PARASHAT BAMIDBAR - במדבר - ‘In the wilderness’

Saturday 16^th May 2026            44 days of Omer                      29^th Iyyar 5786

PARASHAT BAMIDBAR - במדבר - ‘In the wilderness’                                 FFOZ

Numbers 1:1 – 4:20; 1 Samuel 20:18-42, Matthew 24:29-36

Summary:

HaShem orders a census of Israel’s fighting men, listing each tribe’s count and leaders. The Levites encamp around the Mishkan with the tribes in formation around them. The Levites replace the firstborn in serving the Mishkan. During their journeys, the Kohathites transport the holiest items after the priests cover them, the Gershonites handle curtains and coverings, and the Merarites carry beams and bases. HaShem assigns each Levite clan their specific duties, ensuring order in Israel’s journey.

Commentary:  House of the Father

Fatherhood was the essential ingredient for family in the Bible. Isn’t that chauvinistic?

The census in the wilderness illustrates the familial structure of the nation of Israel. All the children of Israel were one large family. The hierarchical family relationships reveal the Bible’s patriarchal worldview. The breakdown of the nation into tribe, clan, and household demonstrates the strong central position of fathers.

The entire nation looked back to one common father. They were the descendants of Jacob. That’s why they were called “children of Israel.” (Israel is another name for Jacob.)

Each Israelite could trace his line of descent through one of the twelve sons of Jacob. That line of descent formed his or her tribal identity. Those who were descended from a common father were referred to as a tribe. The twelve sons of Jacob were fathers over the tribes. The tribes of Israel were further broken down into large extended families. The Hebrew word for “family” is mishpachah.

However, when used in the tribal sense, it does not refer to a nuclear family household; it refers to the large extended family of a common forefather within a tribe. A better English word is “clan.” A clan is like a sub-tribe—a tribe within a tribe.

Every clan was composed of many households. The Hebrew word for “household” is beit av, a term that literally translates as “house of a father.” The father’s household was composed of himself, his wife (or wives), and his children and grandchildren.

The common denominator in all these family rankings is the central position of a father.

In the biblical world, fatherhood was the essential ingredient for family and identity. Isn’t that chauvinistic? Not from the perspective of the biblical woman. She regarded her father and her husband as markers of her prestige and her identity. They were the affirmation of her femininity. They provided her protection, sustenance, and dignity. It’s a different way of thinking from what we have today.