Your Personal Trumpets? Also, Beha'alotecha Roundup
On my old blog, parshablog, I wrote about 44 posts about the sidra of Beha’alotecha, with the last roundup available here. There are two additional posts that were posted since then.
In 2012, וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר -- Pesach Rishon, Sheni, or the general case? I discuss just what the title discusses. It is an expansion of an idea stated briefly by Shadal, where the expansion is fleshing out what others say and thus what he’s reacting to. וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַה' כְּחֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח וּכְמִשְׁפָּטוֹ כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה חֻקָּה אַחַת יִהְיֶה לָכֶם וְלַגֵּר וּלְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ: Does this refer only to Pesach Sheini, since that is the immediate context? Second, does this refer to an opt-in of the korban, or a requirement, once he indeed becomes a ger. Shadal champions Rashi’s reading and disagrees with Mendelsohn.
In a 2016 post, The Perils of Expounding on Lashon Hara. Lashon hara is the topic because of Miriam speaking against Moshe and getting leprosy. I found a “Shmuz” disturbing. In what was a kvetch, it claimed that Miriam was simply consulting a halachic authority, namely the kohen gadol, to ask for advice. But because she was wrong, this very consultation was lashon hara for which she was punished! As I write: The problem here is that, in our present society, incorrect concerns of lashon hara and mesira are what allowed and allow sexual abuse of children to thrive. Some rabbis (correctly) say that one should report directly to police. The Agudah, in contrast, has said that there must be raglayim ladavar, and that one should consult a rabbi to determine this… Now this Shmuz comes along, where Miriam consulted with an halachic authority (the Kohain Gadol, a spiritual giant) to ask for advice, and was punished, because she was wrong, and if you're wrong, even this is lashon hara! Is it really a good to convince people that asking a shayla has problems, real or potential, of lashon hara?!
Here is an interesting Chizkuni on the sidra of Behaalotecha. The pasuk (Bemidbar 10:2) states:
עֲשֵׂ֣ה לְךָ֗ שְׁתֵּי֙ חֲצֽוֹצְרֹ֣ת כֶּ֔סֶף מִקְשָׁ֖ה תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֑ם וְהָי֤וּ לְךָ֙ לְמִקְרָ֣א הָֽעֵדָ֔ה וּלְמַסַּ֖ע אֶת־הַֽמַּחֲנֽוֹת׃
Have two silver trumpets made; make them of hammered work. They shall serve you to summon [military bodies of] the community and to set the divisions in motion.
and Chizkuni writes:
עשה לך לצרכך שלא תצטרך לשלוח אחריהם.
עשה לך שתי חצוצרות, “make yourself two trumpets, etc.” they were meant to be at Moses’ disposal at all times so that he would not have to send out to find someone who owned trumpets.
This English translation, by Eliyahu Munk, seems off.
Firstly, we need to ask what is bothering / motivating Chizkuni. That answer is that there is an occasional midrashim interpretation in which lecha means either “for your benefit” or “something that you decided to do for yourself.” Famous classic examples are Shelach lecha in which it was the people / Moshe who first suggested sending scouts; and Lech lecha which would be for Avraham’s benefit to relocate.
So, when he says עשה לך לצרכך, Chizkuni is tapping into that well established tradition, that lecha means for your needs and thus benefit.
The idea that it is to be Moshe’s personal property / disposal is not written there, at least not yet, and subject to further interpretation.
Next, what does שלא תצטרך לשלוח אחריהם, “so that you should not need to send after them”. The plural word them is ambiguous. Eliyahu Munk understands them as the trumpets, so the idea is that Moshe should have dominion over the trumpets (lecha), so that he won’t have to find out each time who walked off with them each time Moshe needs to employ the trumpets. This is… strange, and a strange idea for Chizkuni to express.
I believe the “them” being referenced are the eida, the congregation, or the military bodies thereof, who are being summoned to Moshe. That is, the next pasuk is:
וְתָקְע֖וּ בָּהֵ֑ן וְנֽוֹעֲד֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃
When both are blown in long blasts, the whole company [of fighters] shall assemble before you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting;
The idea is that Moshe could have send individual messengers to track down each of the eida. Alternatively, he could stay in place, put out a broadcast message, and the members of the eida would come to him. That is much more convenient!
Thus, שלא תצטרך לשלוח אחריהם, that you won’t have to send after them (the eida). Because of this convenience to Moshe, it was עשה לך לצרכך, that he was commanded to make it, for his own benefit.
This then has nothing to do with ownership or singular ownership. A better translation is therefore:
עשה לך לצרכך שלא תצטרך לשלוח אחריהם.
עשה לך [שתי חצוצרות], “make for yourself [two trumpets]” — for your own needs [or benefit, like other derashot on lecha]. So that you will not need to send out after them [the eida].
Sefaria lets you add your own translations, under Sefaria Community Translation. So I supplied it there:
