Shabbat Parashat Chukat/Balak - 5783

Rabbi Hal Miller

The children of Israel, the entire assembly, arrived at the wilderness of Tzin in

the first month and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and she

was buried there. [Bamidbar 20:1]

Our verse seems redundant. "The children of Israel" is an all-inclusive description

so what does the additional phrase "the entire assembly" add? The Torah in a

number of places says "the entire assembly of the children of Israel", which would

clearly mean 'everyone', but this is one of only a couple times when it reverses that

order. There must be a different meaning here.

Rav Hirsch tells us that "It can hardly mean that all the people came and none stayed

behind. It could have just said 'the children of Israel arrived' without the word 'entire'

and meant the same thing."

Rashi looks at the other places we see something similar and notes they refer to

everyone who happens to be there, for whatever purpose might be ongoing. But

here, at this point, all of the generation that left Egypt and was doomed to die in

the desert has now died. Therefore the "whole assembly" here refers to those who

were "set apart for life", those who would enter the promised land.

Ramban asks on Rashi, if so, what was the need to say this again at Mount Hor?

Therefore Ramban says that this refers to the entire assembly complaining

against Moshe and God. The uses of the phrase are linked with complaints.

Rav Hirsch, after above questioning the need for the phrase, gives his answer. The

people were now united in a common destiny. Those whose destiny was different

had already died, so their destiny was fulfilled. Everyone left was about to enter

together into a new future in the land.

Hal Miller