Naso (parsha)

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Naso or Nasso (נשא — Hebrew for "lift up,” the sixth word, and the first distinctive word, in the parshah) is the 35th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the second in the book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 4:21–7:89. Naso is the longest of the 54 weekly Torah portions, with 176 verses. Jews in the Diaspora generally read it in late May or June.

The parshah addresses priestly duties, purifying the camp, the wife accused of unfaithfulness (sotah), the nazirite, the priestly blessing, and consecrating the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle and the Camp

[edit] Summary

[edit] Priestly duties

God told Moses to take a census of the Gershonites between 30 and 50 years old, who were subject to service for the Tabernacle. (Num. 4:21–23.) The Gershonites had the duty, under the direction of Aaron’s son Ithamar, to carry the cloths of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting with its covering, the covering of tachash skin on top of it, the screen for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, the hangings of the enclosure, the screen at the entrance of the gate of the enclosure surrounding the Tabernacle, the cords thereof, the altar, and all their service equipment and accessories. (Num. 4:24–28.)

Moses was also to take a census of the Merarites between 30 and 50 years old. (Num. 4:29–30.) The Merarites had responsibility, under the direction of Ithamar, for the planks, the bars, the posts, and the sockets of the Tabernacle, and the posts around the enclosure and their sockets, pegs, and cords. (Num. 4:31–33.)

Moses, Aaron, and the chieftains thus recorded the Levites age 30 to 50 as follows:

Kohathites: 2,750,
Gershonites: 2,630, and
Merarites: 3,200,

for a total of 8,580. (Num. 4:34–39.)

[edit] Purifying the camp

God directed the Israelites to remove from camp anyone with an eruption or a discharge and anyone defiled by a corpse, so that they would not defile the camp. (Num. 5:1–4.)

God told Moses to direct the Israelites that when one wronged a fellow Israelite, thus breaking faith with God, and realized his guilt, he was to confess the wrong and make restitution to the one wronged in the principal amount plus one-fifth. (Num. 5:5–7.) If the one wronged had no kinsman to whom restitution could be made, the amount repaid was to go to the priest, along with a ram of expiation. (Num. 5:8.) Similarly, any gift among the sacred donations that the Israelites offered was to be the priest's to keep. (Num. 5:9–10.)

[edit] The wife accused of unfaithfulness

God told Moses to instruct the Israelites about the test where a husband, in a fit of jealousy, accused his wife of being unfaithful — the ritual of the sotah. (Num. 5:11–14.) The man was to bring his wife to the priest, along with barley flour as a meal offering of jealousy. (Num. 5:15.) The priest was to dissolve some earth from the floor of the Tabernacle into some sacral water in an earthen vessel. (Num. 5:17.) The priest was to bare the woman’s head, place the meal offering on her hands, and adjure the woman: if innocent, to be immune to harm from the water of bitterness, but if guilty, to be cursed to have her thigh sag and belly distend. (Num. 5:18–21.) And the woman was to say, “Amen, amen!” (Num. 5:22.) The priest was to write these curses down, rub the writing off into the water of bitterness, and make the woman drink the water. (Num. 5:23–24.) The priest was to elevate the meal offering, present it on the altar, and burn a token part of it on the altar. (Num. 5:25–26.) If she had broken faith with her husband, the water would cause her belly to distend and her thigh to sag, and the woman was to become a curse among her people, but if the woman was innocent, she would remain unharmed and be able to bare children. (Num. 5:27–29.)

grapes, forbidden to the nazirite

[edit] The nazirite

turtledove

God told Moses to instruct the Israelites about the vows of a nazirite (nazir), should one wish to set himself or herself apart for God. (Num. 6:1–2.) The nazirite was to abstain from wine, intoxicants, vinegar, grapes, raisins, or anything obtained from the grapevine. (Num. 6:3–4.) No razor was to touch the nazirite’s head until the completion of the nazirite term. (Num. 6:5.) And the nazirite was not to go near a dead person, even a father, mother, brother, or sister. (Num. 6:6–8.)

If a person died suddenly near a nazirite, the nazirite was to shave his or her head on the seventh day. (Num. 6:9.) On the eighth day, the nazirite was to bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest, who was to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. (Num. 6:10–11.) That same day, the nazirite was to reconsecrate his or her head, rededicate the Nazirite term, and bring a lamb in its first year as a penalty offering. (Num. 6:11–12.)

On the day that a nazirite completed his or her term, the nazirite was to be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and present a male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, a ewe lamb in its first year for a sin offering, a ram for an offering of well-being, a basket of unleavened cakes, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and meal offerings. (Num. 6:13–15.) The priest was to present the offerings, and the nazirite was to shave his or her consecrated hair and put the hair on the fire under the sacrifice of well-being. (Num. 6:16–18.)

the positioning of the fingers of the Kohanim during the Priestly Blessing

[edit] The priestly blessing

God told Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons that they should bless the Israelites with this blessing: “The Lord bless you and protect you! The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!” (Num. 6:22–27.)

[edit] Consecrating the Tabernacle

Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, and anointed and consecrated it, its furnishings, the altar, and its utensils. (Num. 7:1.) The chieftains of the tribes then brought their offerings — 6 draught carts and 12 oxen — and God told Moses to accept them for use by the Levites in the service of the Tent of Meeting. (Num. 7:2–5.) The chieftains then each on successive days brought the same dedication offerings for the altar: a silver bowl and silver basin filled with flour mixed with oil, a gold ladle filled with incense, a bull, 2 oxen, 6 rams, 6 goats, and 6 lambs. (Num. 7:10–88.)

When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with God, Moses would hear the Voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the [ark of the Covenant|ark] between the two cherubim, and thus God spoke to him. (Num. 7:88.)

[edit] In classical rabbinic interpretation

[edit] Numbers chapter 4

A midrash noted that God ordered the Kohathites counted first in Numbers 4:1 and only thereafter ordered the Gershonites counted in Numbers 4:21, even though Gershon was the firstborn and Scripture generally honors the firstborn. The midrash taught that Scripture gives Kohath precedence over Gershon because the Kohathites bore the ark that carried the Torah. (Numbers Rabbah 6:1.) Similarly, another midrash taught that God ordered the Kohathites counted first because Kohath was most holy, for Aaron the priest — who was most holy — descended from Kohath, while Gershon was only holy. But the midrash taught that Gershon did not forfeit his status as firstborn, because Scripture uses the same language, “Lift up the head of the sons of,” with regard to Kohath in Numbers 4:2 and with regard to Gershon in Numbers 4:22. And Numbers 4:22 says “they also” with regard to the Gershonites so that one should not suppose that the Gershonites were numbered second because they were inferior to the Kohathites; rather Numbers 4:22 says “they also” to indicate that the Gershonites were also like the Kohathites in every respect, and the Kohathites were placed first in this connection as a mark of respect to the Torah. In other places (for example, Genesis 46:11, Exodus 6:16, Numbers 3:17 and 26:57, and 1 Chronicles 6:1 and 23:6), however, Scripture places Gershon before Kohath. (Numbers Rabbah 6:2.)

A midrash noted that in Numbers 4:1 “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron” to direct them to count the Kohathites and in Numbers 4:21 “the Lord spoke to Moses” to direct him to count the Gershonites, but Numbers 4:29 does not report that “the Lord spoke” to direct them to count the Merarites. The midrash deduced that Numbers 4:21 employed the words “the Lord spoke” so as to give honor to Gershon as the firstborn, and to give him the same status as Kohath. The midrash then noted that Numbers 4:1 reported that God spoke “to Aaron” with regard to the Kohathites but Numbers 4:21 did not report communication to Aaron with regard to the Gershonites. The midrash taught that God excluded Aaron from all Divine communications to Moses and that passages that mention Aaron do not report that God spoke to Aaron, but include Aaron’s name in sections that concern Aaron to indicate that God spoke to Moses so that he might repeat what he heard to Aaron. Thus Numbers 4:1 mentions Aaron regarding the Kohathites because Aaron and his sons assigned the Kohathites their duties, since (as Numbers 4:15 relates) the Kohathites were not permitted to touch the ark or any of the vessels until Aaron and his sons had covered them. In the case of the Gershonites, however, the midrash finds no evidence that Aaron personally interfered with them, as Ithamar supervised their tasks, and thus Numbers 4:21 does not mention Aaron in connection with the Gershonites. (Numbers Rabbah 6:5.)

A midrash noted that in Numbers 4:2 and Numbers 4:22, God used the expression “lift up the head” to direct counting the Kohathites and Gershonites, but in Numbers 4:29, God does not use that expression to direct counting the Merarites. The midrash deduced that God honored the Kohathites on account of the honor of the ark and the Gershonites because Gershon was a firstborn. But since the Merarites neither cared for the ark nor descended from a firstborn, God did not use the expression “lift up the head.” (Numbers Rabbah 6:4.)

A midrash taught that the Levites camped on the four sides of the Tabernacle in accordance with their duties. The midrash explained that from the west came snow, hail, cold, and heat, and thus God placed the Gershonites on the west, as Numbers 3:25 indicates that their service was “the tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting,” which could shield against snow, hail, cold, and heat. The midrash explained that from the south came the dew and rain that bring blessing to the world, and there God placed the Kohathites, who bore the ark that carried the Torah, for as Leviticus 26:3–4 and 15–19 teach, the rains depend on the observance of the Torah. The midrash explained that from the north came darkness, and thus the Merarites camped there, as Numbers 4:31 indicates that their service was the carrying of wood (“the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof”) which Jeremiah 10:8 teaches counteract idolatrous influences when it says, “The chastisement of vanities is wood.” And the midrash explained that from the east comes light, and thus Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped there, because they were scholars and men of pious deeds, bringing atonement by their prayer and sacrifices. (Numbers Rabbah 3:12.)

A midrash noted that in Numbers 4:2 and Numbers 4:29, for the Kohathites and the Merarites, the sequence is “by their families, by their fathers houses,” whereas in Numbers 4:22, for the Gershonites, “their fathers’ houses” precedes “their families.” The midrash deduced that this is so because the importance of the Gershonites comes from their fathers’ house, as Gershon was the firstborn. (Numbers Rabbah 6:4.)

In a dispute with Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Jose cited Numbers 4:26 for Rabbi Jose’s view that as the tabernacle was 10 cubits high (roughly 15 feet high), so the altar was 10 cubits high. (Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 59b.)

Rav Hamnuna taught that God’s decree that the generation of the spies would die in the wilderness did not apply to the Levites, for Numbers 14:29 says, “your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from 20 years old and upward,” and this implies that those who were numbered from 20 years old and upward came under the decree, while the tribe of Levi — which Numbers 4:3, 23, 30, 35, 39, 43, and 47 say was numbered from 30 years old and upward — was excluded from the decree. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 121b.)

A midrash noted that Numbers 4:3, 23, 30, 35, 39, 43, and 47 say that Levites “30 years old and upward” did service in the tent of meeting, while Numbers 8:24 says, “from 25 years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service in the work of the tent of meeting.” The midrash deduced that the difference teaches that all those five years, from the age of 25 to the age of 30, Levites served apprenticeships, and from that time onward they were allowed to draw near to do service. The midrash concluded that a Levite could not enter the Temple courtyard to do service unless he had served an apprenticeship of five years. And the midrash inferred from this that students who see no sign of success in their studies within a period of five years will never see any. Rabbi Jose said that students had to see success within three years, basing his position on the words “that they should be nourished three years” in Daniel 1:5. (Numbers Rabbah 6:3.)

A midrash inferred from the words “from 30 years old . . . every one that entered upon the service” in Numbers 4:35 that a man attains his full strength at age 30. (Numbers Rabbah 6:7; see also Mishnah Avot 5:21.)

Belvati in the name of Rabbi Johanan derived the Levite’s obligation to sing songs while offering sacrifices from the words of Numbers 4:47, “to do the work of service.” Belvati reasoned that the work that requires service is the song. (Babylonian Talmud Arakhin 11a.)

[edit] Numbers chapter 5

The Mishnah interpreted the requirements of Numbers 5:8 regarding restitution where the victim died without kin to apply as well to where a proselyte victim died. The wrongdoer would have to pay the priests the principal plus 20 percent and bring a trespass offering to the altar. If the wrongdoer died bringing the money and the offering to Jerusalem, the money was to go to the wrongdoer’s heirs, and the offering was to be kept on the pasture until it became blemished, when it was to be sold and the proceeds were to go to the fund for freewill offerings. But if the wrongdoer had already given the money to the priest and then died, the heirs could not retrieve the funds, for Numbers 5:10 provides that “whatever any man gives to the priest shall be his.” (Mishnah Bava Kamma 9:11–12; Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 110a.)

Numbers 6:3–10 in Hebrew alternating with the Aramaic Targum Onkelos in a 12th century manuscript from the British Library

Tractate Sotah in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the woman accused of being unfaithful (sotah) in Numbers 5:11–31. (Mishnah Sotah 1:1–9:15; Tosefta Sotah 1:1–15:15; Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 2a–49b.)

Reading the report of Exodus 32:20 that Moses “took the calf . . . ground it to powder, and sprinkled it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink it,” the Sages interpreted that Moses meant to test the Israelites much as the procedure of Numbers 5:11–31 tested a wife accused of adultery (sotah). (Babylonian Talmud Avodah Zarah 44a.)

[edit] Numbers chapter 6

Tractate Nazir in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the nazirite (nazir) in Numbers 6:1–21. (Mishnah Nazir 1:1–9:5; Tosefta Nazir 1:1–6:6; Jerusalem Talmud Nazir 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Nazir 2a–66b.)

Rav Havivi (or some say Rav Assi) of Hozna'ah said to Rav Ashi that a Tanna taught that Aaron first said the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:22–27 on “the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month” (Ex. 40:17, the first of Nisan), the same day that Moses erected the Tabernacle (as reported in Numbers 7:1), and the same day that the princes brought their first offerings (as reported in Numbers 7:2–3). (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 87b.)

[edit] Numbers chapter 7

Noting the similarity of language between “This is the sacrifice of Aaron” in Leviticus 6:13 and “This is the sacrifice of Nahshon the son of Amminadab” and each of the other princes of the 12 tribes in Numbers 7:17–83, the Rabbis concluded that Aaron’s sacrifice was as beloved to God as the sacrifices of the princes of the 12 tribes. (Leviticus Rabbah 8:3.)

[edit] Commandments

According to Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 7 positive and 11 negative commandments in the parshah.

To send the impure from the Temple (Num. 5:2.)
Impure people must not enter the Temple. (Num. 5:3.)
To repent and confess wrongdoings (Num. 5:7.)
To fulfill the laws of the sotah (Num. 5:11–15.)
Not to put oil on the sotah’s meal offering (Num. 5:15.)
Not to put frankincense on the sotah’s meal offering (Num. 5:15.)
The nazarite must not drink wine, wine mixtures, or wine vinegar. (Num. 6:3.)
The nazarite must not eat fresh grapes. (Num. 6:3.)
The nazarite must not eat raisins. (Num. 6:3.)
The nazarite must not eat grape seeds. (Num. 6:4.)
The nazarite must not eat grape skins. (Num. 6:4.)
The nazarite must not cut his or her hair. (Num. 6:5.)
The nazarite must let his or her hair grow. (Num. 6:5.)
The nazarite must not be under the same roof as a corpse. (Num. 6:6.)
The nazarite must not come into contact with the dead. (Num. 6:7.)
The nazarite must shave after bringing sacrifices upon completion of the nazirite period. (Num. 6:9.)
The Kohanim must bless the Jewish nation daily. (Num. 6:23.)
The Levites must transport the ark on their shoulders. (Num. 7:9.)

The Offer of Manoah (painting by Rembrandt)

(Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 4:2–79. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1988. ISBN 0-87306-457-7.)

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is Judges 13:2–25, the story of the birth of Samson, the nazirite. Samson proceeds to break all aspects of the nazirite vow, such as drinking wine (Judges 14:10) and touching a dead body (Judges 14:8–9). Goswell argues that "the conjoining of these two passages suggests that we cannot understand the career and failings of Samson without attention to his Nazirite status." (Gregory Goswell, "The Hermeneutics of the Haftarot," Tyndale Bulletin 58 (2007): 95.)

[edit] In the liturgy

The Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 is reflected in the closing prayer for peace of the Amidah prayer in each of the three prayer services. (Reuven Hammer. Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, 9. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003. ISBN 0916219208.)

[edit] Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

[edit] Biblical

Judges 13:2–25 (Samson the nazirite); 16:17 (Samson the nazirite).
1 Samuel 1 (Samuel the nazirite).
Ezekiel 1:5–14 (cherubim); 10:1–22 (cherubim).
Amos 2:11–12 (nazirites).

Philo

Psalms 18:11 (cherubim); 20:4 (burnt offerings); 21:7 (blessing of God’s presence); 37:5–6 (God vindicates the just cause); 40:7 (sacrifices); 50:3–23 (sacrifices of thanksgiving); 51:16–19 (sacrifices); 66:13–15 (burnt offerings); 67:2 (God be gracious; God’s face to shine); 76:3 (God’s dwelling); 80:4 (God’s face to shine); 85:11 (peace); 99:1 (cherubim); 109:18 (curse entering body like water); 121:7 (the Lord keep you); 134:3 (the Lord bless you); 141:2 (incense).

[edit] Early nonrabbinic

Philo. Allegorical Interpretation 1:7:17; Allegorical Interpretation 3:3:8, 51:148; On the Cherubim 5:14, 17; On the Unchangableness of God 19:87, 89; On Husbandry 40:174; Concerning Noah's Work as a Planter 25:108; Who Is the Heir of Divine Things? 41:195; On Mating with the Preliminary Studies 21:114; On Dreams, That They Are God-Sent 2:4:25; The Special Laws 1:46:254. Alexandria, Egypt, early 1st Century C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge, 26, 51, 67, 81, 165, 189, 200, 292, 314, 389, 558. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1993. ISBN 0-943575-93-1.

Josephus

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:11:1, 3, 6; 4:4:4. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 96–97, 106–07. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.

[edit] Classical rabbinic

Mishnah: Challah 1:6, 4:11; Orlah 1:7–8; Megillah 3:6, 4:10; Moed Katan 3:1; Nazir 1:1–9:5; Sotah 1:1–7:1, 7:6; Bava Kamma 9:11–12; Makkot 3:7–10; Avodah Zarah 5:9; Menachot 3:5–6, 5:3, 5:6, 6:1, 6:5; Chullin 13:10; Meilah 3:2; Tamid 7:2; Middot 2:5; Negaim 14:4; Parah 1:4. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 75, 149, 158, 160, 321, 324, 327, 430–66, 525, 618, 672, 739, 742–44, 764, 855–56, 871, 876, 1010, 1014. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
Tosefta: Demai 2:7; Maaser Sheni 3:11; Challah 2:8; Pisha (Pesachim) 8:9; Shekalim 3:26; Nedarim 1:1; Nazir 1:1–6:6; Sotah 1:1–15:15; Gittin 2:7; Bava Kamma 10:17–18; Makkot 3:5; Negaim 1:12; 4:12. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:85, 313, 339, 510, 538, 785, 807–93, 901; 2:1013, 1207, 1712, 1725. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
Sifre to Numbers 1–58. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., Sifré to Numbers: An American Translation and Explanation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:47–230. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986. ISBN 1-55540-008-6.
Sifra 45:1; 46:1; 47:1; 50:1; 51:2; 55:1; 63:2; 66:1; 77:1; 79:1; 81:1; 85:1; 87:1; 95:1; 101:1; 105:1; 188:3; 213:1; 230:1. Land of Israel, 4th Century C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., Sifra: An Analytical Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:255, 259, 265, 273, 277, 292, 318, 332; 2:29, 37, 43–44, 57–58, 63, 97, 145, 158–59; 3:55, 175, 237. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988. Vol. 1 ISBN 1-55540-205-4. Vol. 2 ISBN 1-55540-206-2. Vol. 3 ISBN 1-55540-207-0.
Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon 10:1; 58:1; 83:1. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai. Translated by W. David Nelson, 29, 259, 375. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2006. ISBN 0-8276-0799-7.

Talmud

Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 15b, 19a–b, 20b, 31b, 40b, 63a; Shabbat 13a, 28a, 50b, 71b, 87b, 92a, 116a, 118b, 132a, 139a; Eruvin 13a–b, 26b, 58a, 104b; Pesachim 19a, 23a, 31a, 35a, 41b, 43a–b, 45a, 66b–67a, 79a, 80b, 81b, 95b, 110a; Yoma 4b, 16a, 37a–b, 47a, 61b, 76b; Sukkah 6a, 28a, 42a, 53b; Beitzah 20a, 35b; Rosh Hashanah 17b; Taanit 11a, 17a, 21b, 26b; Megillah 3b, 8b, 18a, 20b, 23a–b, 25a, 28b, 29b, 30b–31a; Moed Katan 9a, 13b, 15a, 17b, 18b, 19b, 25b; Chagigah 6a, 9a, 10a, 16a, 23b–24a; Yevamot 5a, 7a, 11a–b, 38b, 46a, 49b, 55b, 56b, 58a, 61b, 84b–85b, 95a–b, 100b; Ketubot 9a, 15b, 19a, 24b, 45b, 51b, 71a, 72a, 74a, 81a, 82a; Nedarim 3a, 4a, 9b–10a, 18a, 66b, 73a, 82b–83a; Nazir 2a–66b; Sotah 2a–49b; Gittin 37a, 60a; Kiddushin 15a, 27b, 35a, 36b, 57b, 62a, 80b; Bava Kamma 15a, 40b, 91b, 103b, 105a–06a, 109a–10b, 111a; Bava Batra 121b; Sanhedrin 10b, 16b, 22b, 32b, 35a, 45a, 66a, 68b, 86a, 87a; Makkot 11a–b, 13b, 14b–15a, 17a, 18b, 20b–21b, 22b; Shevuot 5a, 6b, 8a, 13a, 14b–15a, 16a, 17a–b, 22a–23a, 27b–28a, 29b, 32a, 33b, 35b–36a, 37a, 39a, 48b–49a; Avodah Zarah 6b, 17a, 44a, 74a; Horayot 9a, 12b; Zevachim 4b, 6b, 8a, 9b, 23b, 33b, 36a, 44b, 48b, 54b–55a, 59b, 88a, 89b–90b, 100a, 101b, 117a–b; Menachot 2a, 3a, 4a–b, 8a–b, 16a, 18a–19b, 27a, 34a, 44a, 46b–47a, 48b, 50a, 55b, 57b, 59a, 60b, 68b, 72b, 78a, 84b, 88a–b, 91a–b, 92b, 95b, 103a, 109a; Chullin 9b, 24b, 41b, 49a, 82b, 88b, 89b, 98a, 131a, 133a–b, 134b, 141a; Arakhin 11a, 21a, 28b, 34a; Temurah 2b, 10a, 12b, 34a; Keritot 2b, 4a, 9a–b, 10b, 12b, 13b, 24a, 25b–26a, 27b; Meilah 11a, 18a, 19a; Tamid 33b; Niddah 3a, 28b–29a, 46a, 48b, 52a, 68b, 70b. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

Rashi

[edit] Medieval

Rashi. Commentary. Numbers 4–7. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 4:35–85. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89906-029-3.
Judah Halevi. Kuzari. 2:26; 3:53. Toledo, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 105, 181. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.

Maimonides

Numbers Rabbah 1:1; 2:10; 3:12; 4:19–20; 6:1–14:22; 15:3, 5, 8; 18:3, 20–21; 20:19; 21:12; 22:4. 12th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Numbers. Translated by Judah J. Slotki, 5:8, 36, 90, 119, 124, 138, 157–484; 6:485–641, 644, 646, 649, 710, 732, 735, 810, 838, 856. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, 1:37, 61; 3:33, 46, 47, 48. Cairo, Egypt, 1190. Reprinted in, e.g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, 53, 90–91, 327, 364, 366, 370, 372. New York: Dover Publications, 1956. ISBN 0-486-20351-4.
Zohar 1:120b, 199b, 211a, 248a; 2:6a, 24b, 75b, 79b, 107b, 140b, 221b; 3:38a, 121a–148b, 189a. Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g, The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.

[edit] Modern

Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, Review & Conclusion. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 725. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
I. Mendelsohn. “The Family in the Ancient Near East.” Biblical Archaeologist. 11 (2) (1948).
H.C. Brichto. “The Case of the Sota and a Reconsideration of Biblical ‘Law.’” Hebrew Union College Annual. 46 (1975): 55–70.
Roland de Vaux. “Was There an Israelite Amphictyony?” Biblical Archaeology Review. 3 (2) (June 1977).
Jacob Milgrom. “The Case of the Suspected Adulteress, Numbers 5:11–31: Redaction and Meaning.” In The Creation of Sacred Literature. Edited by Richard E. Friedman, 69–75. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1981. ISBN 0520096371.
Jacob Milgrom. “The Chieftain’s Gifts: Numbers, Chapter 7,” Hebrew Annual Review. 9 (1985): 221–225.
Tikva Frymer-Kensky. “The Trial Before God of an Accused Adulteress.” Bible Review. 2 (3) (Fall 1986).
Jacob Milgrom. The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation, 30–59, 343–66. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990. ISBN 0-8276-0329-0.
Baruch A. Levine. Numbers 1–20, 4:163–266. New York: Anchor Bible, 1993. ISBN 0-385-15651-0.
Mary Douglas. In the Wilderness: The Doctrine of Defilement in the Book of Numbers, xix, 84, 103, 108–11, 120–21, 123–24, 126, 129, 137, 147–49, 151, 158, 160, 168, 170, 175, 180–81, 186, 199, 201, 232. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. Reprinted 2004. ISBN 0-19-924541-X.
Jacob Milgrom. “A Husband’s Pride, A Mob’s Prejudice: The public ordeal undergone by a suspected adulteress in Numbers 5 was meant not to humiliate her but to protect her.” Bible Review. 12 (4) (Aug. 1996).
William H.C. Propp. “Insight: Was Samuel a Naz[i]rite?” Bible Review 14 (4) (Aug. 1998).