What were the "Osos" to which the Torah is referring?
Rashi #1 and Targum Yonasan: They were a piece of cloth dyed the color of the tribe's stone in the Choshen Mishpat 1 (in the form of a flag that each tribe [or camp leader - Targum Yonasan] 2 hoisted) so that everyone would know where his tribe was.
Rashi #2 (citing the Tanchuma): "be'Osos le'Veis Avosam" refers to the instructions that Ya'akov gave his sons before he died, as to how they should carry his bier to Eretz Cana'an to be buried. 3
Ramban (citing the Ibn Ezra - citing 'Kadmoneinu'): On the flag of Reuven was the picture of a man, on which were patterned Duda'im (mandrakes); 4 On the flag of Yehudah was the picture of a lion; On the flag of Efrayim that of an ox; 5 and on the flag of Dan that of an eagle. 6
Hadar Zekenim: The flag of each tribe was the color of its stone [on the Choshen], and had the picture of the animal in its B'rachah 7 -. an ox for Yosef 8 , a gazelle for Naftoli ?
Ba?al ha?Turim: It refers to the hint that Ya?akov gave his sons as to who should be the four leaders of the Degalim ? the sons whom he addressed directly when he blessed them ? ?Re?uven Bechori Atah?; Yehudah, Atah Yoducha Achecha?; Yosef: ?me?Keil Avicha Veya?azreka?; Dan <i>?li?Yeshuscha Kivisi Hashem?.
See Sh'mos 28, 17-20.
Rashi: As to who should carry on the east, who on the west, who on the north and who on the south, as the following Pesukim go on to explain. Refer also to Bereishis, 50:12:1:1.
See Vayeitzei, Bereishis 30:14.
Ibn Ezra: Since Ya'akov compared Yehudah to a lion, and Moshe compared Yosef to an ox.
Ibn Ezra: All of this corresponds to the Keruvim which the Navi Yechezkel saw (in the opening chapter of his Seifer. This implies that only the leading tribe of each Degel actually had a flag, and this is also how Targum Yonason explains the Degalim - in Pesukim 10,18 & 25, only according to him, each leading Degel comprised the three flags of that particular camp. Refer to 2:2:6:1 and note. Refer also to 2:2:6:1 7
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Conferred upon it by Ya'akov in Parshas Vay'chi.
Based on this, the flags of Efrayim and Menasheh would have been the same. And what was on the flag of Shimon? (PF)
What is the meaning of "mi'Neged"?
Rashi and Rashbam: It means 'at a distance (of one Mil - two thousand Amos - Rashi)'. 1
Rashbam: It means 'at a distance'.
Rashi: Like it says in Yehoshua, 3:4. See also Ba'al ha'Turim. Sifsei Chachamim: And Moshe, Aharon and his sons and the Levi'im encamped within those two thousand Amos. See also Ba?al ha?Turim.
Why did they need to encamp specifically two thousand Amos (and not more) from the Mishkan?
Sifsei Chachamim (citing Midrash Rabah): To enable the people to come to the Mishkan on Shabbos (in order to Daven before the Aron. 1
Oznayim la'Torah: This teaches us that Davening in the vicinity of the Aron enhances one's Tefilah - and the same applies to Davenning in Shul nowadays.
What is the significance of the order of the four camps - Yehudah in the east, Reuven in the south, Efrayim in the west and Dan in the north?
Ramban: This is equivalent to the movement of the sun during the day 1 - It rises on the east 2 , and travels round the south to the west, before disappearing and (invisibly) crossing the earth on the north.
Which is called 'light' and befits Yehudah, the tribe of Malchus. The flag of Yehudah is therefore first, as the Pasuk writes in Michah, 2:13 "va'Ya'avor Malkam Lifneihem, va'Hashem be'Rosham". Refer also to 2:3:2:1.
What is the significance of the fact that they encamped "around the Ohel Mo'ed"?
Ramban (citing the Midrash Rabah): Just as Hashem created the four directions in the world, so did He surround His Throne with four Chayos 1 (one of the highest form of angel), based on which He taught Moshe about the four camps. 2
Oznayim la'Torah (citing the Midrash Rabah): When Yisrael saw the twenty-two thousand angels, divided into four camps 3 that came down to Har Sinai surrounding the Kisei ha'Kavod, they wanted to emulate them, and Hashem granted their request. 4
See also Ba'al ha'Turim.
This seems to be synonymous with the Midrash which the Ramban himself cites at the end of the Pasuk, which refers to the four camps of Mal'achim - "Micha'el on my right, Gavriel on my left, in front of me Uriel and behind me Refael".
As the Pasuk writes in Tehilim, 20:6 "Yemalei Hashem Kol Mish'alosecha'. See Oznayim la'Torah, who elaborates.
Why does the Torah go into such detail in connection with the four camps?
How many flags were there, what were they made out of and how were they arranged?
Targum Yonasan: There were four silk flags ? one for each camp, which were placed by the leading tribe of each of the four camps ? Yehudah, Re'uven, Efrayim and Dan, flanked by the two tribes that made up the Machaneh. Each flag comprised three sections ? representing the three tribes that comprised the Machneh, 1 colored in accordance with the stone of that tribe on the Choshen, and the name of the father of the tribe was emblazoned on it whilst in the middle of the flag was written an appropriate Pasuk 2 and a picture 3 that represented the four images on the Kisei ha'Kavod. 4
See also Rashi, 1:52, and Oznayim la'Torah, who concludes that this is the opinion of the Midrashim, and who elaborates.
Targum Yonasan: Yehudah: "Kumah Hashem, "Veyafutzu Oyvecha ... ". Reuven: "Sh'ma Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu ... "; Efrayim: "va'Anan Hashem aleihem Yomam be'Nas'am min ha'Machaneh"; Dan: "u've'Nuchoh Yomar 'Shuvah Hashem Riv'vos Alfei Yisrael".
Targum Yonasan: Yehudah: A lion; Reuven: A young gazelle (instead of a young calf ? in order to avoid reminding Hashem of the sin of the Golden Calf); Efrayim: A child (See Peirush Yonasan); Dan: A snake.(See Peirush Yonasan).
See Na'ar Yonasan, who elaborates on all of the above.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes that they encamped one Mil from the Mishkan, so they could come on Shabbos. But this does not apply here, since Yisrael encamped around the Mishkan on all four sides and the Ananei ha'Kavod surrounded them - rendering it a R'shus ha'Yachid - like a closed city, so there was no issue of Techumim?
Moshav Zekenim: Rashi means that in Seifer Yehoshua it was a Mil away, so they would be BLE to come on Shabbos - because then, the Ananei ha'Kavod did not surround them.
