Short Stories from the Book of Numbers:
1. Bamidbar. Courtship of the Blind Levite. Inter-tribal romance.
Adeever son of Eltzafan the Levite opened his eyes, partly out of habit and partly out of hope. The results were the same as the day before. Darkness. The darkness threatened to overwhelm him, as it did every morning. He remembered to focus on sounds. He listened to the beating of his strong heart; …
2. Naso. The Levite Sotah. Marriage turns bitter.
The sun was setting over the Israelite camp. A young woman rushed to the Levite section. Her rhythmic gait mirrored the fast beating of her heart. I hope he doesn’t realize, Pnina thought. He warned me not to go to Priryah again, but I couldn’t stop. I can’t let anyone know about my meetings. I woul…
3. Behaalotcha. The Price of Prophecy. Moses has a crisis.
A tall column of cloud moved westward, defying the northern desert winds. Following the cloud were the arrayed tribes of Israel, millions strong. The cloud column stopped its forward movement. Millions of sandaled feet ended their day-long march. A dust cloud, the color of a camel’s hide, enveloped …
4. Shelach. Men Dare Tread. Trouble for Joshua, Caleb and the Spies in Canaan.
The twelve spies wore light woolen robes purchased at the market of Kadesh. They passed Arad and reached the foothills of Hebron. Joshua looked up at the climb ahead and felt pity for some of the heavier members of the delegation. Shammua of the tribe of Reuven walked in front of the group and pante…
5. Korach. Datan’s Inferno. Journey through hell.
Moses stood on a small desert hilltop overlooking the tents of Datan and Aviram in the tribe of Reuven. A large crowd greeted him.
6. Chukat. The Happy Gravedigger. Beating the curse of the spies.
“Why did the Torah teach purification from the dead (parah adumah), and not mention anything else between the 2nd and 40th years of their wanderings? What did they do for 38 years in the desert? They died.” David Nativ, Bible Scholar
7. Balak. The Donkey and The Angel. Battle around Bilaam.
A thin haze covered the fortified city of Damascus. Dozens of stone chimneys belched the smoke of cooking ovens into the morning sky. The slapping of sandals on old stone mixed with the sounds of hooves and creaking wagon wheels. Clanging metal and the hollering of early market hagglers created a ca…
8. Pinchas. Attractive Spinsters. Fight for their land.
“They laughed at them,” Shmida said to the little girl. “They often laughed at them,” Shmida repeated as he leaned back on his low stool. The little girl looked up at Shmida with adoring eyes. Shmida’s face and arms were wrinkled like a prune left in the sun. His robe was freshly ripped over his hea…
9. Matot. The Determined Executioner. Sorcery Battle.
“And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinhas the son of Elazar the priest, with the holy vessels and the trumpets. And they warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew every male. And they slew the kings of Midian: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hu…
10. Masaei. The Next Leader. Who will take over?
Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Bamidbar. Courtship of the Blind Levite. Inter-tribal romance. http://tinyurl.com/blindlevite
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Adeever son of Eltzafan the Levite opened his eyes, partly out of habit and partly out of hope. The results were the same as the day before. Darkness. The darkness threatened to overwhelm him, as it did every morning. He remembered to focus on sounds. He listened to the beating of his strong heart; …
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Naso. The Levite Sotah. Marriage turns bitter. http://tinyurl.com/sotah
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The sun was setting over the Israelite camp. A young woman rushed to the Levite section. Her rhythmic gait mirrored the fast beating of her heart. I hope he doesn’t realize, Pnina thought. He warned me not to go to Priryah again, but I couldn’t stop. I can’t let anyone know about my meetings. I woul…
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Behaalotcha. The Price of Prophecy. Moses has a crisis. http://tinyurl.com/mosesdespair
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A tall column of cloud moved westward, defying the northern desert winds. Following the cloud were the arrayed tribes of Israel, millions strong. The cloud column stopped its forward movement. Millions of sandaled feet ended their day-long march. A dust cloud, the color of a camel’s hide, enveloped …
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction story: Numbers: Shelach. Men Dare Tread. Trouble for Joshua, Caleb and the Spies in Canaan. http://tinyurl.com/BibleSpies
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The twelve spies wore light woolen robes purchased at the market of Kadesh. They passed Arad and reached the foothills of Hebron. Joshua looked up at the climb ahead and felt pity for some of the heavier members of the delegation. Shammua of the tribe of Reuven walked in front of the group and pante…
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction story: Numbers: Korach. Datan’s Inferno. Journey through hell. http://tinyurl.com/DatanInferno
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Moses stood on a small desert hilltop overlooking the tents of Datan and Aviram in the tribe of Reuven. A large crowd greeted him.
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Chukat. The Happy Gravedigger. Beating the curse of the spies. http://tinyurl.com/happygravedigger
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“Why did the Torah teach purification from the dead (parah adumah), and not mention anything else between the 2nd and 40th years of their wanderings? What did they do for 38 years in the desert? They died.” David Nativ, Bible Scholar
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Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Balak. The Donkey and The Angel. Battle around Bilaam. http://tinyurl.com/DonkeyAngel
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A thin haze covered the fortified city of Damascus. Dozens of stone chimneys belched the smoke of cooking ovens into the morning sky. The slapping of sandals on old stone mixed with the sounds of hooves and creaking wagon wheels. Clanging metal and the hollering of early market hagglers created a ca…
Write a comment…
Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Pinchas. Attractive Spinsters. Fight for their land. http://tinyurl.com/AttractiveSpinsters
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“They laughed at them,” Shmida said to the little girl. “They often laughed at them,” Shmida repeated as he leaned back on his low stool. The little girl looked up at Shmida with adoring eyes. Shmida’s face and arms were wrinkled like a prune left in the sun. His robe was freshly ripped over his hea…
Write a comment…
Bentzi Spitz Biblical Fiction short story: Numbers: Matot/Masai. The Determined Executioner. Sorcery Battle. http://tinyurl.com/PinhasVsBilaam
tinyurl.com
“And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinhas the son of Elazar the priest, with the holy vessels and the trumpets. And they warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew every male. And they slew the kings of Midian: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hu…
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