah speaks about Kohath first, next Gershon, and Merari last.

Moreover, Abravanel questions, when it comes to Kohath, God communicates through Moses and
Aaron. In contrast, the Creator does not convene His prophets when issuing commandments concerning
Gershon or Merari.

Here are Abravanel’s answers, and approach to the topic of Levi’s three sons. “And God spoke unto
Moses and unto Aaron saying. Do not cut the families of the Kohathites…”As mentioned in the previous
blog, Kohath had been entrusted to carry the Tabernacle’s most sacred vessels. Aaron and his sons
worked closely together with Kohath in this delicate and sensitive task. That is, when it came to the
Hebrews decamping and traveling to the next leg of their desert journey, priests prepared the ark. Thus,
before they beckoned Kohath to pick up and convey the ark, Aaron and his sons respectfully and
thoroughly covered it.

“Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites”is a stern warning to the priests and
Kohathites. Should priests be lax in properly covering the ark, and should the Kohathites disrespectfully
gawk at the uncovered ark, severe punishment would ensue, or in Torah parlance – be “cut off.”

Put differently or to reiterate, Kohath’s task was fraught with extreme danger owing to the delicacy of
carrying the ark. Peril is underscored by God’s communication via both Moses and Aaron – “Do not cut
off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites…But they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are
being covered, lest they die.”

In contrast, when it comes to Gershon’s and Merari’s respective jobs, God does not appear to either
Moses or Aaron for purposes of cautioning them. Because those Tabernacle vessels (Gershon bore the
curtains of the Tabernacle etc. and Merari handled the boards of the Tabernacle etc.) lacked the
holiness of the ark, Aaron did not have to cover them first before calling on Gershon or Merari.

In sum, Abravanel’s close read of Numbers 4 provides Bible students with important insights into
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari – the three sons of Levi, explaining why the Torah deals with them
differently.

Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. In Numbers 5, Abravanel tackles the eyebrow-raising subject of a sotah, literally a
married woman who goes aside from her husband. Untoward behavior triggers a husband’s suspicions,
jealousy. Is she disloyal, he obsesses? If the husband or witnesses actually barge in and see foul play,
Torah law is unequivocal: both the cheating wife and her paramour potentially face the death penalty.

“And God spoke unto Moses. Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say
unto them. If any man’s wife go aside, and act unfaithfully…”

But that is not the case with the Torah’s sotah. No one witnessed the couple “in the act.” On the other
hand, the husband did see his wife emerge from a private room with another man, as our verse writes:
“If any man’s wife go aside…” Bad optics.

Abravanel methodically lays out the Torah’s process or mechanics of gaining clarity – and justice – for all
parties concerned. Indeed, in the times of the Holy Temple, a sotah underwent a series of actions,
including an affidavit, that more than pique the curiosity of Bible students; they baffle the modern mind.

An agitated husband and his alleged adulterous wife went to the priests in the Temple. Here is what
transpired on the Holy Mount, all written about explicitly in our chapter:

•  The priest shall take water from a laver in the Temple;
•  The priest shall scoop earth from the Temple’s sanctuary;
•  The priest removes the sotah’s hair covering;
•  The priest administers a solemn oath to the sotah, requiring her oral response;
•  The priest writes down harsh curses on parchment, before blotting them out with water;
•  The priest offers the sotah’s gift or meal offering on the altar.

All of these acts, Abravanel contends, are chock-full of rich symbolism. At root, the somber ordeal
conveys the egregiousness of the wife’s alleged sexual misconduct. And, of course, the stakes are sky
high.

If the woman is innocent and she did not betray her husband, God will not only absolve her; He will
compensate her chastity handsomely. If, on the other hand, the bitter watery potion exposes her folly,
she will be ostracized, a byword among her people.

In fact, the whole sotah story needs to address a niggling question: Should sotah be viewed as a Biblical
trial by ordeal, a pejorative that carries primitive and negative connotations? Let’s take a step back to
examine the question.

The Torah’s 613 commandments, Abravanel teaches, are characterized by reason; they’re sensible.
Sotah, for sure, defies the rule. It is thoroughly miraculous, God’s blatant meddling, per se.

Bible students must ask: Why the Torah’s abrupt change here from its normal reasonableness? Precisely
because the majority of Hebrews comply with the Maker’s express desire in observing His law, He in His
righteousness chose to make a statement and chastise the sotah. The ceremony was God’s way to
ensure virtue and deter unchecked conduct. It also underscores the Chosen People’s pure stock, one
that does not tolerate illicit sexual dalliances that produce illegitimate children. The presence of the
Shechinah dwelling among the Jews demanded no less.

For the full discussion of the sotah, see Abravanel’s World.

“And God spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying: This is the governing
law that God commands, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel that they
should take for you a red cow, hardy [and] blemish free, which has never
borne upon it a yoke.”

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) observes: One important question concerning the red
cow commandment is its placement or position among the 613 Torah commandments.
According to the Talmudic sages, the red cow commandment belongs to the body of priestly
commandments. They learn that it forms part of those commandments whose focus is the
Tabernacle service. As for the date, the sages peg the red cow mitzvah to the first of Nisan. On
that most auspicious day, ten crowns descended from Heaven. Apropos, the rabbis explained,
the red cow was ceremoniously burned. Its ashes would become a key element for the
cleansing mixture, ashes that served to rehabilitate and spiritually cleanse the Jewish nation.
Said cleansing prepared and allowed Hebrews to enter the Holy Tabernacle with proper
readiness.

However, this opinion of the placement of the red cow commandment is problematic. If
the red cow commandment occurred simultaneous with the building of the Tabernacle, why
wasn’t it written in Leviticus (and not here in Numbers), where the body of Temple and priestly
commandments are provided? Second, why do we find the red cow commandment set here
among the two highly perturbing narratives covering the Korach rebels and camp complainers
or maylinim, both events taking a heavy toll on the wrongdoers.

Abravanel answers as follows. The ancient sages put forth that Moshe performed the
rites associated with the first red cow. He occupied himself with it when he served as the High
Priest in the Tabernacle. On the first day of Nisan, the Tabernacle was erected in the desert. On
that day, a red cow was ceremoniously burned, this for purposes of spiritually cleansing those
men and women who wanted to visit the holy place. Had visitors to the Tabernacle not been
ritually cleansed, they would have defiled it and profaned its sanctity.

The admixture featuring the red cow’s ashes that Moshe prepared went a long way.
Forty years. For forty years, while the Jews wandered in the desert, the prophet’s signature
batch served its purpose admirably. Temple goers took of the red cow’s ashes and purified
themselves before visiting the Tabernacle.

At the conclusion of the forty years, the Chosen People were slated to liberate Canaan.
God foresaw the Holy Land engulfed in bloody wars. Hebrew soldiers would come in close
contact with the dead, triggering their ritual defilement. Some campaigns would take place in
cities; some in open fields. Regardless of the battle’s location, the result would be the same.
Jewish warriors would be needful of red cow ashes to help them restore their ritual status.

Moshe’s batch would not suffice. For that reason, the Almighty guided and directed
Moshe and Aharon in the minutiae of the red cow commandment. As for Korach’s gang and
camp complainers, many of their followers had perished during the two respective rebellions.
Moshe’s original quantity of red cow ashes were, perforce, depleted by the loyalists handling
the corpses.

For these two reasons, God provided an expedient in our Torah section when He
commanded Moshe and Aharon to record this red cow mitzvah. Note, however, although we
read of the red cow’s particulars at this juncture, it would only become operational on the eve
of the Hebrews marching into Canaan.

From the forthcoming Abravanel’s World, Bamidbar Vol. II
Parashat Chukat, First Aliyah Zot Chukat (Numbers 19:1-2).