Nasso | נשא | "Take up "

Outline

| The Gershonites and Merarites

4:34 | Census of the Levites

5:1 | Unclean Persons

5:5 | Confession and Restitution

5:11 | Concerning an Unfaithful Wife

6:1 | The Nazirites

6:22 | The Priestly Benediction

7:1 | Offerings of the Leaders

Important Passages

Numbers 5:5–7 TLV

Adonai spoke to Moses saying, “Say to Bnei-Yisrael: Whenever a man or woman commits any sins against any person, thus breaking faith with Adonai, that soul bears guilt. That person is to confess the sin he has committed, make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it to the one he wronged.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Gershon (Person)

In the desert, the Gershonites are entrusted with two wagons (Num 7:7) for transporting the textile and skin components of the tabernacle (Num 3:25–26; 4:24–26) under the supervision of the family of Aaron, in particular Ithamar (Num 4:27–28). The number of male Gershonites is 7,500 (Num 3:22), 2,630 between the ages of thirty and fifty (Num 4:40). They camp on the E side of the tabernacle (Num 3:23). The prince of Gershon is Eliasaph the son of Lael (Num 3:24).

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Gershon, Gershonites

Among the Gershonites who achieved distinction in later Bib. times was the family of Asaph, the singers from the time of David to the days of the Second Temple (1 Ch 6:31–47; 25:1–7; 15:7, 17, 19; 16:5, 7; 2 Ch 35:15; Ezr 2:41; 3:10; Neh 11:17, 22; 12:35; 1 Ch 9:15). Other Gershonites named are the heads of the fathers’ houses in the days of David in connection with the dividing of the Levites into courses (1 Ch 23:7–11); the superintendents of the treasuries of the house of the Lord of the same time (1 Ch 26:21, 22; 29:8); and, finally, Gershonites are mentioned among those who cleansed the house of the Lord in the days of Hezekiah (2 Ch 29:12, 13).

From the Rebbe

From the Rebbe

From the Rebbe

“In this respect, the Gershonite families occupied a middle position. “This is the service of the Gershonite families: to minister and to carry” (). The Kehatites dealt with spiritual matters. Though the service of the Merarites was not intellectual work, when they were finished a house stood. They took a hammer and nails and built something. If the Merarites performed the heavy lifting, and the Kehatites dealt with the important, exalted matters, what was left for the Gershonites? The answer is that the Gershonites carried everything in between. They collected and folded all sorts of things, including various materials and ropes.”

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

“Needless to say, this distinction between people is not limited to Kehatites, Gershonites, and Merarites; it can be applied to almost anyone. Some people are like the Kehatites who carried the holy Ark, and tend to gravitate to roles of this type in all their undertakings. Whether they pursue these roles because of some inner stimulus, or a feeling that society, or their external reality, is pushing them in that direction, they know that they are going to be something special. When a person has a passion to become a Jewish leader – if not tomorrow then sometime in the future – this is because something burns within him and gives him strength to work hard to achieve his aspirations.”

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

“Others are like the Merarites; all they want is to be a decent person, a good worker, to do an honest day’s work and earn a living. They will never do anything out of the ordinary, because no one ever discusses matters of great importance with them. Such people could perhaps achieve more, but they remain within their limits. Many people prefer not to be appointed to high positions, but to just remain an ordinary worker, because in many respects this greatly simplifies one’s life.”

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

“The problem is in the case of the Gershonites. A Gershonite is not on such a level that he can put on tefillin in a state of ecstatic reverie. On the other hand, he is not one of the simple people whose lives are without delusions and without pretensions. The Gershonites cannot do the lofty work of the Kehatites, nor do they want to do it; on the other hand, they are not assigned the simple, menial work either. They are in the middle, torn between the two extremes. What happens to the middle person? He cannot live like the Merarites, because if he does so, it will eat him up inside. However, he is not really on the level of the Kehatites either.”

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

“This is often the tragedy of career-long assistants and subordinates. They have enough authority and intelligence to cause a headache, but on the other hand, they do not have enough power to make major decisions. ”

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

“The Torah tells the Gershonite that he may never reach the level of the Kehatites, who bear the Ark of the Covenant, for he is not cut out for that. The ease and tranquility of placing the boards on the wagon and accompanying them will likewise not be the lot of the Gershonite. Instead, the Gershonite must realize that his service will always include both service of love and service of carrying. That is his lifetime vocation.”

Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l

Excerpt From: Adin Steinsaltz. “Talks on the Parasha.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/BsmT9.l