Bamidbar 7: Who Made You Leader?

“The chieftains of Israel, the heads of ancestral houses, namely the chieftains of the tribe, those who were in charge of enrollment” (verse 2 = Bamidbar 7:2:וַיַּקְרִיבוּ נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי בֵית־אֲבֹתָם הֵם נְשִׂיאֵי הַמַּטּוֹת הָעֹמְדִים עַל־הַפְּקֻדִים׃). Where did these chieftains come from? They are not selected as spies later and only appear by name in chapter one. During the exodus there is a reference to the elders. It’s possible that these individuals were the elders that accompanied Moshe to Pharoah. Rashi explains that they were the Israelite taskmasters responsible for the slaves in Egypt. Whenever the Israelites underperformed, the taskmasters would be beaten. In chapter 1, they are referred to as “Those are the elected of the assembly, the chieftains of their ancestral tribes: they are the heads of the contingents of Israel” (Bamidbar 1:16 =אֵלֶּה קְרוּאֵי הָעֵדָה נְשִׂיאֵי מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם׃). This implies that there were elected to lead the tribe and it was not a hereditary position. It also seems to undermine Rashi’s explanation, although it is possible they were elected because of the sacrifice they made in Egypt. Chapter 7, Verse 2 describes them as both heads of ancestral homes and chieftains of the tribes. What is the difference between these two things? It’s possible that the Torah is describing their rise to prominence from simply heads of households to chieftains of entire tribes. Sfrono explains that each of these titles represented a function of theirs. They were heads of the tribes so received the prestigious job of giving the dedication sacrifices, but they were also representatives of the people and gave the korbanot as atonement for their tribesmen. They are also described as chiefs of the enrollment. What is the enrollment? Rashi explains that they were the chief representatives to Moshe during the census count. Chizkuni adds that because a census is frowned upon, they had to bring these korbanot as atonement. The enrollment could also have to do with the different levels of judges that Moshe established at the behest of Yitro. These tribal leaders were responsible for organizing the various levels of the judicial bureaucracy. The judges themselves, however do have required characteristics. Yitro teaches that judges must be anshei chayil, yir’ei Hashem, anshei emet, and son’ei batza—people of strong character, moral seriousness, integrity, and resistance to corruption.Devarim adds that they must also be chachamim, nevonim, and yedu’im—wise, discerning, and respected by their communities. Together, these qualities form a complete portrait of judges who combine moral strength, intellectual depth, and public trustworthiness. The Nesiim do not seem to have any standard to be selected. This could indicate that these were, in fact, hereditary leaders left over from Egypt.