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Save "The inverted nuns - putting things back to their places"
The inverted nuns - putting things back to their places

God's first plan - to walk three days and to enter the Land of Israel - has not been thwarted yet. It is that moment, between tragedies, that Vayehi binsoa is found. The Talmud sets the stage for the importance of this piece, and why it is put here - between smaller disgraces. We read after it the cravings, and the episode with Aharon and Miriam, and after it the big problem: the scouts, this is next week. The other question is who is in the lead - Moshe or God. A possibility of conciliation is found in the midrash presented here. The midrash speaks to the "like complainers": the moments when we complain without having much to complain about, and to the relationship of beloved friend that one can have with God. The Zohar talks about love and separation. All these relationships can be had with God. See below for the conclusion.

(לה) וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה ה' וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ. (לו) וּבְנֻחֹה יֹאמַר שׁוּבָה ה' רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

(35) And it came to pass, when the ark set forth, that Moses said: ‘Rise up, O Ad-nai, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them that hate You flee before You.’

(36) And when it rested, he said:

‘Return, Ad-nai, to the

ten thousands of

the families of Israel.’

(במדבר י, לה) ויהי בנסוע הארון ויאמר משה פרשה זו עשה לה הקב"ה סימניות מלמעלה ולמטה לומר

Our Rabbis taught: 'And it came to pass when the ark set forward that Moses said, [etc.]': for this section the Holy One, blessed be He, provided signs above and below, to teach

שאין זה מקומה ר' אומר לא מן השם הוא זה אלא מפני שספר חשוב הוא בפני עצמו כמאן אזלא הא דא"ר שמואל בר נחמן א"ר יונתן (משלי ט, א) חצבה עמודיה שבעה אלו שבעה ספרי תורה כמאן כר' מאן תנא דפליג עליה דר' רשב"ג הוא דתניא רשב"ג אומר עתידה פרשה זו שתיעקר מכאן ותכתב במקומה ולמה כתבה כאן כדי להפסיק בין פורענות ראשונה לפורענות שנייה פורענות שנייה מאי היא (במדבר יא, א) ויהי העם כמתאוננים פורענות ראשונה (במדבר י, לג) ויסעו מהר ה' וא"ר חמא בר' חנינא שסרו מאחרי ה' והיכן מקומה אמר רב אשי בדגלים

that this is not its place. Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi] said: It is not on that account (due to God), but because it ranks as an important and separate Book on itself. With whom does the following saying, of R. Shmuel ben Nachmani in R. Yonatan's, name agree: "She [Wisdom] has hewn out her seven pillars: this refers to the seven Books of the Law." With whom? With Rabbi. [instead of five we get seven books of the Torah] Who is the Tanna that disagrees with Rabbi? It is R. Shimeon ben Gamliel. For it was taught, R. Shimeon b. Gamliel said: This section is destined to be removed from here and written in its [right place]. And why is it written here? In order to provide a break between the first [account of] punishment and the second [account of] punishment. What is the second [account of] punishment? — And the people were as murmurers, [etc.]. The first [account of] punishment? — And they moved away from the mount of the Lord (Bamidbar 10:33) which R. Chama ben Rav Chanina expounded [as meaning] that they turned away from following the Lord. And where is its [rightful] place? — In [the chapter on] the banners [Numbers 2].

In a Torah scroll that is 700 years old, the tradition appears - but in a very different place. The first inverted nun is in binsoa (when travelled) and the second is in the word k’miton’nim (as complainers) in the following pasuk (verse). The nun-break seems to be precisely where the break of the relationship happened - when Israel were "like complainers" - that is, looking for something to complain about.

(יח) עַל־פִּ֣י יי יִסְעוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעַל־פִּ֥י יי יַחֲנ֑וּ כָּל־יְמֵ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁכֹּ֧ן הֶעָנָ֛ן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן יַחֲנֽוּ׃ (יט) וּבְהַאֲרִ֧יךְ הֶֽעָנָ֛ן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְשָׁמְר֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת יי וְלֹ֥א יִסָּֽעוּ׃ (כ) וְיֵ֞שׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֧ה הֶֽעָנָ֛ן יָמִ֥ים מִסְפָּ֖ר עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן עַל־פִּ֤י יי יַחֲנ֔וּ וְעַל־פִּ֥י יי יִסָּֽעוּ׃

(18) At the command of Ad-nai the Israelites set forth, and at the command of Ad-nai they encamped: as long as the cloud rested upon the tabernacle they remained encamped. (19) And when the cloud stayed upon the tabernacle many days, then the Israelites kept the charge of Ad-nai, and didn't set forth. (20) And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; by Ad-nai's command they remained encamped; according to Ad-nai's command, they set forth.

(לג) וַיִּסְעוּ֙ מֵהַ֣ר ה' דֶּ֖רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וַאֲר֨וֹן בְּרִית־ה' נֹסֵ֣עַ לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם דֶּ֚רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֔ים לָת֥וּר לָהֶ֖ם מְנוּחָֽה׃

(33) They marched from the mountain of Ad-nai a distance of three days. The Ark of the Covenant of Ad-nai traveled in front of them on that three days’ journey to seek out a resting place for them

תָּא חֲזֵי, אֲרוֹנָא הֲוָה נָטַל קַמַּיְיהוּ אֹרֵחַ תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין, נ לָא הֲוָה מִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנֵּיהּ, וְנָטִיל עִמֵּיהּ. וּמִגּוֹ רְחִימוּ דִּלְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, אַהְדָּר אַנְפּוֹי וְאִסְתְּחַר מִלְּגַבֵּי אֲרוֹנָא, כְּהַאי אַיָּילָא דְּעָזַלְתָּא, כַּד אִיהוּ אָזִיל, אַהְדָּר אַפּוֹי לַאֲתָר דְּנָפִיק. וְעַל דָּא בִּנְסוֹעַ הָאָרוֹן, נוּ''ן אַסְחַר אַנְפִּין לָקֳבְלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכַתְפֵי גּוּפָא לְגַבֵּי אֲרוֹנָא.

Go and see, the Ark would travel with a distance of three days in front of them: the Shechinah (symbolized by the nun) would not separate herself from it, and would travel with it. And because of his love for Israel the nun turns its face and turns back to the Ark, similar to a young deer that keeps turning her face back to the place she left when she goes forth. Therefore when the Ark set forth, the nun turned her face towards the children of Israel and the shoulders of her body towards the Ark.

() וְעַל דָּא כַּד אֲרוֹנָא הֲוָה נָטִיל, מֹשֶׁה אָמַר קוּמָה יְיָ, לָא תִּשְׁבּוֹק לוֹן, אַהְדָּר אַנְפָּךְ לְגַבָּן, כְּדֵין נוּ''ן אִתְהַדָּר לְגַבַּיְיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּמַאן דִּמְהַדָּר אַנְפֵּיה לְמַאן דְּרָחִים, וְכַד הֲוָה שָׁארֵי אֲרוֹנָא (וישראל) לְמִשְׁרֵי, כְּדֵין אַהְדָּר נוּן אַנְפּוֹי מִיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִתְהַדָּר לְגַבֵּי אֲרוֹנָא, וּבְכֹלָּא אִתְהַדָּר.

And with this the Ark would set travel: Moshe would say: Rise up, Ad-nai - [means] ‘do not forsake us and turn Your face towards us’ then the nun turned its front backwards to us like this. Like one who turns his face to someone who loves him and that,when the Ark began to rest, she [the Shechinah] turned back her face from Israel and turned her face towards the Ark.

(א) ויהי בנסוע הארון. נקוד עליו מלמעלה ומלמטה, מפני שלא היה זה ממקומו. רבי אומר: מפני שהוא ספר בעצמו. מכאן אמרו "ספר שנמחק ונשתייר בו פ"ה אותיות כפרשת ויהי בנסוע הארון מטמא את הידים". ר' שמעון אומר: נקוד עליו מלמעלה ומלמטה, מפני שלא היה זה מקומו. ומה היה ראוי לכתוב? - "ויהי העם כמתאוננים". משל למה הדבר דומה? לבני אדם שאמרו למלך: הנראה שתגיע עמנו, אצל מושל עכו! הגיע לעכו - הלך לו לצור. הגיע לצור - הלך לו לצידון. הגיע לצידון - הלך לו לאנטוכיה. הגיע לאנטוכיה - התחילו בני אדם מתרעמים על המלך, שנתלבטו על דרך זו. המלך צריך להתרעם עליהם, שבשבילם נתלבט על דרך זו! כך הלכה שכינה בו ביום ל"ו מיל, כדי שיכנסו ישראל לארץ; התחילו ישראל מתרעמים לפני המקום שנתלבטו על דרך זו. המקום צריך להתרעם עליהם, שבשבילם הלכה שכינה ל"ו מיל, כדי שיכנסו ישראל לארץ! ויאמר משה קומה ה'. וכתוב אחד אומר (במדבר ט) "על פי ה' יחנו ועל פי ה' יסעו". כיצד יתקיימו ב' כתובים הללו? משל למלך בשר ודם, שאמר לעבדו: הנראה שתעמידני, בשביל שאני הולך ליתן ירושה לבני. ד"א: למה הדבר דומה? למלך בשר ודם, שהיה מהלך בדרך ונהג אוהבו עמו. כשהוא נוסע - אומר: איני נוסע עד שיבא אוהבי. וכשהוא חונה - אומר: איני חונה עד שיבא אוהבי. נמצאת מקיים "על פי ה' יחנו וע"פ ה' יסעו": קומה ה' ויפוצו אויביך - אלו המכונסים:

(1) "And it was, when the ark traveled"(Bamidbar 10:35): There are signs (inverted nuns) before (this verse) and after (the next verse). Rabbi says: Because it is a book in itself — whence they ruled: A [Torah] scroll which was erased, and there remained eighty-five letters, as in the section "And it was, when the ark traveled" [imparts tumah to the hands]. R. Shimon says: There are signs before and after because this is not its place. What should have been written [immediately]? "And the people were as complainers." (Bamidbar 11:1) An analogy: Some men say to the king: Would you please accompany us to the governor of Acco? They arrive at Acco — he has gone to Tyre. They arrive at Tyre — he has gone to Tziddon. They arrive at Tziddon — he has gone to Antochia. They arrive at Antochia — some of them start complaining against the king for having put them to all of this trouble! It is the king who should complain, for having been put to all of this trouble for their sakes! Similarly, on that day the Shechinah traveled a three-days journey, so that they could [immediately] enter Eretz Yisrael — and they began to complain before Him for having been put to all of that trouble! It is God (if anyone) who should have complained! For it was for their sakes that the Shechinah was thus constrained!

And Moses said, rise up, Ad-nai," and another verse says: "At Ad-nai's command they rested and at Ad-nai'scommand they journeyed".[How can these two verses be reconciled?] To what may this be compared? To a king who was going on a journey accompanied by his closest friend. When he resumes his journey he says: I shall not go forward until my friend gives the order, and when he halts he says: I shall not halt until my friend says he is ready to halt. This reconciles the verses "And Moses said, rise up, Ad-nai" and Ad-nai's command they rested and at command they journeyed."

All those relationships - leaders, friends, lovers, doubters, "too much work", - we can have with God in the journey of our lives. We too have an Ark in the synagogue and we too petition God to be present in our lives and we may ask Him to perform miracles - but there are no guarantees in our journey: we sometimes may not believe that God is with us or listens to our prayers. We can too easily get caught up in the ritual elements of our religion and forget that the physical Ark and the physical Torah scroll itself are just symbols - the purpose of religion is to help define our relationship with God, and to allow us to find voices that will reverberate at each of those moments.

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