Masei
Masei, Mas'ei, or Masse (מַסְעֵי—Hebrew for "journeys," the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 43rd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th and last in the Book of Numbers. The parashah comprises Numbers 33:1–36:13. The parashah discusses the stations of the Israelites' journeys, instructions for taking the land of Israel, cities for the Levites and refuge, and the daughters of Zelophehad.
It is made up of 5,773 Hebrew letters, 1,461 Hebrew words, 132
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot.[4]
First reading: Numbers 33:1–10
In the first reading,
Second reading: Numbers 33:11–49
In the second reading, the Israelites journeyed from the Sea of Reeds to
Third reading: Numbers 33:50–34:15
In the third reading, in the steppes of Moab, God told Moses to direct the Israelites that when they crossed the
Fourth reading: Numbers 34:16–29
In the fourth reading, God told Moses the names of the men through whom the Israelites were to apportioned the land: Eleazar, Joshua, and a chieftain named from each tribe.[13]
Fifth reading: Numbers 35:1–8
In the fifth reading, God told Moses to instruct the Israelites to assign the Levites out of the other tribes' holdings towns and pasture land for 2,000 cubits outside the town wall in each direction.[14] The Israelites were to assign the Levites 48 towns in all, of which 6 were to be Cities of Refuge to which a manslayer could flee.[15] The Israelites were to take more towns from the larger tribes and fewer from the smaller.[16]
Sixth reading: Numbers 35:9–34
In the sixth reading, three of the six Cities of Refuge were to be designated east of the Jordan, and the other three were to be designated in the land of Canaan.
Seventh reading: Numbers 36:1–13
In the seventh reading, kinsmen of Zelophehad, a man of the tribe of Manasseh who had died without a son,
Readings according to the triennial cycle
Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to a different schedule.[36]
In inner-biblical interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:[37]
Biblical sources on Numbers chapter 35
The Torah addresses the need for corroborating witnesses three times. Numbers 35:30 instructs that a manslayer may be executed only on the evidence of two or more witnesses. Deuteronomy 17:6 states the same multiple witness requirement for all capital cases. And Deuteronomy 19:15 applies the rule to all criminal offenses.
Biblical sources on Numbers chapter 36
The story of the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 36 is a sequel of that in Numbers 27. And then Joshua 17:3–6 reports the awarding of lands to the daughters of Zelophehad.
In early nonrabbinic interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:[38]
Early interpretations of Numbers chapter 35
With the Cities of Refuge in Numbers 35:6-34, Divine intervention replaces a system of vengeance with a system of justice, much as in the play of the 5th century BCE Greek playwright Aeschylus The Eumenides, the third part of The Oresteia, the goddess Athena’s intervention helps to replace vengeance with trial by jury.
Philo called the rule of Numbers 35:30 that a judge should not receive the testimony of a single witness "an excellent commandment." Philo argued first that a person might inadvertently gain a false impression of a thing or be careless about observing and therefore be deceived. Secondly, Philo argued it unjust to trust to one witness against many persons, or indeed against only one individual, for why should the judge trust a single witness testifying against another, rather than the defendant pleading on the defendant's own behalf? Where there is no preponderance of opinion for guilt, Philo argued, it is best to suspend judgment.[39]
Similarly, Josephus reported the rule of Numbers 35:30, writing that judges should not credit a single witness, but rather should rely only on three, or two at the least, and only those whose testimony was confirmed by their good lives.[40]
In classical rabbinic interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:[41]
Classical rabbinic interpretations of Numbers chapter 33
A Midrash taught that God told the Israelites that during all the 40 years that they spent in the wilderness, God did not make it necessary for them to flee. Rather, God cast their enemies down before them. As Deuteronomy 8:15 reports, there were numerous snakes, fiery serpents, and scorpions in the wilderness, but God did not allow them to harm the Israelites. Thus, God told Moses to write down in Numbers 33 the stages by which Israel journeyed in the wilderness, so that they would know the miracles that God had performed for them.[42]
Noting that both Numbers 33:1 and Psalm 77:21 report that the Israelites travelled "under the hand of Moses and Aaron," a Midrash taught that the similarity served to confirm that God led the Israelites in the wilderness (in the words of Psalm 77:21) "like a flock."[43]
A Midrash compared the listing of the Israelites' journeys in Numbers 33 to a king who had a sick son whom he took to a distant place to get cured. On the way back, the king retraced all their previous journeys, noted where his son caught cold and where his son's head ached.[44]
A Midrash used the report of Numbers 33:4 to explain why the Israelites had to leave Egypt to conduct their sacrifices. The Midrash interpreted the words of Exodus 8:22, "Lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?" to teach that the Egyptians saw the lamb as a god. Thus, when God told Moses to slay the paschal lamb (as reflected in Exodus 12:21), Moses asked God how he could possibly do so, when the lamb was as Egyptian god. God replied that the Israelites would not depart from Egypt until they slaughtered the Egyptian gods before the Egyptians' eyes, so that God might teach them that their gods were really nothing at all. And thus God did so, for on the same night that God slew the Egyptian firstborn, the Israelites slaughtered their paschal lambs and ate them. When the Egyptians saw their firstborn slain and their gods slaughtered, they could do nothing, as Numbers 33:4 reports, "While the Egyptians were burying them whom the Lord had smitten among them, even all their firstborn; upon their gods also the Lord executed judgment."[45]
Reading Numbers 33:4, "Upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments," the
The Gemara taught that while the Israelites were in the Jordan River with the water standing up in a heap (as reported in Joshua 3:14–17), Joshua told them that they were crossing the Jordan on condition that they would disinherit the inhabitants of the land, as Numbers 33:53 says: "Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you." Joshua told them that if they did this, it would be well and good; otherwise, the water would return and drown them.[47]
Interpreting Numbers 26:53, 26:55, and 33:54, the Gemara noted a dispute over whether the land of Israel was apportioned according to those who came out of Egypt or according to those who went into the land of Israel. It was taught in a Baraita that Rabbi Josiah said that the land of Israel was apportioned according to those who came out of Egypt, as Numbers 26:55 says, "according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit." The Gemara asked what then to make of Numbers 26:53, which says, "Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance." The Gemara proposed that "unto these" meant adults, to the exclusion of minors. But Rabbi Jonathan taught that the land was apportioned according to those who entered the land, for Numbers 26:53 says, "Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance." The Gemara posited that according to this view, Numbers 26:55 taught that the manner of inheritance of the land of Israel differed from all other modes of inheritance in the world. For in all other modes of inheritance in the world, the living inherit from the dead, but in this case, the dead inherited from the living. Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar taught a third view—that the land was divided both according to those who left Egypt and also according to those who entered the land of Israel, so as to carry out both verses. The Gemara explained that according to this view, one among those who came out of Egypt received a share among those who came out of Egypt, and one who entered the land of Israel received a share among those who entered the land. And one who belonged to both categories received a share among both categories.[48]
Classical rabbinic interpretations of Numbers chapter 35
Chapter 2 of tractate Makkot in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the Cities of Refuge in Exodus 21:12–14, Numbers 35:1–34, Deuteronomy 4:41–43, and 19:1–13.[49]
The Mishnah taught that those who killed in error went into banishment. One would go into banishment if, for example, while one was pushing a roller on a roof, the roller slipped over, fell, and killed someone. One would go into banishment if while one was lowering a cask, it fell down and killed someone. One would go into banishment if while coming down a ladder, one fell and killed someone. But one would not go into banishment if while pulling up the roller it fell back and killed someone, or while raising a bucket the rope snapped and the falling bucket killed someone, or while going up a ladder one fell down and killed someone. The Mishnah's general principle was that whenever the death occurred in the course of a downward movement, the culpable person went into banishment, but if the death did not occur in the course of a downward movement, the person did not go into banishment. If while chopping wood, the iron slipped from the ax handle and killed someone,
Rabbi Jose bar Judah taught that to begin with, they sent a slayer to a city of refuge, whether the slayer killed intentionally or not. Then the court sent and brought the slayer back from the city of refuge. The Court executed whomever the court found guilty of a capital crime, and the court acquitted whomever the court found not guilty of a capital crime. The court restored to the city of refuge whomever the court found liable to banishment, as Numbers 35:25 ordained, "And the congregation shall restore him to the city of refuge from where he had fled."[51] Numbers 35:25 also says, "The manslayer ... shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil," but the Mishnah taught that the death of a high priest who had been anointed with the holy anointing oil, the death of a high priest who had been consecrated by the many vestments, or the death of a high priest who had retired from his office each equally made possible the return of the slayer. Rabbi Judah said that the death of a priest who had been anointed for war also permitted the return of the slayer. Because of these laws, mothers of high priests would provide food and clothing for the slayers in Cities of Refuge so that the slayers might not pray for the high priest's death.[52] If the high priest died at the conclusion of the slayer's trial, the slayer did not go into banishment. If, however, the high priests died before the trial was concluded and another high priest was appointed in his stead and then the trial concluded, the slayer returned home after the new high priest's death.[53]
A Baraita taught that a disciple in the name of Rabbi Ishmael noted that the words "in all your dwellings" (בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם, b'chol moshvoteichem) appear both in the phrase, "You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day," in Exodus 35:3 and in the phrase, "these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings," in Numbers 35:29. The Baraita reasoned from this similar usage that just as the law prohibits kindling fire at home, so the law also prohibits kindling fire in the furtherance of criminal justice. And thus, since some executions require kindling a fire, the Baraita taught that the law prohibits executions on the Sabbath.[54]
The Gemara read Numbers 35:24–25, “And the congregation shall judge . . . and the congregation shall save,” to requires a court to search for grounds to exonerate the defendant.[55]
The Jerusalem Talmud read the reference to “congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25 to support the proposition that ten comprise a congregation. Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Yasa said in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that Scripture uses the word “congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25, “The congregation shall judge, and the congregation shall rescue,” and also in Numbers 14:27, “How long shall this wicked congregation murmur against me?” and argued that just as the word “congregation” in Numbers 14:27 refers to ten persons (the twelve spies minus Joshua and Caleb), the word “congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25, must refer to ten persons, and thus judgments needed to take place in the presence of ten.[56]
The Gemara read Numbers 35:30 to limit the participation of witnesses and Rabbinical students in trials. The Mishnah taught that in monetary cases, all may argue for or against the defendant, but in capital cases, all may argue in favor of the defendant, but not against the defendant.
The Gemara cited the Torah's requirement for corroborating witnesses to support the Mishnah's prohibition of circumstantial evidence in capital cases. The Mishnah reported that they admonished witnesses in capital cases not to testify based on conjecture (that is, circumstantial evidence) or hearsay, for the court would scrutinize the witnesses' evidence by cross-examination and inquiry.[59] The Gemara reported that the Rabbis taught that the words "based on conjecture" in the Mishnah meant that the judge told the witness that if the witness saw the defendant running after the victim into a ruin, and the witness pursued the defendant and found the defendant with bloody sword in hand and the victim writhing in agony, then the judge would tell the witness that the witness saw nothing (and did not actually witness a murder). It was taught in a Baraita that Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach said that he once did see a man pursuing his fellow into a ruin, and when Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach ran after the man and saw him, bloody sword in hand and the murdered man writhing, Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach exclaimed to the man, "Wicked man, who slew this man? It is either you or I! But what can I do, since your blood (that is, life) does not rest in my hands, for it is written in the Torah (in Deuteronomy 17:6) 'At the mouth of two witnesses ... shall he who is to die be put to death'? May He who knows one's thoughts (that is, God) exact vengeance from him who slew his fellow!" The Gemara reported that before they moved from the place, a serpent bit the murderer and he died.[60]
In the Mishnah, Rabbi Jose said that a malefactor was never put to death unless two witnesses had duly pre-admonished the malefactor, as Deuteronomy 17:6 prescribes, "At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death." And the Mishnah reported another interpretation of the words, "At the mouth of two witnesses," was that the Sanhedrin would not hear evidence from the mouth of an interpreter.[61]
Rav Zutra bar Tobiah reported that
Discussing the need for two witnesses, the Gemara related an incident where Tuveya sinned with immorality, and Zigud testified about it before Rav Pappa. Rav Pappa instructed that Zigud be lashed. When Zigud complained to Rav Pappa that Tuveya sinned and Zigud was lashed, Rav Pappa replied that Deuteronomy 19:15 enjoins, "One witness shall not rise up against a person," and Zigud testified against Tuveya alone, thereby merely giving Tuveya a bad reputation. Rabbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac said that Rav said that although one who sees another committing a sin should not testify alone against the sinner, the witness is nonetheless permitted to hate the sinner, as Exodus 23:5 states, "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its load," and the Gemara interpreted this verse to refer to a case like this one where a witness saw a sinner perform a licentious matter. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, asked Rav Ashi whether one who saw someone sin may tell one's teacher, so that the teacher too would hate the sinner. Rav Ashi replied that if the student knew that teacher trusted the student as much as two witnesses, and therefore the teacher would accept the student's statement, then the student should tell the teacher, but if the teacher did not trust the student as much as two witnesses, then the student should not tell the teacher.[64]
Rabbi Ishmael taught that the avoidance of danger to one’s own life takes precedence over the prohibition of shedding blood in Numbers 35:34. Rabbi Ishmael cited Exodus 22:1, in which the right to defend one’s home at night takes precedence over the prohibition of killing, to support the proposition that the avoidance of danger to human life takes precedence over the laws of the Sabbath. For in Exodus 22:1, in spite of all the other considerations, it is lawful to kill the thief. So even if in the case of the thief—where doubt exists whether the thief came to take money or life, and even though Numbers 35:34 teaches that the shedding of blood pollutes the land, so that the Divine Presence departs from Israel—yet it was lawful to save oneself at the cost of the thief’s life, how much more may one suspend the laws of the Sabbath to save human life.[65]
Classical rabbinic interpretations of Numbers chapter 36
Chapter 8 of tractate Bava Batra in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud and chapter 7 of tractate Bava Batra in the Tosefta interpreted the laws of inheritance in Numbers 27:1–11 and 36:1–9.[66]
Rava interpreted the words "This is the thing" in Numbers 36:6 to teach that the law prohibiting intermarriage between the tribes held only for the generation of Zelophehad's daughters.[67]
A Baraita taught that Zelophehad's daughters were wise, Torah students, and righteous.[68] And a Baraita taught that Zelophehad's daughters were equal in merit, and that is why the order of their names varies between Numbers 27:1 and 36:11.[69] According to the Gemara, Zelophehad's daughters demonstrated their righteousness in Numbers 36:10–11 by marrying men who were fitting for them.[70]
In medieval Jewish interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources:[71]
Medieval interpretations of Numbers chapter 35
In the Torah’s teaching (in Exodus 21:12–14, Numbers 35:10–29, and Deuteronomy 4:41–42 and 19:1–13) that one who killed another unintentionally did not incur capital punishment, Baḥya ibn Paquda found proof that an essential condition of liability for punishment is the association of mind and body in a forbidden act—that liability requires both intention and action.[72]
In modern interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:
Modern interpretations of Numbers chapter 33
Modern interpretations of Numbers chapter 35
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi wrote that Biblical laws required Israelites to act as redeemers for relatives in four situations: (1) redemption of land in Leviticus 25:25–34, (2) redemption of persons from slavery, especially in Leviticus 25:47–50, (3) redemption of objects dedicated to the sanctuary in Leviticus 27:9–28, and (4) avenging the blood of a murdered relative in Numbers 35.[74]
Gunther Plaut argued that the discussions of Cities of Refuge in Numbers 35:9–34 and Deuteronomy 4:41–43 and 19:1–13 were composed during a later, settled period, in order to accommodate the disappearance of local altars that previously served as places of refuge.[75] Noting that Numbers 35:25 provided that the person who had committed manslaughter would remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest, Plaut argued that only death could compensate for the loss of the victim's life, and thus the death of the High Priest became the symbol of communal expiation.[76]
Explaining the origins of the law that one can see in the Cities of Refuge, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote that early forms of legal procedure were grounded in vengeance. Roman law and German law started from the blood feud, which led to the composition, at first optional, then compulsory, by which the feud was bought off. Holmes reported that in Anglo-Saxon practice, the feud was pretty well broken up by the time of William the Conqueror. The killings and house-burnings of an earlier day became the appeals of mayhem and arson, and then the legal actions now familiar to lawyers.[77]
H. Clay Trumbull argued that the "redeemer" ( גֹּאֵל, goel) in Numbers 35:12 was responsible for securing for the victim's family an equivalent of their loss of blood—the loss of life—by other blood, or by an agreed-upon payment for its value. Trumbull taught that the redeemer's mission was "not vengeance, but equity. He was not an avenger, but a redeemer, a restorer, a balancer."[78]
In an echo of the requirement in Numbers 35:30 that the Israelites could execute a manslayer only with the evidence of two or more witnesses,
Commandments
According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are two positive and four negative commandments in the parashah:[82]
- To give the Levites cities to inhabit and their surrounding fields[83]
- Not to kill the murderer before he stands trial[84]
- The court must send the accidental murderer to a city of refuge[85]
- That a witness in a trial for a capital crime should not speak in judgment[86]
- Not to accept monetary restitution to atone for the murderer[87]
- Not to accept monetary restitution instead of being sent to a city of refuge[88]
Haftarah
The
- for Ashkenazi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 3:4.
- for Sephardi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 4:1–2.
When parashah Masei is combined with parashah Matot (as it will be until 2035), the haftarah is the haftarah for parashah Masei.
When the parashah coincides with Shabbat Rosh Chodesh (as it did in 2008), Isaiah 66:1 and 66:23 are added to the haftarah.
Notes
- ^ "Torah Stats—Bemidbar". Akhlah Inc. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "Parashat Masei". Hebcal. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "Parashat Matot-Masei". Hebcal. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bamidbar/Numbers (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2007), pages 227–48.
- ^ Numbers 33:1–37.
- ^ Numbers 33:38–39.
- ^ Numbers 33:41–49.
- ^ Numbers 33:50–53.
- ^ Numbers 33:54.
- ^ Numbers 33:55–56.
- ^ Numbers 34:1–12.
- ^ Numbers 34:13–15.
- ^ Numbers 34:16–29.
- ^ Numbers 35:1–5.
- ^ Numbers 35:6–7.
- ^ Numbers 35:8.
- ^ Numbers 35:14.
- ^ Numbers 35:9–12.
- ^ Numbers 35:16–18.
- ^ Numbers 35:19.
- ^ Numbers 35:20–21.
- ^ Numbers 35:22–24.
- ^ Numbers 35:25.
- ^ Numbers 35:26–27.
- ^ Numbers 35:28.
- ^ Numbers 35:30.
- ^ Numbers 35:31.
- ^ Numbers 35:32.
- ^ Numbers 35:33.
- Pinechas.
- ^ Numbers 36:1–2.
- ^ Numbers 36:3.
- ^ Numbers 36:6–7.
- ^ Numbers 36:8–9.
- ^ Numbers 36:10–12.
- ^ See, e.g., Richard Eisenberg, "A Complete Triennial Cycle for Reading the Torah," in Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement: 1986–1990 (New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2001), pages 383–418.
- ^ For more on inner-Biblical interpretation, see, e.g., Benjamin D. Sommer, "Inner-biblical Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), pages 1835–41.
- ^ For more on early nonrabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Esther Eshel, "Early Nonrabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1841–59.
- ^ Philo, The Special Laws 4:8:53.
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4:8:15.
- ^ For more on classical rabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Yaakov Elman, "Classical Rabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1859–78.
- ^ Numbers Rabbah 23:1.
- ^ Numbers Rabbah 23:2.
- Tanhuma Masei 3; see also Numbers Rabbah 23:3.
- ^ Exodus Rabbah 16:3.
- ^ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 48.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Sotah 34a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 117a–b.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 2:1–8; Tosefta Makkot 2:1–3:10; Jerusalem Talmud Makkot 2:1–7; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 7a–13a.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 2:1; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 7a–b.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 2:6; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 9b.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 2:6; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 11a.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 2:6; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 11b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 6b–7a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 26a.
- ^ Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 75b (7:3).
- ^ Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:1; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 32a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 33b–34a.
- ^ Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37b; see also Shevuot 34a.
- ^ Mishnah Makkot 1:9; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 6b; see also Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, Nezikin, chapter 4; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 9b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Makkot 6b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 112b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 113b.
- ^ Babylonia Talmud Yoma 85a.
- ^ Mishnah Bava Batra 8:1–8; Tosefta Bava Batra 7:1–18; Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 108a–39b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 120a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 119b.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 120a.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 119b.
- ^ For more on medieval Jewish interpretation, see, e.g., Barry D. Walfish, "Medieval Jewish Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition, pages 1891–915.
- ^ Baḥya ibn Paquda, Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart), Introduction (Zaragoza, Al-Andalus, circa 1080), in, e.g., Bachya ben Joseph ibn Paquda, Duties of the Heart, translated by Yehuda ibn Tibbon and Daniel Haberman (Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1996), volume 1, pages 16–17.
- ^ Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts (New York: The Free Press, 2001), pages 58–63.
- ^ Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Tikva Frymer-Kensky, The JPS Bible Commentary: Ruth (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2011), page liv.
- ^ W. Gunther Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern (New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006), page 1118.
- ^ W. Gunther Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, page 1130.
- The Common Law, lecture 1 (London: Macmillan, 1881), reprinted in, e.g., (Blacksburg, Virginia: Wilder Publications, 2009), page 5.
- ^ H. Clay Trumbull, The Blood Covenant (1885; reprinted by, e.g., Kessinger Publishing, 2010), page 260; see also George Buchanan Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Numbers (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1903; reprinted by, e.g., Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2001), pages 480–71 (quoting Trumbull); W. Gunther Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, page 1130 (quoting Trumbull).
- ^ An Act Declaring What Shall Be Treason, Laws of Virginia, 1776, Hening 9:168, in, e.g., Philip B. Kurland and Ralph Lerner, editors, The Founders' Constitution (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987), volume 4, page 430.
- ^ James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (1840), in, e.g., Adrienne Koch, editor (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1985).
- ^ Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84.
- ^ Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Positive Commandments 183, 225; Negative Commandments 291, 292, 295, 296 (Cairo, Egypt, 1170–1180), in, e.g., Maimonides, The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides, translated by Charles B. Chavel (London: Soncino Press, 1967), volume 1, pages 196, 239; 2:271–72, 275–76; Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education, translated by Charles Wengrov (Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1988), volume 4, pages 216–35.
- ^ Numbers 35:2.
- ^ Numbers 35:12
- ^ Numbers 35:25.
- ^ Numbers 35:30.
- ^ Numbers 35:31.
- ^ Numbers 35:32.
Further reading
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:
Biblical
- Exodus 21:12–14 (place of refuge).
- Numbers 27:1–11 (Zelophehad's daughters).
- Deuteronomy 4:41–43 (Cities of Refuge); 17:6 (two witnesses); 19:1–13 (Cities of Refuge).
- Joshua 17:3–6 (Zelophehad's daughters); 20:1–9 (Cities of Refuge).
Early nonrabbinic
- Philo, Allegorical Interpretation 2:10:35; That the Worse Is Wont To Attack the Better 40:147; On the Unchangeableness of God 37:183; On Drunkenness 30:114; On the Confusion of Tongues 13:55; On the Migration of Abraham 25:139; On the Change of Names 37:203; On Dreams, That They Are God-Sent 2:4:30; The Special Laws 1:32:158–61; 4:8:53. Alexandria, Egypt, early 1st Century C.E. In, e.g., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge, pages 41, 128, 173, 217, 239, 266, 358, 390, 548–49, 621. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.
- Matthew 18:15–20. Antioch, circa 80–90 CE. (evidence of two or three witnesses).
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4:4:3, 7; 4:7:4–5 Archived 2006-08-07 at the Wayback Machine; 4:8:15 Archived 2014-04-01 at the Wayback Machine. Circa 93–94. In, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, pages 106–07, 114, 117. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.
Classical rabbinic
- Mishnah: Shekalim 3:2; Sotah 5:3; Kiddushin 3:4; Bava Batra 8:1–8; Sanhedrin 1:6; 4:1, 5; Makkot 2:1–3:10. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. In, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 255, 455, 574–76, 585, 589–91, 612–16. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988.
- Tosefta: Terumot 2:12; Challah 2:11; Bikkurim 1:2; Sotah 4:8, 5:13, 8:5; Bava Kamma 8:19; Bava Batra 7:1–18; Sanhedrin 3:7, 4:1; Makkot 2:1–3:10; Bekhorot 6:19; Keritot 4:3. Land of Israel, circa 250 C.E. In, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 1, pages 141, 340, 345, 854, 869, 848; volume 2, pages 999, 1122–26, 1153, 1155, 1202–08, 1490, 1568. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002.
- Sifre to Numbers, paragraph 159. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 C.E.
- Jerusalem Talmud: Sheviit 44a, 47b; Terumot 63a, 72a; Challah 15b, 18a, 44b–45a; Shabbat 55a, 88b; Eruvin 37b; Yoma 2b, 50a; Rosh Hashanah 1b, 17b; Taanit 16b, 30b; Megillah 15b; Ketubot 18a, 55a; Nedarim 9b; Nazir 26a; Sotah 8b, 27a; Gittin 4b; Bava Batra 24b; Sanhedrin 1a, 10b, 23a, 27a–b, 36a, 39a, 57b; Makkot 1a–11a; Shevuot 5a, 21b, 24a; Horayot 15a. Tiberias]], Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 6b, 8, 11, 14–15, 17, 21, 24–26, 31–33, 35–36, 38, 43–46, 49. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006–2019. And in, e.g., The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and Edward Goldman. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009.
- Genesis Rabbah 6:1; 40:6; 48:12; 96 (MSV); 98:5. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 1, pages 41, 330–31, 414; volume 2, pages 930, 954. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
- Leviticus Rabbah 3:1; 9:9; 10:6; 13:1; 20:7; 36:1. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 4, pages 36, 115, 130, 163–64, 258, 456. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
- Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 4b, 9a; Shabbat 33a; Eruvin 35b, 51a, 55b, 56b–57a; Pesachim 8b, 12a; Yoma 73a, 75b; Rosh Hashanah 2b–3a, 26a; Taanit 30b; Megillah 11a; Moed Katan 5a; Yevamot 6b, 13b; Ketubot 33b, 35a, 37b; Nedarim 81a, 87b; Sotah 27b, 34a, 47b, 48b; Gittin 8a; Kiddushin 42a; Bava Kamma 4a, 26a–b, 28a, 32b, 45a, 83b, 86b–87a, 91a; Bava Metzia 31b; Bava Batra 17a, 24b, 100b, 108a–39b, 159b; Sanhedrin 3b, 10a, 13b, 15b, 18a, 29a, 32a, 33b–34a, 35b, 45b, 49a, 53a, 69a, 72b, 76b, 77b, 84b, 91a; Makkot 2a, 5a–6a, 7a–13a; Shevuot 7b–8a, 33b; Avodah Zarah 9b; Horayot 11b; Zevachim 117a; Bekhorot 55a; Arakhin 33b; Temurah 16a; Keritot 26a. Sasanian Empire, 6th Century. In, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
Medieval
- Rashi. Commentary. Numbers 33–36. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. In, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 4, pages 403–34. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
- Rashbam. Commentary on the Torah. Troyes, early 12th century. In, e.g., Rashbam's Commentary on Leviticus and Numbers: An Annotated Translation. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 293–98. Providence: Brown Judaic Studies, 2001.
- Numbers Rabbah 23:1–14. 12th Century. In, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Numbers. Translated by Judah J. Slotki. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
- Abraham ibn Ezra. Commentary on the Torah. Mid-12th century. In, e.g., Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Numbers (Ba-Midbar). Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, pages 256–67. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1999.
- Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, part 3, chapters 40; 47; 50–51. Cairo, Egypt, 1190. In, e.g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, pages 342–43, 369, 382, 390. New York: Dover Publications, 1956.
- Hezekiah ben Manoah. Hizkuni. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. Chizkuni: Torah Commentary. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1036–45. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013.
- Nachmanides. Commentary on the Torah. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e.g., Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah: Numbers. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 4, pages 382–404. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1975.
- Zohar part 1, page 114a; part 2, page 207a. Spain, late 13th Century. In, e.g., The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
- Jacob ben Asher (Baal Ha-Turim). Rimze Ba'al ha-Turim. Early 14th century. In, e.g., Baal Haturim Chumash: Bamidbar/Numbers. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, edited and annotated by Avie Gold, volume 4, pages 1745–75. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2003.
- Jacob ben Asher. Perush Al ha-Torah. Early 14th century. In, e.g., Yaakov ben Asher. Tur on the Torah. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 1216–24. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2005.
- Isaac ben Moses Arama. Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac). Late 15th century. In, e.g., Yitzchak Arama. Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 795–97. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001.
Modern
- Isaac Abravanel. Commentary on the Torah. Italy, between 1492–1509. In, e.g., Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 4: Bamidbar/Numbers. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 325–40. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015.
- Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. Commentary on the Torah. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., Sforno: Commentary on the Torah. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 814–25. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
- Moshe Alshich. Commentary on the Torah. Safed, circa 1593. In, e.g., Moshe Alshich. Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 940–43. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000.
- Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, Review & Conclusion. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, page 724. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982.
- Shabbethai Bass. Sifsei Chachamim. Amsterdam, 1680. In, e.g., Sefer Bamidbar: From the Five Books of the Torah: Chumash: Targum Okelos: Rashi: Sifsei Chachamim: Yalkut: Haftaros, translated by Avrohom Y. Davis, pages 590–634. Lakewood Township, New Jersey: Metsudah Publications, 2013.
- Chaim ibn Attar. Ohr ha-Chaim. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1740–51. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999.
- Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal). Commentary on the Torah. Padua, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. Torah Commentary. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1121–38. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012.
- Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. Sefat Emet. Góra Kalwaria (Ger), Poland, before 1906. Excerpted in The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet. Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green, pages 275–79. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. Reprinted 2012.
- Hermann Cohen. Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by Leo Strauss, page 126. New York: Ungar, 1972. Reprinted Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. Originally published as Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums. Leipzig: Gustav Fock , 1919.
- Alexander Alan Steinbach. Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch, pages 135–38. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936.
- Julius H. Greenstone. Numbers: With Commentary: The Holy Scriptures, pages 337–64. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1939. Reprinted by Literary Licensing, 2011.
- Thomas Mann. Joseph and His Brothers. Translated by John E. Woods, pages 109, 111, 447. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.
- J. Roy Porter. "The Succession of Joshua." In Proclamation and Presence: Old Testament Essays in Honour of Gwynne Henton Davies. Edited by John I. Durham and J. Roy Porter, pages 102–32. London: SCM Press, 1970.
- Jacob Neusner. "‘By the Testimony of Two Witnesses’ in the Damascus Document IX, 17–22 and in Pharisaic-Rabbinic Law." Revue De Qumrân, volume 8, number 2 (30) (1973): pages 197–217.
- Bernard F. Batto. "Red Sea or Reed Sea? How the Mistake Was Made and What Yam Sûp Really Means." Biblical Archaeology Review, volume 10, number 4. (July/August 1984).
- Philip J. Budd. Word Biblical Commentary: Volume 5: Numbers, pages 348–90. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1984.
- Michael Fishbane. Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel, pages 98, 104–05, 148, 172, 238, 258, 308, 363, 529. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.
- Pinchas H. Peli. Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture, pages 195–98. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987.
- Jacob Milgrom. The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation, pages 277–99, 497–512. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990.
- Mary Douglas. In the Wilderness: The Doctrine of Defilement in the Book of Numbers, pages 86, 103, 108–11, 113, 117, 120, 123, 125–26, 142, 147–48, 151–52, 161, 170, 183, 186, 229, 233, 235, 236–38, 242, 244, 246. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. Reprinted 2004.
- Judith S. Antonelli. "Journey to the Land." In In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah, pages 392–97. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995.
- W. Gunther Plaut. The Haftarah Commentary, pages 416–27. New York: UAHC Press, 1996.
- Ellen Frankel. The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah, pages 242–43. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996.
- Jacob Milgrom. "Lex Talionis and the Rabbis: The Talmud reflects an uneasy rabbinic conscience toward the ancient law of talion, 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth.'" Bible Review, volume 12 (number 2) (April 1996).
- Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities, pages 284–89. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997.
- Baruch A. Levine. Numbers 21–36, volume 4A, pages 509–79. New York: Anchor Bible, 2000.
- Dennis T. Olson. "Numbers." In The HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Edited by James L. Mays, pages 186–88. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, revised edition, 2000.
- Hara E. Person. "Boundaries and Limits." In The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 321–27. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000.
- Sarah Idit (Susan) Schneider. “The Daughters of Tzlafchad: Towards a Methodology of Attitude Around Women’s Issues.” In Torah of the Mothers: Contemporary Jewish Women Read Classical Jewish Texts. Edited by Ora Wiskind Elper and Susan Handelman, pages 155–69. New York and Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2000.
- Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, pages 58–63. New York: The Free Press, 2001.
- Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies, pages 374–81. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002.
- Michael Fishbane. The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot, pages 262–69. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002.
- Tikva Frymer-Kensky. "To the Barricades: Views against the Other." In Reading the Women of the Bible, pages 199–208. New York: Schocken Books, 2002. (Numbers 33:55–56.).
- Joseph Telushkin. The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life, pages 275–78. New York: Bell Tower, 2003.
- Robert Alter. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary, pages 852–66. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004.
- Nili S. Fox. "Numbers." In The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 349–55. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
- Pamela Barmash. “Blood Feud and State Control: Differing Legal Institutions for the Remedy of Homicide During the Second and First Millennia B.C.E.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies. Volume 63 (July 2004): pages 183–99.
- Jennifer Elkin Gorman. "Haftarat Ma'asei: Jeremiah 2:4–28; 3:4." In The Women's Haftarah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Haftarah Portions, the 5 Megillot & Special Shabbatot. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 206–09. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2004.
- Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 290–96. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2005.
- W. Gunther Plaut. The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition. Revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, pages 1117–38. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006.
- Jeffrey Stackert. “Why Does Deuteronomy Legislate Cities of Refuge? Asylum in the Covenant Collection (Exodus 21:12-14) and Deuteronomy (19:1-13).” Journal of Biblical Literature. Volume 125 (number 1) (Spring, 2006): pages 23–49.
- Suzanne A. Brody. "Gag Rule." In Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems, page 101. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007.
- Shai Cherry. "The Daughters of Zelophehad." In Torah Through Time: Understanding Bible Commentary, from the Rabbinic Period to Modern Times, pages 161–88. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2007.
- James L. Kugel. How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now, page 404. New York: Free Press, 2007.
- The Torah: A Women's Commentary. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss, pages 1013–36. New York: URJ Press, 2008.
- R. Dennis Cole. "Numbers." In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, pages 395–403. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009.
- Reuven Hammer. Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion, pages 243–47. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009.
- Amber Powers. "Hearing Ancient, Courageous Voices for Justice and Change: Parashat Masei (Numbers 33:1–36:13)." In Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 224–27. New York: New York University Press, 2009.
- Raymond Westbrook and Bruce Wells. "Property and Inheritance." In Everyday Law in Biblical Israel: An Introduction, pages 91–106. Westminster John KnoxPress, 2009.
- Jonathan P. Burnside. “Exodus and Asylum: Uncovering the Relationship between Biblical Law and Narrative.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 34 (number 3) (March 2010): pages 243–66. (Numbers 35:9–34).
- Terence E. Fretheim. "Numbers." In The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha: An Ecumenical Study Bible. Edited by Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, pages 239–45. New York: Oxford University Press, Revised 4th Edition 2010.
- The Commentators' Bible: Numbers: The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot. Edited, translated, and annotated by Michael Carasik, pages 238–54. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2011.
- Sarah Pearce. “Philo and the Temple Scroll on the Prohibition of Single Testimony.” In The Hebrew Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, edited by Nóra Dávid, Armin Lange, Kristin De Troyer, and Shani Tzoref, pages 321–26. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011.
- Calum Carmichael. "Reuben's Legacy (Numbers 32–36)." In The Book of Numbers: A Critique of Genesis, pages 159–78. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.
- Shmuel Herzfeld. "Rethinking Our Justice System." In Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons, pages 246–50. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012.
- Shlomo Riskin. Torah Lights: Bemidbar: Trials and Tribulations in Times of Transition, pages 269–302. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2012.
- Juliana Claassens. “‘Give us a portion among our father's brothers’: The Daughters of Zelophehad, Land, and the Quest for Human Dignity.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, volume 37 (number 3) (March 2013): pages 319–37.
- Eve Levavi Feinstein. “Num 35:34 and Other Biblical Texts on Land Pollution.” In Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible, pages 179–80. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Bill Rudolph. “Unifying Force: What Kind of Leader Do the Jewish People Really Want?” The Jerusalem Report, volume 26 (number 7) (July 27, 2015): page 47.
- Jonathan Sacks. Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, pages 233–37. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015.
- Jonathan Sacks. Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, pages 269–73. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016.
- Shai Held. The Heart of Torah, Volume 2: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, pages 185–95. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
- Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary, pages 144–46. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
- Jonathan Sacks. Numbers: The Wilderness Years: Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, pages 391–429. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2017.
- Pallant Ramsundar. “Biblical Mistranslations to 'Euphrates' and the Impact on the Borders of Israel.” American Journal of Biblical Theology (2019).
External links
Texts
- Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation
- Hear the parashah chanted Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
- Hear the parashah read in Hebrew
Commentaries
- Academy for Jewish Religion, New York
- Aish.com
- American Jewish University—Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
- Chabad.org
- Hadar Institute
- Jewish Theological Seminary
- MyJewishLearning.com
- Orthodox Union
- Pardes from Jerusalem
- Reconstructing Judaism
- Union for Reform Judaism
- United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
- Yeshiva University