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The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
"How did the Levites guard the tabernacle?" "The family of Kohath watched on the south, as is said, 'The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.' 2 And they were overseers of the vessels of the ark, as is said, 'And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging and all the service thereof.' 3 Outside of them were the three tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Levi. The family of Gershon watched in the west, as is said, 'The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.' 4 And they were intrusted with all the vessels of the tabernacle, as is said, 'And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation.' 5 Outside of them were the three tribes of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and Benjamin. The family of Merari watched on the north, as is said, 'And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.' 6 And they were intrusted with the taches, and boards, and bars, and pillars, and the sockets of the tabernacle, as is said, 'And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof.' 7 And outside of them were the three tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. On the east were Moses, Aaron, and their families, as is said, 'But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses and Aaron and his sons.' 8 And
outside of them were the three tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. The whole encampment of Israel was twelve miles. The standard of Judah was four miles, and the encampment of the Levites, and the encampment of the SHECHINAH, four miles. The standard of Reuben was four miles. The standard of Ephraim was four miles. The encampment of the Levites and the encampment of the SHECHINAH was four miles. And the encampment of Dan was four miles. It follows that the four corners of the tabernacle were four encampments for service on every side, as is said, 'Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp; as they encamp so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.' 1 So soon as Israel set forward, the pillar of cloud which was standing still rolled up and spread out over the children of Judah like a kind of beam. The (trumpet) sounded, and blew an alarm, and sounded, and the standard of Judah moved forward first, as is said, 'In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies.' 2 At once Aaron and his sons entered (the Tabernacle) and took down the vail, and with it they covered the ark, as is said, 'And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it.' 3 The (trumpet) sounded, and blew an alarm, and sounded. And the standard of the encampment of Reuben set forward. At once the sons of Gershon, and the sons of Merari entered, and took down the tabernacle, and loaded it on the waggon. And they set up the tabernacle before the sons of Kohath came, as is said, 'And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary; and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.' 4 And the trumpet sounded, and blew an alarm, and sounded, and the standard of Ephraim moved forward; the children of Kohath entered and took down the holy vessels, and loaded them on their shoulders, as is said, 'And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary and
all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it.' 1 The (trumpet) sounded, and blew an alarm, and sounded. And the standard of Dan moved forward, as is said, 'And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward.' 2 It follows that two standards were in front, and two standards were in the rear, and the encampment of the Levites, and the encampment of the SHECHINAH was in the middle, as is said, 'Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp.' 3 And as they encamped, so they set forward, as is said, 'As they encamp, so shall they set forward.' Israel set forward by three commands, by command of the HOLY BLESSED ONE, by command of Moses, and by command of the trumpets." "Whence know we the command of the HOLY BLESSED ONE?" "As is said, 'At the commandment of the Lord, the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched,'" 4 etc. "By the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses." 5 "By commandment of Moses—how?" "Moses said in the evening, 'early in the morning you must go forward.'" At once the Israelites began to gather their cattle, and prepared their furniture for the march. "By commandment of the trumpets whence know we it?" "As is said, 'Make thee two trumpets of silver, etc., that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.'" 6 "How?" "The trumpets sounded, blew an alarm, and sounded three blasts for every standard." Rabbi Judah said, "there were three blasts for every tribe."
354:2 Numb. iii. 29.
354:3 iii. 31.
354:4 iii. 23.
354:5 iv. 25.
354:6 iii. 35.
354:7 iii. 36.
354:8 iii. 38.
355:1 Numb. ii. 17.
355:2 x. 14.
355:3 iv. 5.
355:4 x. 21.
356:1 Numb. iv. 15.
356:2 x. 22.
356:3 ii. 17.
356:4 ix. 18.
356:5 ix. 23.
356:6 x. 2.