Bible studies

“And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first
day of the month, that the Tabernacle was erected…Then the cloud
covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud
abode thereon, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.”

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of
time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike,
offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a seminal Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. Chapter 40 concludes the book of Exodus, a chapter dedicated to the execution of God’s
commandment to the Hebrews to build for Him a house. When finished, “the cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle.”

A “cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle…” Quite extraordinary –
to understate. How are Bible students supposed to understand these divine props (“the cloud and glory
of God”) Abravanel asks? See Abravanel’s World for the full treatment of this intriguing essay.

For our purposes here, however, we focus on Abravanel’s explanation of the last verse cited above:
“And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud abode thereon…”

Here is the context, according to Abravanel. After the Hebrews sinned with the golden calf, Moses
showed his displeasure by setting up his tent outside of the Jewish encampment. Furthermore, the
prophet brought the holy ark with him. Ensconced within the ark were the ten commandments etched
in stone tablets.

However now, when the Tabernacle was complete, Moses removed the holy ark from his tent and
placed it in the holy of holies. At that juncture, God’s sanctuary assumed its new name: The Tent of
Meeting. Going forward, Divine communications with the prophet would emanate from the holy of
holies, specifically from the ark’s covering consisting of two cherubs.

“And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory
of God filled the Tabernacle.” According to Abravanel, the verse acknowledges and confers great
prestige upon the Tabernacle. That is, the Creator’s earthly haunt bespoke divine glory and rapture, that
even the greatest of all prophets, Moses, was barred from entry. Initially, that is.

Here’s the caveat. Moses would be able to enter the holy of holies when the Maker called him, thereby
granting the prophet permission and authorization, as per the upcoming verse. “And God called unto
Moses, and spoke unto him out of the Tent of Meeting saying…” From that juncture onward, Moses was
allowed free access to the planet’s holiest place, as we learn from Numbers 9:8.

Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. Not surprisingly, Numbers 1 deals with, well, numbers or tallying or counting.
Abravanel also zeroes in on the counters. Who had been entrusted to take the census of the Hebrew
fighters, a head count that reached hundreds of thousands? What lie behind the counting?

“And God spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of
Meeting, on the first day of the second month after they were come out
of the land of Egypt saying. Take you the sum of all the congregation of
Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number
of names, every male individually.”

The Maker placed Moses and Aaron at the head of the mustering enterprise, one that sought a count of
the able-bodied men: “From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war…you shall
number them…even you and Aaron.”The Torah enlisted tribal chiefs to assist, listing their names (and
father’s names), underpinning the key role they played.

Abravanel, furthermore, gets to the bottom of the rationales behind the troop tallying. Clues, he writes,
are found by analyzing the three identifying descriptions of the chieftains: “These were the elect of the
congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers. They were the heads of the thousands of Israel.”

•  “The elect of the congregation” answers the question: why did God choose twelve men to stand
  by Moses’ side at the time of numbering? Plainly, they had been men who took charge of all
  prior important encampment activities. Certainly, counting rates as an important task.
•  “The princes of the tribes of their fathers” places an accent on the future, but imminent, land
  division. Specifically, the Land of Israel was to be parceled out to those men who had been
  redeemed from Egyptian bondage. The more populous tribe, the greater territorial size.
•  “They were the heads of the thousands of Israel” took into account the upcoming wars to
  liberate Canaan. War drums were beating and generals needed to know how many warriors
  would be taking part in the campaign to free the Holy Land.

When it comes to the job of mustering Hebrews per our chapter, Abravanel gets practical. Bible
students should not think that the gimongous undertaking occurred in a single day, with Moses and
Aaron drudgingly counting away. That would be mission impossible. Rather, “on the first day of the
second month”the Creator commanded His prophet to prepare the camp for a census. Posthaste,
Moses recruited twelve reliable and capable leaders to get the job done in a professional manner.