Nasso: The Precision of the Mission G-d Charts for Us

This week’s Torah reading states:2

It came to pass on the day that Moshe finished erecting the Sanctuary, he anointed it and sanctified it…. The nesi’im3 of Israel brought an offering…. They brought their offering before G‑d: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two nesi’im, and an ox for each one. And they presented them in front of the Sanctuary.

There is a difficulty with this narrative: When asked to donate towards the Sanctuary, the Jewish people responded with abundant generosity to the point where their donations were “sufficient” and, indeed, “there was more than enough.”4 So why then were the nesi’im so constrained in their donations of the wagons, each one giving no more than half a wagon, “a wagon for each two nesi’im”?

Furthermore, the Sifri5 and the Midrash6 – quoted by Rashi7 –describe what motivated the nesi’im to offer these donations:

What prompted the nesi’im [to be the first to donate for the dedication of the Altar] when [by contrast] they were not the first to donate for the work of [constructing] the Sanctuary?

The nesi’im had said, “Let the community donate what they will donate, and if they [leave] anything lacking, we will complete it.” Since they saw the community [had] completed [donating] every­thing, as it is written,³ “And the work was sufficient,” [the nesi’im] said, “What is [left] for us to do now?” [Therefore,] they “brought the shoham stones and the stones to be mounted for the ephod and the breastplate.”8 For this reason, they donated first in this instance.9

In other words, the donations the nesi’im brought on the day Moshe completed the erection of the Sanctuary were intended to rectify the fact that they did not donate in a sufficiently eager and liberal manner originally. With these donations of the wagons and oxen, they sought to express their generosity for the Sanctuary in a desirable and complete manner. But how did they do this? By each nasi10 bringing only half a wagon?!11

There is a further point, one that is of even greater need of clarification: As is evident from a straightforward reading of the verses and as explicitly stated in the Midrash,12 the nesi’im brought the “six covered wagons and twelve oxen” to “transport the Sanctuary.” Indeed, these donations were actually used for this purpose, as the Torah explicitly states; Moshe divided the wagons among the families of the Levites, as was necessary “according to their service”: two wagons and four oxen for the descendants of Gershon and four wagons and eight oxen for the descendants of Merari.13

Now, the nesi’im knew how many boards and pillars comprised the Sanctuary14 and could have estimated their weight, and that of the hundred sockets, each one of which weighed a sanctified15 talent.16 The difficulty in transporting all the component parts of the Sanctuary is magnified by the fact that, according to the calculation of the Talmud,17 the length of a wagon was five cubits and the width of a wagon was two and a half cubits. Accordingly, the boards had to be placed one on top of the other, twelve boards horizontally in two double-stacks on each wagon with a cubit of empty space between the double-stacks.18 For this reason, a Levite had to follow the wagons (see the diagram on the top of the following page) and pay attention that the boards did not shift position, and as Rashi explains,19 if necessary fix “the arrangement of [boards] one on top of the other so that the uppermost board would not fall.” Rashi continues:

He would follow the wagon throughout the entire journey. When he would see [boards] slipping into the empty space [between the stacks], he would run to [the place where] the boards jutted out on the sides until he reached the cubit of empty space between [the stacks.] He would squeeze himself so that he could stand in the space of half a cubit [between the side of the wagon and the side of the public domain] until he would be able to return [the board] that slipped to its place in the arrangement.

Added to the boards were the pillars and the sockets of the Sanctuary,20 the 60 pillars21 of the courtyard and their 60 brass sockets.22 All of these articles had to be placed on but four wagons! On the surface, this donation reflects the very opposite of the approach of generosity, abundance, and wealth that characterized the Sanctuary and the Beis HaMikdash, concerning which our Sages said,23 “There is no room for [an approach that bespeaks] poverty in a place of wealth.”

Were there to have been more wagons, it would not have been necessary to stack24 so many boards one on top of the other,25 and the Levites would have been spared the effort of paying attention to the boards of the Sanctuary throughout the entire time the boards were being transported.

According to a straightforward understanding of Scripture, there is seemingly a readily apparent answer – and for that reason, Rashi does not focus on the matter. Previously, in Parshas Terumah,26 when explaining that the donations for the Sanctuary included acacia wood, Rashi comments:

And from where did they get [this wood] in the desert? Rabbi Tanchuma explains that our father Yaakov foresaw with ruach hakodesh (“divine inspiration”) that the Israelites were destined to build a Sanctuary in the desert. Therefore, he brought cedar trees to Egypt and planted them [there]. He commanded his sons [– who conveyed this command to their children and later descendants – to cut them down] and take them along when they left Egypt.

True, from the spoils they took from Egypt and the spoils they collected after the splitting of the Sea of Reeds,27 the Jews in the desert possessed prodigious wealth, including silver, gold, jewels, and the like. Nevertheless, from this teaching, it is apparent that the only way they could have had acacia wood in the desert was to have brought acacia trees from Eretz Yisrael to Egypt, planted them there, and after caring for them for 210 years, taken them into the desert. From this wood, they had to make the boards, the pillars, and other articles for the Sanctuary. Therefore – i.e., because there was a shortage of acacia wood – the number of wagons was limited, and included only what was absolutely necessary.

However, this is not a satisfactory resolution because the wagons were donated solely because of the generosity of the nesi’im, and there was no commandment that they be made specifically from acacia wood. Moreover, it is difficult to say that in all of Egypt, the Jews could not find other strong wood28 from which they could make additional29 wagons.30

Note also our Sages’ statement31 that certain items were purchased from non-Jewish merchants who passed through the desert.

Sifri32 – and similarly, the Midrash33 – derive from G‑d’s command to Moshe, “Take [the offering] from them,” that “[the nesi’im] came and stood before the Sanctuary [with the wagons and the oxen], but Moshe did not accept [them] from them until he was told by the Holy One,34 ‘take [them] from them.’ Thus, [the nesi’im’s] understanding accorded with the Sublime Understanding.”

From this, it is apparent that the donation of the wagons – and, as a matter of course, their number – was dictated by Divine wisdom. Similarly, the sacrifices that the nesi’im brought for the dedication of the Altar as a continuation of their donations included several details that were unique Divine directives specifically for that time, as spelled out by our Sages35 and also by Rashi;36 for example, an incense offering brought by a private individual was offered on the Outer Altar, something that was never repeated again. It can be assumed that such a unique directive came in accordance with Moshe’s agreement and G‑d’s wisdom.37

True, the nesi’im offered the sacrifices on their own initiative, and Moshe did not accept them until he was instructed to do so by G‑d. Nevertheless, it is clearly understood that when G‑d told Moshe,38 “They shall bring their offerings for the dedication of the Altar,” the offerings were brought based on G‑d’s command. Similar concepts apply regarding the donation of the wagons.

However, it is not logical to say that the limited number of wagons was a Divine decree without any clear reason; indeed, as explained above, it appears to run contrary to logic. This conclusion is supported by the fact that, initially, the nesi’im made the donation according to their own thinking;39 only afterwards was it revealed that it was in accord with Divine wisdom.

Note as well that the offerings brought for the dedication of the Altar had no parallel;40 never before, nor afterwards, were such offerings brought, nor were sacrifices ever offered in such a manner. Although these offerings were brought as a result of a unique Divine decree, since the nesi’im brought them on their own initiative, they had their own reasons for the types and number of offerings they brought, each alluding to a different concept, as our Sages explain at length.41

Similar concepts apply regarding the matter at hand – the donation of the wagons: We must say that the fact that the donation consisted of a minimal number of wagons and oxen – in a manner that appears to run contrary to the general principle that applied regarding the Sanctuary, “There is no room for [an approach that bespeaks] poverty in a place of wealth” – indicates that there was a reason and explanation why they had to make their donation in this manner.42

From the relevant Talmudic passage,¹⁶ it is evident – indeed, emphatically so – that the size of the wagons had to be exact, no longer and no wider than the place required for the boards to be placed, without the slightest amount of extra space that was not needed for that purpose.43 Thus, on the phrase, “the length of a wagon was five cubits,” the Talmud asks, “Why was that necessary? Four and a half would have been sufficient.” And the Talmud gives a practical answer, “so that the beams will not be pressed [against each other].” Similarly, with regard to the width of the wagons, two and a half cubits, the Talmud asks, “Why was that necessary? A cubit and a half would have been sufficient,” and answers, “so that the boards do not teeter [during the journey].” Thus, clearly, there is a rationale for the wagons’ exact size.

It is possible to offer an explanation of the above difficulty by first clarifying one of the differences between the wording used by Sifri and that used by the Midrash when quoting our Sages’ teaching cited in sec. 1.

Sifri states, “What prompted the nesi’im [to be the] first [to donate for the dedication of the Altar,] when [by contrast] they were not the first to donate for the work of [constructing] the Sanctuary?” (Rashi also uses similar wording.) However, the Midrash words the question differently, stating, “Why did the nesi’im eagerly come and bring their offerings [for the Altar] first although they were lax [regarding] the work of [constructing] the Sanctuary and did not bring [their donations]… until the end?”

One of the differences in the wording used is that, according to Sifri, the six wagons and the twelve oxen were not categorized as korbanos, “offerings,” but merely as “donations.” By contrast, the Midrash speaks of “bring[ing] offerings,” following the wording of the verse, “they brought their offering.” Thus, the Midrash proceeds to state, “When the Sanctuary was completed, they acted first and brought their offering eagerly. This is indicated by the verse, ‘The nesi’im of Israel brought their offering....’ ”44

Similarly, in a later source in the Midrash,45 we find a similar reference to the wagons and oxen brought by the nesi’im:

Moshe feared that… perhaps one of the wagons would break or one of the oxen would die and thus the sacrifice of the nesi’im would become invalid. The Holy One, blessed be He, told him, “They shall be….” [By doing so, He] endowed them with [timeless] existence, so that they would exist forever.

The Midrash proceeds to mention different opinions where the oxen were offered as sacrifices on the altar – in Nov, in Givon, in the Beis HaMikdash, or in Gilgal.46

In other words, it is possible to interpret the Midrash in two ways:

a) According to the beginning of the Midrash – which speaks of the nesi’im “com[ing] and bring[ing]” the wagons and the oxen – the bringing of the offerings was referred to as a sacrifice primarily to highlight their personal initiative (to borrow a term from Talmudic scholarship, it was a function of the gavra).47

b) However, the second portion of the Midrash, which speaks of “the sacrifice of the nesi’im be[ing] invalid,” implies that their initiative caused the objects that they brought,48 the wagons and the twelve oxen49 – in Talmudic parlance, the cheftza – to become consecrated as a sacrifice.50

In any case, according to all opinions, there was no need for more than six wagons, even though this reflected constraint – the opposite of a wealthy person’s approach – with regard to the wagons and the oxen.

To clarify the points raised initially: After its initial statements, the Midrash⁵ proceeds to explain:

[The nesi’im] said, “What should we bring?” and they went and brought wagons that would carry the Sanctuary.

Who offered this advice? The tribe of Yissacher.51 This is what they told them, “Will the Sanctuary that you built fly in the air? Donate wagons that will carry it.”

It can be said that the intent is that the advice they gave was not merely peripherally related to the Sanctuary, i.e., a practical solution regarding how to transport the Sanctuary from one place to another, but rather redefined the nature of the Sanctuary – it would become an entity that is transported by wagons.52

Without the wagons, the Sanctuary would essentially be an entity that “flies in the air.” The wagons and the twelve oxen were not merely mediums to transport the Sanctuary from place to place, but rather they brought about a change and a state of completion to the Sanctuary, affecting its very substance. Since the Sanctuary was built as “the Tent of Meeting” – i.e., it was a tent, a temporary structure, intended to be transported from place to place, accompanying the Jewish people on their journeys through the desert – as long as there were no wagons and oxen to transport it, the construction of the Sanctuary was not complete, as indicated by the question, “Will the Sanctuary that you built fly in the air?”

According to this conception, bringing the wagons and the oxen completed the Sanctuary; thus, the effect is comparable to the effect of bringing the offerings on the Altar. Those sacrifices prepared and dedicated the Altar so that sacrifices could be brought on it in an ongoing manner. In other words, the sacrifices for the dedication of the Altar completed its construction.53 Similarly, the wagons and the oxen to transport the Sanctuary functioned in relation to the Sanctuary like the sacrifices that dedicated the Altar – the wagons and the oxen completed the fashioning of the Sanctuary.54

Based on the above, it is understood that although the approach that characterized the Sanctuary and the Beis HaMikdash was one of wealth and bounty, there was not a single entity or detail that was not used for a specific action or purpose.

(It is possible to offer the hypothesis that were a particular element or detail in the Sanctuary – which is also called a Mikdash – to be uncalled for and unnecessary, it would be like bringing a non-sacrificial food into the courtyard of the Sanctuary,55 i.e., bringing something mundane into the Sanctuary.56 )

Similar concepts apply regarding the wagons and the oxen which became a part of the Sanctuary:57 they had to be precisely measured, ensuring that their size and number were no less than necessary, but also no more than necessary, so that there would not be any portion or detail which would not be used for its intended purpose – transporting the Sanctuary. The measure of everything had to be precise, both in the number of wagons – six, no more – and in their size, that they not be larger than necessary. Similarly, this principle applied to the twelve oxen that pulled the wagons.

True, this was a very heavy burden. However, it was necessary to use the strength and power of each of the twelve oxen that pulled the wagons to the fullest extent. Were there to have been more or larger wagons or more oxen, not only would the addition not have been part of the construction of the Sanctuary, but there would have been an imprecision in the measure of the wagons and the oxen.

This principle is so fundamental that the Torah includes a specific phrase58 – “all the silver of the utensils” to teach it. Our Sages59 interpret that phrase as meaning “that [all] the utensils of the Sanctuary were of precise weight; whether weighed individually or collectively, there was neither more nor less than the specified amount.”

Note, as well, in a somewhat similar vein, the ruling of our Sages,60 “Sacred utensils only sanctify [their contents] when they are full.”61

A further point can be added: The above explanation follows the opinion of the Midrash – that the wagons and the twelve oxen were categorized as sacrifices. Accordingly, there certainly cannot be any element or detail that is not used for their purpose – transporting the Sanctuary.

However, even according to the understanding of Sifri and Rashi, who emphasize that the wagons and the oxen were brought to transport the Sanctuary without categorizing them as sacrifices, an explanation can be given for the constraint in the number of wagons and oxen:

Transporting the Sanctuary was one of the services performed by the Levites,62 as stated in the beginning of the Torah reading,63 “This is the service of the families of the Gershonites to serve and to transport.” Similarly, it is written regarding the descendants of Merari,64 “This is what they are charged to transport as their entire service in the Tent of Meeting: the boards of the Sanctuary….”

It is thus understood that when G‑d told Moshe to take the wagons and the oxen from the nesi’im – so that “they will be [used] to carry out the service of the Tent of Meeting; give them to the Levites, each man in accordance with his work”65 – the intent was not to remove the service of transporting the holy articles from the Levites, for this task endowed them with sanctity. Even after the oxen and the wagons were donated, the task of transporting the Sanctuary remained the Levites’. They were responsible for loading the different elements of the Sanctuary onto the wagons and unloading them when setting up camp again. Moreover, even when the elements of the Sanctuary were being carried on the wagons, the Levites were charged with following the wagons, as will be explained. The purpose of the wagons was solely to “lessen their burden,”66 i.e., even then, the wagons and the oxen were not the ones who transported the Sanctuary. Instead, it was the Levites who transported the Sanctuary via the wagons.

For this reason, the nesi’im’s “understanding accorded with the Sublime Understanding,”³³ and they donated only six wagons and, despite the heavy weight of the burden transported by the descendants of Merari, they were given only four wagons.

As mentioned, the Levites were charged with the task of transporting the Sanctuary. For this reason, the Sanctuary had to be transported in a manner requiring a Levite to follow the wagons throughout the entire journey and pay attention67 to the position of the boards and other articles. “When he would see [boards] slipping into the empty space [between the stacks of boards on the wagons], he would run…,” as mentioned in sec. 1 above. Since the Levites were those who transported the Sanctuary, this responsibility was theirs. The wagons only served to facilitate their task.

There is an all-encompassing lesson from the above for our Divine service. Our Sages teach,68 “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world [has a purpose]. He did not create anything needlessly.” This principle is all-embracing, applicable at all times and all places, in every detail and element of creation.

At the time of the construction of the Sanctuary, G‑d said, “ ‘I came into My garden,’ My wedding chamber.”69 After all the sins that caused the Divine Presence to withdraw from the earth, at the time of the construction of the Sanctuary, the Divine Presence descended to the earth again and was revealed, as reflected in the verse,70 “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me and I will dwell among them.” At the completion of the construction, it became clear that it did not contain any superfluous element; every individual detail was used in full for which G‑d created it.

Therefore, although the Sanctuary was characterized by an approach that reflected abundance and wealth, it did not contain any needless elements. Instead, it was apparent how every specific element fulfilled its purpose and the goal of its creation. Accordingly, since twelve oxen and six wagons of a specific length and width were sufficient to transport the Sanctuary, there was no reason to add anything beyond that. Any surplus that existed because of the donations should – and must – have been used for another purpose in the Sanctuary.71

Herein, lies a lesson for every Jew regarding the construction of his personal Sanctuary. Our Sages72 noted that the word, bisocham, “among them,” in the verse, “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me and I will dwell among them,” employs a plural form, not the singular, “within it.” The implication is that G‑d’s dwelling is not only in the structure of the Sanctuary, but in every individual Jew. The above explanations emphasize the extent to which each of us must be careful regarding every potential and every element that G‑d granted us, not to allow them to be left unused. Instead, they should be employed in the most complete manner for the goal and purpose for which G‑d created them, as indicated by our Sages’ saying,73 “I was created to serve my Creator.”

This applies to every one of the powers our souls possess. For example, when one does not labor in Torah study as necessary,74 he is not utilizing the potential which G‑d gave him in a complete manner.75 Similar concepts apply to every particular detail and element of our personal abilities; we must use them “for the sake of Heaven,”76 and to gain knowledge of G‑d.77 They should be employed for the sake of observing the mitzvos in a meticulous manner, and also – and particularly – for spreading Yiddishkeit outward.

Similar concepts apply regarding maximizing our use of time: Even when a person has filled 23 hours and 59 minutes of the day with positive and fruitful Torah activity, he must endeavor that the one remaining minute not go to waste.

This lesson can be derived from the Sanctuary: Whenever anything appears superfluous and is not being used to fulfill its purpose in a complete sense, something is lacking – not only for that particular entity, but for the entire construction of the Sanctuary – and consequently, the indwelling of the Divine Presence within the world is not complete.

When a Jew fails to use even the smallest detail of the portion of the world designated for him and lets it go to waste, G‑d’s entire creation is disrupted, as it were, because G‑d “did not create anything in His world needlessly.” Conversely, when everyone uses all of his potential for the purpose for which he was created – “to serve his Creator” – he causes the Divine Presence to rest in his own person and in the entire world in a revealed manner.

When every particular element of creation carries out the specific purpose for which G‑d created it, it will be revealed throughout the entire creation and in every element of it that it is G‑d’s handiwork and that it is He Who is actually bringing it into being.

Such efforts will lead to the building of the Third Beis HaMikdash. In it will be included the Sanctuary that Moshe had constructed – the tent itself and all of its utensils – for it exists for all time.78 This will take place in the Third Beis HaMikdash; may it be built speedily in our days by Mashiach, so that not even one moment will pass in a wasteful manner but, instead, the redemption will come immediately, “as in the days of your Exodus from the land of Egypt,”79 when G‑d did not delay them for even the blink of an eye.80 May all this take place now.