Torah FeedParashat Bamidbar
Numbers 1:1 to 4:20, 159 verses. Next read on Shabbat, June 5, 2027.
Updated September 24, 2026
בְּמִדְבַּר
- Book
- Numbers
- Reading
- 1:1 to 4:20
- Verses
- 159
- Position
- 34 of 54
Opening verse
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר׃
AND THE LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
Read the full text from the start of the portion: Numbers 1 in Hebrew and English.
Summary
The book of Numbers opens in the wilderness of Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year. God orders a census of men over twenty by tribe: 603,550 in all, not counting the Levites. The tribes are arranged around the Mishkan in four camps of three, each under its banner, with the Levites in the middle. The Levites are counted separately and taken in place of the firstborn to serve the sanctuary. The families of Kohath, Gershon and Merari are assigned their duties for the march. The Kohathites carry the holiest objects, wrapped by the priests so that they do not see them and die.
Key moments
- The census of the tribes (1:1 to 1:46)
- The camp arranged around the sanctuary (2:1 to 2:34)
- The Levites in place of the firstborn (3:5 to 3:13)
When is Bamidbar read?
Upcoming Shabbat readings in the Diaspora calendar:
- Saturday, June 5, 2027
- Saturday, May 27, 2028
- Saturday, May 19, 2029
In some years this portion is read together with its neighbor as a double portion. The dates above include those weeks.