(Numbers 1:1-4:20)

(Haftara: Hosea 2, 1-22)

(Pirkay Avot Chapter 6)

1. [1:49] “However, don’t count the tribe of Levi… “         The tribe of Levi—the priestly tribe–get no specific section of the land of Israel as their inheritance.       How does this affect their connection to the rest of the people of Israel and to the land of Israel?
    
2. [Haftara: Hosea 2:21] “I will betroth you to me in righteousness (betzedek) and in justice (bemishpat), and in kindness (chesed) and in compassion (rachamim)”. How does one relate to someone with both real justice and with real kindness?

3. [Shavuot: Shmot 20:2, 10 Commandments] “I am the Lord, your God…” The Ramban (1194-1270), Spain) says that “I am the Lord your God…” means “I am the original existence—I existed before the world”. Why does God present Himself in this way, rather than “I am your King and Master…” or something similar?

4. [Pirkei Avot 6:2] “Only one who is involved in learning Torah can be called a free person”. How does learning Torah make a person free?

5. [6:3] “If one learns…even 1 letter, he should honour him…” We learned that one should learn from everyone [4:1], and we learn here that one should honour even someone from whom he learned 1 thing. If one learned something from an immoral person (for example, patience from a thief) should one honour the immoral person?

Commentary

[2:17] “And the Holy Mishkan (Tabernacle) shall travel…in the middle of the camps (of the tribes)…”

Since the Torah rests in the mishkan, the mishkan must always be in the middle of the camps. It should not be any closer to one tribe or any further from the other. Just like the heart is in the middle of the body, and the body gets its life-force through the workings of the heart, so the Torah must be in the middle of the people, so that each feels equally that he or she gets their life-force from the Torah.

–R. Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chafetz Chaim , 1838-1933, Radin, Poland.

This page is dedicated to the memory of Gad Eliahu ben David and Kochava—Eli Zucker

And this study page is dedicated to the memory of Sarah Bella bat Yitzchak Kummer, Chaim Yosef Yechiel ben Eliyahu Kummer and Eliyahu and Margaret Kummer