פרשת במדבר — ראשון (Aliyah 1)
Parashat Bemidbar | Numbers 1:1–1:19 | Aliyah 1 of 7
קלאוד על הפרשה
The first aliyah of Bemidbar (1:1-19) opens Sefer Bemidbar and sets the entire stage for the book. The dating is precise: one Iyar of the second year from the Exodus, exactly one month after the Mishkan was erected on the first of Nisan. Hashem speaks to Moshe be-Ohel Mo’ed — within the Tent of Meeting — for the first time since the Shechina took residence there. The Ibn Ezra notes the significance: Moshe no longer ascends Sinai for revelation; the divine voice now issues from within Israel’s camp. The very first word of the book — va-yedabber — establishes both continuity (the chain of divine communication since Sinai) and a new chapter (the people are now organized around the Mishkan).
Rashi opens his commentary on the book with one of his most famous formulations: ‘mi-toch chibatan le-fanav, moneh otam kol sha’ah’ — because of His love for them, He counts them at every moment. The Israelites have already been counted twice in the Torah: at the Exodus (Shemot 12:37), and after the Golden Calf (Shemot 30:16). This third count comes at a third pivotal moment: not crisis or transition, but resting the Shechina among them. The Or HaChaim grapples with a chronological puzzle: if the second count yielded 603,550 (Shemot 38:26), and the third count will yield exactly the same number — how could there have been no demographic change in those intervening months? His answer is that the second count included the Levites, while the third deliberately excludes them; the natural population growth between the two counts therefore precisely equals the population of the tribe of Levi (counted separately, as the next chapters will detail). The narrative arithmetic is elegant.
The aliyah then lists the twelve nesi’im by name and patronymic — one prince per tribe — who will assist Moshe and Aharon. The list is the first of several full tribal-naming sequences in the parasha, each with slightly different orderings (the Sforno explores why). The figures are: Elitzur ben Shedeur for Re’uven; Shelumi’el ben Tzurishaddai for Shimon; Nachshon ben Aminadav for Yehuda (the same Nachshon who, by Chazal’s tradition, was the first to step into the Yam Suf at the Splitting of the Sea); Netanel ben Tzu’ar for Yissachar; Eli’av ben Chelon for Zevulun; Elishama ben Amihud for Efrayim; Gamliel ben Pedahtzur for Menasheh; Avidan ben Gid’oni for Binyamin; Achi’ezer ben Amishaddai for Dan; Pag’i’el ben Akhran for Asher; Elyasaf ben De’u’el for Gad; and Achira ben Einan for Naftali. These twelve names will recur throughout the book — they are the men who will bring the inaugural offerings of the Mishkan in chapter 7, and whose tribes will form the four-direction encampment of chapter 2. The aliyah concludes by reporting that Moshe and Aharon, with the assistance of these twelve, formally convened the entire community on the first of the second month and proceeded to enroll every male of fighting age, family by family, name by name.
Numbers 1:1–1:19 · במדבר א:א–א:יט
פסוק א:א · 1:1
Hebrew:
וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃
English:
On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, יהוה spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying:
The opening verse fixes the moment with extraordinary precision: the first of Iyar, second year from the Exodus, one month after the Mishkan was erected on the first of Nisan. Rashi famously explains the timing as an expression of love -- 'mi-toch chibatan moneh otam kol sha'ah' -- Hashem counts Israel at every pivotal moment (Exodus, after the Calf, now at the resting of the Shechina). Ibn Ezra observes that the words 'be-Ohel Mo'ed' signal that Moshe no longer ascends Sinai for revelation; the divine voice now issues from within Israel's camp, and Or HaChaim notes that the specific place (the Tent) is the essential coordinate, while the broader location (the desert) is secondary.
רש״יRashi
וידבר. במדבר סיני באחד לחדש וגו'. מִתּוֹךְ חִבָּתָן לְפָנָיו מוֹנֶה אוֹתָם כָּל שָׁעָה — כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם מְנָאָן, וּכְשֶׁנָּפְלוּ בָּעֵגֶל מְנָאָן לֵידַע מִנְיַן הַנּוֹתָרִים, כְּשֶׁבָּא לְהַשְׁרוֹת שְׁכִינָתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם מְנָאָם, בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן הוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּבְאֶחָד בְּאִיָּר מְנָאָם:
וידבר… במדבר סיני … באחד לחדש וגו׳ AND [THE LORD] SPOKE [UNTO MOSES] IN THE DESERT OF SINAI … ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE [SECOND] MONTH … [TAKE YE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION] etc. — Because they were dear to him, He counts them every now and then: when they went forth from Egypt He counted them (Exodus 12:37), when many of them fell in consequence of their having worshipped the golden calf He counted them to ascertain the number of those left (cf. Rashi Exodus 30:16); when he was about to make His Shechinah dwell amongst them (i. e. when He commanded them to make a Tabernacle), He again took their census; for on the first day of Nisan the Tabernacle was erected (Exodus 40:2) and shortly afterwards, on the first day of Iyar, He counted them.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
בשם אשר פקודי רום ותחת חבר. החל לפרש על הפשט ספר וידבר במדבר סיני. להודיע כי לא עלה משה אל הר סיני אחר היות הכבוד באהל מועד: באחד לחדש השני. לתקן את הדגלים ואיך יסעו ואיך יחנו בעבור המקדש כי בעשרים לחדש השני נסעו:
In the name of God who counted those numbered above1The stars. See Ps. 147:4, He counteth the number of the stars. and below;2Israel.I begin to explain according to the plain meaningthe Torah portion which begins with va-yedabber.3The Book of Numbers begins with the word va-yedabber (spoke). IN THE WILDERNESS. This verse4Which states that the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting. informs us that Moses did not go up to Mount Sinai5For revelation. since God's glory was now present in the tent of meeting.6Otherwise, what follows would have been told to Moses on Mount Sinai. ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH. To tell him to arrange the standards and to instruct him how the Israelites were to journey and how they were to camp with reference to the tabernacle,7Filwarg suggests emending ba'avur ha-mishkan (with reference to the tabernacle) to be'evre ha-mishkan (on the sides of the tabernacle). for they journeyed on the twentieth day of the second month.8Hence it was necessary to inform Moses of these things prior to their journey.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
במדבר סיני וגו'. רז"ל דרשו (במד"ר פ"א) הבנות יקרות בפסוק זה, ונשאר להעיר למה לא השוה ה' מדותיו יתברך בשיעור הדברים, כי כשהזכיר הודעת המקום הקדים מחברת הכללות שהוא מדבר סיני ואחר כך הזכיר פרט המקום ואמר באהל מועד, וכשהזכיר הודעת הזמן הקדים זכרון פרט הזמן ואמר באחד לחודש השני ואחר כך הזכיר מחברת כללות הזמן ואמר בשנה השנית: ונראה כי הכתוב אדרבא השכיל לדבר בשיעור שוה, והוא על דרך אומרם (ב"ר פס"ח) הנה מקום אתי שמקומו של הקדוש ברוך הוא הוא טפל לו, ולערך זה יהיה טפל כל המקום לגבי המקום אשר חונה שם האלהים, ומעתה מחברת הכללות הוא אהל מועד והמדבר הוא פרט טפל לו, ולהעירך הכתוב בכוונה זו סדר סמוך לזה מאמר באחד לחודש וגו' בשנה השנית, אם כן מאמר באהל מועד הוא מחברת הכללות ולזה נסדר באחרונה כסדר שנה השנית שנסדר אחר מאמר באחד לחדש, ותדע כמה הוא מופלג מקום אשר ה' שם ממה שמצינו שבב' אמות שבין בדי הארון עמדו רווחים ס' ריבוא של ישראל (ב"ר פ"ה), הרי שהגם שהוא לעין מועט הוא מרובה לצד השוכן בו ברוך הוא:
במדבר סיני, in the desert of Sinai, etc. Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 1 offer many precious insights about this verse. There remains the question of why G'd did not describe what took place in a more uniform manner. At the beginning G'd first describes the general location of where He communicated with Moses, i.e. in the desert of Sinai, followed by a more specific description, i.e. the Tent of Meeting. When describing the time when this communication took place, however, the Torah first mentioned the day and the month, and only afterwards the year, i.e. the more general description of the time frame when all this took place, i.e. during the second year of the people being in the desert. Logically, the Torah should have first mentioned the year followed by the month and the day of G'd's communication to Moses. I believe that if we look at the text closely we will see that the Torah follows a thoroughly logical pattern. We have to remember the comment of Shemot Rabbah 45,6 on Exodus 33,21: "there is a place here beside Me," where the meaning of the word "beside" is interpreted as emphasising that the place is secondary to G'd. Were this not so, the Torah would have quoted G'd as saying: "here I am in this place." In other words, the whole concept of space, i.e. מקום, is something secondary as far as G'd is concerned. Once we appreciate this fact, we know that any time the Torah mentions G'd's appearance in a certain place the place mentioned is of minor significance. When the Torah mentions the desert this is really only a detail relative to G'd communicating with Moses out of the אהל מועד, which is the essential message in the verse. The Torah draws our attention to this by first mentioning the day and the month when this occurred before telling us in which year it took place. Further evidence of the miraculous change a place undergoes when G'd honours it with His presence is provided by Bereshit Rabbah 4,4 as well as 5,6 where the Midrash describes the fact that G'd who was able to call into existence the whole universe and fill it with His presence would most certainly be able to speak to the Israelite people from between the staves of the Holy Ark. 600.000 Israelites were able to "squeeze" into the space of 2 cubits between the staves by which the Holy Ark was carried. We normally perceive of small quantities fitting into containers designed to accomodate larger quantities. Such laws of nature may be reversed at G'd's will and this was a condition He made with nature at the time of creation.
פסוק א:ב · 1:2
Hebrew:
שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃
English:
Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters]*company [of fighters] NJPS “community,” trad. “congregation.” See the Dictionary under ‘edah. by the clans of its ancestral houses,*its ancestral houses I.e., its tribes. listing the names, every male, head by head.
The actual census command: 'se'u et rosh' -- literally 'lift up the head' -- count the people by clans (le-mishpechotam), by father's houses (le-veit avotam), name by name, head by head. Rashi clarifies that tribal affiliation follows the father, not the mother, and that 'le-gulgelotam' (head by head) was carried out via the half-shekel as in Shemot 38:26. Sforno reads 'be-mispar shemot' as recognition of each person's individual virtue at this lofty moment, and Or HaChaim resolves the puzzle that this count matches the earlier total of 603,550 by demonstrating that the Levites (included earlier) were excluded here -- meaning the natural population growth in the interim precisely equals the size of shevet Levi.
רש״יRashi
למשפחתם. לֵידַע מִנְיַן כָּל שֵׁבֶט וָשֵׁבֶט: לבית אבתם. מִי שֶׁאָבִיו מִשֵּׁבֶט אֶחָד וְאִמּוֹ מִשֵּׁבֶט אַחֵר יָקוּם עַל שֵׁבֶט אָבִיו (עי' בבא בתרא ק"ט): לגלגלתם. עַ"יְ שְׁקָלִים — בֶּקַע לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת:
למשפחתם — [TAKE YE THE SUM OF THE CONGREGATION …] AFTER THEIR FAMILIES — in order to ascertain the number of individuals in each tribe. לבית אבתם BY THE HOUSE OF THEIR FATHERS — One whose father belongs to one tribe and his mother to another tribe shall take his stand with the tribe of his father (cf. Bava Batra 109b). לגלגלתם BY THEIR POLLS — i. e. by means of shekels — "a beka a head (לגלגלת)", as was prescribed on a previous occasion (Exodus 38:26).
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
שאו את ראש. כמו כי תשא ושם מפורש: לבית אבותם. כי משפחת האם אינה קרואה משפחה: לגלגלותם. פירשתיו:
TAKE YE THE SUM. Se'u et rosh bene yisra'el (take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel) is similar to ki tissa et rosh bene yisra'el (when thou takest the sum of the children of Israel) (Ex. 30:12). I have explained its meaning there.9See I.E. on Exodus, (Vol. 2, p. 631). I.E. explains that ki tissa et rosh literally means: when you lift up the head. One who takes a census writes the particulars after the sum, which he writes at the top of the page. Thus when Scripture speaks of raising up the head, it means take up the sum. BY THEIR FAMILIES BY THEIR FATHER'S HOUSES. For pedigree is not determined by the mother.10Hence Scripture qualified by their families with by their fathers' houses. BY THEIR POLLS. I have already explained the meaning of gulgelotam (their polls).11The word gulgelotam (their polls) literally means their skulls. In his short commentary (S.C.) on Exodus, I.E. explains that the word gulgolet means a head. The head is so called because it is round. Compare, galgal (wheel, i.e., a round object). See I.E. on Ex. 16:16 (S.C.).
ספורנוSforno
שאו את ראש. לסדרם שיכנסו לארץ מיד איש על דגלו בלתי מלחמה אלא שיפנו האומות מפניהם כמו שעשו קצתם כמו שהעיד באמרו כעזובת החורש והאמיר אשר עזבו מפני בני ישראל אולי היו משפחות מהגרגשי שעליו אמרו ז"ל שעמד ופנה מאליו ובקלקול המרגלים הוסיפו השבע אומות להרע מ' שנה והוצרך להחרימם. במספר שמות. כי היה אז כל אחד מאותו הדור נחשב בשמו המורה על צורתו האשיית למעלתם על דרך ואדעך בשם ולא כן קרה לדור באי הארץ ובכן לא נמנו במספר שמות ולא נזכרו זולתי ראשי המשפחות ומספר האישים. ועם זה הודיע שהיתה הכונה שאותם האישים בעצמם יחיו ויירשו הארץ ולא יפקד מהם איש:
שאו את ראש, to organise them so that they could proceed to the land of Israel immediately, without delay, each one of them knowing to which unit (flag) he belonged. At that point, no war of conquest had even been envisaged, the assumption having been that G'd would remove the inhabitants of the land of Canaan so that no face-to-face encounter would even be necessary. Evidence from Isaiah 17,9 suggests that in fact, at least partially, this even occurred after the 40 years in the desert. The prophet there reports that once again, as at the time when the Emorite and the Hittite abandoned their cities in the face of the advancing armies of the Israelites, history will repeat itself. [based on the Septuagint. Our author assumes that Isaiah may have referred to the tribe of the Girgashi, quoting Jerusalem Talmud Sh'viit 6,1 Ed.] At any rate, due to the sin of the spies the seven Canaanites nations survived another 40 years during which they added to their sins so that at the end of that time G'd did not merely exile them but exterminated them. במספר שמות, at that time, the names of the individuals reflected their specific individuality, in recognition of their individual virtues. [They were not merely named after their fathers or other departed relatives. Ed.] References to names reflecting an individual's virtues are found in Exodus 33,17 when G'd said to Moses that He would ואדעך בשם, "I have singled you out by name;" the generation which eventually entered the Holy Land were not described as being counted במספר שמות (Numbers 26,2). The Torah there refers only to the people counted being of military age, i.e. above 20. [The author, true to his concept of the highpoint of Jewish history having been the revelation at Mount Sinai, followed by an ongoing spiritual descent, only briefly and partially reversed on a few occasions, sees this as a further example of the generation which did enter the Holy Land already being inferior to the ones experiencing the revelation, i.e. before the sin of the golden calf and the spies. Ed.] The count of the Israelites at this point assumed that the very people being counted would each enter the Holy Land unless some sin occurred which would interfere with this lofty vision.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
שאו את ראש וגו'. צריך לדעת מספר זה למה. ורש"י ז"ל הביא דברי המדרש שאמרו כי כשבא להשרות שכינתו בתוכם חזר למנותם ע"כ, וזה לא יספיק ליישוב הפשט, כי היה לו למנותם קודם חודש ניסן לא אחר כך, גם בהפלגת זמן חודש ימים. ונראה לי בהקדים לחקור זאת, כי במספר שאחר העגל שהוא מספר שבפרשת פקודי באו לכלל חשבון ו' מאות אלף וג' אלפים וה' מאות ונ' שיש במספר זה נוסף על מספר יוצאי מצרים שלשת אלפים וה' מאות וחמישים בהמשך זמן ששה חדשים הגם שכילה בהם העגל בג' מיני מיתות, מגפה, חרב בני לוי, השקאת אפר העגל, ובמספר שלפנינו שהוא אחר ו' חדשים אחרים ממספר הב' רואני שלא הוסיפו על מספר הקודם לו אפילו אחד. והדבר כמעט זר למאוד שלא הוסיפו, שאיך יתכן שבהמשך זמן זה לא יבואו מהם לכלל עשרים, ומה גם שלא אירע להם חסרון ונוסף שהיו עסוקים במלאכת המשכן: ויגדל הקושיא לפי מה שאמרו בפסיקתא (זוטרתא) וזה לשונם ויהיו כל הפקודים וגו' ולהלן הוא אומר בקע וגו' לשש מאות אלף וגו' למדנו שכל זמן שהיו ישראל עסוקין במלאכת המשכן לא חסרה מהם נפש אחת ע"כ. דבריהם ז"ל לפי הנראה רחוקים, שהלא אדרבא בהשכיל על דבר אנו רואים שחסרו יותר ממה שחסרו במעשה העגל הגם שלא היו עסוקים במלאכת המשכן: אכן לפי מה שעלה בידינו שכל שבט לוי שוקלים שקלים (שקלים פ"א מ"ג) אין קושיא, כי במספר שבפרשת פקודי היו הלוים בכלל המספר אבל במספר שלפנינו לא נכנסו הלוים, ומעתה הרי שהוסיפו כל מספר הלוים, ולזה אמר בסמוך למספר והלוים לא התפקדו בתוך בני ישראל, ולא היה צריך לומר שהנני רואה שלא התפקדו במספר הקודם, והן אמת אם אמר הכתוב כאשר צוה ה' כמו שאמר הכתוב אחר פרשת הדגלים הייתי אומר כי בא להשמיענו שקיימו מאמר ה' שצוה שלא יפקדו אותם, וממה שלא אמר אלא והלוים לא התפקדו בתוכם הרי זה מראה באצבע כי נתכוון לומר אל תתמה על המספר שהוא בשוה למספר הקודם בלא תוספת והלוים לא התפקדו והרי לפניך היתרון: ופירוש דברי הפסיקתא יציץ וזרח, כי מה שמצינו חשבון עצום כזה ששוה במספר ב' לשלפנים זה יגיד כי הן הנה שהיו במספר הראשון ובששה חדשים שבין ב' המספרות לא נעדר מהם אחד והנוספין במספר מלאו חסרון מספר הלוים שהיו בכלל הראשון ולא בכלל מספר השני, ולזה נתחכם ה' לומר למשה לשאת את ראש בני ישראל ביום אחד לחודש הב' וגו' בכיוון שהיה זמן שהגיע המספר למספר הראשון לבד הלוים להעירך במה שאמר בפסיקתא שהמספר עצמו הא' היה כמספר הב' ולא מת א' ונכנם אחר במקומו, והטעם לצד שהיו עסוקים במלאכת המשכן על דרך (דברים ד׳:ד׳) ואתם הדבקים בה' חיים כלכם, ונוכל לומר גם לדברי המדרש שהביא רש"י שכשבא להשרות שכינתו בתוכם וכו' שבחר בזמן זה לטעם הנזכר:
שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל, "Count the whole community of Israel, etc." We need to know why the Israelites had to be numbered at this time. Rashi quotes a Midrash according to which G'd ordered the census as soon as He was ready to again allow His Presence to dwell amongst the Israelites (after the sin of the golden calf). This is insufficient to answer our question. If the census had only been an indication of G'd's reconciliation with His people He should have ordered it to take place before the month of Nissan when the Tabernacle was inaugurated, not a month later. Before investigating the reason for this delay in the census we have to remember that the previous census which is reported in Parshat Pekudey (38,26) gave the number of the male Israelites over the age of twenty as 603,550. This was six months after the sin of the golden calf when the half shekel contributed by each male Israelite over the age of 20 represented his soul's ransom. This number exceeded the number of male Israelites above the age of 20 who left Egypt by (about) 3550 although in the interval during the episode of the golden calf many Israelites had died or had been executed by the Levites because they had participated in the worship of the golden calf. If it had taken only 6 months to replenish their number as reported in Parshat Pekudey, how do we account for the fact that between then and now the number had not increased by even one? Surely a number of Israelites had reached the age of twenty in the interval between the census which is mentioned in Parshat Pekudey and that reported here? It is unlikely that any of these people died during a period they were all busy with performing the commandment to bring their contributions for the Tabernacle. Our question is reinforced when we consider a comment in Pessikta Zutra according to which the words ויהיו כל הפקודים in Numbers 1,46 are proof that as long as the Israelites were occupied with the work pertaining to the Tabernacle not a single one of them died. This comment seems very far fetched if it is based only on the expression ויהיו, "they remained (alive)." When we look at the numbers presented here we are bound to conclude that more of the people died after the people commenced with the work of the Tabernacle than during the episode of the golden calf! However, according to our understanding of Shekalim 1,3 the members of the tribe of Levi were included in the count of the people who had contributed a half shekel per person. We may conclude that in our verse the Levites were most certainly not included in the census seeing that the Torah commands that they be counted separately. The question is then resolved quite easily. In fact, the reason the Torah added the apparently redundant comment that the Levites were not included in the sum of the census given here (1,47), was precisely in order to make this point. It emerges that the natural increase of the Israelites between the time the work on the Tabernacle began and the second month of the second year of their wanderings was equivalent to the entire number of Levites who had been counted on the previous occasion. If the Torah had concluded the paragraph ending with verse 47 with the words: "as G'd had commanded them" as it did at the end of the paragraph dealing with the flags in 2,33, I would have concluded that the mention of the Levites not being included in the count was only to show that the Israelites complied with G'd's instructions not to lump them together with the other tribes. The fact that the Torah did not add these words proves that G'd wanted to alert us not to be surprised at the fact that the number of people counted was so small, relatively speaking, and at first glance did not appear to reflect a natural increase in the population of the Jewish people. The meaning of the words in Pessikta Zutra is abundantly clear. The author wants to justify the totally disproportinate natural increase in the number of male Israelites above twenty during such a short period of time as יום כפור of the first year and the beginning of Iyar of the second year by reminding us that no Israelite died during the period they were busy assembling the materials for the Tabernacle and constructing it. G'd waited with this census until this date so as to ensure that the total number being counted would not be smaller than the number mentioned in Parshat Pekudey. Deuteronomy 4,11 which ascribes the fact that the Israelites are alive as of that date to their having cleaved to G'd provides the basis for the statement by the author of Pessikta Zutra that no one died during the period under discussion.
פסוק א:ג · 1:3
Hebrew:
מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה כׇּל־יֹצֵ֥א צָבָ֖א בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תִּפְקְד֥וּ אֹתָ֛ם לְצִבְאֹתָ֖ם אַתָּ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃
English:
You and Aaron shall record them by their groups, from the age of twenty years up, all those in Israel who are able to bear arms.
The criterion is specified: males of fighting age (yotzei tzava) from twenty years and up, with Moshe and Aharon personally conducting the enrollment. Rashi derives from 'kol yotzei tzava' that no one under twenty goes out to war, establishing a halachic principle of military-eligible age. Ibn Ezra reads 'be-Yisrael' as deliberately excluding the erev rav (the mixed multitude that joined at the Exodus), and Or HaChaim explains that the words 'tifkedu otam' restate the command precisely because the prior 'se'u' (lift up) was a term of elevation -- only Israel could be counted by name and pedigree, as Hashem invites the nations to produce comparable genealogical records.
רש״יRashi
כל יצא צבא. מַגִּיד שֶׁאֵין יוֹצֵא בַּצָּבָא פָּחוּת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים:
כל יצא צבא [FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND UPWARDS] ALL THAT GO FORTH TO THE HOST — This tells us that no one less than twenty years of age goes forth to the host (cf. Rashi on Exodus 30:14 and Note thereon).
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
בישראל. להוציא ערב רב:
IN ISRAEL. This excludes the mixed multitude.12Foreigners who joined Israel during the Exodus. See Ex. 12:38.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
תפקדו אותם. חזר לומר כן ולא הספיק במה שקדם לומר שאו את ראש וגו'. להעירך בכוונת אומרו שאו שיכוין על פי דבריהם ז"ל (ילקוט כאן) שאמרו שנתקנאו או"ה בישראל מה ראו להתקרב וכו' אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא הביאו לי ספר איקונין שלכם ונמצא כל אחד אינו יודע מאיזו משפחה הוא עד כאן. הרי כי יקפיד ה' על היחוס ויושפל כל החסר ספר איקונין, לזה כשבא ה' לצוות לפקוד בני ישראל קדם לומר שאו לשון נשיאות ורוממות למצוא לכל א' ספר איקונין מה שאין כן באו"ה, ואחר כך ביאר מה היא המעלה מבן עשרים שנה וגו' תפקדו אותם, ומעתה צריכה לגופה:
תפקדו אתם, "you shall number them." The reason the Torah repeats this instruction, something which is contained in the command of "count the people" in verse two, is explained by Yalkut Shimoni on this verse as connected with the jealousy the Gentile nations would display when they became aware that G'd deemed only the Jews worthy of being counted individually. G'd would counter their complaint by inviting them to produce books tracing each family's genealogy. If they were able to do so they too would qualify for a census based on family affiliation as was being conducted amongst the Israelites. This is why G'd employed the expression שאו when He first commanded the Israelites to be counted; He told them that being counted was a form of elevation, promotion, for them as implied in the word שאו, "elevate, uplift!" Subsequently G'd explained in verse three that the males above the age of twenty were so elevated. It follows that the words תפקדו אתם are necessary to describe the actual commandment to count the people.
פסוק א:ד · 1:4
Hebrew:
וְאִתְּכֶ֣ם יִהְי֔וּ אִ֥ישׁ אִ֖ישׁ לַמַּטֶּ֑ה אִ֛ישׁ רֹ֥אשׁ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתָ֖יו הֽוּא׃
English:
Associated with you shall be a participant from each tribe, each one the head of his ancestral house.
Moshe and Aharon are to be assisted in the count by one tribal representative each -- a man who is 'rosh le-veit avotav' (head of his fathers' house). Rashi identifies these as the nesi'im (princes) of each tribe, who will be named in the verses that follow. Ibn Ezra notes that the phrasing is abbreviated -- the text should literally read 'ish ish rosh le-veit avotav,' paralleling the 'ish ish la-matteh' of the verse's first half, and Sforno explains that having the family heads physically present at the count guaranteed that no one would falsify their lineage, since these men knew the genealogies firsthand.
רש״יRashi
ואתכם יהיו. כְּשֶׁתִּפְקְדוּ אוֹתָם יִהְיוּ עִמָּכֶם נְשִׂיא כָל שֵׁבֶט וָשֵׁבֶט:
ואתכם יהיו AND WITH YOU THERE SHALL BE [A MAN OF EVERY TRIBE] — when you number them there shall be with you the princes of each tribe.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
איש ראש. דרך קצרה והראוי להיות איש איש:
EVERY ONE HEAD OF HIS FATHERS' HOUSE. Ish rosh le-vet avotav (every one head of his fathers' house) is an abridged phrase. The text should have read, ish ish rosh le-vet avotav (every one head of his fathers' house).13The first part of the verse reads, ish ish la-matteh (a man of every tribe). Hence, in keeping with the rules of parallelism, the second part of the verse should read, ish ish rosh le-vet avotav hu) (every one head of his father's house).
ספורנוSforno
איש ראש לבית אבותיו. והטעם שיהיו אתכם הוא שכל אחד מהם ראש לבית אבותיו ולא יכחד ממנו יחס כל אחד ואחד:
איש ראש לבית אבותיו, this is emphasised to show that no one challenged the authority and authenticity of the people representing themselves as the "heads of his family." When the count occurred, אתכם in the presence of the family heads each one testifying to the age of the individuals concerned, no one would dare to challenge the accuracy of the data provided by the family head.
פסוק א:ה · 1:5
Hebrew:
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ שְׁמ֣וֹת הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַֽעַמְד֖וּ אִתְּכֶ֑ם לִרְאוּבֵ֕ן אֱלִיצ֖וּר בֶּן־שְׁדֵיאֽוּר׃
English:
These are the names of the participants who shall assist you: From Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur.
The roll call of nesi'im begins, fittingly, with Re'uven, Yaakov's firstborn -- Elitzur ben Shedeur. Ibn Ezra observes that even though Re'uven lost the practical privileges of the bechor (as stated in Bereishit 49 and I Divrei HaYamim 5:1), he is still listed first because for purposes of genealogical sequence the rights of the firstborn remained his.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
לראובן. החל מהבכור כטעם ולא להתיחס לבכורה:
OF REUBEN. Scripture begins with Jacob's first-born,14Even though Jacob took away Reuben's birthright. See Gen. 49:3,4. as it is stated, yet not so that he was to be reckoned in the genealogy as first-born (I Chron. 5:1).15I Chronicles explains that even though Reuben lost his birthright to Joseph, he was always to be reckoned as the first-born as far as genealogy was concerned.
פסוק א:ו · 1:6
Hebrew:
לְשִׁמְע֕וֹן שְׁלֻמִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־צוּרִֽישַׁדָּֽי׃
English:
From Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
פסוק א:ז · 1:7
Hebrew:
לִֽיהוּדָ֕ה נַחְשׁ֖וֹן בֶּן־עַמִּינָדָֽב׃
English:
From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab.
פסוק א:ח · 1:8
Hebrew:
לְיִ֨שָּׂשכָ֔ר נְתַנְאֵ֖ל בֶּן־צוּעָֽר׃
English:
From Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar.
פסוק א:ט · 1:9
Hebrew:
לִזְבוּלֻ֕ן אֱלִיאָ֖ב בֶּן־חֵלֹֽן׃
English:
From Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon.
פסוק א:י · 1:10
Hebrew:
לִבְנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף לְאֶפְרַ֕יִם אֱלִישָׁמָ֖ע בֶּן־עַמִּיה֑וּד לִמְנַשֶּׁ֕ה גַּמְלִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־פְּדָהצֽוּר׃
English:
From the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
The two tribes descended from Yosef are introduced together -- Elishama ben Amihud for Efrayim and Gamliel ben Pedahtzur for Menasheh. Ibn Ezra explains the ordering principle of the entire list: Leah's sons are mentioned first, then Rachel's (because the matriarchs outrank the handmaids), and within Rachel's line Efrayim precedes Menasheh in keeping with Yaakov's blessing in Bereishit 48 -- where he crossed his hands to place the younger Efrayim before the older Menasheh. The two tribes of Yosef precede Binyamin because together they fill the structural place of their father Yosef in the camp.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
לבני יוסף. אחר בני לאה בעבור כבוד רחל על השפחות והחל מאפרים על דרך יעקב אבינו והקדים אפרים ומנשה על בנימין כי הם מקום יוסף ואחר כן החל מדן שהוא בכור השפחות ואחריו אשר כי השם ידע שהוא יהיה ראש החונים על דגל דן ואחר כן גד כי הוא בכור שפחת לאה:
OF THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH. The children of Joseph are mentioned after the children of Leah because Rachel's status was greater than that of the handmaids.16Hence Rachel's descendants are mentioned before those of the handmaids even though the children of the handmaids precede them in birth. Scripture begins with Ephraim, in keeping with the actions of our father Jacob.17Manassah was older than Ephraim. However, Jacob placed Ephraim before Manasseh. See Gen. 48:21. Scripture places Ephraim and Manasseh18Joseph's sons. before Benjamin because they are in place of Joseph.19Joseph was born before Benjamin. Scripture then begins with Dan,20The son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid. who was the first-born of the handmaids.21Of the children born to the handmaids'. See Gen. 30:6. Asher follows Dan22Gad and Asher were the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid. According to Gen. 30:10-13, Gad was Zilpah's first-born. Thus Scripture should have mentioned Gad before Asher. Hence I.E.'s comment. because God knew that Asher would be the head of those who camp under the standard of Dan.23Asher pitched next to Dan and was therefore next in importance under that standard. Gad was third under the standard of Reuben. See Num. 2:14,27. Scripture then mentions Gad because he was the first-born of Leah's handmaid.24See Gen. 30:10,11.
פסוק א:יא · 1:11
Hebrew:
לְבִ֨נְיָמִ֔ן אֲבִידָ֖ן בֶּן־גִּדְעֹנִֽי׃
English:
From Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni.
פסוק א:יב · 1:12
Hebrew:
לְדָ֕ן אֲחִיעֶ֖זֶר בֶּן־עַמִּֽישַׁדָּֽי׃
English:
From Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
פסוק א:יג · 1:13
Hebrew:
לְאָשֵׁ֕ר פַּגְעִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עׇכְרָֽן׃
English:
From Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran.
פסוק א:יד · 1:14
Hebrew:
לְגָ֕ד אֶלְיָסָ֖ף בֶּן־דְּעוּאֵֽל׃
English:
From Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel.
פסוק א:טו · 1:15
Hebrew:
לְנַ֨פְתָּלִ֔י אֲחִירַ֖ע בֶּן־עֵינָֽן׃
English:
From Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.
פסוק א:טז · 1:16
Hebrew:
אֵ֚לֶּה (קריאי) [קְרוּאֵ֣י] הָעֵדָ֔ה נְשִׂיאֵ֖י מַטּ֣וֹת אֲבוֹתָ֑ם רָאשֵׁ֛י אַלְפֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הֵֽם׃
English:
Those are the elected of the assembly, the chieftains of their ancestral tribes: they are the heads of the contingents of Israel.
Having named all twelve, the Torah summarizes their stature: these are 'keru'ei ha-edah' (those summoned by the community), 'nesi'ei mattot avotam' (princes of their ancestral tribes), 'rashei alfei Yisrael' (heads of the thousands of Israel). Rashi reads 'keru'ei ha-edah' as those called upon for every important communal matter, and Ibn Ezra notes that the community itself takes no major action without first summoning these leaders. 'Rashei alfei Yisrael' indicates that each was chief over all the sub-units of thousands within his tribe -- a layered command structure beneath the nasi.
רש״יRashi
אלה קרואי העדה. הַנִּקְרָאִים לְכָל דְּבַר חֲשִׁיבוּת שֶׁבָּעֵדָה:
אלה קרואי העדה THESE WERE THOSE CALLED OF THE CONGREGATION — those who were called upon for every matter of importance that happened in the congregation.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
קרואי העדה. הטעם שהעדה לא יעשו דבר עד שיקראום: מטות אבותם. הטעם על השבטים והנה כל אחד נשיא שבט: ראשי אלפי ישראל. כל אחד ראש על כל אלפי השבט כי יש שר לאלף:
THESE WERE THE ELECT OF THE CONGREGATION. The meaning of keru'e ha-edah (the elect of the congregation)25Literally, the called of the congregation. Hence I.E.'s comment. is that the congregation does nothing unless they are called. THE TRIBES OF THEIR FATHERS. The meaning of mattot avotam is the tribes of their fathers. Thus each one26Each one of those listed in verses 5-16. was prince of a tribe. THEY WERE THE HEADS OF THE THOUSANDS OF ISRAEL. Each one was a leader over all the thousands that comprised a tribe, for there was also a chief over one thousand.27The tribes were divided into units of thousands. Each of these units was headed by a sar (chief). See Ex. 18:21, sarei alafim (rulers over thousands). Also see I Sam. 17:8, sar ha-elef (the captain of their thousand). Each one listed in verses 5-15 was the head of all the captains of the thousands of their respective tribes.
פסוק א:יז · 1:17
Hebrew:
וַיִּקַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן אֵ֚ת הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִקְּב֖וּ בְּשֵׁמֹֽת׃*(בספרי ספרד ואשכנז בְּשֵׁמֽוֹת)
English:
So Moses and Aaron took those participants, who were designated by name,
Moshe and Aharon formally take the twelve men 'asher nikvu be-shemot' -- who were designated by name. Rashi identifies 'ha-anashim ha-eleh' as the twelve nesi'im just enumerated, and Ibn Ezra glosses 'nikvu' (designated) by comparing it to 'asher pi Hashem yikvennu' in Yeshayahu 62:2 -- the term denotes being explicitly singled out by name rather than counted as part of an undifferentiated mass.
רש״יRashi
האנשים האלה. אֶת שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְשִׂיאִים הַלָּלוּ: אשר נקבו. לוֹ כָּאן בשמות:
האנשים האלה [AND MOSES AND AARON] TOOK THESE MEN — these twelve princes. אשר נקבו WHO WERE MENTIONED to him (Moses) here בשמות BY NAME.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ויקח משה ואהרן. עמם: האנשים אשר נקבו. שהם מפורשים כמו אשר פי ה' יקבנו:
AND MOSES AND AARON TOOK. With them. THAT ARE POINTED OUT BY NAME. Nikkevu means that are pointed out. Compare, yikkvennu (mark out) in Which the mouth of the Lord shall mark out (Is. 62:2).
פסוק א:יח · 1:18
Hebrew:
וְאֵ֨ת כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֜ה הִקְהִ֗ילוּ בְּאֶחָד֙ לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י וַיִּתְיַֽלְד֥וּ עַל־מִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֗וֹת מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֛ה וָמַ֖עְלָה לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃
English:
and on the first day of the second month they convoked the whole company [of fighters],*company [of fighters] See note at v. 2. who were registered by the clans of their ancestral houses—the names of those aged twenty years and over being listed head by head.
On that very first of Iyar, Moshe and Aharon convened the entire community and proceeded to enroll each male twenty and up by family, by father's house, by name. Rashi famously explains 'va-yityaldu' as a formal declaration of pedigree -- each man brought his genealogical records and witnesses confirming his birth-presumption, so that his tribal affiliation could be established beyond doubt. Ibn Ezra reads 'va-yityaldu' as a request for birth dates (since only those twenty and over qualify), while Sforno frames the genealogical scrutiny as essential preparation for war -- only those of unblemished lineage merit the protection of ancestral zechut and the resting of the Shechina, citing Kiddushin 70-76. Or HaChaim notes that the assembly happened on the very day of the command, demonstrating that every Israelite already had his pedigree at hand, and suggests the need for written records and witnesses was to foil any mamzer who might falsely claim a tribe based on his mother's testimony alone.
רש״יRashi
ויתילדו על משפחתם. הֵבִיאוּ סִפְרֵי יִחוּסֵיהֶם וְעֵדֵי חֶזְקַת לֵדָתָם, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְהִתְיַחֵס עַל הַשֵּׁבֶט (עי' ילקוט תרפ"ד):
ויתילדו על משפחותם THEY DECLARED THEIR PEDIGREES AFTER THEIR FAMILIES — They brought the records of their pedigree and witnesses to confirm the prevalent presumption regarding their parentage, so that each might establish his pedigree with regard to the particular tribe (cf. Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 684).
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ויתילדו. בקשו מתי נולדו בעבור חשבון כ' שנה אז נכתבו תולדתם:
AND THEY DECLARED THEIR PEDIGREES. They were asked for their birth dates,28The Biblical text reads, va-yityalledu (and they declared their pedigrees). I.E. translates this as: they gave their birth dates. for only those from twenty and above were to be counted. Their progeny were then recorded.29See verse 2. Vat. Ebr. 38 reads, "Or, their progeny were recorded." According to this interpretation, va-yityalledu means: and they declared their children.
ספורנוSforno
ויתילדו על משפחותם. מפני שהיה מנינם זה כדי שיצאו בו לצבא המלחמה היתה הכונה לשמור יחסם שזכות אבותם מסייעתם וכבר אמרו (בפרק י' יוחסין) אין בודקין אחר מי שנכתב באסטרטיא של מלך (פי' בחיילות בית דוד) וזה כאמרם (שם) שאין השכינה שורה אלא על משפחות מיוחסות בישראל:
ויתילדו על משפחותם, seeing the purpose of the count was to know who would have to join the ranks of those going to war, it was important to have genealogically pure men, not any who were the product of forbidden unions. Knowledge that they were the children of unblemished parentage would protect them when exposed to the dangers present in any war and battle. We find a similar thought expressed in Kidushin 76 that "the credentials of people recorded in the king's register need not be investigated any further." On folio 70 of the Talmud there we also find the statement that the Shechinah does not rest protectively except over genetically "pure" families.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
ואת כל העדה וגו' באחד לחודש. יודיע הכתוב כי ביום עצמו נקהלו היהודים על הדבר, והדבר יגיד שכל אחד היה לו יחוסו אצלו בלא טורח הראיה והעדיות, גם שבו ביום הוכרו היחוסין של כולן, והוא אומרו ויתילדו סמוך למאמר באחד לחודש וגו': ויתילדו וגו'. כתב רש"י ז"ל הביאו ספר יחוסיהן ועידי חזקת לידתן כל אחד ואחד להתיחס על השבט. והשיג רמב"ן כי לא היו צריכין לכל זה עד כאן. ואולי כי הוצרכו לחזקת לידה למיחוש ממזר שמכיר אביו, והכרת ממזרתו תהיה מהלידה, וצריך להביא חזקת לידה פירוש שנולד בכשרות, וזולת זה יוכל הממזר לומר ספר יוחסין עד יעקב אשר הודיעתו אמו:
ואת כל העדה…באחד לחדש, and the entire community, on the first of the second month. The Torah announced that the Israelites assembled on the very day the instructions were issued. This is proof that everyone was equipped with a "book" showing who he was and who his father was. The people did not have to go and look for corroboration of their family status by looking for witnesses, etc. This is what the Torah meant by the word ויתילדו being written next to the words "on the first of the second month." ויתילדו, "they declared their pedigrees, etc." Rashi comments: "they each brought a book showing their pedigrees and witnesses to their birth in order to prove which tribe they belonged to." Nachmanides does not agree that there was a need for documentation of their status but claims that when each Israelite brought his half shekel he announced who he was and to which tribe he belonged. Moses placed the shekalim of each tribe in a separate box so that he knew how many members each tribe numbered. Perhaps the reason that at this point it had become necessary to produce documentation plus witnesses was to foil the attempt of any bastard who was aware of who his father was and who would produce a book listing his father's prior pedigree claiming to be a member of that tribe based on information provided by his mother.
פסוק א:יט · 1:19
Hebrew:
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַֽיִּפְקְדֵ֖ם בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃ {ס}
English:
As יהוה had commanded Moses, so he recorded them in the wilderness of Sinai.
The aliyah closes by noting that the census proceeded 'ka'asher tziva Hashem' -- exactly as commanded -- with the singular 'va-yifkedem' referring to Moshe as the central agent. Ibn Ezra uses this verse to launch a sweeping overview of the camp's structure: the count begins with Re'uven (the firstborn), then Shimon, then Gad (firstborn of Leah's handmaid) -- forming Re'uven's standard in the south; followed by Yehuda's standard in the east, Efrayim's in the west, and Dan's in the north. He notes the symmetry of three tribes per direction and observes that the two strongest tribes -- Yehuda (compared to a lion's whelp by Yaakov) and Dan (compared to a lion by Moshe in Devarim 33) -- bookend the marching order as the first and last standards.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ויפקדם. משה שהוא העיקר והחל מראובן כי הוא הבכור ואחריו שמעון הנולד אחריו ואחריו גד בכור שפחת לאה והנה דגל ראובן ואחר כך דגל יהודה ואחר כך דגל אפרים ואחר כך דגל דן והחונים על כל דגל ודגל כאשר הם בחנוכת המזבח ודע כי אחר שהיו כל השבטים שנים עשר שיצא לוי והיו ליוסף בנים שנים ורוחות העולם ארבע הנה לכל רוח שלשה והנה יש ללאה חמשה בנים יחסר האחד ויהיו לה שני דגלים השלימו הדגל עם בכור שפחתה ושמוהו עם דגל ראובן שהוא גם בכור והדגל השני ליהודה והחונים עליו אחיו הקטנים ממנו ולרחל דגל בפני עצמה ואפרים מקום יוסף הוא קודם מנשה כדברי יעקב והדגל הרביעי לשפחת רחל שהוא הבכור שלה ואחריו אשר ואם הוא קטן בשנים מנפתלי בעבור היות הדגל לבן שפחת רחל שם זאת המעלה לבן שפחת לאה ואם תסתכל היטב אז תדע כי הראש הוא הדרום והזנב הוא הצפון ולא אוכל לפרש על כן ראובן בדרום כי הוא הראש ודן בצפון ודע כי לא היו גבורים בשבטים כשבט יהודה הנמשל לגור אריה וכשבט דן הנמשל כן בדברי משה על כן היו הם בראשונה ובאחרונה. והזכיר לגלגלותם בראובן גם בשמעון להורות על האחרים כי הכתוב אחז דרך קצרה:
SO DID HE NUMBER THEM. The reference is to Moses,30Va-yifkedem (so did he count them) is in the singular. Hence I.E.'s comment. who was the most important.31Actually Aaron and the heads of the tribes also participated in counting the people (see verse 44). However, Scripture here mentions only Moses, because he was the most important. Scripture begins32The count. with Reuben,33Verse 20. as he was the first-born. Simeon is next34Verse 22. because he was born after Reuben. Gad the first-born of Leah's handmaid,35See note 24. follows. We thus have Reuben's standard.36In verses 20-25. The tribes listed in verses 20-25 (Reuben, Simeon, and Gad) made up the standard of Reuben. See Num. 2:10-16. Next37Verses 26-30. comes the standard of Judah,38See Num. 2:3-9. followed by the standard of Ephraim39Verses 32-37. Also see Num. 2:18-24. and the standard of Dan.40Verses 38-43. Also see Num. 2:25-31. Those who camped around each standard did so in the same manner in which they offered the sacrifices dedicating the altar. Note, there were twelve tribes,41In verses 20-43; and in Num. 2:10-31. for Levi was not counted and Joseph's two sons were. Now the world has four sides.42North, south, east, and west. Behold, three tribes camped on each one of the four sides.43For purposes of symmetry. Now Leah had five sons,44That is, five of Leah's six sons were counted among the twelve tribes of Israel. They were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. for one of her six sons45Levi. was not counted. She had two standards.46The standards of Judah and Reuben. See Num. 2:3-16. They [Moses and Aaron] completed one of her standards47The standard of Reuben. See Num. 2:10-16. with [Gad] the first-born of her handmaid.48See note 20. They placed Gad with the standard of Reuben, who was also a first-born. Judah made up the second standard [of Leah]. His younger brothers camped with him.49Issachar and Zebulun. Rachel had a standard of her own.50The standard of Ephraim. See Num. 2:18-24. Ephraim was in place of Joseph. He preceded Manasseh, in keeping with the words of Jacob.51See Gen. 48-14-20. The fourth standard was that of Rachel's handmaid. It was led by [Dan] her first-born.52See Num. 2:25-31. Asher followed53That is, Asher pitched next to Dan. See Num. 2:27. even though he was younger than Naphtali.54The standard of Dan consisted of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. Asher, who was younger than Naphtali, pitched next to Dan. The son of Leah's handmaid55Asher. was so honored because the standard belonged to Rachel's handmaid.56In other words, Asher, son of the handmaid Zilpah, was pacified for being under the standard of Dan, the son of the handmaid Bilhah, by being placed before Naphtali, another son of Bilhah. If you look carefully into things, you will know that the south is the head and the north the tail.57The sun in its annual journey moves from north to south. The face of the sun is thus to the south while its back, the tail, is to the north (see Weiser). I cannot explain the aforementioned.58When I.E. uses this expression it means that he is unable or does not want to explain further. Reuben was therefore placed in the south59The standard of Reuben was on the south side of the tabernacle. See Num. 2:10. because he was the head.60He was the first-born. Dan was placed in the north.61That is, at the tail of the camp. See Num. 2:25. Observe, there was no one among the tribes comparable in might to Judah, who was compared to a lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9),62In Jacob's blessing. and to the tribe of Dan, who is likewise compared to a lion by Moses.63See Deut. 33:22. These tribes were thus first and last.64When the tribes marched, the standard of Judah marched first and that of Dan last. See Num. 10:14-25. Scripture mentions by their polls (le-gulgelotam) with regard to Reuben65Verse 20. and also with regard to Simeon66Verse 22. to show that it was the same case with the other tribes,67Even though the term is not mentioned with regard to the other tribes. for Scripture was being brief.
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