When God appeared upon Sinai, He was surrounded by twenty-two thousand
angels, all in full array and divided into groups, each of which had
its own standard. Looking upon these angel hosts, Israel wished like
them to be divided into groups with standards, and God fulfilled their
wish. After Moses had completed the census of the people, God said to
Him: "Fulfill their wish and provide them with standards as they
desire. 'Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own
standard, with the ensign of their father's house; far off about the
Tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.'" This commission
greatly agitated Moses, who thought: "Now will there be much strife
among the tribes. If I bid the tribe of Judah pitch in the East, it
will surely state its preference for the South, and every tribe will
likewise choose any direction but the one assigned to it." But God said
to Moses: "Do not concern thyself with the position of the standards of
the tribes, for they have no need of thy direction. Their father Jacob
before his death ordered them to group themselves about the Tabernacle
just as his sons were to be grouped about his bier at the funeral
procession." When Moses now told the people to divide themselves in
groups round about the Tabernacle, they did it in the manner Jacob had
bidden them. [439]
"The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He
established the heavens." The division of the tribes of Israel
according to four standards, as well as their subdivision at each
standard, is not arbitrary and accidental, it corresponds to the same
plan and direction as that of which God made use in heaven. The
celestial Throne is surrounded by four angels: to the right Michael, in
front Gabriel, to the left Uriel, and to the rear Raphael. To these
four angels corresponded the four tribes of Reuben, Judah, Dan, and
Ephraim, the standard bearers. Michael earned his name, "Who is like
unto God," by exclaiming during the passage of Israel through the Red
Sea, "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?" and he made a
similar statement when Moses completed the Torah, saying: "There is
none like unto the God of Jeshurun." In the same way Reuben bore upon
his standard the words, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord,"
hence Reuben's position with his standard to the right of the sanctuary
corresponded exactly to Michael's post at the right of the celestial
Throne. Gabriel, "God is mighty," stands in front of the Throne, as
Judah, "mightiest among his brethren," was the standard bearer in front
of the camp. Dan, the tribe "from which emanated dark sin," stood at
the left side of the camp with his standard, corresponding to the angel
Uriel, "God is my light," for God illuminated the darkness of sin by
the revelation of the Torah, in the study of which this angel
instructed Moses, and devotion to which is penance for sin. The tribe
of Ephraim was the standard bearer to the rear of the camp, occupying
the same position as Raphael, "God heals," holds the celestial Throne;
for this tribe, from which sprang Jeroboam, was in need of God's
healing for the wound that this wicked king dealt Israel. [440]
God had other reasons for the divisions of the tribes that He decreed,
for He said to Moses: "In the East whence comes the light shall the
tribe of Judah, whence arises the light of sovereignty, pitch its camp,
and with them the tribe of Issachar, with whom dwells the light of the
Torah, and Zebulum, shining through the wealth. From the South come the
dews of blessing and the rains of plenty, hence shall Reuben pitch on
this side, for this tribe owes its existence to the penitent deeds of
its forefather, penance being that which causes God to send His
blessing upon the world. Beside Reuben shall stand the warlike tribe of
Gad, and between these two Simeon, in order that this tribe, made weak
by its sins, might be protected on either side by the piety of Reuben
and the heroism of Gad. In the West are storehouses of snow, the
storehouses of hail, of cold, and of heat, and as powerless as are
mortals against these forces of nature, so ineffectual shall be the
enemies of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, for which
reason their post was to the West of the camp. From the North comes the
darkness of sin, for this tribe alone will declare itself willing to
accept the idols of Jeroboam, hence its place is to the North of the
camp. To illuminate its darkness, put beside it shining Asher, and
Naphtali, filled with God's plenty." [441]
The four standards were distinguished from one another by their
different colors, and by the inscriptions and figures worked upon each.
The color of Judah's standard corresponded to the color of the three
stones in the breastplate of the high priest, on which were engraved
the names of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and was composed of red,
green, and fiery red. Judah's name, as well as Issachar's and
Zebulun's, was inscribed on the banner, and beside the names was this
inscription: "Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and
let them that hate Thee flee before Thee." The standard of Reuben,
about which gathered also the tribes of Simeon and Gad, was the color
of the emerald, the sapphire, and the sabhalom, for on these three
stones were the names of these tribes engraved on the breastplate of
the high priest. Besides the names of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad the
following device was wrought on the second standard, "Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God is one Lord." The third standard, around which rallied
the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, bore the color of the
diamond, the turquoise, and the amethyst, for on these three stones in
the high priest's breastplate were engrave the names of these three
tribes. On this standard beside the names of these three tribes was the
motto, "And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went
out of camp." As on the breastplate of the high priest the stones
chrysolite, beryl and panther-stone bore the names of Dan, Asher, and
Naphtali, so too did the fourth standard, round which these three
tribes gathered, bear a color resembling these three stones. This
standard contained the names of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, and the
device: "Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel." [442]
The standards had also other distinguishing characteristics. Judah's
standard bore in its upper part the figure of a lion, for its
forefather had been characterized by Jacob as "a lion's whelp," and
also sword-like hooks of gold. On these hooks God permitted a strip of
the seventh cloud of glory to rest, in which were visible the initials
of the names of the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the
letters being radiations from the Shekinah. Reuben's standard had in
its upper part the figure of a man, corresponding to the mandrakes that
Reuben, forefather of this tribe, found, for this plant had the form of
a manikin. The hooks on this standard were like those on the standard
of Judah, but the second letters of the names of the three Patriarchs,
Bet, Zade, and 'Ayyin were seen above them in the cloud. In the
standard of Ephraim was fashioned the form of a fish, for Jacob had
blessed the forefather of this tribe by telling him to multiply like a
fish; in all other respects it was like the other two standards, save
the above the sword-like hooks of gold were seen the third letters in
the names of the Patriarchs, Resh, Het, and Kof. Dan's standard
contained the form of a serpent, for "Dan shall be a serpent by the
way," was Jacob's blessing for this tribe; and the gleaming letters
over the hooks were: Mem for Abraham, Kof for Isaac, and Bet for Jacob.
The letter He of Abraham's name was not indeed visible over the
standards, but was reserved by God for a still greater honor. For, over
the Holy Ark, God let a pillar of cloud rest, and in this were visible
the letter Yod and He, spelling the name Yah, by means of which God had
created the world. This pillar of cloud shed sunlight by day and
moonlight by night, so that Israel, who were surrounded by clouds,
might distinguish between night and day. These two sacred letters, Yod,
He, would on week-days fly about in the air over the four standards,
hovering now upon this, now upon that. But as soon as Friday was over
and the Sabbath began, these letters stood immovable on the spot where
they chanced to be at that moment, and remained in this rigid position
from the first moment of the Sabbath to the last.
Whenever God wanted Israel to break up camp and move on, He would send
on from its place over the Ark the cloud in which beamed the two sacred
letters Yod and He in the direction in which Israel was to march, and
the four strips of cloud over the standards would follow. As soon as
the priests saw the clouds in motion, they blew the trumpets as a
signal for starting, and the winds thereupon from all sides breathed
myrrh and frankincense. [443]
Although it was the clouds that gave the signal for taking down and
pitching tents, still they always awaited the word of Moses. Before
starting the pillar of cloud would contract and stand still before
Moses, waiting for him to say: "Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be
scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee," whereupon the
pillar of cloud would be set in motion. It was the same when they
pitched camp. The pillar of cloud would contract and stand still before
Moses, waiting for him to say: "Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands
of Israel," whereupon it would expand first over the tribes that
belonged to the standard of Judah, and then over the sanctuary, within
and without. [444]