The Jewish people sought to uncover and emphasize every individual’s personal strengths, and thus chose banners for each tribe, but no banners flew over the central Tent of Meeting.
Throughout their journey in the wilderness, the Israelites were commanded to camp around their tribal banners:
“The Israelites shall encamp, each by his own banner, according to the insignias of their paternal houses.” (Numbers 2:2)
What is the meaning behind these banners?
The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:3) says that the inspiration for the banners came from Mount Sinai. Twenty-two thousand chariots of angels, each one decked out with flags, attended the Revelation of the Torah. The Israelites immediately desired to have flags just like the angels, and God agreed.
This request for flags, the Midrash teaches, is alluded to in Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs 2:4): “He brought me to the wine-house, and His banner over me is love.”
From the Midrash we understand that banners relate to some inherent characteristic of angels, though not of people. But we are left with many questions. Why do angels bear flags? Why is Sinai likened to a “wine-house”? And what is the connection between banners and love?
The Specialized Service of Angels
The Zohar teaches that the banners of the four encampments — positioned to the north, south, east, and west — correspond to the four “faces” of the supernal Merkavah (Chariot) described in Ezekiel’s vision. Since these four “faces” represent fundamental divine attributes, each encampment related to a particular divine quality.
Before we can explain the meaning of the flags and their connection to angels, we must first understand what an angel is. In Hebrew, mal’ach literally means “messenger.” An angel is essentially a divine messenger, created to fulfill a specific mission. An angel cannot perform a task, important though it may be, other than the specific mission for which it was designated.
Now we can better understand the function of the angels’ flags. A banner proclaims a distinctive function or trait. Each angel, limited to a specific area of divine service, carries its own distinguishing flag. These flags may be compared to military uniforms, where the dress and insignia indicate a soldier’s unit and assignment.
Human beings, on the other hand, are not limited to serving God in one particular manner. Our divine image encompasses all spiritual spheres (see NefeshHachaim 1:10). For us, a banner is too restricting; it does not reflect our true spiritual essence.
Nonetheless, the Jewish people saw in the angels’ banners at Sinai an inspiring sight that appealed to them, albeit in a non-obligatory way. Every person has special talents and interests, based on individual character traits and the soul’s inner root. While we are not limited in serving God in a particular way, we are certainly more inclined towards those activities for which we have a natural proclivity. For example, a kind-hearted person will gravitate toward acts of compassion and chesed; a strong-willed individual, to acts of courage and self-sacrifice; and so on.
The Jewish people desired flags like those the angels bore at Sinai. They wanted every individual to be able to choose an aspect of divine service that suits his personality, just as each angel executes a specific function, as defined by his flag.
The Wine-House of Sinai
Why, then, does the verse refer to Mount Sinai as a “house of wine”?
Drinking wine releases our inhibitions, revealing our inner character. In the words of the Talmud (Eiruvin 65a), “Wine enters, secrets emerge.” The Israelites envied the beauty and joy they witnessed in divine service of the angels. The root of this joy stems from the angels’ natural affinity for their service. Each angel naturally identifies with its particular mission. The Jewish people sought to uncover and emphasize every individual’s personal strengths, in the same way that wine liberates and highlights one’s inner characteristics.
This individualized worship only applies to the service of the heart and character traits. The banners reflect our feelings of love and joy when serving God: “His banner over me is love.” The banners, however, are not directly connected to the service itself. Within the framework of Torah study and practical mitzvot, there is no need for distinctive forms of service. That is why no banners flew over the central Tent of Meeting, where the luchot — the stone tablets — were stored. The Torah and its mitzvot relate equally to every soul.
