Nasso and the Historical Timeline

Around 2½ years ago, I wrote this post, in which I presented the possibility that the "day" that was sold to Yaakov Avinu was 34.090909 years.  This was the result of the following equation: 6000 / 176 - i.e. 6000 years of the world divided by the 176 verses in Tehilim Chapter 119.  I brought the verse in chapter 119 that corresponds with the time period in which we are currently living.  ע"ש.

As is well-known, Parshat Nasso, the longest stand-alone Perasha, also contains 176 verses.  If we take the verse that corresponds to our current time-period, which started on 5761 (34.090909 * (170 - 1)), it brings us the 170th verse (Bemidbar 7:83):

וּלְזֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים, בָּקָר שְׁנַיִם, אֵילִם חֲמִשָּׁה עַתֻּדִים חֲמִשָּׁה, כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי-שָׁנָה חֲמִשָּׁה:  זֶה קָרְבַּן אֲחִירַע, בֶּן-עֵינָן

and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

At first glance, this seems insignificant.  However, in context, this verse is the last of the repetitive verses of the sacrifices of the Nesi'im.  For a full 72 verses, the Torah repeats the exact same sacrifice brought by each of the Nesi'im, just changing the day and the name of the Nasi who brought it.  This means that the repetition started on verse 99 of the Perasha, which is:

וַיְהִי, הַמַּקְרִיב בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן--אֶת-קָרְבָּנוֹ:  נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן-עַמִּינָדָב, לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה

And he that presented his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah

When we see what year that corresponds to, we get the following equation:

34.090909 * (99 - 1) = 3340.90909, which is only 2 years after the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash in the year 3338.  This means that verses 99 thru 170 - a total of 72 verses - correspond to the years from the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash until the present. 

Although we did have a second Beit Hamikdash, it was inferior to the first in many ways and not all of Israel returned to its land.  Therefore, it can be said that the days of exile lasted from 3338 until the present - a total of 2433 years.

I further want to propose that in this Perasha, the word "קרבן" - sacrifice - denotes exile, while the word " מזבח" denotes redemption.  We needed to endure the sacrifice of exile in order to attain our Final Redemption.

So, the 2 verses that come before the repetitive verses can be read like this (in a Remez sort of way):

וַיַּקְרִיבוּ הַנְּשִׂאִים, אֵת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, בְּיוֹם, הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ; וַיַּקְרִיבוּ הַנְּשִׂיאִם אֶת-קָרְבָּנָם, לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

And the princes wanted the Final Redemption to be close and to occur while the Beit Hamikdash was in existence - with a candidate for Mashiah such as Hizkiyah.  However, that was not meant to be, and the princes' descendants needed to endure a state of sacrifice and exile before the Final Redemption.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה:  נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם, נָשִׂיא אֶחָד לַיּוֹם, יַקְרִיבוּ אֶת-קָרְבָּנָם, לַחֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

And Hashem said to Moshe that one verse about the princes' sacrifices per "day" (if each day = 34.090909 years, then multiply by 72 verses to get 2454.54545 years) will they need to endure in exile so that eventually, they will come to the Final Redemption.

And then, finally, at the end, after all the princes brought their sacrifices of exile, we have (verse 84):

זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ

This is the Final Redemption on the day that Mashiah comes...

(Note also verse 88, which would correspond to the year 5931:

זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, אַחֲרֵי הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ

This is the Final Redemption after Mashiah comes...)

If Hashem started the exile 2 years early (as it says in Sanhedrin 38a: הקדים שתי שנים לונושנתם) - and brought it in 3338 instead of 3340, then we pray that Hashem will start the Final Redemption early as well and not wait until 5795, but bring it this year - in 5771 - Amen.