Parasha: Pinkas
Torah: B’midbar 25:10 – 30:1
This week’s parasha describes the second census of the nation of Israel. The first census took place in the first year of their journey and this second census takes place in the fortieth year of the same journey. This second census is to determine how much land each tribe would receive upon entering and conquering the land.
Eleven of the twelve tribes showed a slight variation in their population over the past forty years. Remarkably the tribe of Shimon showed a drastic decline in their population.
Compare the two censuses:
“Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.” (Nu 1:23 )
40 years later:
“These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.” (Nu 26:14 )
Approximately thirty Nine thousand Shimonites had died in the forty year journey. Here are a couple of clues to explain this drastic reduction.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.” (Ge 49:5-7)
This “curse” on both Shimon and Levi by their father, Ya’akov, was executed in two different ways.
Levi didn’t receive “statehood” in Israel. Instead of owning land and farming, they earned their living by performing the Temple service for the rest of the tribes.
20 Then Avinu said to Aaron: You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to Avinu, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ (Nu 18:20-24)
The tribe of Levi was given “prominence” in the nation of Israel. Their income was much greater than the average Israelite farmer. They controlled the religious, education and judicial functions in Israel.
1 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. And their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2 They had in their inheritance Beersheba (Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their villages; 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities and their villages; 8 and all the villages that were all around these cities as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9 The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people. (Jos 19:1-9 NKJV)
Notice that the tribal land of Shimon was completely surrounded by the tribal land of Yehudah.
42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day. (1Ch 4:42-43 NKJV)
Here we see some of the Shimonites travelling from their tribal land to Mt Seir which is the land given to Asav, Ya’akov’s brother by Avinu and fighting with the Amalekites, the descendants of Asav. It appears that the Shimonites settled in among the descendants of Asav. This land was outside of the designated land given to Israel.
Over time Shimon assimilates into the tribe of Yehudah and disappears from the Scriptures. However, notice that they will be resurrected as a tribe and be a part of the bride of Meshiach.
“of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;” (Re 7:7)
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