NACHSHON Ben Aminadav Who Jumped Into The Sea of Reeds (a.k.a Red Sea)

 

SHALOM!

The following teaching is inspired by The TORAH Portion “BESHALACH/When He (Pharoah) Sent or Let Go”.

Note that Nachshon is the Hebrew name and Naason or Naashon are the English spellings of the name.

 

Nachshon was a person of strong FAITH in YAHUVEH/YAHWEH GOD Almighty!

 

The following Holy Scriptures talk about Nachshon:

 

Numbers 1:1-19 Names of God Bible (NOG)

Moses Takes a Census of Israel

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai. It was the first day of the second month in the second year after leaving Egypt. He said, ² “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by families and households. List every man by name ³ who is at least 20 years old. You and Aaron must register everyone in Israel who is eligible for military duty. List them by divisions. ⁴ One man from each tribe will help you. Each of these men must be the head of a household.

⁵ “Here are the names of the men who will help you:

Elizur, son of Shedeur, from the tribe of Reuben;

⁶ Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, from the tribe of Simeon;

⁷ Nahshon, son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah;

⁸ Nethanel, son of Zuar, from the tribe of Issachar;

⁹ Eliab, son of Helon, from the tribe of Zebulun;

¹⁰ Elishama, son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Ephraim;

Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, from the tribe of Manasseh;

(Ephraim and Manasseh are Joseph’s descendants.)

¹¹ Abidan, son of Gideoni, from the tribe of Benjamin;

¹² Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, from the tribe of Dan;

¹³ Pagiel, son of Ochran, from the tribe of Asher;

¹⁴ Eliasaph, son of Deuel, from the tribe of Gad;

¹⁵ Ahira, son of Enan, from the tribe of Naphtali.”

¹⁶ These were the men chosen from the community, the leaders of their ancestors’ tribes, and heads of the divisions of Israel.

¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took the men who had been named ¹⁸ and assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. Each man at least 20 years old provided his genealogy by family and household. Then his name was listed. ¹⁹ So Moses registered the men of Israel in the Desert of Sinai as Yahweh had commanded him…..

 

Numbers 7:7-17 Names of God Bible (NOG)

Offerings for the Dedication of the Altar

7 When Moses finished setting up the tent, he anointed it and dedicated it and all the furnishings. He also anointed and dedicated the altar and all the utensils. ² Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of the households—those tribal leaders who helped in the census—came to give their offerings. ³ They brought these gifts to Yahweh: six freight wagons and twelve oxen, one wagon from every two leaders and one ox from each leader. They brought them in front of the tent.

⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these gifts from them to use in the work done for the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites to use wherever they need these gifts for their work.” ⁶ Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites for the work they had to do. ⁸ He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites for the work they had to do under the direction of Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron. ⁹ But Moses gave none of these gifts to the Kohathites, because they took care of the holy things. They had to carry the holy things on their own shoulders.

¹⁰ The leaders also brought offerings for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed. They presented their gifts in front of the altar. ¹¹ Yahweh said to Moses, “Each day a different leader will bring his gift for the dedication of the altar.”

¹² The one who brought his gifts on the first day was Nahshon, son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. ¹³ He brought a silver plate that weighed 3¼ pounds and a silver bowl that weighed 1¾ pounds, using the standard weight of the holy place. Each dish was filled with flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering. ¹⁴ He also brought a gold dish that weighed 4 ounces, filled with incense; ¹⁵ a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb as a burnt offering; ¹⁶ a male goat as an offering for sin; ¹⁷ and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship offering. These were the gifts from Nahshon, son of Amminadab….

1 Chronicles 2:9-17 Names of God Bible (NOG)

⁹ The sons born to Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. ¹⁰ Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, leader of Judah’s people. ¹¹ Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz. ¹² Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse. ¹³ Jesse was the father of Eliab (his firstborn), Abinadab (his second son), Shimea (his third son), ¹⁴ Nethanel (his fourth son), Raddai (his fifth son), ¹⁵ Ozem (his sixth son), and David (his seventh son). ¹⁶ Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. ¹⁷ Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether, a descendant of Ishmael.

Matthew 1:1-20Names of God Bible (NOG)

The Family Line of Jesus Christ

1 This is the list of ancestors of Yeshua Christ, descendant of David and Abraham.

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³ Judah and Tamar were the father and mother of Perez and Zerah.

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵ Salmon and Rahab were the father and mother of Boaz.

Boaz and Ruth were the father and mother of Obed.

Obed was the father of Jesse,

⁶ Jesse the father of King David.

David and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba were the father and mother of Solomon.

⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

⁸ Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah,

⁹ Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

¹⁰ Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah.

¹¹ Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

They lived at the time when the people were exiled to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

¹⁴ Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

¹⁵ Eliud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob.

¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph, who was the husband of Mary.

Mary was the mother of Yeshua, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ So there were

14 generations from Abraham to David,

14 generations from David until the exile to Babylon,

14 generations from the exile until the Messiah.

As per Wikipedia, 

In the Hebrew Bible, Nahshon (Hebrew: נַחְשׁוֹן‬ Naḥšōn) was a tribal leader of the YAHudahites (a.k.a Judahites) during the wilderness wanderings of the Book of Numbers. In the King James Version, the name is spelled Naashon. According to a JewishMidrash, he was the person who initiated the Hebrews’ passage through the Red Sea, by walking in head-deep until the sea parted.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Nahshon was a son of Amminadab, descendant in the fifth generation of YAHudah (a.k.a Judah/Yehudah), and brother-in-law of Aaron. According to the Greek New Testament, he is also the father-in-law of Rahab. He was an Israelite and a YAHudahite (a.k.aJudahite/Yehudahite), and a member of the Perezite and Hezronite clans, through his descent from Jacob, Judah, Perez, and Hezron, respectively.

According to the Book of Numbers, he was at least 20 years old during the census in the Sinai, during the Exodus. By the same account, those of the Israelites who were among the original number that had set out from Egypt (a.k.a Mitzrayim), of whom Nahshon was one, did not survive the forty-year sojourn in the wilderness to enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

Nahshon was appointed by Moses, upon ABBA YAHUVEH/YAHWEH GOD’S command, as prince and military commander of the Tribe of Judah and one of the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Although his tribe was fourth in the order of the Patriarchs, at the dedication of the Tabernacle he was the first to bring his dedicatory offering. His title or role is translated into Modern English variously in the New Revised Standard Version, as “leader” and census-taker, one of the “heads of their ancestral houses, the leaders of the tribes”, “first .. over the whole company”, and “prince of the sons of YAHudah (a.k.a Judah/Yehudah)”.

Nahshon was, through Boaz, the direct male ancestor of David, and thus of Solomon and all of the kings of the Kingdom of Judah. He was exactly halfway in the direct male line between Judah and King David.

Nahshon is also mentioned in the New Testament in the genealogy of YAHUSHUA HA MASHIACH (a.k.a JESUS CHRIST/YESHUA).

 

Interestingly enough, in the Hebrew gematria, the numeric value of Nachshon is 414. The same as Kaddish (414) and also twice the numeric value of OR (light 207).

What is KADDISH?

The Kaddish or Qaddish is a hymn of praises to GOD found in Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of GOD’S name.

 

Nachshon, comes from the Royal and Musical Tribe of Judah and the Hebrew Gematria of his name amounts to praise and worship of GOD’S name which is similar to the meaning of the word YAHUDAH (a.k.a JUDAH; the Orthodox Jews write it as Yehudah).

 

 

According to Rabbinic literature, 

wing to his direct descent from Judah and to his being the progenitor of so many kings, Nahshon is extolled by the rabbis as a most noble man. Nahshon’s sister Elisheba married Aaron, and this is especially mentioned as a hint that one should take care to select a wife whose brothers are noble.

The Midrash relates that during the Exodus, when the Israelites reached the Red Sea, it did not automatically part. The Israelites stood at the banks of the sea and wailed with despair, but Nahshon entered the waters. Once he was up to his nose in the water, the sea parted. This is the origin of his name “Nahshol”, that is, “stormy sea-waves”. Nahshon was a model prince, and was called “king”.

When the princes of the different tribes were required to bring their offerings, each on a separate day, Moses was embarrassed, not knowing who should be the first; but all Israel pointed at Nahshon, saying, “He sanctified the name of GOD by springing first into the Red Sea; he is worthy to bring down the Shekhinah; therefore he shall be the first to bring the offering.”

The offering brought by Nahshon is pointed out as having been his own and not that of his tribe. In the account of the offering, the words Va’korbano (“and his sacrifice”) and Etodim each have a ו (vav), while the same words in the accounts of the other princes’ offerings have no ו (vav). This letter, the numerical value of which is six, indicates that Nahshon was the ancestor of six men — 

• David,
• the Messiah, 
• Daniel, 
• Hananiah, 
• Mishael,

and 

• Azariah

………………………. — each of whom was distinguished for six praiseworthy qualities.

 

Some more useful information on Nachshon from another Source:

He was a prince of the tribe of Judah. He was the brother-in-law of Aaron, the high priest. When everyone else hesitated, he jumped into the swirling sea. He was Nachshon, the son of Aminadav.

Here is a portrait of the man whose quiet action left an indelible mark on our nation.

Family Origin

Nachshon was a fifth-generation descendant of Judah, son of Jacob. (His father was Aminadav, son of Ram, son of Chetzron, son of Peretz, son of Judah.)1

He appears for the first time in the Torah when Aaron marries his sister: “Aaron took for a wife Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, sister of Nachshon.”2 The Torah generally records names only when mentioning someone new, and the commentaries wonder why Elisheva’s brother is mentioned here as well.

They suggest that before marrying Elisheva, Aaron had inquired about Nachshon, his future brother-in-law. We learn from Aaron that when searching for a wife, it is important to vet her brothers. Fine, upstanding brothers indicate that the sister will be a fitting life partner.3

At the Splitting of the Sea

Seven days after leaving Egypt, the Israelites found themselves trapped between a raging sea and the vengeful Egyptian army. Then G‑d gave Moses a command that seemed impossible to fulfill: “Speak to the people of Israel; they shall travel.”4

The order was given to go forward, sea or no sea. But who would make the first move? At that moment, Nachshon’s devotion and bravery came to the fore. The Midrash5 and Talmud6 share the following account:

When Israel stood facing the Sea of Reeds, and the command was given to move forward, each of the tribes hesitated, saying, “We do not want to be the first to jump into the sea.”

Nachshon saw what was happening—and jumped into the sea.

At that moment Moses was standing and praying. G‑d said to him, “My beloved ones are drowning in the stormy seas, and you are standing and praying?”

Moses replied, “Master of the world, what am I to do?”

Said G‑d, “You lift your staff and spread your hand over the seas, which will split, and Israel will come into the sea upon dry land.”

And so it was. Following Nachshon’s lead, the Israelites entered the sea and were saved.

Nachshon’s Reward

The Midrash enumerates the rewards that Nachshon’s brave deed earned him:

• He was given the name Nachshon, since he jumped into the waves (nachshol) of the sea.7
• Five heroes of Israel were among his descendants: David, Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah.8
• The eternal kingdom of Israel was given to his tribe, Judah, and it follows that Moshiach will be his descendant as well.9

After Moses completed the Tabernacle in the desert, the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel offered special inaugural sacrifices and gifts. Even though Judah was not the most senior of the tribes, Nachshon, prince of Judah, was the first to bring his sacrifice.10 This may have been a reward for his special deed of devotion.

Nachshon was also among the seventy elders upon whom Moses conferred his spirit.11

His Passing

Nachshon’s appointment as an elder had a tragic result. We read that in the second year after leaving Egypt, “the people were looking to complain, and it was evil in the ears of the L‑rd. The L‑rd heard, and His anger flared, and a fire from the L‑rd burned among them, consuming the extremes of the camp.”12 The Midrash explains that the “extremes of the camp” is a reference to the seventy elders,13 including Nachshon.14

A Symbol of Strength

Nachshon’s name has become synonymous with courage and the will to do the right thing, even when it’s not popular.

Inspired by Nachshon, King David wrote in Psalms, “I have sunk in muddy depths, and there is no place to stand; I have come into the deep water, and the current has swept me away . . . Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me, and let the well not close its mouth over me.”15

The Rebbe saw Nachshon’s deed as a call to action:

“One fellow named Nachshon jumped into the sea, and caused the great miracle of the Splitting of the Sea. Technically, he was under no obligation to do so. But he knew that G‑d wanted Israel to move onward toward Sinai. So he did what he needed to do. There was a sea in his way. So he jumped into the sea and plowed on toward his goal.

“The lesson for all of us is that we must stay focused on our life’s mission, disregarding all obstacles.”16

 

 

 

 

Book Summary Information: For generations Nachshon’s family has been enslaved by the Egyptian Pharaoh. Nachshon is afraid it will be his destiny too. Then Moses confronts the fearsome Pharaoh, and Nachshon’s dream of freedom begins to come true. But soon he has to overcome his own special fear. The story of the brave boy who was the first to jump into the sea will inspire young and old alike.

 

 

 

Reference/Source:

• Wikipedia (https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Nachshon)

 

• Chabad (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2199147/jewish/Nachshon-ben-Aminadav-The-Man-Who-Jumped-Into-the-Sea.htm)