פרשת במדבר — רביעי (Aliyah 4)
Parashat Bemidbar | Numbers 3:1–3:13 | Aliyah 4 of 7
קלאוד על הפרשה
The fourth aliyah (3:1-13) pivots the parasha from the twelve secular tribes to the tribe of Levi. It opens with the priestly genealogy — Aharon’s four sons named in order: Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Itamar — followed immediately by the Torah’s terse retelling of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu (va-yamut Nadav va-Avihu lifnei Hashem be-hakrivam eish zarah lifnei Hashem be-midbar Sinai u-vanim lo hayu lahem, ‘and Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem when they offered alien fire before Hashem in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children’). The Ibn Ezra notes the chronological insertion: the deaths occurred a year earlier on the day of the Mishkan’s dedication (Vayikra 10), but the Torah re-narrates the event here as a moral preamble to the laws of priesthood — only Elazar and Itamar now serve as kohanim under their father Aharon. The unspoken warning hangs over the rest of the chapter.
Rashi makes a striking observation on the opening verse ‘eleh toledot Aharon u-Moshe’ — these are the generations of Aharon and Moshe — but the Torah then lists only Aharon’s sons. Why are Moshe’s sons not mentioned? Rashi answers: because Aharon taught them Torah, they are accounted as Moshe’s spiritual descendants. The principle — kol ha-melamed Torah le-ven chavero, ke-ilu yelado — one who teaches Torah to another’s child, it is as if he gave birth to him — emerges directly from this verse. It is a classical proof-text for the rabbinic ethic of teaching: lineage of Torah-transmission is no less real than biological lineage.
The aliyah then introduces the substitutionary role of the Levi’im. Hashem commands: hakrev et matteh Levi ve-ha’amadta oto lifnei Aharon ha-Kohen, ve-sheirtu oto — bring near the tribe of Levi and stand it before Aharon the Kohen, and they shall serve him. The Levi’im are given to Aharon (3:9) — assigned as a workforce for the priestly service. The theological backbone of this assignment emerges in the closing verses (3:11-13): ki li kol bechor be-Yisrael be-adam u-va-behemah, be-yom hakoti khol bechor be-eretz Mitzrayim hikdashti otam li li hyot li Hashem — for every firstborn in Israel is Mine, both human and animal, since the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. The Levi’im are taken instead of all the firstborn — they substitute for the firstborn role that originally belonged to every Israelite firstborn male. This substitution will be enumerated precisely in the next aliyot: 22,000 Levi’im take the place of 22,273 firstborn. The aliyah closes with the establishment of this substitutionary theology that will govern the entire structure of the priesthood for the rest of Tanakh.
Numbers 3:1–3:13 · במדבר ג:א–ג:יג
פסוק ג:א · 3:1
Hebrew:
וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת אַהֲרֹ֖ן וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּי֗וֹם דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינָֽי׃
English:
This is the line of Aaron and Moses at the time that יהוה spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
The verse promises the 'toledot' (offspring) of both Aharon and Moshe, but the list that follows names only Aharon's four sons. Rashi resolves the puzzle with a foundational rabbinic principle: because Aharon taught his sons the Torah that Moshe had transmitted, they are accounted as Moshe's spiritual descendants — 'kol ha-melamed Torah le-ven chavero, ke-ilu yelado' (one who teaches Torah to another's child, it is as if he gave birth to him). Ibn Ezra adds a chronological note: Scripture frames the genealogy 'on the day Hashem spoke to Moshe on Sinai' to indicate that the count had not increased in the ten months since Sinai, while Or HaChaim suggests the linkage to Moshe specifically recalls Moshe's prayer that saved Aharon's surviving sons from the divine wrath at the Golden Calf.
רש״יRashi
ואלה תולדת אהרן ומשה. וְאֵינוֹ מַזְכִּיר אֶלָּא בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְנִקְרְאוּ תוֹלְדוֹת מֹשֶׁה, לְפִי שֶׁלִּמְּדָן תּוֹרָה, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל הַמְלַמֵּד אֶת בֶּן חֲבֵרוֹ תּוֹרָה מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ יְלָדוֹ (סנהדרין י"ט): ביום דבר ה' את משה. נַעֲשׂוּ אֵלּוּ הַתּוֹלָדוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ, שֶׁלִּמְּדָן מַה שֶּׁלָּמַד מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה:
ואלה תולדת אהרן ומשה AND THESE ARE THE OFFSPRING OF AARON AND MOSES — But it mentions only the sons of Aaron! But they also are called the sons of Moses because he taught them the Torah. This tells us that whoever teaches the Torah to the son of his fellow man Scripture regards it to him as though he had begotten him (Sanhedrin 19b). ביום דבר ה׳ את משה IN THE DAY THAT THE LORD SPAKE TO MOSES did these children (these of Aaron) become his (Moses') children, because then for the first time he taught them what he heard from the Almighty.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה. הטעם שלא הולידו בניהם ולא הוסיפו בקרוב מעשרה חדשים כאשר דבר ה' עם משה בהר סיני בעלותו להתכפר על מעשה העגל אז נבחר שבט לוי ואמר השם למשה הקרב את מטה לוי גם פרשת ואני הנה לקחתי וכאשר הוקם המשכן אמר השם פקוד את בני לוי והשכינה במשכן על כן כתב במדבר סיני והנה היו תולדות אהרן ומשה במדבר סיני כאשר היו בהר סיני רק חסרו שני בני אהרן על כן אמרתי כי הלוים לא נתנו כפר נפשם כי כן כתוב לכל העובר על הפקודים ויש אומרים כי לא פקדם משה טרם עשות המשכן רק ידע פקודיהם בדרך נבואה והכתוב יכחישם והוא כי תשא:
NOW THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF AARON AND MOSES. Scripture states this1Our Torah portion deals with the census taken in the second year following the Exodus (see Num. 1:1; 3:14). The question thus arises, why does Scripture then tell us how many offspring Moses and Aaron had on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai? because it wants to inform us that their offspring did not beget children and did not increase2In other words, the generations of Moses and Aaron were the same at the time of the census as they had been on the day that Moses stood on Mount Sinai ten months earlier. Hence it was not necessary to count them again when the Levites were counted. See verse 15. in close to ten months.3Ten months passed from the day that Moses stood on Mount Sinai in the month of Sivan and the census was taken on the first day of the second month (Iyyar) following the Exodus. God chose the tribe of Levi at the time God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, when Moses ascended to atone for the making of the golden calf. God then said to Moses, Bring the tribe of Levi near (v. 6). The Lord then also related all that is contained in the section4Verses 12 and 13. that opens with And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel (v. 12). When the tabernacle was erected, God told Moses, Number the children of Levi (v. 15). God's presence was then manifest in the tabernacle. Scripture therefore reads, in the wilderness of Sinai (v. 14).5And not on Mount Sinai. The point is that the Levites were numbered when the tabernacle stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. Scripture tells us that God spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai and told him to number the Levites, because once the tabernacle was erected God's presence was manifest there, and God spoke to Moses there. Thus what is reported in 3:1-13 took place on Mount Sinai, and what is reported in 3:14-39 took place in the wilderness of Sinai. Now the descendants of Aaron and Moses in the wilderness of Sinai numbered the same as they did at Mount Sinai. However, two sons of Aaron were missing.6This is the point of verse 4.I therefore7According to I.E. only those who went forth to war were counted by offering half a shekel as ransom for their souls. However, the Levites were in the service of God and did not have to offer a ransom for their souls. See I.E.'s short commentary on Ex. 38:25. said that the Levites did not give a ransom for their souls, for Scripture clearly states, for every one that passed over to them that are numbered (Ex. 38:26). Some say that Moses did not count the Israelites before the tabernacle was constructed. He knew their number only by way of prophecy. However, Scripture contradicts them. It clearly states, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Ex. 30:11).
ספורנוSforno
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה ביום דבר ה' את משה. בעת שהבדיל את שבט הלוי קצתם לשאת וקצתם לשרתו ולברך בשמו. בכללם היו אז נדב ואביהוא:
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה ביום דבר ה' אל משה. At the time when G'd set the tribe of Levi apart from the other tribes, some of them having to transport the Tabernacle on its journeys, some to perform service in and around the Tabernacle and to pronounce blessings in G'd's name. Nadav and Avihu were included in the people described as Levites.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
תולדות אהרן ומשה וגו'. ולא מנה אלא תולדות אהרן, לומר כי בני אהרן יחשבו על משה לצד שהוא התפלל בעדם וחיו דכתיב (דברים ט׳:כ׳) ובאהרן התאנף ה' להשמידו וגו', ואמרו ז"ל (ויק"ר פ"ז) שהועילה תפלתו להציל אלעזר ואיתמר. ואומרו ביום דבר וגו' לומר זמן שהתפלל עליהם, וכלל עוד בזה סיבת קבלת תפלתו שהוא לצד שדבר ה' אליו בהר סיני ונעשה ציר נאמן לה' בקבלת התורה:
תולדות אהרן ומשה, descendants of Aaron and Moses, etc. Curiously, the Torah enumerates only Aaron's descendants. This is to tell us that they were considered as if they had been Moses' descendants seeing he had prayed on their behalf as we know from Deuteronomy 9,20 where G'd is reported as having been angry at Aaron, ready to exterminate him. This would have resulted in his remaining two sons dying. Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 7,1 say that Moses' prayer helped to keep Eleazar and Ittamar alive. Our verse continues ביום דבר ה׳, to tell us precisely when Moses prayed on their behalf. There is also a hint here of the reason that his prayer was effective as the Torah's mention of Mount Sinai is a reminder that he was such a loyal representative of G'd that he had been found worthy to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai.
פסוק ג:ב · 3:2
Hebrew:
וְאֵ֛לֶּה שְׁמ֥וֹת בְּֽנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֖ן הַבְּכֹ֣ר ׀ נָדָ֑ב וַאֲבִיה֕וּא אֶלְעָזָ֖ר וְאִיתָמָֽר׃
English:
These were the names of Aaron’s sons: Nadab, the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar;
The Torah names all four of Aharon's sons in birth order — Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Itamar — preserving the original priestly roster before the catastrophe of Vayikra 10. Sforno notes that each son is listed 'by his name' (be-shemo), indicating that each was a person of distinction in his own right and not merely an appendage to Aharon's stature. The ordering here is essential setup for the next verse, which will distinguish the two who died from the two who continued to serve.
ספורנוSforno
ואלה שמות בני אהרן. כל אחד מהם היה נחשב בשמו לא מצד מה שהוא בן אהרן בלבד:
ואלה שמות בני אהרן; each one of them was mentioned by his name, i.e. not only because he was a son of an illustrious father such as Aaron.
פסוק ג:ג · 3:3
Hebrew:
אֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֔ן הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַמְּשֻׁחִ֑ים אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א יָדָ֖ם לְכַהֵֽן׃
English:
those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests who were ordained for priesthood.
The verse repeats 'eleh shemot bnei Aharon' a second time and adds two qualifications: they were 'ha-meshuchim' (the anointed ones) and 'asher milei yadam le-khahen' (whose hands were filled for priesthood — i.e., consecrated through the seven-day inauguration of Shemot 29 / Vayikra 8). Ibn Ezra explains 'ha-meshuchim' as anointing with the shemen ha-mishchah, conferring the status of 'kohanim gedolim' upon all of Aharon's sons at the founding generation. Sforno adds that this dual ceremony (anointing plus filling-of-hands) was a one-time requirement for the founding generation — subsequent ordinary kohanim would inherit the priesthood by lineage without needing personal anointing; while Or HaChaim notes that the verse's repetition of 'eleh' restricts the anointing exclusively to these four, excluding any other Levi'im.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
המשחים. בשמן המשחה. שהיו כהנים גדולים: ולא הניחו בנים גדולים או קטנים על כן חסר ממספר הלוים כי הגדולים יתכן שיולידו:
THE PRIESTS THAT WERE ANOINTED. With the anointing oil, for they were high priests.8Being anointed with the anointing oil (shemen ha-mishkhah) gave the sons of Aaron the status of high priests. [AND THEY HAD NO CHILDREN.]9And they had no children appears in verse 4, but I.E. comments upon it here. They did not leave behind any grown or small children. Therefore the Levites were lacking in number,10For the other tribes increased in number from the first census. The tribe of Levi did not do so due to the loss of Nadab and Abihu. for it is possible for the grown children to beget children.11Hence Scripture tells us that Nadab and Abihu did not have any.
ספורנוSforno
הכהנים המשוחים. ולא קרה כן לדורות כי אמנם לא נמשח אחריהם שום כהן הדיוט בחיי הכהן הגדול והטעם היה אשר מלא את ידם לכהן שהוצרכה אז המשיחה כי זולתה לא היו כהנים כלל בהיות שנולדו קודם שנבחר אהרן לכהן כמו שקרה לפינחס קודם שהרג את זמרי:
הכהנים המשוחים, future priests were not described in such terms as they were not anointed while the High Priest was alive. אשר מלא ידם לכהן, the reason why the sons of Aaron were also anointed with the oil of anointment was to enable them to perform priestly duties, as otherwise there would have been no priests other that Aaron, no one having been born as priest to a father who was a priest. Had they been born after Aaron's appointment, they would not have required such anointing as heredity would have sufficed.
אור החייםOr HaChaim
אלה שמות וגו' המשוחים וגו'. חזר לומר אלה שמות פעם ב' ולא הספיק במה שאמר בפעם א' אלה שמות וגו' ולגמור אומר המשוחים וגו', נתכוין למעט שלא נמשחו אלא אלו, ולזה דקדק לומר אלה למעט זולתם, ומפסוק ראשון לא נשמע זה לצד שאמר ואלה שלא תשמע שפסל עם בני ישראל שקדמו להם והבן:
אלה שמות…המשוחים, These are the names… who had been anointed, etc. When the Torah repeated the word "these" both in verse one and again in our verse it is to stress that only these four sons of Aaron had been anointed. Had the Torah not repeated the word אלה here we could have assumed that other Levites had been anointed seeing that the chapter commenced with the word ואלה, "and these."
פסוק ג:ד · 3:4
Hebrew:
וַיָּ֣מׇת נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֣וּא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֡ה בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩ אֵ֨שׁ זָרָ֜ה לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־הָי֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם וַיְכַהֵ֤ן אֶלְעָזָר֙ וְאִ֣יתָמָ֔ר עַל־פְּנֵ֖י אַהֲרֹ֥ן אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ {פ}
English:
But Nadab and Abihu died by the will of*by the will of Others “before.” יהוה, when they offered alien fire before יהוה in the wilderness of Sinai; and they left no sons. So it was Eleazar and Ithamar who served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.
The Torah re-narrates the death of Nadav and Avihu (originally told in Vayikra 10) as the moral preamble to the laws of Levitical service: they died 'be-hakrivam eish zarah' (when they offered alien fire), and crucially 'u-vanim lo hayu lahem' (they had no sons). Ibn Ezra (on verse 3) and Sforno emphasize the legal consequence of their childlessness — had they left sons, the priesthood would have passed through them; their lack of heirs is what redirects the line of succession to Elazar and Itamar. Rashi explains 'al pnei Aharon' as 'be-chayav' (in their father's lifetime), highlighting the tragic inversion in which Aharon witnesses his younger sons serving in place of his fallen firstborn.
רש״יRashi
על פני אהרן. בְּחַיָּיו:
על פני אהרן [AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED] BEFORE THE FACE OF AARON — i.e. during his lifetime (cf. Rashi on Genesis 11:28).
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
על פני. פירשתיו:
IN THE PRESENCE OF. I have previously explained the meaning of al pene (in the presence of).12See I.E. on Gen. 11:28 (Vol. 1, p. 146). There I.E. explains that al pene means in the presence of. The literal meaning of al pene is, upon the face of.
ספורנוSforno
בהקריבם אש זרה. שזו לבדה היתה בהם: ובנים לא היו להם. שאם היו להם בנים ממלאים מקומם היו יורשים המעלה הראויה לאביהם: ויכהן אלעזר ואיתמר. נתן להם מינוי ושררה במשכן במצות האל יתברך: על פני אהרן אביהם. בחיי אהרן היתה משיחת הבנים ומיתת קצתם ושררת קצתם שלא על פיו אף על פי שהיה כהן גדול וכל זה לא יתמיד לדורות כי לא תהיה משיחה לכהן הדיוט ולא יהיה לו מינוי אלא על פי כהן גדול בחייו:
בהקריבם אש זרה, this was the only blemish they had been guilty of. ובנים לא היו להם, if they had had sons, the sons would have been their replacements if they had been physically and mentally suitable. ויכהן אלעזר ואיתמר, they had been given authority to substitute for their father in the Tabernacle if the need would arise, by the command of G'd. על פני אהרן אביהם, during the lifetime of Aaron his sons had already been anointed. The death of two of them, as well as their replacing their father as High Priest was not at Aaron's command, even though he was the High Priest. [if I understand the author correctly, he means that contrary to a king appointing a son as his successor, the High Priest is not entitled to appoint his own successor. Ed.] None of what is reported here is of significance for future generations as ordinary priests were not anointed, whereas the position of High Priest was not a position that could be inherited.
פסוק ג:ה · 3:5
Hebrew:
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
English:
יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:
פסוק ג:ו · 3:6
Hebrew:
הַקְרֵב֙ אֶת־מַטֵּ֣ה לֵוִ֔י וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣ אֹת֔וֹ לִפְנֵ֖י אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וְשֵׁרְת֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃
English:
Advance the tribe of Levi and place its [men]*its [men] Lit. “it”; cf. 3.15. in attendance upon Aaron the priest to serve him.
The verse formally introduces the substitutionary role of the Levi'im: 'hakrev et matteh Levi' (bring near the tribe of Levi) and 'ha'amadta oto lifnei Aharon' (stand it before Aharon) — they are to serve (ve-sheirtu) the kohen. Rashi asks what their 'service' consists of and answers from the next verse: they guard the Mikdash so that no 'zar' (non-kohen) approaches — a task originally laid on Aharon's shoulders (per Bamidbar 18:1) but delegated to the Levi'im as his assistants. Ibn Ezra reads 've-ha'amadta' as a technical term for ministerial standing (cf. II Kings 5:16), and Sforno emphasizes that their function is to serve the kohen gadol in his appointed guardianship of the Mishkan.
רש״יRashi
ושרתו אתו. וּמַהוּ הַשֵּׁרוּת? ושמרו את משמרתו. לְפִי שֶׁשְּׁמִירַת הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא יִקְרַב זָר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וּבֵית אָבִיךָ אִתָּךְ תִּשְׂאוּ אֶת עֲוֹן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ" (במדבר י"ח), וְהַלְוִיִּם הַלָּלוּ מְסַיְּעִין אוֹתָם, זוֹ הִיא הַשֵּׁרוּת:
ושרתו אתו [BRING THE TRIBE OF LEVI … BEFORE AARON] THAT THEY MINISTER UNTO HIM — And wherein consists their ministering? ושמרו את משמרתו THAT THEY SHALL KEEP HIS CHARGE — Because the care of the Sanctuary, viz., that no stranger should approach it, was committed to his charge, as it is said, (Numbers 18:1) "Thou and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee, shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary", (which Rashi explains to have reference to the iniquity committed by a "stranger" in approaching the holy things), and these Levites aided them — this therefore, was their ministering [alluded to here].
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
לפני אהרן הכהן. שהוא נגיד השבט. ופירוש והעמדת הוא ושרתו וכן חי ה' אשר עמדתי לפניו:
BEFORE AARON THE PRIEST. Who was the prince of the tribe. The meaning of ve-ha'amadt (and set them)13Literally, and stand them up. is, that they may minister. As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand (amadti) (II Kings 5:16) is similar.14Its meaning is, As the Lord liveth, before whom I minister.
ספורנוSforno
ושרתו אותו. כי עליו מוטלת משמרת הכל כאמרו אתה ובניך ובית אביך אתך תשאו את עון המקדש ואתה ובניך אתך תשאו את עון כהנתכם ובכן היתה עבודת הלויים שרות לכהן גדול בחלק המוטל עליו משמירת המשכן וכליו ובשמירת הכהונה שלא יקרב זר המוטלת על אהרן ובניו בלבד:
ושרתו אותו. Seeing that the ultimate responsibility for anything connected with the Tabernacle was Aaron's, as we know from Numbers 18,1 אתה ובניך ובית אביך אתך תשאו את עון המקדש ואתה ובניך אתך תשאו את עון כהנתכם, "you and your sons and the house of your father with you will have to carry the sin or guilt of the Temple; and you and your sons with you will have to be responsible for any sin/guilt involving the priesthood you have been appointed to." As a result of these verses, the service performed by the Levites was in the nature of being assistants to the priests, comprising standing guard over the Tabernacle, protecting it against the entry of people not in a fit state for one reason or another. They had to ensure that the vessels of the Tabernacle remained not only in good condition but were not stolen, etc. The second half of that verse in chapter 18 refers to no non-priests being allowed within the sacred domain reserved for either the priests or even only the High Priest.
פסוק ג:ז · 3:7
Hebrew:
וְשָׁמְר֣וּ אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹ וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙ כׇּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד לַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃
English:
They shall perform duties for him and for the whole community before the Tent of Meeting, doing the work of the Tabernacle.
The verse specifies two layers of guardianship — 'mishmarto' (his charge, i.e., Aharon's) and 'mishmeret kol ha-edah' (the charge of the whole congregation). Rashi explains 'mishmeret' as any appointed post or duty (citing both Scripture and Mishnaic usage of the term in 'mishmarot kehunah u-leviyah'), while Ibn Ezra connects 'mishmeret kol ha-edah' specifically to assisting with the public sacrifices. Sforno makes the arresting historical claim that had Israel not sinned with the Golden Calf, this auxiliary service would have been the privilege of the Sanhedrin — the Levi'im inherit a role originally meant for the entire spiritual leadership of the nation.
רש״יRashi
ושמרו את משמרתו. כָּל מִנּוּי שֶׁהָאָדָם מְמֻנֶּה עָלָיו וּמֻטָּל עָלָיו לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ קָרוּי מִשְׁמֶרֶת בְּכָל הַמִּקְרָא וּבִלְשׁוֹן הַמִּשְׁנָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמוּר בְּבִגְתָן וָתֶרֶשׁ "וַהֲלֹא אֵין מִשְׁמַרְתִּי וּמִשְׁמַרְתְּךָ שָׁוָה" (מגילה י"ג), וְכֵן מִשְׁמְרוֹת כְהֻנָּה וּלְוִיָּה:
ושמרו את משמרתו AND THEY SHALL KEEP HIS CHARGE — Any post to which a person is appointed and the duties of which he is bound to carry out is everywhere in Scripture and in the Mishnaic idiom called משמרת, an office, a charge. For example, it is stated in the story of Bigthan and Teresh that when they were conspiring against Ahasuerus one said to the other (Megillah 13b): "But surely my official duty (משמרתי) is not the same as your official duty (משמרתך) and therefore we can never meet to put our plans into execution!" Similar, also, is its use in the phrase ,משמרות כהונה ולויה "shifts for duty of priests and Levites".
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ואת משמרת כל העדה. בקרבנות:
AND THE CHARGE OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION. In the offering of sacrifices.
ספורנוSforno
משמרת כל העדה לפני אהל מועד. לעבוד את עבודת המשכן. לשרת בצרכי העבודה שזה היה ראוי לעדת הסנהדרין לולא עון העגל:
משמרת כל העדה לפני אהל מועד לעבוד את עבודת המשכן, to assist in the tasks needed to perform the service in the Temple properly. Had it not been for the sin of the golden calf, it would have been the duty/privilege of the members of the Supreme Court, Sanhedrin, to carry out the tasks now allocated to the Levites.
פסוק ג:ח · 3:8
Hebrew:
וְשָׁמְר֗וּ אֶֽת־כׇּל־כְּלֵי֙ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃
English:
They shall take charge of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting—a duty on behalf of the Israelites—doing the work of the Tabernacle.
The Levi'im are charged with two specific tasks: safeguarding the 'klei ohel mo'ed' (the vessels of the Mishkan) and fulfilling 'mishmeret bnei Yisrael' (the charge of the Israelites). Rashi explains the second phrase as the key to the entire Levitical economy: all Israelites are technically obligated in the service of the Mikdash, but the Levi'im take their place as shelichim (delegates) — which is precisely why they receive ma'aser rishon in exchange for their service ('ki sakhar hu lakhem chelef avodatkhem', Bamidbar 18:31). Ibn Ezra reads the verse pragmatically — the Levi'im prevent ordinary Israelites from drawing too close — while Sforno again insists that the carrying and singing of the Levi'im would have been the lot of every Jew were it not for the sin of the Eigel.
רש״יRashi
ואת משמרת בני ישראל. שֶׁכֻּלָּן הָיוּ זְקוּקִין לְצָרְכֵי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, אֶלָּא שֶׁהַלְוִיִּם בָּאִים תַּחְתֵּיהֶם בִּשְׁלִיחוּתָם, לְפִיכָךְ לוֹקְחִים מֵהֶם הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת בִּשְׂכָרָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "כִּי שָׂכָר הוּא לָכֶם חֵלֶף עֲבֹדַתְכֶם" (במדבר י"ח):
ואת משמרת בני ישראל [AND THEY SHALL KEEP ALL THE VESSELS OF THE TENT OF MEETING] AND THE CHARGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — It is called "the charge of the children of Israel" because all of them (all the Israelites) were really bound to care for the needs of the Sanctuary, only that the Levites took their places as representing them. For this reason they (the Levites) received from them the tithes as a reward, as it is said, (Numbers 18:31) "for it (the tithe) is your hire in exchange for your service".
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ואת משמרת בני ישראל שישמרו שלא יגע ישראלי אל המשכן:
AND THE CHARGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. They will make sure that an Israelite does not enter the tabernacle.
ספורנוSforno
משמרת בני ישראל. לעבוד את עבודת המשכן. לשאת ולשורר שזה היה ראוי לכל ישראל:
משמרת בני ישראל לעבוד את עבודת המשכן, the auxiliary aspects of the service in the Tabernacle, to carry, to sing, etc; these tasks, if not for the sin of the golden calf, would have been assigned to ordinary members of the people at large instead of being reserved exclusively for the Levites.
פסוק ג:ט · 3:9
Hebrew:
וְנָתַתָּה֙ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו נְתוּנִ֨ם נְתוּנִ֥ם הֵ֙מָּה֙ ל֔וֹ מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
English:
You shall assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons: they are formally assigned to him from among the Israelites.
The doubled phrase 'netunim netunim hemah lo' (they are wholly given to him) emphasizes that the Levi'im are a divine gift to Aharon and his sons. Rashi explains the doubling functionally — 'le-ezrah' (as help) — and reads 'me-et bnei Yisrael' as parallel to 'mi-tokh bnei Yisrael' (from amid the Israelites), since the gift originates as a divine decree separating them from the rest of the nation. Ibn Ezra offers two readings of the doubled 'netunim': either an emphasis of permanence ('forever'), or one term referring to the present Levi'im and the second to their descendants who will succeed them — anchoring the priesthood-Levi relationship across generations.
רש״יRashi
נתונם המה לו. לְעֶזְרָה: מאת בני ישראל. כְּמוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשׂרָאֵל, כְּלוֹמַר מִשְּׁאָר כָּל הָעֵדָה נִבְדְּלוּ לְכָךְ בִּגְזֵרַת הַמָּקוֹם וְהוּא נְתָנָם לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וָאֶתְּנָה אֶת הַלְוִיִּם נְתֻנִים" וְגוֹ' (במדבר ח'):
נתונים המה לו THEY ARE GIVEN UNTO HIM as a help. מאת בני ישראל has the same meaning as FROM AMONG THE MIDST OF (מתוך) THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, that is to say, they have been set aside from among the rest of the congregation for this purpose by a decree of the Omnipresent, and it is He who gave them (the Levites) to him, as it is said (Numbers 8:19) "And "I" have given the Levites as a gift [to Aaron]".
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
נתונים. לעולם או הם ובניהם העובדים תחתם: לאהרן ולבניו. הנמצאים ועומדים תחתיהם: מאת בני ישראל. להיותם מובדלים:
THEY ARE WHOLLY GIVEN UNTO HIM. Forever. Or to them and their descendants who take their place.15The Hebrew reads, netunim netunim (wholly given). This literally means, given given. I.E.'s first interpretation is that the repetition of the tern netunim indicates forever. His second interpretation is that the first netunim refers to them, and the second to their children. UNTO AARON AND TO HIS SONS. Both those who are presently alive and those who will arise after them. FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. To be separated from the children of Israel.
ספורנוSforno
נתונים נתונים המה לו. שתהיה כל עבודתם על פי אהרן ובניו לא זולתם: מאת בני ישראל. שיתחייבו לתת להם מעשר ראשון חלף עבודתם:
נתונים נתונים המה לו, all their (the Levites') service was to be performed at the instruction of Aaron, to whom the Levites had been delegated by the people. מאת בני ישראל, who in turn obligated themselves to compensate their delegates, the Levites, by giving them the tithes of their crops.
פסוק ג:י · 3:10
Hebrew:
וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ תִּפְקֹ֔ד וְשָׁמְר֖וּ אֶת־כְּהֻנָּתָ֑ם וְהַזָּ֥ר הַקָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת׃ {פ}
English:
You shall make Aaron and his sons responsible for observing their priestly duties; and any outsider who encroaches shall be put to death.
The verse draws a sharp boundary: Aharon and his sons are 'appointed' (tifkod) over their kehunah, and 'ha-zar ha-karev yumat' (the outsider who approaches shall be put to death). Rashi clarifies that 'tifkod' here means appointment, not census, and specifies which functions are reserved for kohanim alone: 'kabbalat damim u-zerikah ve-haktarah' (receiving the blood, sprinkling it, burning the fats). Ibn Ezra extends the definition of 'zar': not only a non-Levi Israelite but even a Levi who arrogates priestly duties falls under this lethal sanction — making this verse the foundational source for the strict separation between Levi-service and kohen-service.
רש״יRashi
ואת אהרן ואת בניו תפקד. לְשׁוֹן פְּקִידוּת, וְאֵינוֹ לְשׁוֹן מִנְיָן: ושמרו את כהנתם. קַבָּלַת דָּמִים וּזְרִיקָה וְהַקְטָרָה וַעֲבוֹדוֹת הַמְּסוּרוֹת לַכֹּהֲנִים:
ואת אהרן ואת בניו תפקד AND THOU SHALT CHARGE AARON AND HIS SONS — The word תפקד is an expression for "appointing" and not an expression for "counting" (although it is Kal, and usually "appointing" is expressed by the Hiphil of the verb; cf. Rashi on Numbers 1:50). ושמרו את כהנתם AND THEY SHALL KEEP THEIR PRIESTS OFFICE — the receiving of the blood in holy vessels, the sprinkling of it, the burning of the fat and the other rites which are entrusted to the priests' charge.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
ואת אהרן ואת בניו. ובכלל בניו בני בניו תפקדם לתת פקודה לכל אחד והם ישמרו את כהנתם שלא יבואו לידי פסולות: והזר הקרב. לכהן להיות עם כהנתם ישראלי או לוי יומת ופרשת ואני הנה לקחתי גם היא דבקה כי יש בתורה פרשיות דבקות בטעם ואם הם מפורשות כמו ויהי כאשר תמו כל אנשי המלחמה כן ויהי ביום דבר ה' אל משה:
AND THOU SHALT APPOINT AARON AND HIS SONS. His sons includes the sons of his sons. The meaning of and thou shalt appoint (tifkod) is, you shall appoint each one of them.16Tifkod can meant to count. Hence I.E.'s comment. The meaning of that they may keep their priesthood is that they not do anything that will disqualify them from being priests. AND THE COMMON MAN THAT DRAWETH NIGH. To the priest, to serve as a priest. [SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.] An Israelite or a Levite who serves as a priest shall be put to death. The chapter that opens with the words And I, behold, I have taken the Levites17Verses 12 and 13. is also18Like many other such chapters. connected to the chapter which preceded it,19In other words, verse 12 is connected to verse 10. In the Masoretic Bible, verse 11 opens a new chapter. for the Torah contains chapters that are separated but are connected by content. Similarly, Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to discomfit them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed (Deut. 2:15),20Deut. 2:16 is connected to Deut. 2:17 even though they are in different chapters in the Masoretic Bible. See I.E. on Deut. 2:16. and, And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt (Ex. 6:28).21According to I.E., Ex. 6:28 is connected to that which follows even though they are in different chapters in the Masoretic Bible. See I.E. on Ex. 6:28 (Vol. 2, pp. 141-2).
ספורנוSforno
ושמרו את כהנתם. לכל דבר המזבח ולמבית לפרכת שלא יקרבו הלויים: והזר הקרב. לעבודת לויה או כהונה:
ושמרו את כהנתם, concerning all matters involving the altar, the dividing curtain and what is beyond it, to ensure that the Levites not enter any of these domains. והזר הקרב, any unauthorised person entering these domains will be legally executed (if he did it deliberately after due warning).
פסוק ג:יא · 3:11
Hebrew:
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
English:
יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:
פסוק ג:יב · 3:12
Hebrew:
וַאֲנִ֞י הִנֵּ֧ה לָקַ֣חְתִּי אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם מִתּוֹךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל תַּ֧חַת כׇּל־בְּכ֛וֹר פֶּ֥טֶר רֶ֖חֶם מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהָ֥יוּ לִ֖י הַלְוִיִּֽם׃
English:
I hereby take the Levites from among the Israelites in place of all the male first-born, the first issue of the womb among the Israelites: the Levites shall be Mine.
The emphatic 'va-ani hineh lakachti' (and I, behold, have taken) discloses Hashem's right to claim the Levi'im: He takes them 'tachat kol bechor' (in place of every firstborn). Rashi famously explains why a substitution was needed at all — originally the avodah belonged to the firstborn of every family, but when they sinned at the Eigel they were disqualified, and the tribe of Levi, who did not worship the calf, was chosen in their stead (Zevachim 112b). Ibn Ezra reads 've-hayu li ha-Levi'im' as a status of consecration — 'they shall be holy unto Me' — marking the Levi'im as a permanently sanctified caste, and Sforno glosses 'tachat kol bechor' simply as 'le-pidyon' (as redemption).
רש״יRashi
ואני הנה לקחתי. וַאֲנִי מֵהֵיכָן זָכִיתִי בָהֶן מתוך בני ישראל שֶׁיִּהְיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שׂוֹכְרִין אוֹתָן לְשֵׁרוּת שֶׁלִּי? עַ"יְ הַבְּכוֹרוֹת זָכִיתִי בָהֶם וּלְקַחְתִּים תְּמוּרָתָם. לְפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה הָעֲבוֹדָה בַּבְּכוֹרוֹת, וּכְשֶׁחָטְאוּ בָעֵגֶל נִפְסְלוּ, וְהַלְוִיִּם שֶׁלֹּא עָבְדוּ עֲ"זָ נִבְחֲרוּ תַחְתֵּיהֶם (עי' זבחים קי"ב):
ואני הנה לקחתי AND I, BEHOLD I HAVE TAKEN [THE LEVITES FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — This means: And I — whence do "I" claim the right on them from among the children of Israel, that the Israelites should have to hire them (cf. Rashi on v. 8) for My service? It is through the firstborn — to whom I surely have a title — that I have a claim on them (the Levites) and so I take them in their (the firstborns') stead. For originally the service (the priestly functions) was performed by the firstborn, but when they (the Israelites and among them their firstborn too) sinned by worshipping the golden calf they became disqualified, and the Levites who had not worshipped the idol were chosen in their stead (cf. Zevachim 112b).
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
לקחתי. מעלה גדולה ללוים: בכור. דבק אל פטר: והיו לי הלוים. מקודשים לי:
AND I, BEHOLD, I HAVE TAKEN THE LEVITES. The Levites have been greatly elevated. FIRST-BORN. Bekhor (first-born) is connected to peter (openeth).22I.E. comments thus because the canticle reading is, every first-born, openeth the womb. AND THE LEVITES SHALL BE MINE. They shall be holy unto Me.
ספורנוSforno
תחת כל בכור. לפדיון:
תחת כל בכור, as a redemption.
פסוק ג:יג · 3:13
Hebrew:
כִּ֣י לִי֮ כׇּל־בְּכוֹר֒ בְּיוֹם֩ הַכֹּתִ֨י כׇל־בְּכ֜וֹר בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם הִקְדַּ֨שְׁתִּי לִ֤י כׇל־בְּכוֹר֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵאָדָ֖ם עַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה לִ֥י יִהְי֖וּ אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}
English:
For every male first-born is Mine: at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every male first-born in Israel, human and beast, to Myself, to be Mine, יהוה’s.
The verse provides the theological foundation for the Levite-firstborn substitution: 'ki li kol bechor' (every firstborn is Mine), sanctified retroactively from the night of Makkat Bechorot when Hashem struck Egypt's firstborn and spared Israel's. Ibn Ezra notes that 'be-yom hakoti' here means 'at the time that I smote' (since the plague itself was at midnight), and reads 'li yihyu' as a perpetual claim — both human firstborn and the firstborn of impure animals must be redeemed. Sforno develops the most expansive reading: Israel's firstborn were equally deserving of the plague as 'the most honored of their generation' and would have been swept up in the makat medinah; their salvation was specifically because Hashem 'sanctified' them on the spot for elevated avodah, and the loss of that status at the Eigel is what now requires their pidyon (redemption) and replacement by the Levi'im.
אבן עזראIbn Ezra
כי לי כל בכור. והטעם כי גם הבכורים לי הם: ביום הכותי טעמו זמן וכן רבים: לי יהיו. טעמו לי הם ולי יהיו כי כל בכור מאדם יפדה וכן כל בכור הבהמה הטמאה:
FOR ALL THE FIRST-BORN ARE MINE. Its meaning is, for also the first-born are Mine. ON THE DAY THAT I SMOTE. This means at the time that I smote.23The first-born were smitten at night. See Ex. 11:4,5. There are many such cases.24Where day means time. MINE THEY SHALL BE. This means they are Mine and they shall be Mine,25The verse opens in the present (for all the first-born are Mine) and concludes with the future (Mine shall they be). for all human first-born and similarly the first-born of unclean cattle26The reference is only to first-born asses. shall be redeemed.
ספורנוSforno
כי לי כל בכור. מקדם היתה העבודה בבכורות: ביום הכותי כל בכור בארץ מצרים הקדשתי לי כל בכור בישראל. אמנם במכת בכורות שהיו הבכורות ראויים ליענש בעון הדור מפני היותם היותר נכבדים ובהיותם בלתי ראוים להנצל ממכת מדינה כענין פן תספה בעון העיר. ואני הצלתים במה שהקדשתים לי בענין שיהיו אסורים להתעסק בעבודת הדיוט כמשפט כל הקדש שהוא אסור בגיזה ועבודה ולמען יהיו מותרים בזה הצרכתים פדיון, כמשפט כל הקדש היוצא לחולין כאמרו (ו) כל בכור בניך תפדה ולא בשביל זה הפדיון היו פטורים מן העבודה ועכשיו שחטאו מאסתים ולקחתי הלוים תחתיהם לפדיון והיו לי הלויים לעבודה: מאדם עד בהמה לי יהיו. מכאן ולהבא האדם לפדיון והבהמה לזבח: אני ה'. לא שניתי כשמאסתי הבכורות כי זה ההשתנות קרה לא מצדי אבל מצדם שחטאו וכן כשרציתי שיפדו הלויים את הבכורות בדור הזה ולא כן להבא כי אמנם בדור הזה הם ראויים לכך ולא כן להבא:
כי לי כל בכור, as the Temple service used to be the duty of the respective firstborn in each family.ביום הכותי כל בכור בארץ מצרים הקדשתי לי כל בכור בישראל, although at the time when the firstborn in Egypt were killed, the Jewish firstborn had been guilty of death also, as had been the firstborn of that entire generation. They were singled out for this penalty as they were the most honoured people of their time, and as such served as role models for others. There was no special merit due to which they would have been spared, as in Genesis 19,15 where the angels warned Lot not to remain in Sodom lest he too would be killed on account of the company he kept. G'd, in sanctifying them, i.e. placing them on a spiritually elevated pedestal so that they would not partake in all manner of secular pursuits, justified sparing them at that time. Now that, due to the sin of the golden calf, they had forfeited this spiritually elevated status, they had to be "redeemed" in order to resume life on a more mundane level than that for which they had been destined. This is the meaning of וכל בכור אדם תפדה, "you shall redeem every human male firstborn." (Exodus 13,13).We must not make the mistake of thinking that seeing that this verse was written before the sin of the golden calf, that the firstborn had already been subject to redemption at that time, i.e that G'd had despised them as not fit to offer the sacrificial offerings. On the contrary, the "redemption" of which Exodus 13,13 speaks, i.e. [without a simultaneous substitution of others in their place, Ed.] was only in order to permit these firstborn to also pursue a regular lifestyle when they would not be performing service in the Temple, etc. Without "redemption" every object that has been sanctified is out of bounds for any mundane use whether passive or active, as it would constitute a demeaning of its holiness. (compare Chulin 137) מאדם עד בהמה לי יהיו, from now on, humans have to be redeemed, animals to be slaughtered and their blood and fat offered on the altar.
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