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Many parts of the Torah skip ahead or revert back several chapters or verses thereby rendering it NOT written in chronological order. What is the reason for this?

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    Are you starting with a fair expectation -- that it would be, like a history book or a story book, in chronological order?
    – rosends
    Commented Feb 6, 2019 at 16:58
  • First of all, I think it's Ramba"n who says that we assume that the Torah is written chronologically, unless there is compelling reason to assume otherwise. So, if you follow that proinciple, it contradicts the majority of your statement. But, even with that, certain verses had to have been inserted later. One notable one is the 2nd to last verse of parshat hamahn (The story of the manna.) That verse says that they ate the mahn for 40 years until they arrived at the border of Cana'an. Obviously, that had to have been written later.
    – DanF
    Commented Feb 6, 2019 at 20:00
  • @rosends. Not necessarily. I have read many a commentary that the Torah is not written in chronological order. It's not a new concept. I'm inquiring of the reasoning.
    – Ephraim77
    Commented Feb 6, 2019 at 20:52
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    @Ephraim77 I understand, but the reasoning "why NOT in order" only is worth asking if we expect the baseline to be "in order". If we start by saying that the entire purpose/method/goal of the text is not bound by time order then asking why it isn't becomes a null point - the reasoning is "because it isn't supposed to be."
    – rosends
    Commented Feb 6, 2019 at 21:28
  • @rosends "because it isn't supposed to be." Why isn't it supposed to be? How do you know that? Do you have sources?
    – Ephraim77
    Commented Feb 6, 2019 at 23:54

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R. Elazar taught “ The parshiyos of the Torah were not arranged in the originally planned sequence, lest a keen student discover the way to revive the dead and perform miracles. The almighty therefore concealed their correct order. Now that they are arranged in a different pattern, it is easier to study the Torah with pure motives (and not in order to perform miracles), and thereby gain Olam Haba. See שוח״ט

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  • Where is this from?
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Feb 7, 2019 at 1:40
  • It’s from the Sefer Midrash says which brought that footnote.
    – Daniel Ross
    Commented Feb 7, 2019 at 2:03
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    Please edit in a specific citation for this quote asap. Otherwise it is plagiarism and not only illegal but immoral.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Feb 7, 2019 at 2:08

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