Disciples of Moses

Parashat Bamidbar begins our study of the book of Numbers. Chapter one starts off with the LORD’s command to take a census of the males among the Children of Israel who are of the age to go into battle. Every male twenty years old and older was to be counted. The Torah then lists out the census results according to each tribe. In chapter two, after giving the results of the census, the LORD gives Moses instructions for how the Children of Israel would both encamp and how they would travel. The Tabernacle and the Levites would be surrounded by the entire army of Israel. The tribal legions would be a buffer of protection for both the priestly tribe and also the holy house in the event of a military engagement. Chapter three, however, begins entirely different:

These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. (Numbers 3:1–3)

Chapters three and four of the book of Numbers cover the responsibilities of the Levites for packing up and transporting the Tabernacle and its furnishings when traveling. However, the Torah introduces this topic in a unique manner. It begins by saying, “These are the generations of Aaron and Moses.” In the original Hebrew, the word for generations is toldot. As we have discussed previously, the primary meaning of the word toldot is offspring. But if this is the case, why does the Torah only discuss the sons of Aaron and is completely silent regarding the offspring of Moses?

The Rejection of Israel

The double portion of Behar-Bechukotai is the last reading in the book of Leviticus. And although the bulk of the book of Leviticus deals with laws of the sacrificial system and the inauguration of the levitical duties, it ends on quite a different tone. Parashat Bechukotai begins with a reminder that if the Children of Israel heed Hashem’s instructions and obey His commandments, they will be blessed. It begins, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them,” and is followed by a list of things that will happen as a result of their obedience. 

However, immediately following is a stern warning of what will happen if they refuse to obey his Torah and walk in His ways. This list of curses is nearly three times as long as the blessings for obedience. When reading this list of afflictions that will come upon the Israelites, it seems that God will be angry enough to wipe them off the face of the earth entirely. He tells them:

And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies' lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them. (Leviticus 26:38–39)

This seems to confirm what many within the church believe has happened: God has rejected Israel just as He promised. Because of a misunderstanding of Paul’s language in Romans 11, there are entire denominations within Christianity that believe and teach that the Jewish people have been forsaken by God due to their rejection of Yeshua as Messiah. They believe that the Jewish people are no longer the true people of God, and that they have been displaced by a “truer” people of God, namely Christians. But is this really what Paul meant? If so, this would contradict what the LORD had already promised in the Torah: