Order of the Torah

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(Bamidbar 9:1) "And the L-rd spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the second year after their going out from the land of Egypt, in the first month (Nissan), saying": This verse is in praise of Israel (to indicate) that they were encamped before Mount Sinai for eleven months, and to teach that there is no "before and after" (i.e., chronological order) in the Torah. For in the beginning of this Book it is written (1:1) "And the L-rd said to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month (Iyyar)…

Sifrei Bamidbar 64:1

The Gemara asks: If so, let the Torah write first that which occurred in the first month and then let it write that which occurred in the second month, as the portion of the Paschal lamb preceded the beginning of the book of Numbers chronologically. Rav Menashiya bar Taḥlifa said in the name of Rav: That is to say that there is no earlier and later, i.e., there is no absolute chronological order, in the Torah, as events that occurred later in time can appear earlier in the Torah…

Pesachim 6b:7-8

בחדש הראשון [AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES] IN THE FIRST MONTH — The section which appears at the commencement of this Book was not spoken before Eyar (the second month; cf. Numbers 1:1): you learn, therefore, that there is no “earlier” or “later” (no chronological order) in the Torah. But why, indeed, did not Scripture open the Book with this section? Because it implies something disparaging to Israel (Sifrei Bamidbar 64:1) — that during all the forty years they were in the wilderness they offered only this single Passover sacrifice (Tosafot on Kiddushin 38b s. v. הואיל)

Rashi on Numbers 9:1:1

IN THE SECOND YEAR AFTER THEIR COMING OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, IN THE FIRST MONTH. From here the Rabbis have deduced the principle: “There is no [strict] chronological order in the narrative of the Torah” [for the census mentioned at the beginning of this Book of Numbers was on the first day of ‘the second’ month in the second year, and the present chapter about the Passover was in the ‘first month’ of the same year]! Now the reason for this delay [in mentioning the section concerning the Passover] was that since this fourth book [of the Torah] comes to mention the commandments…

Ramban on Numbers 9:1:1

So Moses took his wife and sons, mounted them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God with him.

Exodus 4:20

ויאמר ה' אל משה ואהרו, this paragraph had been revealed to Moses prior to the instructions about the plague of the killing of the firstborn, as it must have been revealed before the tenth of the month, seeing that it contains instructions applicable from the 10th of the month onwards. The killing of the firstborn occurred during the night from the fourteenth to the fifteenth of that month. Seeing that we have a principle that the Torah is not bound to be written in chronological order of events described, this does not present a problem…

Chizkuni, Exodus 12:1:1

AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI. “What has the subject of the Sabbatical year [stated here in this section] to do with that of Mount Sinai? Were not all the commandments declared on Sinai? [It is to teach us that] just as [this law of] the Sabbatical year was ordained on Sinai with its general rules, its specific prescripts and its minute details, so also were all [the commandments] ordained on Sinai with their general rules, and their specific prescripts and their minute details. Thus it is taught [here] in the Torath Kohanin…

Ramban on Leviticus 25:1:1

AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES, AFTER THE DEATH OF THE TWO SONS OF AARON. The meaning of the phrase after the death of the two sons of Aaron, is that immediately after the death of his sons He had warned Aaron against [drinking] wine or strong drink [when going into the Tent of Meeting], so that he should not die, and now He told Moses in addition to warn him so that he should not die when he draws near the Eternal [even in a sober condition, but at a time when he is not commanded to do so]…

Ramban on Leviticus 16:1:1

AND THE LORD SAID. What reason is there for saying, And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord (v. 9) after having said, And Moses reported the words of the people unto the Lord? Note that there are many verses in the Torah that should have come earlier. Their meaning is that such and such already took place. For example, the meaning of va-yitzar (formed) in, Then the Lord God formed (Gen. 2:7) is, He had already formed; the meaning of va-yatzmach (made to grow) in And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow (Gen…

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:9:1

TAKE AARON. “This section [concerning the seven days of consecration of the priests] was said seven days before the [final] erection of the Tabernacle [which took place on the first day of Nisan], for there is no strict chronological order in the narrative of the Torah.” Thus the language of Rashi. But why should we invert the words of the living G-d! Moreover, in the section of On the first day of the first month, He commanded concerning the erection of the whole Tabernacle, the clothing of Aaron and his sons and the anointing of all of them…

Ramban on Leviticus 8:2:1

AND THE DAYS OF ISAAC WERE. There is no strict chronological order in the narrative of the Torah. The sale of Joseph preceded Isaac’s death. This is Rashi’s language. Now I have already written that such is the customary way of Scripture with respect to all generations: it tells of a person and his children and his death and then begins with the account of the next generation even though the generations overlapped.
Now it would have been proper for Scripture to present Isaac’s death prior to the experiences of Jacob, just as it did in the case of Abraham and all former generations…

Ramban on Genesis 35:28:1

IF THOU BUY A HEBREW SERVANT. G-d began the first ordinance with the subject of a Hebrew servant, because the liberation of the servant in the seventh year contains a rememberance of the departure from Egypt which is mentioned in the first commandment, just as He said on it, And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Eternal thy G-d redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing today. It also contains a remembrance of the creation, just as the Sabbath does, for the seventh year signals to a servant a complete rest from the work of his master…

Ramban on Exodus 21:2:1

Seeing that this Book is the fifth and last of the five Books of the Torah I want to explain to you the reason why the Torah has been divided into 5 separate Books and why the sequence is that which we find in front of us. You are aware already that although this fact has already been alluded to (Midrash on Genesis 1,3 on the words “let there be light”) these “Books” are essentially all closely tied to one another. The reason that the Torah commenced with the Book of Bereshit is that the record of the world coming into existence is a basic foundation of our faith…

Rabbeinu Bahya, Devarim 1:1:6

Another matter, “your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,” when they explore the halakha with each other, like Rabbi Abba bar Mimi and his colleagues. “Your neck with beads,” when they would string together matters of Torah, from Torah to Prophets, and from Prophets to Writings, and fire is ignited around them, and the matters were as joyful as when they were given from Sinai. At their primary giving from Mount Sinai, were they not given in fire, as it is stated: “The mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens” (Deuteronomy 4:11)?
Ben Azai was sitting and expounding…

Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:10:3

Another interpretation of "A Psalm of David": This is what the Scripture says (Job 28:13), "Man does not know its value." Rabbi Elazar said: The portions of the Torah were not given in order, for if they had been given in order, anyone who read them would immediately be able to create a world, revive the dead, and perform miracles. Therefore, the order of the Torah was concealed, but it is known to the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said (Isaiah 44:7), "And who can proclaim as I do? Let him declare it and set it forth before Me…

Midrash Tehillim 3:2

“I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:12).
“I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak said: It would have been appropriate for this to be written at the beginning of the book. Why is it written here? It is because there is no chronological order in the Torah. Similarly, Rabbi Yishmael taught: “The enemy said: I will pursue, I will overtake” (Exodus 15:9), it would have been appropriate for this to be the beginning of the song. Why is it written here? It is because there is no chronological order in the Torah…

Kohelet Rabbah 1:12:1

Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Eykev, and Midrash Shocher Tov comment on Proverbs 5,6, and Job 28,16, respectively. We find in those verses references to the mysterious way in which Torah sometimes reports the sequence of events. In the words of the Midrash, the apparent lack of cohesion is deliberate, as otherwise "every reader could heal the sick or revive the dead." We should ask therefore, why the sages endeavoured altogether to find meaning in the order in which events have been related? The truth is that our sages did not mean that there is absolutely no order in the sequences of the…

Akeidat Yitzchak 77:1:12

Rebbi Eleazar in the name of Rebbi Ḥanina: Also for the kings of the peoples of the world one only counts from Nisan. In the sixth, in year two of Darius. In the eighth, [in year] two of Darius. Should we not say, “in the eighth in year three”? Heipha said, the eighth was said first but there is no earlier and later in the Torah. Rebbi Jonah said, it is written: and now take notice, starting with this day, before a stone is set upon stone in the Temple of the Eternal. How is this? In the sixth the foundation stone was laid. In the eighth this verse was said…

Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 1:1:3

When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his prefect —a [type of] Egyptian official —bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

Genesis 39:1

Halakhic Principlesעקרונות הלכתיים

Darkhei Shalom

Mutual Responsibility of the Jewish People

Ones

Asmakhta

Gematria

Halakha LeMoshe MeSinai

Stringencies

Yesh Em Lemikra

General Principle

Beyond the Letter of the Law

Sheetsדפי מקורות

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