EVERY MAN SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD, WITH THE SIGNS OF THEIR FATHER’S HOUSE. “Each standard was to have a colored cloth hanging on it, the color of one being unlike the color of another.¹⁰⁶ The color of each standard corresponded to that of the stone fixed in the breastplate [of the High Priest, on which the name of that tribe was engraved], and by this method everyone would recognize his standard.” This is Rashi’s language. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “There were signs on each of the [four main] standards. Thus the ancient Sages said that on Reuben’s standard there was a figure of a man decorated with mandrakes,¹⁰⁷ and on Judah’s standard there was the form of a lion, to which Jacob had compared him,¹⁰⁸, 49:9. and on Ephraim’s standard was the figure of an ox, based upon [the expression that Moses used in speaking of that tribe], the firstborn of his ox,¹⁰⁹ and on Dan’s standard was the figure of an eagle.¹¹⁰ (ibid., 32:11), and of Dan it is written that he was the rearward of all the camps (further, 10:25), who stirred the attention of all the camps to any lurking dangers (Tziyoni). Thus [the four signs on the four main standards] were similar to the four figures that the prophet Ezekiel saw [in the Divine Charriot].”¹¹¹ (ibid., Verse 10). The Tent of Meeting was in the exact center, with the camps of the Levites surrounding it in the midst of the camps [of the other tribes], as is mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah:¹¹² “And the Holy Temple is placed exactly in the middle.” Now the directions [in which the standards were to be set up] begin with the east, like the movement of the sun [in its daily course], and afterwards the south, and then the west and finally the north. They put the [main] standard of Judah in the east because he was the first to start journeying as he was the prince,¹¹³ just as G-d commanded, Judah shall go up¹¹⁴ first,¹¹⁵, 20:18. and Reuben was [set next to him] in the south to honor him as the firstborn. Thus these two neighboring standards consisted of [the children of] Leah [i.e., Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben Shimon] together with the firstborn of her maidservant who was born upon her [Leah’s] knees [i.e., Gad the son of Zilpah.]. And there was one [main] standard for the children of Rachel [Ephraim, Menasheh, and Benjamin] in the west, and the standard of the [other] children of the maidservants [Dan, Asher, and Naphtali] was last, in the north. I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the following text]:¹¹⁶ “And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four ‘living creatures,’¹¹¹ (ibid., Verse 10). and high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions. Thus He said to him: In the east, whence comes light to the world, shall Judah the sovereign pitch his camp, and next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, who studies the Torah,¹¹⁷ (I Chronicles 12:32), and Torah is called ‘light,’ For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9) — Thus, just as the royal House of David is referred to by Scripture in terms of light — as it is said, that David My servant may have ‘a lamp’ always before Me in Jerusalem (I Kings 11:36) — so also is Issachar, student of the Torah which is called light. The position of these two tribes is therefore rightfully in the east whence comes light to the world. And as for Zebulun (see further in text). and next to him the tribe of Zebulun, who is wealthy, just as it is written, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea,¹¹⁸ and it is also said [of Zebulun], for they shall suck the abundance of the sea.¹¹⁹). Thus the three tribes that pitched on the east — Judah (sovereignty), Isaachar (knowledge), and Zebulun (wealth) — all represented aspects of “light” which originates in the east. They were to be the first to journey, just as it is said, And their king is passed on before them, and the Eternal at the head of them.¹²⁰ From the south come the dews and the rains [which bring] blessing for the world, therefore shall Reuben pitch on that side, for he is the master of repentance,¹²¹, that Judah’s repentance in admitting his guilt in the case of Tamar (Genesis 38:26) was motivated by Reuben’s prior repentance in the case of Bilhah (ibid., 35:22). Reuben was also first of the brothers who tried to save Joseph in order to return him to his father (ibid., 37:22). According to a Midrash, G-d then said: “‘You [Reuben] were first in making an effort to bring back a beloved son to his father. By your life! A descendant of yours will be the first [of the prophets] to bring back Israel to their Father in heaven.’ And who was that? Hosea the son of Beeri, as it is written, When the Eternal spoke at first with Hosea (Hosea 1:2) [and it was that prophet who proclaimed: Return, O Israel, unto the Eternal thy G-d, for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity” (ibid. 14: 2)] (Yalkut Shimoni, at the beginning of the Book of Hosea). That Hosea was of the tribe of Reuben is indicated in I Chronicles 5:6, where his father Beerah is counted among the descendants of Reuben. Beeri and Beerah, according to the Rabbis, refer to the same person. which is a good quality, and the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the world when people repent [of their evil ways]. Next to Reuben is Gad, who has the quality of heroism.¹²²: Thus there were [in the south] Reuben with repentance, Gad with heroism, and in between them Shimon in order to atone [for his having caused anguish to his father Jacob].¹²³, Verses 5-7, and in Chapter 34:30. And they shall set forth second,¹²⁴ because repentance is second to Torah [for by studying Torah one is coming to repent of evil ways]. In the west are the storehouses of snow, and the storehouses of hail, cold, and heat, and corresponding to them were [the tribes of] Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, and the Divine Presence is always in the west within the border of Benjamin, as it is said, Of Benjamin he [Moses] said: The beloved of the Eternal shall dwell in safety by Him.¹²⁵ And they shall set forth third,¹²⁶ for heroism is fitting to Torah and repentance, in order that a person may grow strong in Torah and overcome his [bad] inclinations. From the north comes darkness to the world, and corresponding to it was the tribe of Dan. For what reason? It is because the tribe of Dan darkened the world through the idols which Jeroboam made, as it is said, and the one idol he put in Dan.¹²⁷ Next to him was the tribe of Asher, to illuminate the darkness, as it is said [of Asher], and he shall dip his foot in oil,¹²⁸ and next to him was the tribe of Naphtali who is full of blessings.¹²⁹ (ibid., Verse 23). They shall set forth hindmost,¹³⁰ for whoever worships idols *goes backward and not forward. ”*¹³¹ There [in Bamidbar Rabbah]¹¹⁶ the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of Israel according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels [surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in detail.

footnotes: ¹⁰⁶ There were thus twelve standards, one for each tribe (Maskil l’David in his commentary on Rashi). These twelve standards are not to be confused with the four main standards, around each of which three tribes rallied. ¹⁰⁷ See Genesis 30:14. ¹⁰⁸ Ibid. ¹⁰⁹ Deuteronomy 33:17. ¹¹⁰ This was because of the expression, as an eagle stirreth up his nest ¹¹¹ Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle ¹¹² I have not found it in our editions of the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation). On the book itself, see Vol. I, p. 24, Note 41. ¹¹³ I Chronicles 28:4. ¹¹⁴ Judges 1:2. ¹¹⁵ Ibid. ¹¹⁶ Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. ¹¹¹ Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle ¹¹⁷ “For it is said, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times ¹¹⁸ Genesis 49:13. ¹¹⁹ Deuteronomy 33:19. And riches are also referred to as “light” (Midrash Rabbah ibid. ¹²⁰ Micah 2:13. ¹²¹ See Sotah 7b and Rashi ibid. ¹²² Genesis 49:19. In our Bamidbar Rabbah: “master of the troop,” as stated in Genesis ibid ¹²³ Ibid. ¹²⁴ Verse 16 here. ¹²⁵ Deuteronomy 33:12. This is an allusion to the fact that the Sanctuary proper, in which the Divine Presence resided, was in Benjamin’s territory. The eastern part of the Temple was in the territory of Judah. These three tribes of Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, to whom G-d grants might (see Psalms 80: 3) are thus the most able to resist the destructive aspects of the natural elements (Eitz Yoseph on Bamidbar Rabbah). ¹²⁶ Verse 24 here. ¹²⁷ I Kings 12:29. ¹²⁸ Deuteronomy 33:24. ¹²⁹ As it is said of that tribe, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Eternal ¹³⁰ Verse 31 here. ¹³¹ Jeremiah 7:24. ¹¹⁶ Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9.

AND HIS HOST, AND THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM. The meaning thereof, as well as of all that were numbered of the camp of Judah,¹³² and so also all [such verses in this chapter], is that these are the words of G-d to Moses, connected with [the opening statement], And the Eternal spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron,¹³³ since they did not count them now a second time. This is also the sense of the verse, These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel,¹³⁴ because He stated [in that same verse] all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts [which indicates that He is referring to a census which had previously taken place, and not to a new census]. He mentioned all this in order to tell us that from the day of the census [which was on the first of Iyar]¹³⁵ until the camps were established [according to the four standards] and they so pitched by the standards, and so they set forward¹³⁶ [which was on the twentieth of Iyar],¹³⁷, 10:11, and see Taanith 29a [“on that day they turned aside” and hence they became subject again to death] not one man was missing. This was miraculous, in that not one person of this great multitude died [in the period of twenty days]. The change in the name of the father of the prince of the children of Gad [who is called Deuel above in 1: 14, and here in Verse 14 is referred to as Reuel], is because it is customary in the Sacred Language to change names of the same meaning, such as Zerah¹³⁸ [one of the sons of Shimon], and Zohar¹³⁹ [referring to the same son of Shimon, both names meaning “brightness”], of the expression as ‘tzachar’ (white) wool.¹⁴⁰ Now [the father of the prince of the children of Gad] was called “Deuel” [of the root dei’ah, “knowledge”] because he “knew” G-d, [and he was also called] “Reuel” [of the root ra’ayon, “thoughts,” or re’uth, “longing” “striving”] because “he set all the thoughts of his heart on G-d,” similar to the expression in these verses: How weighty also are ‘rei’echa’ (Thy thoughts) *unto me, O G-d;*¹⁴¹ Thou understandest ‘l’rei’i’ (my thought) afar off.¹⁴², Verse 2. Since people used to call that person by two names [e.g. Deuel and Reuel], therefore the Torah mentioned both of them.

footnotes: ¹³² Further, Verse 9. ¹³³ Verse 1. ¹³⁴ Further, Verse 32. ¹³⁵ Above, 1:1. ¹³⁶ Further, Verse 34. ¹³⁷ Ibid. ¹³⁸ I Chronicles 4:24. ¹³⁹ Genesis 46:10. ¹⁴⁰ Ezekiel 27:18. ¹⁴¹ Psalms 139:17. ¹⁴² Ibid.