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Shareאָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה: לֹא כָּךְ הָיָה מַעֲשֶׂה, אֶלָּא זֶה אוֹמֵר: אֵין אֲנִי יוֹרֵד תְּחִילָּה לַיָּם, וְזֶה אוֹמֵר: אֵין אֲנִי יוֹרֵד תְּחִילָּה לַיָּם, קָפַץ נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב וְיָרַד לַיָּם תְּחִילָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״סְבָבֻנִי בְכַחַשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וּבְמִרְמָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה עֹד רָד עִם אֵל״. וְעָלָיו מְפֹרָשׁ בַּקַּבָּלָה: ״הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהִים כִּי בָאוּ מַיִם עַד נָפֶשׁ ... טָבַעְתִּי בִּיוֵן מְצוּלָה וְאֵין מׇעֳמָד וְגוֹ׳״, ״אַל תִּשְׁטְפֵנִי שִׁבֹּלֶת מַיִם וְאַל תִּבְלָעֵנִי מְצוּלָה וְגוֹ׳״. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה הָיָה מֹשֶׁה מַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּה, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: יְדִידַיי טוֹבְעִים בַּיָּם וְאַתָּה מַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּה לְפָנַי?! אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! וּמָה בְּיָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת? אָמַר לוֹ: ״דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ. וְאַתָּה הָרֵם אֶת מַטְּךָ וּנְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ וְגוֹ׳״.
Rabbi Yehuda said to Rabbi Meir: That is not how the incident took place. Rather, this tribe said: I am not going into the sea first, and that tribe said: I am not going into the sea first. Then, in jumped the prince of Judah, Nahshon ben Amminadab, and descended into the sea first, accompanied by his entire tribe, as it is stated: “Ephraim surrounds Me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit, and Judah is yet wayward toward God [rad im El]” (Hosea 12:1), which is interpreted homiletically as: And Judah descended [rad] with God [im El]. And in this regard, the tradition, i.e., the Writings, explicates Nahshon’s prayer at that moment: “Save me, God; for the waters are come in even unto the soul. I am sunk in deep mire, where there is no standing…let not the water flood overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up” (Psalms 69:2–3, 16). At that time, Moses was prolonging his prayer. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: My beloved ones are drowning in the sea and you prolong your prayer to me? Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, but what can I do? God said to him: “Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward. And you, lift up your rod and stretch out your hand” (Exodus 14:15–16).
(ז) נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה (במדבר ז, יב), לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ נַחְשׁוֹן, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁיָּרַד תְּחִלָּה לַנַּחְשׁוֹל שֶׁבַּיָּם. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה מִי שֶׁקִּדֵּשׁ אֶת שְׁמִי בַּיָּם הוּא יַקְרִיב תְּחִלָּה, וְזֶה הָיָה נַחְשׁוֹן, וְכֵן עָשָׂה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (במדבר ז, יב): נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב וגו', יִחֲסוֹ הַכָּתוּב עַל שֵׁם שִׁבְטוֹ, שֶׁבַח לוֹ, שֶׁבַח לְאָבִיו, שֶׁבַח לְשִׁבְטוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁגָּבָה מִשִּׁבְטוֹ וְהֵבִיא, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (במדבר ז, יז): זֶה קָרְבַּן נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב, מִשֶּׁלּוֹ הֵבִיא וְלֹא שֶׁגָּבָה מִשִּׁבְטוֹ וְהֵבִיא, אֶלָּא מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב, יִחֲסוֹ הַכָּתוּב עַל שֵׁם שִׁבְטוֹ:
(7) “Naḥshon son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Judah”; why was his name called Naḥshon? It is after the fact that he descended first into the wave [naḥshol] in the sea. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘The one who sanctified My name at the sea, he will present first.’ That was Naḥshon, and he did so. That is what is written: “Naḥshon son of Aminadav…”
The verse ascribes his lineage to his tribe; praise for him, praise for his father, praise for his tribe. Or, perhaps, he collected from his tribe and brought? The verse states: “This was the offering of Naḥshon son of Aminadav” (Numbers 7:17). He brought of his own, and did not collect from his tribe and bring. Then, why does the verse state: “Naḥshon son of Aminadav, [of the tribe of Judah]”? The verse ascribes his lineage to his tribe.
וַיַּקְרִיבוּ הַנְּשִׂאִים אֵת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וגו' (במדבר ז, י), מַגִּיד הַכָּתוּב כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהִתְנַדְּבוּ הַנְּשִׂיאִים לִמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כָּךְ נִתְנַדְּבוּ לַחֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. (במדבר ז, י): וַיַּקְרִיבוּ הַנְּשִׂיאִם אֶת קָרְבָּנָם וגו', בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְלֹא קִבֵּל מֵהֶם משֶׁה עַד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לוֹ מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (במדבר ז, יא): יַקְרִיבוּ אֶת קָרְבָּנָם לַחֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא הָיָה משֶׁה יוֹדֵעַ כֵּיצַד יַקְרִיבוּ, אִם לַמַּסָּעוֹת אִם לַתּוֹלָדוֹת, עַד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לוֹ מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַקְרִיבוּ אוֹתָם לַמַּסָּעוֹת, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא הָיָה משֶׁה יוֹדֵעַ כֵּיצַד יַקְרִיבוּ אִם כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד אִם כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד יוֹמוֹ, עַד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לוֹ מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד יוֹמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ז, יא): נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם. וַהֲלוֹא נְשִׂיאִים הָיוּ מִתְנַדְּבִין וְלֹא הֶדְיוֹטוֹת, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם, לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה נַחְשׁוֹן מֶלֶךְ וְהוּא הִקְרִיב תְּחִלָּה, לֹא יֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְהִקְרַבְתִּי תְּחִלָּה אַקְרִיב עִם כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּיוֹמוֹ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם, אָמַר לָהֶם משֶׁה לַנְּשִׂיאִים, לְכֻלְּכֶם אָמַר לִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁתַּקְרִיבוּ, אֲבָל לֹא נֶאֱמַר לִי מִי יַקְרִיב רִאשׁוֹן, נָתְנוּ עֵינֵיהֶם בְּנַחְשׁוֹן, זֶה קִדֵּשׁ שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַיָּם, זֶה רָאוּי לְהוֹרִיד אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה וְהוּא יַקְרִיב רִאשׁוֹן לְכֻלָּם וְכֵן עָשָׂה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (במדבר ז, יב): וַיְהִי הַמַּקְרִיב וגו'.
“The princes brought the dedication of the altar on the day that it was anointed, and the princes brought their offering before the altar” (Numbers 7:10).
“The Lord said to Moses: One prince on each day, one prince on each day shall present their offering for the dedication of the altar” (Numbers 7:11).
“The princes brought the dedication of the altar…” – this tells that just as the princes donated for the labor of the Tabernacle, so they donated for the dedication of the altar. “The princes brought their offering…” – they came and stood before the altar, but Moses did not accept it from them until it was stated to him from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He: “Shall present their offering for the dedication of the altar.” Moses still did not know how they would present their offering, whether according to the journeys or according to their birth order, until it was stated to him from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He that they should bring their offering according to the journeys. Still, Moses did not know how they would bring them; all of them together, or each and every one on his own day, until it was stated to him from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be He that it would be each and every one on his own day, as it is stated: “One prince on each day.” But was it not princes who were donating and not common people; why, then, does the verse state: “One prince on each day”? It is because Naḥshon was the king, and he brought first. So he would not say: Since I brought first, I will bring with each and every one on his day, that is why it is stated: “One prince on each day.” Some say that when the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “One prince on each day,” Moses said to the princes: ‘The Holy One blessed be He said to me that all of you will bring, but it was not stated to me who will bring first.’ They all directed their eyes to Naḥshon. ‘This one sanctified the name of the Holy One blessed be He at the sea, it is he who is worthy to cause the Divine Presence to descend, and he will bring the first of them all.’ So, he did. That is what is written: “The one who presented [his offering on the first day was Naḥshon son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Judah]” (Numbers 7:12).
