Bamidbar 7: Who Made You Leader?

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Feb 18, 2026 · 2m

“The chieftains of Israel, the heads of ancestral houses, namely the chieftains of the tribe, those who were in charge of enrollment” (verse 2 = Bamidbar 7:2:

וַיַּקְרִיבוּ נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי בֵית־אֲבֹתָם הֵם נְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטּוֹת הָעֹמְדִים עַל־הַפְּקֻדִים׃). Where did these chieftains come from? They are not selected as spies later and only appear by name in chapter one. During the exodus there is a reference to the elders. It’s possible that these individuals were the elders that accompanied Moshe to Pharoah. Rashi explains that they were the Israelite taskmasters responsible for…