TORAH: Numbers 1:1-4:20
HAFTARAH: Hosea 2:1-22
GOSPEL: Matthew 4:1-17
Portion Summary
The Hebrew name of the fourth book of the Torah (also the name of the first reading) is Bamidbar (במדבר), which means “In the wilderness.” It comes from the first words of the first verse, which say, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai” (Numbers 1:1). The English title of the book is “Numbers,” which is derived from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) version of the Torah. The book of Numbers tells the story of Israel’s trek through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, their failure at the edge of the land and the subsequent forty years of wandering. It concludes with the story of the second generation’s triumphs over the first Canaanite resistance. The book ends with the Israelites poised on the edge of Canaan, ready to take their inheritance. Woven in the midst of these narratives is a significant amount of legal material.
The first reading from Bamidbar and the thirty-fourth reading from the Torah begin with a census of the tribes of Israel and the Levitical families just prior to the departure from Sinai.
Portion Outline:
Torah
Numbers 1:1 | The First Census of Israel
Numbers 2:1 | The Order of Encampment and Marching
Numbers 3:1 | The Sons of Aaron
Numbers 3:5 | The Duties of the Levites
Numbers 3:14 | A Census of the Levites
Numbers 3:40 | The Redemption of the Firstborn
Numbers 4:1 | The Kohathites
Prophets
Hos 2:2 | Israel’s Infidelity, Punishment, and Redemption
Portion Commentary:
The Hosts Above and the Hosts Below
The unseen spiritual world above casts a reflection onto the surface of the material world. Sometimes we find that which is above in some other form down here below.
Earthly things reflect heavenly things. The Sanctuary on earth is a copy of the true heavenly Tabernacle above—the eternal dwelling place of the living God. The priesthood of the Sanctuary has a corresponding priesthood in the Tabernacle above; namely, the priesthood of the Messiah. Earthly institutions ordained by the Torah reflect heavenly realities.
If that which is below is a reflection of that which is above, then the hosts of Israel on earth must correspond to the hosts in heaven. This Torah portion offers a close look at the hosts of Israel. We see them numbered and counted. We see them divided into tribal identities. We see them encamped around the Tabernacle.
According to the sages, the encampments of Israel around the Tabernacle correspond to the placement of the angels around God’s throne. Likewise, the mustering of the hosts of Israel can be compared to the mustering of the hosts of heaven.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
