Perek 35

The perek opens with Hashem commanding Bnei Yisroel to give land outside of their inherited cities to the Leviim.

Question: In passuk 4 it says that 1000 ama should be measured from the city wall outwards for the Leviim, but then in passuk 5 it says that 2000 ama should be measured in every direction. Was it 1000 or 2000 ama?

Quotes Rashi: It was really that they were given 2000 ama, 1000 of which (the half closer to the wall) was for settling, and the other 1000 were for fields, grazing, vinyards, etc.

Ramban takes it a little differently, which he views as the pshat: He says that originally it was supposed to be 1000 ama surrounding the city, which they did (this 1000 ama being added directly adjacent to the wall). But when you do that you only get 500 ama in each section (on either side of the city) and that totals 1000. So then it says that it should be done as a 2000 X 2000 ama square, and then you will get 1000 ama on each side (this 1000 ama beign added not directly against the wall).

(Proof: The word "Pe'ah" which is used here means that the measurement should be dont in its totality on the side it is ordered, based on a proof from Shemot 27:9 where it talks about measuring out the Chatzer and a the word "Pe'ah" in Yichezkel. He makes a distinguish in the passuk between ומדותם מחוץ לעיר לפאת קדמה, if it actually meant to measure off the 2000 from the outskirts of the city and ומדותם את פאת קדמה which is what the passuk actually says, which means it totals 2000...)

Perek 31

What is the reason that it does not include the Nisim with Moshe and Elazar in passuk 31?

1) The Nisim were always going to follow what Moshe told them becuase he was their "boss".

2) (problem with 1- what about by the Pekudim where it says Moshe, Aharon and the Nisim?)
Hahsem told the Nisim to be with Elazar in this case because he was dealing with money (the division of the wealth collected from war) and Hashem didn't want people accusing Elazar of taking more than his due. The Nisim responded that Elazar was like a Malacha nd that he would never do that, and so they weren't present for his collecting.

Perek 25

When Pinchas gets his reward from Hashem it says he got לָכֵן אֱמֹר הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם, and that he got וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם. What is the connection between these two promises?

Raban makes a delineation between the Kehunah of Aharon and the Kehunah of Pinchas. Aharon got it for the purpose of לכבוד ולתפארת. While Pinchas's Kehunah was imbued with Shalom. Which is why he got it for standing up for Hahsem.

Perek 9

Why does the passuk even have to state that if the Anan stayed in one place then Bnei Yisroel would stay in one place? Obviously if Bnei Yisroel is traveling by following the cloud then if the cloud stayed they'd stay.

Ramban simply adds that this is even in a place where Bnei Yisroel think it is bad for them, and they complain about it, even so they should stay.

This is not Ramban's verbose self so I wanted to know why he would even make such a comment. I came up with the thought that this is a precursor for other places where Bnei Yisroel are going to sin by complaining and going against Ratzon Hashem, and maybe this whole detailed description of following the Cloud was a way of setting guidelines for Bnei Yisroel in the hopes that they would take the same discipline and apply it later on.

Perek 7

The Perek opens with the words  וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת משֶׁה לְהָקִים אֶת-הַמִּשְׁכָּן, what does it mean that Moshe finised establishing the Mishkan?

Quotes Rashi and disproves: He says that all of the seven days of Miluim the Mishkan was built and then taken apart, and then on the eighth day, which was Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Mishkan was built and not taken apart, which is why it says that Moshe finished establishing the Mishkan.

Ramban disagress, he says that Moshe finishing does not only have to do with building rather it means all the parts were done. The Mishkan was sanctified, the mizbe'ach was dedicated, and the utensils were put in. All that culminated on the eighth day.