(2) The Israelites shall camp each [household] with its standard, under the banners of their ancestral house; they shall camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance.

(1) באתת [EVERY MAN OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD] WITH THE SIGNS [OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES] — Each banner shall have a different sign — a piece of coloured cloth hanging on it, the colour of the one not being the same as the colour of another, but the colour of each tribe shall be like that of his stone that is fixed in the breastplate (of. Exodus 28:21), and by this means everybody will be able to recognise his banner . Another explanation of באתת לבית אבתם is: by the signs (i.e., following the signs) which their father Jacob gave them severally when they carried him out from Egypt, as it is said, (Genesis 50:12) “And his sons did unto him exactly as he had commanded them”. For he had commanded that Judah, Issachar and Zebulun should carry him, having their position at the east side of the bier, Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south side, etc., — as it is related in Tanchuma on this section (Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar 12; cf. Rashi on Genesis 50:12).

(3) The Holy One blessed be He loved them with a great love, as he arranged them according to banners like the ministering angels, so that they would be distinguishable. From where is it derived that it was love for Israel? It is as Solomon says: “He brought me to the banquet house, and his banner of love is upon me” (Song of Songs 2:4). Rabbi Abahu said: Why does the verse state: “He brought me to the banquet house…”? To what is the matter comparable? It is to a wealthy man who had a storehouse full of wine. He entered to check it and discovered that it was all vinegar. He came to leave the storehouse and discovered one barrel of fine wine. He said: ‘For me, this wine is as dear as a full storehouse.’ So, the Holy One blessed be He created seventy nations, and of all of them, He derived pleasure only from Israel, as it is stated. “He brought me to the banquet house.” From where is it derived that wine [yayin] equals seventy? Yod – ten, Yod – ten, and nun – fifty; that is seventy. Of all of them: “His banner of love is upon me.”
Rabbi Yehuda says: “He brought me to the banquet house,” to the great wine cellar, this is Sinai, and Moses taught me Torah that is expounded in forty-nine aspects; “and his banner [vediglo] of love is upon me.”
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Initially, anyone who would point to the image of a king with his finger would be killed, but the children go to the study hall and point to the mentions of God’s name with their finger. God said: “His banner [vediglo] of love is upon me” – his finger [vegudalo] is beloved by Me. Rabbi Yisakhar says: “His banner [vediglo] of love is upon me” – even a person who sits and engages in Torah study and skips [umdaleg] from halakha to halakha and from verse to verse, the Holy One blessed be He says: ‘It is dear to Me,’ – “His banner [vediglo] of love is upon me,” – his skipping [dilugo] is beloved by Me.
Another matter, “and his banner of love is upon me.” The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘The nations of the world have banners, but only the banner of Jacob is dear to Me.’ That is what is written: “And his banner of love is upon me.”
Another matter, “he brought me to the banquet house,” when the Holy One blessed be He appeared upon Mount Sinai, twenty-two myriads of angels descended with him, as it is stated: “The chariots of God are myriad, thousands upon thousands of companies” (Psalms 68:18), and they were all arranged according to banners, as it is stated: “Preeminent [dagul] among a myriad” (Song of Songs 5:10). When Israel saw that they were all arranged according to banners, they began desiring banners. If only we could be arranged according to banners like them. Therefore, it is stated: “He brought me to the banquet house, [and his banner of love is upon me],” this is Sinai, at which the Torah, which is likened to wine, was given. “And drink of the wine which I have mixed” (Proverbs 9:5); that is “to the banquet house,” this is Sinai. “And his banner [vediglo] of love is upon me,” they said ‘if only He would show great love to me.’ Likewise it says: “We will sing with joy at your salvation [and raise banners in the name of our God]” (Psalms 20:6). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘How you have desired to be arranged according to banners, by your life, I will fulfill your wish’ – “May the Lord fulfill all your wishes” (Psalms 20:6). Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He informed Israel and said to Moses: ‘Go and arrange them according to banners, as they desired.’

(4) The Assembly of Israel said: “YY brought me into the House of Study at Sinai to learn the Law from the mouth of Moses, the great Scribe. And I received the banner of His commandments over me with love, and I said: ‘All that YY Has commanded I will do and I will obey.’

(1)To the banqueting-house. The Tent of Meeting, where the details and the explanations of the Torah were given. (2)And his banner is raised over me in love. And his gathering, that he gathered me to him, that was love to me, I still remember his love. “וְדִגְלוֹ” is atreit in O.F.

(10)Who is she that shines through like the dawn,Beautiful as the moon,Radiant as the sunAwesome as bannered hosts?

(4) “Each at his banner, with the insignias,” that is what is written: “Who is she who appears [like dawn, fair like the moon, pure like the sun, formidable like banners]” (Song of Songs 6:10). Israel was holy and great with their banners, and all the nations of the world look at them, wonder, and say: “Who is she who appears….” The nations say to them: “Return, return, the Shulamite” (Song of Songs 7:1); cleave to us, come to us, and we will make you governors, generals, commanders, lieutenants, commanders-in-chief. “Return, return and we will gaze [neḥze] upon you” (Song of Songs 7:1). Neḥze is nothing other than authority, as Yitro said to Moses: “You shall seek [teḥze] [from among all the people…and set over them as leaders]” (Exodus 18:21). “Return, return and we will gaze [neḥze] upon you.” And Israel says: “Why will you gaze at the Shulamite” (Song of Songs 7:1); what greatness are you according us? “Is it perhaps like the dance of the camps?” (Song of Songs 7:1). Can you, perhaps, accord us [greatness] like the greatness that God accorded us in the wilderness: “The banner of the camp of Judah” (Numbers 2:3), “the banner of the camp of Reuben” (Numbers 2:10), “the banner of the camp of Dan” (Numbers 2:25), “the banner of the camp of Ephraim” (Numbers 2:18). Can you do that for us? “Why will you gaze at the Shulamite”; what greatness are you according us? “Is it perhaps like the dance of the camps”? Can you, perhaps, accord us [greatness] like the greatness that God accorded us in the wilderness, where we would sin and he would pardon us and say to us: “Your camp shall be holy” (Deuteronomy 23:15).
Bilam, too, looked at them, and his eye came out on their account because he was unable to touch them, as it is stated: “Bilam lifted his eyes [and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes]” (Numbers 24:2); these are the banners. He began saying: ‘Who can touch these people, who know their ancestors and their families,’ as it is stated: “According to its tribes.” From here we learned that the banners meant greatness and protection for Israel; that is why it is stated: “Each at his banner.”

(1) (Numb. 2:2:) “Each with his standard, under the banners [for their fathers' houses….]” This text is related (to Cant. 6:10), “Who is this woman that shines through like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon.” Holy and grand was Israel by her standards! So all the nations were looking at them, as they said in astonishment (ibid), “Who is this woman that shines through?” The nations said to them (in Cant. 7:1), “Return, return, O Shulammite (i.e., O Israel). Cling to us and come to us; then we will make you sultans, generals, and commanders,” [as stated] (in ibid., cont.), “Return, return that we may look upon you.” Now “we may look (rt.: hzh)” can only [refer to giving] authority, for so Jethro said to Moses (in Exod. 18:21), “You shall also seek out (rt.: hzh) [able men].” Then Israel said to them (in Cant. 7:1, cont.), “What will you see (rt.: hzh) in the Shulammite?” And what grandeur are you giving to us? [It is] perhaps (ibid., cont.) “like a dance of the camps?” Can you possibly give us anything like the grandeur which the Lord our God gave us in the desert? [There he gave us] the standard of the camp of Judah, the standard of the camp of Reuben, the standard of the camp of Ephraim, the standard of the camp of Dan. Are you able to do so for us? (Cant. 7:1), “What will you see (rt.: hzh) in the Shulammite? It is perhaps (ibid., cont.) “like a dance (meholat) of the camps”; [in] that when we sin, He pardons (mohel) us and says to us (in Deut. 23:15 [14]), “and your camp shall be holy?” So also Balaam the wicked beheld them and his eyes popped out as he faced them, because he could not touch them; as stated (in Numb. 24:2), “Then Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe.” He began to say, “Who can touch these people, when each and every one dwells by his standard.”

(1)EVERY MAN WITH HIS OWN STANDARD, ACCORDING TO THE ENSIGNS… This signifies the four camps of the Community of Israel, comprising the twelve tribes, forming twelve boundaries enclosing Her, all on the celestial model. Of this Scripture says: “Whither the tribes went up” (Ps. 122, 4), to wit, the twelve tribes, the twelve lower boundaries: “even the tribes of YH, as a testimony unto Israel” (Ibid.), inasmuch as of a truth YH is the attestor of Israel.

Rabbi Abba said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Two individual Torah scholars who, while studying together, cause one another to err [madgilim] in halakha [Tosafot], nevertheless, the Holy One, Blessed be He, loves them, as it is stated: “And his banner [vediglo] over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4). Rava said: And that is only true in a case where they know the foundation of the law, and their error resulted from the lack of more sophisticated knowledge. And that is only true in a case where they do not have a prominent person in the city from whom they could learn without error.

(1)Each man by his banner with the signs of their fathers’ houses. We find in several midrashim (Numbers Rabbah 2:2-6) that greatly magnify the matter of the banners, and they interpreted about them the verse and in the name of our God we will set up our banners (Psalms 20:6). For at the time of the giving of the Torah, Israel saw the angels arranged in banners upon banners, and they desired to have banners like them. And on the verse Who is she that looks forth as the dawn (Song of Songs 6:10), they interpreted (Numbers Rabbah 2:4) that the nations looked at the exalted status of Israel and were amazed, etc., and said, Return, return, O Shulamite (Song of Songs 7:1). Cleave to us and come to us, and we will make of you dukes and governors. And Israel replies, What will you see in the Shulamite, as in the dance of the two camps? (Song of Songs 7:1). That is to say: What greatness can you give us? Can you perhaps give us greatness such as our God gave us — the banner of the camp of Judah to the east, etc.? And every insightful person will be astonished at what is this noise, and why the noise of the city in an uproar (1 Kings 1:41) about this, and what honor and greatness was done to Israel that they desired it so much.

(4)He brought me to the banquet roomAnd his banner of love was over me.