Mapping Out the Torah: A Beautiful Message Over the past few weeks, we have been exploring several

places together where the Torah narrative clearly trumps chronological order in favor of spiritual themes. But frankly, a lot of the skipping around is simply a bit jarring for most of us who are used to a more linear format. It may not manifest confusion of course right away, while folks are getting their literary feet wet in parsha, but over time, the more detailed one gets into it, the more the asynchronous story telling becomes. Speaking for myself, I found that very challenging because of the way my mind works, which prompted me to do my best to put the events all in the right order. By now also, many of you may have already seen my Shavuot Special, where I meticulously map out the Exodus year with a massive calendar and commentary. That having been done and available for anyone who wants to see it, the next logical step was to put the rest of the Torah events into their original order. When you do that, I believe it also opens up a window on to those times and challenges that otherwise would have been closed. You see, the Torah books are not really separate stories in time, but one story told from different viewpoints. It is roughly analogous to how the Gospels workMatthew, Mark, Luke and John tell the same story about the same 3 year period with different details and phases. Similarly, Moshes agenda in Leviticus is different than the one in Numbers even as the same writer details the same period of time with different details. As the book of Exodus opens, the first 11 chapters detail the 144 years that pass from Josephs death, the last event in Genesis, until the start of the Exodus drama with Moshe confronting Pharaoh and Egypt reeling from devastating plagues. In the middle of that series of disasters, Abba YHWH tells Moshe and Aaron that their calendar has changed, and they are now counting spring to spring. Instructions for the Passover feast follow, because that is at the next full moon, and the next thing we know the Israelites are freed from bondage. From Exodus 12-39 then we have that narrative squarely focused on 1447 BCE, or what I also call Year 0 because YHWH has reset His clock. Then in Exodus 40 the first day of the first month of Year 1 (1446 BCE) and then winds its way through separate details in Leviticus and Numbers. Even so, it is the same day with a fixed date: Friday, March 28th, 1446 BCE, also known as 1 Abib. What also makes this day very, very special is what lead up to it. Up until now, there has been no Tabernacle and therefore no priesthood. Therefore, Abba YHWH has in effect been acting as High Priest for the Israelites, according to a very specific time framefrom vernal equinox in 1447 or Exodus year until the next vernal equinox in the following year. I know that because, as we have seen, the Israelites were freed from Egypt on Friday, March 22nd, the time when the VE had happened, adjusted for the Hebrew day beginning at sunset. So from that Friday to the Friday at the start of spring in 1446 (March 21st) Abba YHWH is High Priest. That very next Friday (the 28th) is in Hebrew terms that particular year also 1 Abib, so the transition in solar and Hebrew terms is seamless, but only if we get the right historical years to work with for that astronomy to align!

So lets look at this day. After Moshe himself spent much of his time erecting the Tabernacleprobably with significant help from others though the text emphasizes Moshes involvementthe main objective of that activity is revealed:
28

He then put the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling. 29 He put the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Dwelling, to the Tent of Meeting, and on it offered the burnt offering and cereal offering, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. 30 He put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for the ablutions, 31 where Moses, Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet, 32 whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar they washed, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. 33 He then set up the court round the Dwelling and the altar and set up the screen at the gate-way to the court. Thus Moses completed the work. 34 The cloud then covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, since the cloud stayed over it and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. (Exodus 40:28-35 NJB) So now the 8 day ordination process begins, and this shifts us into Numbers 7 which tells us exactly what else happened on this critical first day of Abib. On the day Moses finished erecting the Dwelling (per Exodus 40-AGR), he anointed and consecrated it and all its furniture, as well as the altar and all its equipment. When he had anointed and consecrated it all, 2 the leaders of Israel made an offering; they were the heads of their families, the tribal leaders who had presided over the census. 3 They brought their offering before Yahweh: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, one wagon for every two leaders and one ox each. They brought them in front of the Dwelling. 4 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 5 'Accept these from them, and let them be set apart for the service of the Tent of Meeting. You will give them to the Levites, to each as his duties require.' 6 Moses took the wagons and oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7 To the Gershonites he gave two wagons and four oxen for the duties they had to perform. 8 To the Merarites he gave four wagons and eight oxen for the duties they had to perform under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the Kohathites he gave none at all, because the sacred charge entrusted to them had to be carried on their shoulders. 10 The leaders then made an offering for the dedication of the altar, on the day it was anointed. They brought their offering before the altar, 11 and Yahweh said to Moses, 'Each day one of the leaders must bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.' 12 On the first day an offering was brought by Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering, 14 one golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 15 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling lamb as a burnt offering, 16 one he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 17 and two bulls, five rams, five hegoats and five male yearling lambs as a communion sacrifice. Such was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. (Numbers 7:1-17 NJB)

The next 6 days, or March 29-April 4 are dealt with in similar levels of details as 6 more tribes (Issaccar, Zebulon, Reuben, Simeon, Gad and EphraimNumbers 7:18-53) each present an offering. And this exact same period also has many regulations given that we now call Leviticus, chapters 1-8. At this point though it might be helpful to break out the first of two charts showing where all the Torah chapters relate in terms of chronology. I have mostly excluded Deuteronomy because the entire book is only about 1 actual day, 1 Shevat in 1406 BCE.

Chart #1 (Gregorian dates show DAYLIGHT portions of the Hebrew day) Blank rows indicate a gap in the Torah text between events. Absolute BCE Year Exodus Leviticus NumbersChronology Joshua Exodus 12Journeys for Year 0 1447 BCE 39 this year recorded in summary in Numbers 33:1-15

Event(s) Israelites freed from Egypt. The rest of Exodus details their journey from Rameses to Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) and they stay encamped at Sinai for nearly two years, including events only recorded in Leviticus and Numbers.

Year 1

1446 BCE 1 Abib Friday, March 28th

Exodus 40

2-13 Abib March 29th April 9th

Priestly Numbers ordination 7:1-17 begins for 8 days total. (Leviticus resumes narrative on the 8th day in chapters 910.) Numbers 7:18-83

Moshe sets up Tabernacle and begins ordaining priests. Judah presents his dedication offering to Tabernacle.

Over the next 11 days, each of the 11 tribes presents offerings for the Tabernacle. Days 2-7 of priestly

2-7 Abib March 29th-

Leviticus 8

April 3rd 8 Abib Friday, April 4th

Leviticus 9-10

Numbers 3:4;7:54-59

13 Abib Wednesday, April 9th

Numbers 8:1-26

ordination. Ordination of priests ends. Manasseh presents offerings. Nadav and Abihu die offering strange fire 7 menorahs presented. Final consecration of the Levites performed. Rules for 2nd Passover given. Commands to build silver trumpets given. First census for Israel taken. Marching orders for the tribes given. Firstborn of the Levites then rest of Israel counted. Levite clans of Kohath, Merari and Gershon counted; responsibilities given. Purity and Nazirite regulations given; blessing

Year 2

1445 BCE 1 Abib Monday, March 15th 2 Abib Tuesday, March 16th Month of Iyar, starting Tuesday, April 13th

Numbers 9:1-23

Numbers 10:1-10

Numbers 1:1-6:25

20 Iyar Wednesday, May 4th

Other events in spring

Leviticus Numbers 11:1-27:34 10:11-36 All commands given in the rest of Leviticus are while the Israelites are at Mount Sinai. Therefore, when they depart, Leviticus has ended by this same day! Numbers 11:1-12:16; 33:16-17. Israelites went from Hazeroth to the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:18).

of the priests given. Cloud of glory departs Sinai and settles on Paran. Moshe and the tribes begin a 3 day journey there, arriving before sunset on Friday, 22 Iyar/May 6th, the start of Shabbat.

Numbers 13:1-19:22. Israelites are

Israelites complain they dont have enough meat and fish. YHWH answers by sending them quail but also striking them down with plague. Miriam and Aaron complain reMoshes Cushite wife. Miriam stricken with leprosy for 7 days. Lowlights include the bad report of

in the Wilderness of Zin (Numbers 13:21). Minor stops in that wilderness as the Negev and the Valley of Grapes or Eschol (Numbers 13:22-24). After this, they are in the wilderness of Paran when the bad report of the spies comes back (Numbers 13:25-26). Korah rebellion and aftermath happen here in Paran.

the spies, the command for the Israelites to wander 40 more years in the wilderness and the Korach rebellion and aftermath. Bad times. But also the manna is given.

38 YEAR GAP

Travel stops: From Rithmah, to Rimmon Perez, to Libnah, to Rissah, to Kehalatha, to Mount Shepher, to Haradah, to Makheloth, to Tahath, to

Since the Israelites were at the Wilderness of Zin when the bad report of the spies happened (Numbers 13:21), and the stops recorded in the gap time taken them

Terah, to MIthkah, to Hashmonah, to Moseroth, to BeneYakan, to Hor Hagigdad, to Yotbathah, to Abranah to Ezion-Geber, to the Wilderness of Zin (Kadesh)Numbers 33:17-36

back to that same place (Numbers 33:36), their wandering years must be inclusive of all the stops they made between their first and second visits to Zin.

Year 40

1407 BCE Month of Abib, beginning sunset on Sunday, March 16th 1 Ab Thursday, June 12th

Numbers 20:1-22

Numbers 20:23-29; 33:38

Miriam dies. Moshe sins with getting water out of the rock prematurely at Meribah. Aaron dies on Mount Hor.

Year 40/41

1407-1406 BCE All events from 2 Ab,(Friday, June 13th) to 30 Tevet (Monday, January 5th)

Numbers 21:1-36:13

Events here include: Bronze serpent Since healing Israel, Deuteronomy journeys 1:3 starts in through Moab, th 40 year defeating the after Exodus Kings of Sihon on the 1st day and Og, the of the 11th drama of month, the Balak, Balaam rest of and that Numbers donkey, more events must paganism in take place Moab, various

between 2 Ab and 30 Tevet.

Year 41

1406 BCE 1 Shevat Tuesday, January 6th 30 days of mourning ends Thursday, 1 Adar/February 5th

censuses and amendments to Torah such as Zelophedads daughters, war with the Midianites and many new regulations on a wide variety of topics given. Deuteronomy Moshe dies at 1:1-34:6 the end of 1 covers 1 Shevat and Shevat. 30 Israel mourns days of him 30 days, mourning are thus recorded in completing the Deuteronomy 39th year of 34:7-12. wandering in the wilderness.

Joshua 1-3

In order to complete the 40th year of wandering in the wilderness, Joshua must wait a whole year after Moshes mourning is over to enter into Canaan. We call this 40th year Jubilee Zero. It is when the land is taken from the Canaanites and given back to YHWH,

Who holds it in trust for a year before transferring it to Israel.

Year 42

1405 BCE 10 Abib Shabbat (by direct command from YHWH, Israelites set up stones and cross Jordan) April 2nd (Joshua 4:19) Other events for this year are recorded elsewhere in the book of Joshua.

Joshua 4-6 Jericho campaign Joshua 7-8 Defeat at Ai Joshua 9-10 Victory helping Gibeon (sun stands still)

The year turns to spring with Joshua crossing the Jordan and then having Passover in Gilgal. Later that month he will attack Jericho.

So the highlights for the chart we have just seen are as follows: 1) As we just explained, Year 0 (1447 BCE) is exclusively dealt with by Exodus chapters 12 through 39. 2) Year 1 (1446 BCE) is recounted in Exodus 40, Leviticus chapters 1 through 10 and Numbers chapters 7 and 8. 3) Year 2 (1445 BCE) is recorded in Leviticus chapters 11 through 27, since those commands are all given while Israel is still at Sinai, which they leave after the first 7 weeks of the year (on the 20th day of the 2nd month). Also covering this year, the first 19 chapters of Numbers but these are out of order chronologically. The actual historical order is as follows: a) b) c) d) Events in Abib: Numbers 9:1-10:10. Events in Iyar: Numbers 1:1-6:25, and Numbers 10:11-36. Other spring events: Numbers 11:1-12:16. Summer events to the close of the year: Numbers 13:1-19:22.

4) Year 40 (1407 BCE) and therefore 38 years are skipped over except for the travel stops given in Numbers 33, begins with Miriams death in the first month in Numbers 20 and continues to the end of the book covering events until the end of the 10th month. All of Deuteronomy takes place on 1 Shevat, the first day of the 11th month, except for the 30 days Israel mourns for Moshe after his death, which brings this year to a close. 5) Year 41 (1406 BCE) has no events associated with it directly but is inferred from other Scripture evidence. In the 2nd year after the Exodus (Numbers 9:1-2) the Israelites send out spies into the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). When those spies come back with a bad report (except Joshua and Caleb), Abba YHWH punishes Israel with wandering a year in the wilderness for each of the 40 days they spent spying out the land. Since it is already 2 years past the Exodus, that means it takes 42 years from Exodus to the Jericho campaign. But by the time Moshe dies and is mourned for 30 days, only 39 years of wandering in the wilderness had been completed. This means Joshua has to wait another full year before attacking Jericho. This waiting year I call Jubilee Zero. In the Jubilee, land reverts to its original Owner, YHWH. In one place He warns Israel that the Canaanites are being expelled for their wickedness and He will do the same to Israel if they also sin. So YHWH hold the land in trust for a year after taking it from the Canaanites and at the end of that year he will give it to Israel. Joshua 1-3 covers this broad time frame. 6) Year 42 (1405 BCE) is dealt with in the first 10 chapters of the book of Joshua, covering the Jericho, Ai and Gibeon campaigns. But a wider and very beautiful pattern is revealed when we take the same data and arrange it slightly differently. Here is that chart for your review:

Chart #2: (Gregorian dates show DAYLIGHT portions of the Hebrew day) Blank rows indicate a gap in the Torah text between events. Hebrew Gregorian Day of the 12 tribes 8 day Date Date Week dedicating ordination of Tabernacle the priests (Numbers 7) (Exodus 40); Leviticus 110). Also miscellaneous notes as needed go here. th 1 Abib March 28 Friday Levite clans Moshe sets up followed by Tabernacle Judah begins (Numbers 7:1- ordination of 17) Aarons sons (all of Exodus 40). Division of Leviticus topics is based on the phrase: Speak to the sons of Israel which usually adds, and say to them. Other times there are ending phrases, either by themselves or in combination that tell us the discussion ended. 2 Abib March 29th Shabbat Isaacar Day 2 of (YHWH presents priestly ordered offerings ordination continuous (Numbers process. offerings 7:18-23) and ordinations. th 3 Abib March 30 Sunday Zebulon Day 3 of presents priestly

Scripture Topic (Leviticus regulations)

Day 1 Lesson: Priestly offering instructions (Leviticus 1) Cereal offering instructions (Leviticus 2) Peace offering instructions (Leviticus 3)

Day 2 Lesson: Rules on sin offerings (Leviticus 4:15:13) Day 3 Lesson:

offerings (Numbers 7:24-29) 4 Abib March 31st Monday Reuben presents offerings (Numbers 7:30-35)

ordination process.

5 Abib

April 1st

Tuesday

Shimeon presents offerings (Numbers 7:36-41) Gad presents offerings (Numbers 7:42-47)

Day 4 of priestly ordination process Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying, is another indicator of a daily topic. Day 5 of priestly ordination process

Rules on guilt offerings (Leviticus 5:1419) Day 4 Lesson: Rules on sin offerings given (Leviticus 6:1-7)

Day 5 Lesson: Rules on burnt offerings (Leviticus 6:818) Day 6 Lesson: Rules for priestly anointing offering given (Leviticus 6:1923)

6 Abib

April 2nd

Wednesday

7 Abib

April 3rd

Thursday

Ephraim presents offerings (Numbers 7:48-53)

Day 6 of priestly ordination process YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying divides the daily lessons. Day 7 of priestly ordination process

Day 7 Lesson: Rules on other offerings given under the header of: Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying(Leviticus 6:24-7:38) Day 8 Lesson: Rules for the final ordination of the priests (Leviticus 8)

8 Abib

April 4th

Friday

Manasseh presents offerings (Numbers 7:54-59)

Day 8 of priestly ordination process. Nadav and Abihu die later this day

9 Abib

April 5th

10 Abib

April 6th

Shabbat (Continuous offerings through Shabbat by YHWHs express commands) Sunday

Benjamin presents offerings (Numbers 7:60-65)

(Leviticus 910) Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar serve their first Shabbat.

Day 9 Lesson: Instructions on kosher food given (Leviticus 11)

Dan presents offerings (Numbers 7:66-71)

Day 10 Lesson: Instructions on purity/separation given (Leviticus 12) Day 11 Lesson: Instructions on detecting leprosy given (Leviticus 13) Day 12 Lesson: Instructions on cleansing leprosy given (Leviticus 14) Day 13 Lesson: Instructions on other bodily discharges given (Leviticus 15)

11 Abib

April 7th

Monday

Asher presents offerings (Numbers 7:72-77)

12 Abib

April 8th

Tuesday

Naphtali presents offerings (Numbers 7:78-83) 7 menorahs presented. Final consecration of the Levites performed (Numbers 8:126)

13 Abib

April 9th

Wednesday

Between 14 Abib and before about 1 Tishri

This time the separating phrase is And YHWH spoke to Moshe and Aaron saying There is also a concluding phrase at the end of this chapter, These are the laws Separating phrase, YHWH spoke to Moshe saying and also a concluding phrase, this is the law for There must be Yom Kippur instructions given well before the fast since the Tabernacle is up this year.

Instructions for Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16)

1445 BCE March 15th Rules for 2nd Passover given (Numbers 9)

1 Abib

Monday

2 Abib

March 16th

Tuesday

Commands to build silver trumpets given (Numbers 10:1-10)

More instructions on animal sacrifices given and the prohibition against eating blood explained (Leviticus 17) Instructions on proper and improper sexual relations given (Leviticus 18)

1 Iyar (daylight period)

April 15th

Thursday

First census taken (Numbers 1).

Instructions on moral and ritual purity given (Leviticus 19)

2 Iyar

April 16th

Friday

Orders on encampment of troops/ tribes given (Numbers 2)

Also language like These are the rules for X or You will therefore keep my commandments indicates the end of a days instructions.

3 Iyar

April 17th

Shabbat

Census results for and duties of the Levites given (Numbers 3) Levites and priests have work and responsibilities on Shabbat whereas

Israelites dont unless commanded directly by YHWH otherwise. 4 Iyar April 18th Sunday Census results and duties given for Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites (Numbers 4) YHWH said to Moshe, speak to the priests. Penalties for violating purity regulations given (Leviticus 20)

5 Iyar

April 19th

Monday

6 Iyar

April 20th

Tuesday

Rules for unclean people given along with resolving charges of adultery (Numbers 5) Rules for Nazirite vow given (Numbers 6). Please note Numbers 7 and 8 have been accounted for. Special Note: A lot of the separation of topics/days is evident with the phrase speak to the children of Israel and tell them formula which indicates the passage of

More rules for the priests given (Leviticus 2:1:115)

Then YHWH said to Moses saying, speak to Aaron

Prohibition against priests with deformities working (Leviticus 21:1624)

7 Iyar

April 21st

Wednesday

Instructions for Set-Apart offerings for priests given (Leviticus 22:116)

time from the previous command. 8 Iyar April 22nd Thursday Rules for acceptable offerings. (Leviticus 22:1732)

9 Iyar

April 23rd

Friday

Rules for Shabbat and Pesach are given (Leviticus 23:18) No command to override Shabbat is here and therefore no instructions are given today. First fruits instructions given Omer count/Shavuot instructions given along with the command to leave edges of the fields for the poor Also command to leave the edges of the fields for the poor given (Leviticus 23:923) Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur and instructions given (Leviticus 23:24-34) Sukkot instructions

10 Iyar

April 24th

Shabbat

11 Iyar

April 25th

Sunday

All these are again under the umbrella phrase of speak to the sons of Israel

12 Iyar

April 26th

Monday

13 Iyar

April 27th

Tuesday

given (Leviticus 23:34-44) Commands for lighting the lamps and Tabernacle bread, some relating to regular days and Shabbat (Leviticus 24:110). On this same day someone curses in the name of Yahweh. He is put into custody for the rest of this day while Moshe awaits instructions (Leviticus 24:1112) In particular, Blasphemer is the eye for an stoned and the eye teaching speak to the makes best children of Israel sense and tell them happening right formula is after the applied to that blasphemer is and some other stoned. regulations (Leviticus 24:1323). Though the Land Sabbath phrase speak and Jubilee rules to the children given while of Israel and Israelites are still tell them does at Sinai. Noting not separate 26 that the phrase from 25, the speak to the summary children of Israel statement in and tell 26:55 performs them___ is that function continuous from

14 Iyar

April 28th

Wednesday

15 Iyar

April 29th

Thursday

here.

16 Iyar

April 30th

Friday

Same thing applies to separating the rewards for obedience and the punishments for disobedience. Separating statement, identical to the previous one (I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt) appears in 26:13.

one topic to the other. There is no separation between the two topics. (Leviticus 25) Rewards for obedience given (Leviticus 26:113)

17 Iyar

May 1st

Shabbat

18 Iyar

May 2nd

Sunday

19 Iyar

May 3rd

Monday

Very clear separating language given at the end of 26. Speak to the sons of Israel statement in 27:2 has no other separating phrases until the end of the

No command given by YHWH to override the Shabbat, therefore no instructions given this day. Punishments for disobedience given (Leviticus 26:14-46) Rules on vows given explicitly while Israel is still at Sinai (Leviticus 27)

chapter. Therefore these are all on the same day. 20 Iyar May 4th Tuesday Cloud of glory departs Sinai and settles on Paran. Moshe and the tribes begin a 3 day journey there, arriving before sunset on Friday, 22 Iyar/May 6th, the start of Shabbat. It is also possible that having left that Tuesday that it counts as full day and they arrive Thursday night. (Numbers 10:11-36) Israelites complain about not having enough fish and meat. (Numbers 11) YHWH promises relief; Israel prepares for quail. They fall and gather them for a few days and the complainers die from plague. Miriam and Aaron

25 Iyar

May 9th

Sunday

26-28 Iyar May 10-12

MondayWednesday

29 Iyar

May 13th

Thursday

6 Sivan

May 20th

Thursday

Early summer (end of Sivan)

Late June

Mid summer (perhaps 9th of Ab)

July 20th?

Tuesday (if it was the 9th of Ab)

grumble against Moshe for taking a Cushite wife. Miriam begins 7 days isolation as a leper. Since Iyar in this year had 30 days (whereas rabbinic calendar is not fully wedded to the lunar cycle) Miriam returns to the camp in time for Shavuot. (Numbers 12) Spies are sent out just at the beginning of grape season (Numbers 13:23) Spies give bad report; Israel condemned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, one for each day they spied out the land.

Events from Numbers 15-19 are of uncertain timing before the text skips 38 years

to Miriams death. The gorgeous dual-pattern begins again with the 8 day ordination of the priests and the 12 day dedication ceremony for the Tabernacle both starting on 1 Abib. And it is here that the different emphases of Numbers and Leviticus are most apparent. Numbers is clearly focused on the civilian leadership of the main 12 tribes of Israel. Leviticus on the other hand is more focused on the requirements of priests and Levites, hence its name in Greek which means pertaining to the Levites. This represents also what I call a Double Witness pattern, where two sources are both talking about the same moment in time, but from different perspectives. But the real show stopper happens when we start matching the rules chapters of Leviticus with each day for either the priestly ordination or the Tabernacle dedication, because it is only at that point that we see the full design where theology trumps chronology. For example, while in historical time we have the Tabernacle being set up and the priestly ordinations beginning (Exodus 40, Numbers 7), the matching regulations for that first day, from Leviticus chapter 1, are all about rules for priestly offerings. This is a perfect thematic fit to the historical events that are taking place! The same thing happens throughout the next 6 days, where each day of priestly ordination (mirrored by the offerings of the tribes for the Tabernacle) has a relevant series of instructions for those same priests, a perfect match from day 2 to Leviticus 2, day 3 to Leviticus 3 and so on, until the end of Leviticus 7.1 At that point, Leviticus 8 details the rules for the end of ordination, and the next two chapters after that seamlessly also relate events on that same 8th day. In the parallel account in Numbers though, again that account being more focused on the other tribes, Manasseh does his offering and this gives us a beautiful remez or hint. Manasseh means causing to forget and when Manasseh does that offering, Nadav and Abihu die because they have forgotten how to offer their fire appropriately unto YHWH. Now the 8 days of ordination being concluded, the rest of Numbers 7 kicks in with the remaining 4 days of dedicating the Tabernacle, during which time the tribes of Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali dedicate their offerings. From that point on forwards, I simply continued applying one topic of Leviticus at a time and matched it up to the historical events recorded in Numbers. What I found was that the number of Leviticus topics/chapters very closely matched the number of historical events, to the degree that topics of Leviticus ends just prior to the time that the Israelites leave Sinai, which is recorded in Numbers 10.

More precisely these things are broken out by topical discussion, not just whole chapters in sequence. Also, there is technically a 13th day, when the rest of the Levites are consecrated (Numbers 8).

In other words, each regulation in a chapter of Leviticus goes very well with each day of chronological time given in Numbers, especially when we track the phrase YHWH spoke to Moshe, speak to the Israelites saying___ as separating each days instructions, which makes perfect sense. Then when Leviticus finishes all its regulations which are tied to Sinai and the text literally runs out on that last day before they leave Sinai, the text of Numbers basically agrees with it and says Okay, discussion at Sinai is over, time to move out tomorrow! So this is the true core of Moshes design in writing the Torah under the inspiration of the Ruach haKodesh. Teach the history (Numbers) and then teach the regulations behind that history (Leviticus), so that each side of the equation is reinforced by the other. And this happens repeatedly throughout this process as it makes perfect sense that the bulk of priestly instructions also end at the moment the 8 days of ordination do! Therefore we have two witnesses to the time period, but each witness speaks to different yet complementary details. First we are told the WHAT and then we are told the WHY, and if telling the WHY takes 5 or 6 chapters to do while the narrative is on hold or the narrative slightly cycles back to the beginning, so be it. It is far more important to see the interconnected purpose of the text than to always think of it in terms of pure chronological order, so that by the mouths of two witnesses HIS word might be established (Deuteronomy 19:15)!