Numbers-Chapter-11
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Remember the following truth
from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Numbers Chapter
11 captures a stark shift in the atmosphere of the camp. Immediately following the
orderly departure from
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Let us read Numbers Chapter 11, verses 1-35: Below the verses are the Explanation’s. (The Chapter is from JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
Verses 1-3: And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the
ears of יְהוָה - the LORD; and when יְהוָה - the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled; and the fire of יְהוָה - the LORD burnt among them, and
devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. And the people cried
unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto יְהוָה - the LORD, and the fire abated. And the name of that place was called Taberah,
because the fire of יְהוָה - the LORD burnt among them.
Explanation Verses 1-3: ‘The Murmurers at Taberah’.
The text opens with a general sense of complaint. The use of “as murmurers” suggests that the discontent was not based on a
specific lack of resources, since they had the manna, but rather an internal
state of ingratitude. The “fire of יְהוָה - the LORD” serves as a physical manifestation of the Divine response to this
spiritual corruption. Moses’ intercession here establishes his role as the necessary
bridge between the people’s failures and the Divine Mercy.
Verses 4-9: And the mixed multitude that
was among them fell a lusting; and the children of
Explanation Verses 4-9: ‘The Lust for
Verses 10-15: And Moses heard the people
weeping, family by family, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD was kindled greatly; and
Moses was displeased. And Moses said unto יְהוָה - the LORD: ‘Wherefore hast Thou
dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not
found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the
burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I brought
them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me: Carry
them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the
sucking child, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this
people? for they trouble me with their weeping,
saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear
all this people myself alone, because it is too heavy for me. And
if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found
favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness’.
Explanation Verses 10-15: (Moses’ Crisis of Leadership. Moses reaches a
breaking point, using intense familial imagery asking if he “conceived” or “bore”
the nation. His request for death rather than continuing alone reveals the
psychological weight of leading a nation that values physical appetite over
spiritual destiny. This dialogue is essential because it moves the narrative
from a single-leader model to a distributed-leadership model.
Verses 16-25: And יְהוָה - the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Gather
unto Me seventy men of the elders of
Explanation Verses 16-25: ‘The Seventy Elders and the Shared Spirit’. The
appointment of seventy elders is the Divine solution to Moses’ burden.
Interestingly, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim does not create a new spirit for them
but “takes of the spirit” that is already upon Moses. This ensures that the
leadership remains unified in vision. The temporary prophesying of the elders
serves as a public authentication of their new status, proving to the camp that
they are now sanctioned by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to assist Moses.
Verses 26-30: But there remained two men
in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the
name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon
them; and they were of them that were recorded, but had not gone out unto the
Tent; and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a
young man, and told Moses, and said: ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp’. And
Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and
said: ‘My lord Moses, shut them in’. And
Moses said unto him: ‘Art thou jealous for my sake? would
that all יְהוָה - the LORD’s
people were prophets, that יְהוָה - the LORD would put His spirit upon
them!’ And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders
of
Explanation Verses 26-30: ‘Eldad, Medad, and Moses’ Humility’. The episode of Eldad and Medad highlights Moses’
character. While Joshua perceives their independent prophesying as a threat to
Moses’ authority, Moses expresses a wish for the democratization of the
prophetic spirit. This emphasizes that true leadership in the Israelite
tradition is not about personal power, but about the proliferation of the
Divine Word among all the people.
Verses 31-35: And there went forth a wind
from יְהוָה - the LORD, and brought across
quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on
this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and
about two cubits above the face of the earth. And the
people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and
gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten heaps; and they spread
them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. While
the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD was kindled against the
people, and יְהוָה - the LORD smote the people with a
very great plague. And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people
that lusted. From Kibroth-hattaavah
the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at
Hazeroth”.
Explanation Verses 31-35: ‘The Quails and Kibroth-hattaavah’: The arrival of the quails is a response to the people's demand, but it comes with a consequence. The abundance is so overwhelming that it becomes “loathsome”, teaching that the fulfillment of a misplaced desire is often its own punishment. The name “Kibroth-hattaavah” (Graves of Lust) serves as a lasting memorial to the danger of allowing physical cravings to supersede the journey
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My Closing Message:
Numbers 11
serves as a profound lesson on the nature of desire and the necessity of
communal support. It warns us that longing for a “comfortable past” can blind
us to the miracles of the present. Ultimately, the chapter shows that while אֱלֹהִים - Elohim provides for physical needs, the focus of the nation must remain on the
spiritual objective, supported by a leadership that is humble and shared.
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