Bamidbar:

The Israelites shall camp each with his standard, under the banners of their ancestral house; they shall camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance.

2:2

The Midrash describes that there was some jealousy between the tribes concerning their positions around the Tabernacle, as well as the order in which they would travel. God told Moses to tell the tribes that they would occupy the same relative positions that they had occupied when carrying Ya’akov’s bier to burial in the cave of Machpelah

Moshe Alshich (16^th Century)

The Tent of Assembly was important not only as a place where the Torah was given, but also as a dwelling place for God. God, as it were, folded up the heavens and brought them down to earth so that His Presence (Shekhinah) could dwell among the human beings. Thus the Levites were chosen for service of the Sanctuary, since they were not tainted by the sin of the Golden Calf…

Benno Jacob (20^th Century)

The organization of the Israelite camp also had functional importance – first and foremost, from a military perspective. Likewise, it helped to free them of the habits of slavery which they had acquired in Egypt and to train them to act like a free people, accepting duty and discipline.

David Elgavish (Contemporary)

In order for even the most illustrious people to attain their objective in life, a mental I mage of their common purpose needs to remain constantly before their spiritual eye. Ordinary people do not only need a mental image of their goals in order not to become distracted from them, but they require a visible symbol, illustration of such goals and purposes…

Yitzchak Arama (15^th Century)

Two observations emerge from a consideration of the ancient architecture of the community. First despite the differences in size, importance and ancestry of each of the 12 tribes, there is an explicit recognition of the equality of each of them…Second, there is no question as to what constitutes the center of the community; it is clearly God,…there is no suggestion that anything other than God can be the common center around which the tribes coalesce…Regrettably, it is a vision which bears little resemblance to the reality of contemporary Jewish life…When we think of the ancient Tabernacle, and then of our own Jewish community, we also realize that the consensus that God was at the center can no longer be assumed. The very complexity of our communal structure assumes and then assures that a variety of options will vie in the contest for centrality…so our task remains; to define anew the center of our community and to arrange ourselves around that center so that large or small…we can find value in every component of the Jewish people, each dedicated to the service of God.

Richard Hirsch (Contemporary)