Raboyseyee and Ladies,
A big mazel tov to Bonnie & Heshie Schertz upon the birth of a grandson born to their children Jennifer & Rafi Neuburger. Welcome to the world Zevulun Neuburger named after great grandfather, Rav Zevulun Charlop, OBM. (So happens that the original Zevulun gets a shout in this week’s post.) May you be a source of joy and pride -nachas always- to your parents, grandparents, grandparents Anita and David Miller, the entire Neuburger family and extensions, and to all the uncles, aunts and cousins.
Mazel tov again to Judith and Shlomo Gottesman upon the bris -earlier this morning- of their grandson Yaakov Zelig (Jack Sidney) Stone, son of Talia and Gabi Stone. May your son bring you much and only nachas. Welcome to the fold. A very special mazel tov to grandparents Ellen and Stanley Stone who generously passed on the Y chromosome. And a special mazel tov and keyn yirbu to great grandmothers Sondra Gottesman and Blanche Lerer. May you merit to dote over Jack for many years to come.
_____________________________
Flags and Flowers
Avid Jeopardy fans know that while “Flags” might not be the most frequent category on ever-popular show, it does appear quite often, especially under themes like:
- “World Flags”
- “Flags of the World”
- “National Symbols”
- “Name That Flag”
- “Banner Day”
It makes no difference to the Ois because aside from the flags of Israel and the USA, he knows none of them. Not that he fares better in other categories -like a complete idiot he does at times feel- but in this one category, he’s always consistent; he knows nothing. That being stated you must be wondering why the Ois would begin a new Sefer and Parsha in the heylige Toirah with trivia about a TV show, ober by now you should know that if the Ois leads with it, it’s mamish relevant as we will soon read.
As we begin a new Sefer let us also learn a new word for the week, that word being vexillologist. Is a vexillologist a doctor or a dentist? One who is constantly vexed? A problem solver? Not! Instead, a vexillologist is someone who studies flags. Shoin, believe it or not, the vexillologist is a flag enthusiast, scholar, or collector, and vexillology is the study of flags. And now you know. In case you’re taka wondering why the category appears so often, according to those who know, it’s because flags are visually distinct and test recognition skills, they tie in naturally with geopolitics, history, and design, and they’re memorable trivia. The bottom line: many people enjoy testing themselves with flags.
It so happens that the concept of a flag – a piece of fabric used as a symbol or signal—dates back thousands of years, but identifying the first people or nation to use a flag depends on how we define a “flag.” According to Rav Google and others whom the Ois consulted, the earliest known flag-like symbols date back to Ancient Egypt (c. 3000 BCE) where Egyptians used standards —decorated poles with emblems—to identify nomes (districts) and military units. What those are, ver veyst. These were not fabric flags as we know them today but served a similar symbolic and identifying purpose. Some say that over in Mesopotamia (Sumerians, Akkadians), They also used standards and banners in ceremonies and warfare. Others hold that over in ancient China (Zhou Dynasty, c. 1046–256 BCE), they dad early military flags, often mounted on chariots.
As to the first fabric flags, the ones we see in our times, there is yet another machloikes as to whose was first. Some say they date back to the Roman Empire where the vexillum, a square piece of cloth hanging from a horizontal crossbar on a pole, was used by Roman legions. It’s one of the earliest true fabric flags and inspired the modern military flag. As to the first national flag (in the modern sense), on line, credit it given to Denmark’s Dannebrog (1219 CE) which is credited as the oldest continuously used national flag. According to legend, it fell from the sky during a battle in Estonia and helped the Danes win. While the story is mythologized, the Dannebrog is historically documented and still in use. The bottom line: The ‘umois ho’oilom’ (the goyim) are also entitled to a neys-min-hashomayim once in a while; why not? Hey, didn’t the mun the Yiddin ate for forty years fall from the sky? Let us not forget that according to some, the third Beis Hamikdash will also fall out of the sky. Why not?
Ober is any of this emes? Isn’t it a fact that flags make an appearance -in a big way- in this week’s parsha of Bamidbar? Indeed they do, and oib azoy (if that’s case, and it is), it would appear that all the information above is not emes. Oib azoy -if that’s so- who introduced flags? The RBSO! Let us check it out. Says the heylige Toirah Bamidbar (2:2), azoy ׃
| 1. G-d spoke to Moishe and Aharoin saying: | אוַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָֹ֔ אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה וְאֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר: | |
| 2. The children of Israel shall encamp each man by his division with the flag staffs of their fathers’ house; some distance from the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp. | באִ֣ישׁ עַל־דִּגְל֤וֹ בְאֹתֹת֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם יַֽחֲנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִנֶּ֕גֶד סָבִ֥יב לְאֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֖ד יַֽחֲנֽוּ: |
The heylige Torah does in fact describe the Yiddin using banners or flags (דגלים, degalim) during their desert journey after the Exodus from Egypt. In fact 30 pisukim are dedicated to the formations of the tribes and their flags. Each sheyvet (tribe) had its own flag or banner (degel). The banners had distinctive colors and symbols representing each of them. As we will read below, the medrish and others will share their ideas about flags, formations, and colors. And the bottom line: Flags of the Yiddin predate Roman vexilla and most ancient national flags by over a thousand years. Veyter.
The rest of Perek 2 lays out the specifics, where each sheyvet was encamped around the Mishkan, as well as some information about the flags and standards -as mentioned, each tribe had its own flag and colors – think color war in camp- and their groupings. Different colors and designs? Is any of this mentioned anywhere in the heylige Toirah? Not! There is not one word about colors or designs. Oib azoy, who inspired, and selected the colors and designs? What were they?
Shoin, as we have encountered yet another lacuna, in comes the medrish with a license to interpret and tells us azoy: The RBSO revealed the flag design through prophecy, and the people were able to identify their flags just as they would later identify their portions of land. Lest you think that the medrish (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7) made this up from whole cloth (a legal expression when one is not telling emes), it’s not the case. Medrish has a source and let’s check it out. The color of each sheyvet’s flag was based on the color of their stone on the Choishen (breastplate). What breastplate? Shoin, let us harken back to Sefer Shmois where Moishe delivered very specific instruction on the design of the koihen Godol’s breastplate. There the heylige Toirah tells us about the various stones and the colors of each that adorned the breastplate. Shoin, now we can chap that since each tribe’s banner/flag was inspired by the color of the stone imbedded into the Koihen Godol’s breastplate. Mamish gishmak and let’s take a quick peak at the color chart of the breastplate, the colors of each flag and the symbol custom designed for each tribe.
| Tribe | Choshen Stone | Flag Color | Symbol on Flag |
| Reuven | אֹדֶם (Odem) | Red | Mandrake (דודאים) – from Gen. 30:14 |
| Shimon | פִּטְדָה (Pitdah) | Green | City of Shechem – from Gen. 49:5–7 |
| Levi | בָּרֶקֶת (Bareket) | White, black, and red | Urim v’Tumim |
| Yehudah | נֹפֶךְ (Nofech) | Sky blue | Lion – Gen. 49:9 |
| Yissachar | סַפִּיר (Sappir) | Dark blue | Sun & moon – for Torah study |
| Zevulun | יָהֲלֹם (Yahalom) | White | Ship – Gen. 49:13 |
| Dan | לֶשֶׁם (Leshem) | Sapphire-like blue | Snake – Gen. 49:17 |
| Naftali | שְׁבוֹ (Shevo) | Wine red | Deer – Gen. 49:21 |
| Gad | אַחְלָמָה (Achlama) | Gray | Army camp or tent – Gen. 49:19 |
| Asher | תַּרְשִׁישׁ (Tarshish) | Olive green | Olive tree – Gen. 49:20 |
| Yosef | שֹׁהַם(Shoham) | Black Black | Egypt & 2 symbols: bull (Ephraim), unicorn (Menashe) – Deut. 33:17 |
| Binyamin | יָשְׁפֵה (Yashfeh) | Multicolored | Wolf Gen. 49:27 |
And if that weren’t enough inspiration, let us recall that Yaakov, just before his passing, assembled all his kids – see Bereishis 49- for a last-minute chastising of some, and blessings for the others. While doing so, he pointed out -for good or bad- the special unique personality trait of each child. Yehudah is described as lion, and others too, were so symbolized. These traits were then drawn and reduced to some symbol and these images made their way onto the flag of each sheyvet. The bottom line: Inadvertently, Yaakov was the inspiration for the logos on the first ever flags and banners the Yiddin made in the midbar. Years later, with the invention of glass-stained windows, many artisans copied these designs and today in shuls mamish all over the world, we can these very symbols: This pshat is mamish gishmak. Let us also shoutout Moishe who -just before his own passing- took some time out to point out each tribe’s unique personality and blessed them -even the sinners amongst them. Check it out in Devorim 33. Shoin, that for another time. Are we good?
Indeed we are with two gishmake ideas on how colors and symbols were designed, ober the heylige Zoihar (Bamidbar 117a) says the flags correspond to the heavenly banners of the angelic hosts; they were not arbitrary drawings but deeply symbolic, and revealed through prophecy. Heavenly banners? What’s that all about? The plot thickens. What’s pshat in the Zoihar? It’s like this: Says he that the formations of the shvotim in the midbar mirrored the heavenly angels’ camps around the Divine Throne. Somehow those on earth were able to draw inspiration and shoin, just like that, were able to design banners that mamish mimicked the flags that surrounded the RBSO’s throne above. Wow! How we know what goes on in heaven, ver veyst? Do you know anyone that’s ever gone and reported back. Never mind, that guy plays for another team and doesn’t count!
Rashi maintains that when the heylige Toirah states “Each according to his sign,” it meant that each sheyvet would be able to recognize its own banner as each was a known family or tribal emblem -perhaps inherited from Yaakov Ovenu as mentioned above. In other words, flags were functional; they helped individuals make their way back to the erective places in the midbar. And taka, says the medrish Tanchuma (Bamidbar 12), azoy:
“כך אמר הקב״ה: יהיו לכל שבט ושבט דגל משלו, שיהא ניכר כל שבט… ולא יתערבו אלו עם אלו.”
“Each tribe shall have its own flag, so they will be distinguishable and not mix with one another.”
The bottom line: even within a larger whole, there is value of individual identity, or in this case, the value of belonging to a particular tribe. The Ibn Ezra suggests that the banners were a form of military order, not unlike how nations today use flags to identify divisions and units.
There’s more: The heylige shvotim were grouped into four divisions (machanos) each made up of three shvotim and each was led by one of them. Ober, instead of copying and pasting 25 or more pisukim, the Ois has decided to summarize this information in the chart below:
| Direction | Lead Tribe | Other Tribes | Division Name |
| East | Yehudah | Yissachar, Zevulun | Machaneh Yehudah |
| South | Reuven | Shimon, Gad | Machaneh Reuven |
| West | Ephraim | Menashe, Binyamin | Machaneh Ephraim |
| North | Dan | Asher, Naftali | Machaneh Dan |
At the center: the Mishkan, surrounded by the Levi’im (Leviim) and the Kohanim, who camp closest to it. Ober, why did the RBSO command this formation and flag system? And the answer is azoy: In reality, we don’t know davka because He never told us why. He just gave the Yiddin very specific instructions. What to do? Not to worry because others, seeing the rules but without a rationale, went to work and here is a sampling of what they believe.
Says the medrish (Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar 2:3), azoy: When the Yiddin saw angels at Har Sinai during Matan Toirah, they were inspired. Let’s read the medrish innvaynig; it’s mamish so amazing:
“אמר ר’ אבא בר כהנא בשם ר’ יוחנן: כיון שראו ישראל את הקב”ה עם ריבואות מלאכים בסיני — כל אחד ואחד דגל בידו… התחילו מתאווים לדגלים.”
“When Israel saw the Holy One, blessed be He, with myriads of angels at Sinai, each with a flag in his hand… they began to long for flags.”
The RBSO replied: “By your lives, I will grant you flags like those of the angels.”
Wait a minute: The Yiddin saw angels? The RBSO arrived to Har Sinai accompanied by others? By Angels? How many? Did we read any of this during Revelation? Not! Anyway, it’s medrish and medrish envisions the scene at Har Senai to include the RBSO arriving surrounded by a number of angels who accompanied Him from up high and shoin. The Yiddin got jealous and also wanted angels when surrounding the Mishkan and when on the move. The angels from above came with flags in structured divisions. The Yiddin longed to emulate that divine order and the RBSO responded: “By your lives, I will fulfill your desire.” You have an issue with anything the medrish suggests? You are mamish a sheygitz! Go prove otherwise! The bottom line according to this medrish is that the flags of the respective angels here on earth reflected the angelic order in heaven making the desert camp a mirror of the celestial camp. Why not? It’s medrish, and medrish certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Can you prove that this is not pshat? You cannot. Is it? Ver veyst?
Let’s roll back to Yaakov and his influence hundreds of years after his passing. Says the medrish Tanchuma (Bamidbar 12) and other sources to include Targum Yoinoson and Rashi) that when Yaakov died, he instructed his sons how to carry his coffin to the Land of Israel, and their positions around the coffin mirrored how their descendants would later encamp around the Mishkan. Well blow me down!
Just in case you ever wondered whether or not Yaakov has ‘ruach hokoidesh’ (divine inspiration), know this: As it turns out, Levi was excluded from both the burial carriers and the outer camp because sheyvet Levi had a special spiritual role. Seemingly Yaakov already knew back then that one day the Levites would be designated to carry the Ark of the Covenant and not his coffin. The bottom line: Yaakov’s vision was givaldig..
The bottom line on flags: it appears that flags gave identity, unity, and beauty to the encampment. Even in the midbar, the RBSO wanted them to feel organized, honored, and connected — each tribe unique, but all part of one nation. Just like in an army, every unit has its standard —but they all march toward the same goal.
Shoin, if you were surprised to read that the RBSO came down to Har Seenai with a legion of angels and because the Yom Tov of Shovuis is coming, and because the Ois will not be putting out a special edition, let’s close with this very interesting mamish related information.
Avada you all know that it has become a Minhag Yisroel (a Jewish custom) to adorn or homes with flowers or other greenery for Shovuis? How did this all begin? And does everyone agree that flowers, greenery or even shrubs, and or trees are a good idea for Yom Tov? And the answers go azoy:
Says the medrish, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer ch. 46, this:
“בשעה שעמדו ישראל לקבל את התורה, הקדים הקדוש ברוך הוא וקשט את הר סיני… וצמחה עליו עשב ופרחים.”
“When Israel stood to receive the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, adorned Mount Sinai… and grass and flowers grew upon it.”
Wow! When the heylige Toirah was given on Mount Sinai, on that fateful day, the day the RBSO and the Yiddin got married on Har Sinai, the mountain was mamish in bloom. Yes indeed, right there in middle of a dry lifeless desert, miraculously -of course- the barren desert mountain bloomed with greenery and flowers. The bottom line: A wedding calls for flowers. Seemingly, so do anniversaries, shoin. To commemorate Matan Toirah and the greenery of the day, on the yearly anniversary of our wedding date, we decorate our homes and shuls with greenery and flowers, symbolizing the beauty and life that came with the heylige Toirah.
And if the medrish wasn’t enough to convince you, the Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) mentions in Orach Chaim 494:3 that it is customary to decorate synagogues and homes with grasses and trees for Shovuis to remember that it is the time of the judgment of the fruits of the trees. Others argue that flowers were only a later addition and that the use of flowers, specifically, may have developed later in Ashkenazi communities, especially in Europe, where elaborate floral decorations became part of the festive atmosphere. And some suggest that flowers could also have been influenced by local non-Jewish springtime and Pentecost customs, which the Yiddin later adapted for a Jewish purpose, a common cultural process. That being stated, if you don’t feel like spending money on flowers this Yom Tov, you can always invoke the Vilna Gaon’s position. He opposed the practice of placing trees in the shul, concerned it might resemble Christian customs. As mentioned, Pentecost is a Christian holiday that generally coincide with Shovuis, and makes use of greenery as part of the celebration. There is much written about us Yiddin emulating the ways of the goyim, ober all that for another time. The bottom line: Some communities stopped using trees because of this Pentecost controversy over us following goyishe customs, but in in one of those loopholes meant to be taken advantage of, they continued with flowers or grasses. Trees are verboten but flowers and others greens permitted. The final bottom line: Florists are also entitled to a parnosa and the RBSO in His Toirah found gave His people endless opportunities to learn it and to find one’s own entrepreneurial spirit.
Wishing all Ois readers a gittin Shabbis and a Chag Somayach.
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
Yitz Grossman
