{"id":75022,"date":"2020-05-21T12:05:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T09:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=75022"},"modified":"2020-05-21T12:05:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T09:05:20","slug":"bamidbar-tribal-symbols-and-identities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/bamidbar-tribal-symbols-and-identities\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamidbar: Tribal Symbols and Identities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Illustration for Numbers chapter 2:<\/p>\n

Moses and Aaron are told to arrange the Israelite encampment according to a divine plan: \u201cThe Israelites shall camp each with his standard, under the banner of their ancestral house; they shall camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance\u201d (Num. 2:2). How was the encampment set up? How can we discern the appearance of the tribes\u2019 standards as they are not described in the text?<\/span><\/p>\n

My painting for <\/span>Parashat Ba-midbar<\/span><\/i> suggests answers to both these questions. The \u00a0portrayals, which seem to be modeled on the fourteenth-century <\/span>Duke of Sussex Pentateuch<\/span><\/i> tradition and later illustrated <\/span>ketubot<\/span><\/i> (marriage contracts) and synagogue decorations, reflect Jacob\u2019s blessings to his sons from the Book of Genesis. The individual images are arranged in the order of the encampment, divided into four sections, each one displaying one large banner representing the major tribe of the section and two smaller ones for the two associated minor tribes.<\/span><\/p>\n

From right to left, we first meet the camp of Judah, on the east side of the Tabernacle. Its emblem \u00a0is a lion: \u201cJudah is a lion\u2019s whelp\u201d (Gen. 49:9). Under it are the banners of the other two tribes. Issachar\u2019s is a donkey: \u201cIssachar is a strong boned ass\u201d (Gen. 49:14), and Zebulun\u2019s emblem is a boat: \u201cZebulun shall dwell by the seashore. He shall be a haven for ships\u201d (Gen 49:13).<\/span><\/p>\n

To the left of Judah is the banner of Reuven\u2019s tribe, south of the Tabernacle. Pictured are the mandrakes that Reuven brought to his mother (Gen. 30:14), and Jacob, furious at him for bedding his concubine (Gen. 49:4). Below is the banner of Simeon, holding a knife to kill Hamor, who defiled his sister Dinah (Gen. 34:26); and an angry Jacob referred to that episode: \u201cSimeon and Levi are a pair; their weapons are tools of lawlessness\u201d (Gen. 49:5). The tribe of Levi is not shown as it was not part of the encampment, but occupied an area adjacent to the Tabernacle. Next to Simeon is Gad, whose temporary dwellings were attacked: \u201cGad shall be raided\u2026but he shall raid at their heels\u201d (Gen. 49:19).<\/span><\/p>\n

The third camp, that of Ephraim, on the west side, is marked with the figure of a bull, based on Moses\u2019 blessing: \u201cLike a firstling bull in his majesty\u201d (Deut. 33:17). Manasseh and Benjamin, the other of Rachel’s descendants, are together with Ephraim. Manasseh is figured as a stylized deer in accord with Moses\u2019 words: \u201cHe has horns like the horns of the wild ox\u201d (Deut. 33:17). Benjamin\u2019s symbol is a wolf: \u201cBenjamin is a ravenous wolf\u201d (Gen. 49:27).<\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth camp is that of Dan on the north side: \u201cDan shall be a serpent by the road\u201d (Gen 49:16). With him are the tribes of Asher, represented by an olive tree: \u201cHe shall yield royal dainties\u201d (Gen. 49:20), and Naphtali, symbolized by a gazelle: \u201cNaphtali is a hind let loose\u201d (Gen. 49:13).<\/span><\/p>\n

Artwork by: Avner Moriah, by courtesy of the artist<\/p>\n

Text by: Dr. Shulamit Laderman, who holds a\u00a0<\/span>PhD in Art History and has published extensively on Jewish and Christian influences on biblical interpretive illustration.<\/p>\n

For the entire weekly portion series, please visit: <\/span>https:\/\/avnermoriahprints.com\/collections\/parasha<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":46423,"id":46423,"title":"Avner Moriah - Bamidbar","filename":"Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/tribal-symbols-and-identities\/avner-moriah-bamidbar-2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"avner-moriah-bamidbar-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":46420,"date":"2018-12-25 18:50:50","modified":"2018-12-25 18:51:06","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2001,"height":2500,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-240x300.jpg","medium-width":240,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-768x960.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":960,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-820x1024.jpg","large-width":820,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1229,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1639,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-960x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Avner-Moriah-Bamidbar-1-336x420.jpg","home_baner-width":336,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"The Chapter Illustrated","main_caption":"Bamidbar: Tribal Symbols and Identities","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"The many within the one: 12 dimensions of the Israelite camp","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":46423,"id":46423,"title":"Avner Moriah - 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