Officers of Mercy - Parshat Naso

(1) On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils. When he had anointed and consecrated them, (2) the princes of Israel, the heads of ancestral houses drew near - they were the princes of the tribes, those who stood for the roll call. (3) and brought their offering before the Eternal...

They were the princes of the tribes — They were the officers over them in Egypt, and they were beaten on account of the people, as it says (Exodus 5:14),“The officers of the children of Israel were beaten.”

(1) Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Eternal, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness.” (2) But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Eternal that I should heed and let Israel go? I do not know the Eternal, nor will I let Israel go.” (3) They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has manifested to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Eternal our God, lest God strike us with pestilence or sword.” (4) But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you distract the people from their tasks? Get to your labors!” (5) And Pharaoh continued, “The people of the land are already so numerous, and you would have them cease from their labors!”

(6) That same day Pharaoh charged the taskmasters and the officers of the people, saying, (7) “You shall no longer provide the people with straw for making bricks as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. (8) But impose upon them the same quota of bricks as they have been making heretofore; do not reduce it, for they are shirkers; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God!’ (9) Let heavier work be laid upon the men; let them keep at it and not pay attention to deceitful promises.”

(10) So the taskmasters and officers of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you any straw. (11) You must go and get the straw yourselves wherever you can find it; but there shall be no decrease whatever in your work.” (12) Then the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. (13) And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “You must complete the same work assignment each day as when you had straw.” (14) And the officers of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten. “Why,” they were asked, “did you not complete the prescribed amount of bricks, either yesterday or today, as you did before?”

(15) Then the officers of the Israelites came to Pharaoh and cried: “Why do you deal thus with your servants? (16) No straw is issued to your servants, yet they demand of us: Make bricks! Thus your servants are being beaten, when the fault is with your own people.” (17) He replied, “You are shirkers, shirkers! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Eternal.’ (18) Be off now to your work! No straw shall be issued to you, but you must produce your quota of bricks!”

(19) Now the officers of the Israelites found themselves in trouble because of the order, “You must not reduce your daily quantity of bricks.” (20) As they left Pharaoh’s presence, they came upon Moses and Aaron standing in their path, (21) and they said to them, “May the Eternal look upon you and punish you for making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his courtiers—putting a sword in their hands to slay us.”

(22) Then Moses returned to the Eternal and said, “O Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? (23) Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people.”

And the officers of the Children of Israel were beaten — The officers were Israelites, and they had pity on their fellows, and did not press them. They would turn the bricks over to the taskmasters, who were Egyptians, and when something was missing from the required amount, the Egyptians would whip them because they did not press the workers.

Therefore those officers merited to become the Sanhedrin, and some of the spirit that was upon Moses was taken and placed upon them, as it says (in Numbers 11:16): “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, those whom you know,” that is, you know the good that they did in Egypt, for they are the elders of the people and its officers.

(16) Then the Eternal said to Moses: Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, those whom you know, for they are the elders of the people and its officers, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you. (17) I will come down and speak with you there, and I will draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone.

Gather to Me - ...And where were the original elders? Weren’t there elders back in Egypt who sat with [Moses and Aaron], as it says there, “Go gather the elders of Israel!” (Exodus 3:16)

But they died [just before this,] in the fire at Taverah. They merited this punishment from Sinai, because, “They saw God” (Exodus 24:11), but were behaving carelessly, like someone munching his bread while speaking to the king. This is what it means when it says there that, “they ate and drank.”

those whom you know - those you recognize, for they were appointed officers in Egypt during the backbreaking labor. The ones who had mercy on the people and were beaten because of it. As it says, "And the officers of the Israelites were beaten..."(Exodus 5:16)

(16) “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: the Eternal, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said, ‘I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt,

(9) Then Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended; (10) and they saw the God of Israel: under God's feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity. (11) Yet God did not raise God's hand against the leaders of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.