1. The Torah’s Non-Chronological Structure
We know that the entire Torah is not organized strictly in chronological order. There are stories that took place earlier but are recorded later, and events appear in very different places in the Chumash—the Five Books of Moses—even though they did not happen in the order of the pesukim—verses. The rule is, as Chazal say, ein mukdam u’me’uchar baTorah—there is no “earlier” or “later” in the Torah. This means that sometimes the narrative jumps back and forth in time, and we need to pay attention to context to understand when events actually occurred.
2. The Flow of Early Torah Narratives
If we look at the beginning of the Torah, starting from when Adam HaRishon was created, we have ten generations until Noach, then another ten generations from Noach until Avraham. Then comes the story of Avraham, followed by Yitzchak and Yaakov. At the end of Sefer Bereishis, we read about Yaakov’s twelve sons and how they descended into Egypt.
This is all covered in Chumash Bereishis. In the beginning of Shemois, we start reading about the exile of Bnei Yisrael in Egypt: how they were enslaved there. The first few sections of Shemois set this up, and then with Parshas Va’era and Bo, Moshe Rabbeinu begins taking them out with the plagues. By Parshas Beshalach, Bnei Yisrael have left Mitzrayim.
3. The Timeline from Exodus through Bamidbar
Parshas Beshalach is already the fourth portion in Sefer Shemois. From there, we continue through Yisro, Mishpatim, Terumah, Tetzaveh, Ki Sisa, Vayakhel-Pekudei (finishing Shemois), then into Vayikra: Vayikra itself, Tzav, Shemini, Tazria—all these parshiyos cover a relatively short period.
When we reach Bamidbar—with parshiyos Bamidbar, Naso, Beha’aloscha—and then Shlach and Korach at the beginning of Chukas—all these events take place within a span of about 14 months. It starts from when Bnei Yisrael left Egypt on the 15th day of Nisan and encamped at Midbar Sinai. By the 20th day of Iyar (Parshas Naso), they moved on as the cloud lifted. They journeyed through places like Tav’eirah, Kivros HaTa’avah, Chatzeiros, and Midbar Paran.
4. The Sudden 38-Year Gap in Chukas
Now comes something people often overlook: In chapter 20 verse 1 (in Parshas Chukas), right in the middle of Sheni, the Torah suddenly jumps ahead by 38 years without any explicit indication or transition in the text itself. The verse says: “Vayavoyu b’nei Yisrael kol ha’eidah midbar Tzin bachodesh harishon”—“The entire community came to Midbar Tzin in the first month.” This “first month” refers to Nisan—but it is now 38 years after leaving Egypt!
From this point onward—from Parshas Chukas through Balak and into Pinchas and Mattos-Masei—the narrative covers just a few months leading up to Bnei Yisrael entering Eretz Yisrael. After Sefer Bamidbar ends, Sefer Devarim begins with Moshe’s repetition of the Torah.
5. What Happened During Those Missing Years?
The question arises: What happened during those 38 years? There is almost no record in the Torah itself about what took place during this long period. We have only hints here and there. Rashi brings down that even Moshe Rabbeinu had very little or even no communication with HaKadosh Baruch Hu—the Holy One Blessed Be He—during those years.
The narrative essentially pauses for nearly four decades while Bnei Yisrael wander in the desert as a result of their decree to remain there for forty years after the sin of the spies (Chet HaMeraglim). During this time all those who were between ages twenty and sixty at the time of leaving Egypt died out as decreed.
6. Resuming Narrative: Key Events After 38 Years
The story resumes with new events: Miriam passes away (recorded right after this chronological jump), followed by Aharon’s passing later on. We read about wars with neighboring nations, water ceasing to flow from Miriam’s well (Be’er Miriam), loss of protection from Ananei HaKavod—the Clouds of Glory—and other significant occurrences as Bnei Yisrael prepare to enter Eretz Yisrael.
This all takes place within a short period at Arvos Moav before entering Eretz Yisrael. It’s important to notice how abruptly these events pick up after such a long gap where almost nothing is recorded.
7. Lessons from Torah’s Chronological Structure
This observation teaches us to pay close attention to how events are presented in Chumash and not assume everything follows a simple timeline verse by verse. Sometimes decades pass between two adjacent verses without any explicit mention! Recognizing this helps us appreciate both what is included and what is omitted from Torah narrative—and reminds us that every detail has significance beyond mere chronology.