Parshas Vayelech 5776

What is the Tent of Meeting?

The Torah writes (Deutoronomy 31:14):

And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Behold, thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.’ And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.

The tent is first described earlier (Exodus 33:7):

Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought the LORD went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp.

Rashi (ibid) explains the meaning of the term: 

And he would call it the tent of meeting. That is the meeting house of those seeking the Torah.

Later on, when the Tabernacle was built, the same term was used to refer to inner part of the Tabernacle covered with skins (Exodus 40:2):

’On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Rashi explains (Exodus 33:11):

After He spoke with him, Moses would return to the camp and teach the elders what he had learned. Moses conducted himself in this way from Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected, but no more [than that] ... He [God] gave over to him the second tablets, and he [Moses] descended, and He [God] began commanding him concerning the work of the Mishkan. They constructed it until the first of Nissan, and once it was erected, He no longer spoke with him except from the Tent of Meeting. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 31, Seder Olam ch. 6]

Ha-emek Davar (Exodus 40:34) explains that this term refers normally to the Holy of Holies, but may occasionally refer to the entire part of the Tabernacle covered by the skins

The Torah also explains (Numbers 7:89) how G-d spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle:

And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.

Who was Joshua?

The Torah writes (Deuteronomy 31:23):

And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said: ‘Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them; and I will be with thee.’

He was a servant of Moses (Exodus 33:11):

And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he would return into the camp; but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent.

and (Numbers 11:28):

And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: ‘My lord Moses, shut them in.’

He was one of the spies (Numbers 13:16), and Moses changed his name:

These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

He also fought with Amalek (Numbers 17:13):

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

He was picked by Moses to conquer the Land (Numbers 34:17):

’These are the names of the men that shall take possession of the land for you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.

He was considered a king (Bereishit Rabbah 59:6)

He married Rachab (Talmud Megilah 14b) and only had daughters, but not sons:

That [Rahab] became a convert and she married Joshua. But did Joshua have any offspring And isn't it written (I Chronicles 7:27) "Nun his son, Joshua his son" He did not have sons, but he did have daughters.

[Published at parshapeople.blogspot.com]