Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Hashem spoke with Moses in mount Sinai.
verse value 2862 — יְהֹוָ֛ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2862 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "spoke" (דִּבֶּ֧ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·line·of" (תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·line·of" (תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת). The root משה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "spoke" (root דבר, 149x in Numbers). First appearance of the root יום ("on·the·day") in Numbers. First appearance of the root הר ("on·Mount") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Moses', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֛לֶּה [and·these] (42) + תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת [the·line·of] (840) + אַהֲרֹ֖ן [Aaron] (256) + וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה [and·Moses] (351) + בְּי֗וֹם [on·the·day] (58) + דִּבֶּ֧ר [spoke] (206) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה [with·Moses] (746) + בְּהַ֥ר [on·Mount] (207) + סִינָֽי [Sinai] (130) = 2862.
Onkelos
And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day that Hashem spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
Rashi
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.
Ramban
NOW THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF AARON AND MOSES IN THE DAY THAT THE ETERNAL SPOKE WITH MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI. “And yet [in the following verse] Scripture only enumerates the sons of Aaron, [as it is said, And these are the names of the sons of Aaron! If so, why does it say here and Moses?] They [were indeed the sons of Aaron, but] they are called the generations of Moses because he taught them Torah. This establishes the principle that if one teaches the Torah to one’s fellow man, Scripture accounts it to him as though he had begotten him. In the day that the Eternal spoke to Moses did these children [of Aaron] become his [Moses’], because he taught them then what he learned from the mouth of the Almighty.” This is Rashi’s language. However, the expression in the day that the Eternal spoke to Moses is intended [not to convey the idea mentioned by Rashi, but] only to say that these were [Aaron’s four] sons [namely, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, as mentioned in Verse 2] in the day that the Eternal spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai, and then Scripture states [in the following verses] that Nadab and Abihu died, and that therefore they have no children now except Eleazar and Ithamar. Now Scripture mentions this in order to state that in the day that the Eternal spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai these [sons of Aaron] were chosen to be anointed, and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood, but as for the rest of the tribe [of Levi], Moses was not commanded that they be chosen [for service in the Tabernacle] until now. And the reason why He mentioned the generations of Aaron and Moses at this place is that since He had completed the census of all Israel by their generations and by their fathers’ houses, and He now wanted to mention the generations of the tribe of Levi, He began with the leaders of that tribe. According to the plain meaning of Scripture, the sense of [the expression] the generations of Aaron and Moses is that the sons of Aaron were anointed priests separated from [the rest of] the tribe [of Levi] so that they be most holy, and the generations of Moses were the family of the Amramites which He mentions further on, since of the Amramites there were only the children of Moses, and they are counted among the Levites. This [verse] is thus similar to that which it is written, The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should be sanctified as most holy. But as for Moses the man of G-d, his sons are named among the tribe of Levi. And the homiletic interpretation [which Rashi mentioned, that the generations of Aaron are also attributed to Moses because he taught them Torah], the Rabbis based upon [the fact that] Scripture does not state “and these are the names of the sons of Moses,” as it does with the sons of Aaron [stating in Verse 3: These are the names of the sons of Aaron — therefore the Rabbis explained that the verse says: Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses] to allude to...
Ibn Ezra
"These are the generations of Aaron and Moses." The meaning is that their children were not born, and no addition was made within approximately ten months, from when Hashem spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai — when he ascended to atone for the matter of the Golden Calf. At that time the tribe of Levi was chosen, and Hashem said to Moses: "Bring the tribe of Levi near." Likewise the passage "And I — behold, I have taken" is connected to this. And when the Tabernacle was erected, Hashem said: "Count the sons of Levi," with the Shekhinah dwelling in the Tabernacle; therefore Scripture writes "in the wilderness of Sinai," for the generations of Aaron and Moses were in the wilderness of Sinai just as they had been on Mount Sinai — except that two of Aaron's sons were now missing. For this reason I have said that the Levites did not give a ransom for their persons, as it is written: "for all who are counted." Some say that Moses did not count them before the Tabernacle was built, but knew their number through prophecy. But the text refutes them, for it is [the passage of] Ki Tissa.
Sforno
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.
Or HaChaim
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.
Chizkuni
ביום דבר ה' אל משה בהר סיני, “as long as G-d wasspeaking with Moses at Mount Sinai,” Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu were still alive. They died in the Tabernacle in the desert of Sinai, at the beginning of the second year.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ואלה תולדת אהרן ומשה, “and these are the descendants of Aaron and Moses: The reason the Torah mentions the name of Moses here although it does not tell us anything about his sons is that the person who teaches someone else Torah is considered as if he had fathered him. Seeing that Moses taught the sons of Aaron Torah he was included in the people considered as their progenitors. This is also why our verse mentions Mount Sinai, as the Torah had been given at Mount Sinai. ביום דבר ה' את משה בהר סיני, “on the day the Lord had spoken to Moses at Mount Sinai.” Seeing that the Talmud Sanhedrin 19 makes the point we just made that anyone who teaches the son of his friend Torah is considered as if he had fathered him, the Torah here repeats: “these are the sons of Aaron,” to make sure we understand that biologically speaking the sons now enumerated were fathered only by Aaron. This is also why all four of them are mentioned by name. Later on (verse 3) they are mentioned once more as the ones who had been anointed with sacred oil. According to the plain meaning of the text we can explain this apparent duplication of information already supplied by the Torah as proof that G’d is very meticulous when dealing with even the slightest error committed by socially and spiritually eminent people such as the sons of Aaron (and of course Aaron himself as well as Moses). We have a verse to this effect in Psalms 50,3: ”those around Him are judged fiercely.” By adding the words: “the priests who had been anointed,” the Torah explains in advance why even highly esteemed people like Nadav and Avihu do not have their mistakes overlooked; not only is G’d not indulgent with people of such stature, but, on the contrary, He is more demanding of them in light of their representing not only themselves but G’d and His image. When the Torah describes the enemies of Israel who will invade the country as part of G’d’s retribution for Israel’s private and collective sins, it mentions a people who will show no respect for the elderly (Deut. 28,50). The reason this is mentioned is because normally one indulges the elderly, crediting them with wisdom, etc. G’d had to make plain that in His system of justice the more rarefied the spiritual atmosphere in which a person moves the more is he prone to retributive action by G’d if he fails to live up to G’d’s and the people’s expectations. We find the same point being made in Job 34,19 when Elihu tells his friend Job that “he is not partial to princes; the noble are not preferred to the wretched, for all are the work of His hands.” Another approach: There is a mystical element here when the Torah writes of the four sons of Aaron, two of whom had already died and who certainly were not part of this census anymore. The Torah had described Nadav and Avihu as having died “before the Lord” (verse 4). It is reasonable then to understand the words “these are the sons of Aaron” as referring only to Nadav and Avihu whose death is being repeated in verse 4. Seeing that all four of Aaron’s sons had been anointed with sacred oil, we would have to understand the word לכהן at the end of verse 3, normally translated as: “to function as priest,” as meaning לכוהן, “to be priests,” a reference to someone who would function as priest after his father had died, i.e. Pinchas son of Eleazar. This would also account for Exodus 6,25: “she bore for him Pinchas the heads of the Levites according to their families.” This is also why again at the beginning of Parshat Pinchas (Numbers 26,60-61) the birth and death of Nadav and Avihu is once again mentioned. This is also why in Numbers 25,11 the Torah troubled itself to again trace Pinchas’ genealogy back to his grandfather Aaron. Seeing that the entire Torah is full of hints with profound meanings the Torah here saw fit to refer to these sons of Aaron three times. The first mention covers the intellectual relationship of these sons to their uncle Moses. The second time their existence is mentioned is a reference to their physical existence. The third time they are mentioned was to reveal to us something about the nature of G’d’s system of Justice, how instead of indulging the great it does the reverse and measures each one of their actions minutely. Seeing that two of these insights into G’d’s mind were revealed at the same time, the Torah used the conjunctive letter ו in introducing chapter three with the word ואלה. Seeing that the sons of Aaron had to be mentioned, the Torah also had to repeat what happened to them and why.
Kli Yakar
And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses, etc. Rashi explains that because Moses taught them Torah, it is as if he begot them and they became his offspring on the day God spoke with him at Mount Sinai. But this is difficult because if that were the case, all of Israel would be his offspring since he taught Torah to everyone. Furthermore, why does the verse repeat and say These are the names of the sons of Aaron without mentioning Moses?It seems to me that this is because it is written And with Aaron, God was very angry, to destroy him (Deuteronomy 9:20). And “destruction” always refers to the loss of children, etc., as Rashi explains in Parashat Eikev (9:20). Moses’ prayer was effective in part, so those two sons that Moses saved through his prayer are considered as if he had begotten them, and they became his offspring on the day God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, Go down, etc. (Exodus 32:7). Afterward, Moses prayed for them on the mountain, and God answered him there on the mountain. When it says, These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, it mentions Moses because of Eleazar and Ithamar, whom he saved from death. And when it subsequently states, These are the names of the sons of Aaron without mentioning Moses, it is referring to Nadab and Abihu, whom he did not save from death. This explains why the text mentions here the death of Nadab and Abihu and the survival of Eleazar and Ithamar. And regarding what it says “and they had no children,” and there is an opinion that they died because of the sin of not having children (Yevamot 64), we have already explained in Parshat Shemini (10:11) that with idolatry, this is the measure [of divine justice]: that the Holy One, blessed be He, visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth [generations]. That is to say, sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, waits until the second generation, and sometimes until the third or fourth generation. And if they had had children, then out of respect for Aaron, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have waited another one or two generations. But since they had no children, it was necessary to visit the sin upon them directly.
Tur HaArokh
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה....בהר סיני, “And these are Aaron’s and Moses’ immediate biological offspring…at Mount Sinai.” Nachmanides explains the apparently irrelevant mention of the words: “at Mount Sinai,” as well as the absence of any names of Moses’ children, by saying that Aaron’s children were also considered as if they were Moses’ children seeing that they learned the Torah from their uncle Moses, and we have it on the authority of our sages that anyone teaching someone else’s children Torah is accorded the merit of being the (spiritual) father of such a youngster. Moreover, the Torah hints by the wording of this verse that although these children of Aaron had not been anointed as priests until over nine months later, from the day, G’d in His mind, had already designated them to become priests at the time of the revelation at Mount Sinai. These appointments had not only been for life, but hereditary, whereas the other appointments, such as the leaders of the tribes, did not have their root already at the time of the revelation at Mount Sinai, nor were those appointments hereditary. One of the reasons why the chapter commences with the descendants of Aaron is that seeing that we will be reading about the count of the Levites shortly, it is appropriate to commence with the children of the leader of the tribe of Levi. Looking at the plain meaning of the text the meaning of the words “the descendants of Aaron and Moses,” is simply that seeing that Aaron’s sons had been especially anointed to become priests, they were in a category all by themselves compared to the other members of the tribe of Levi. If the tribe of Levi was considered “holy,” then the priests so anointed were considered “holiest of the holy.” The allegorical commentaries, drush, support this approach, seeing that Moses’ own children have not even been mentioned, the Torah failing to add: “and these were the offspring of Moses, etc,” especially in view of the fact that the Midrash told us that even Aaron’s sons were considered as if they had been Moses’ own, how is it then that Moses’ own have not even been mentioned? Some commentators hold that inasmuch as in connection with the count of the other tribes the Torah speaks of “in the desert of Sinai,” whereas when the sons of Aaron are mentioned these are referred to in conjunction with Mount Sinai, the reason is that their father had already been chosen by G’d to be the High Priest even before the people left Egypt, whereas the other Levites had only been chosen as special in the desert. [After the firstborn had participated in the sin of the golden calf. Ed.]
Rashbam
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה, first the Torah counted the descendants of the people at large, followed by that of the priests, and finally the Levites. Now the Torah enumerates the personal offspring of Aaron. The offspring of Moses is lumped together with that of the Levites, as we know from verse 27 “and as for Kehat, the family of Amram, the family of Yitzhar, etc., etc.” Amram had only two sons, Aaron and Moses. Both were included in the list of the members of the tribe of Levi. Aaron’s sons had the additional distinction of being sanctified. ביום דבר ה' את משה בהר סיני, these words are added as the conversation occurred before the Tabernacle had been erected when Aaron still had four sons as opposed to the second year (mentioned in 1,1) when the Tabernacle had already been erected and Aaron had only two sons left, Eleazar and Ittamar, as I have explained already at the beginning of our portion. Once the Tabernacle had been erected, G’d is no longer referred to as speaking to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Daat Zkenim
ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה, “and these are the descendants of Aaron and Moses.” In other words, “these are the priests and their descendants and the Levites and their descendants.” The descendants of Aaron are listed separately at first, just as they have been in Chronicles I 23,13. Seeing that the sons of Moses were not separated in any way from the other Levites, they are included in the Levites described as the descendants of Moses’ father Amram, although Aaron was also a son of Amram. ביום דבר ה' את משה, “on the day on which the Lord had spoken to Moses.” This will be dealt with further on.
And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
verse value 2385
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "Nadab" (נָדָ֑ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·sons·of·Aaron" (בְּֽנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֖ן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·sons·of·Aaron" (בְּֽנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֖ן), "the·first-born" (הַבְּכֹ֣ר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·sons·of·Aaron" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers); "the·names·of" (root שם, 75x in Numbers). First appearance of the root נדב ("Nadab") in Numbers. First appearance of the root אביהוא ("and·Abihu") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nadab', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֛לֶּה [and·these] (42) + שְׁמ֥וֹת [the·names·of] (746) + בְּֽנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֖ן [the·sons·of·Aaron] (318) + הַבְּכֹ֣ר [the·first-born] (227) + נָדָ֑ב [Nadab] (56) + וַאֲבִיה֕וּא [and·Abihu] (31) + אֶלְעָזָ֖ר [Eleazar] (308) + וְאִיתָמָֽר [and·Ithamar] (657) = 2385.
Onkelos
And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: the firstborn, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Sforno
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.
These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests that were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
verse value 2364 — אֵ֗לֶּה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֗לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֗לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·priests" (הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·anointed" (הַמְּשֻׁחִ֑ים), "whom·he·ordained" (אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א), "their·hand" (יָדָ֖ם). The root כהן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Aaron" (root אהרן, 83x in Numbers); "these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root כהן ("the·priests") in Numbers. First appearance of the root משח ("the·anointed") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·anointed', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵ֗לֶּה [these] (36) + שְׁמוֹת֙ [the·names] (746) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אַהֲרֹ֔ן [Aaron] (256) + הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים [the·priests] (130) + הַמְּשֻׁחִ֑ים [the·anointed] (403) + אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א [whom·he·ordained] (572) + יָדָ֖ם [their·hand] (54) + לְכַהֵֽן [to·serve·as·priest] (105) = 2364.
Onkelos
These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were consecrated, whose offering was brought near to minister.
Ibn Ezra
"The anointed ones" — with the anointing oil, for they were High Priests. They left no sons, whether grown or young; therefore they were absent from the Levite count, since the grown ones could well have had children of their own.
Sforno
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.
Or HaChaim
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."
Targum Yonatan
And these are the names of the Beni Aharon the priests, the disciples of Moses, the Rabbi of Israel; and they were called by his name in the day that they were anointed to minister in offering their oblations.
And Nadab and Abihu died before Hashem, when they offered strange fire before Hashem, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father.
verse value 4020 — יְהֹוָ֡ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֡ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֨שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Abihu" (וַאֲבִיה֣וּא, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: before, before. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "when·they·offered" (בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩), "strange" (זָרָ֜ה), "and·he·served·as·priest" (וַיְכַהֵ֤ן). The root פנים appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "they·had·no" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פנים ("before") in Numbers. First appearance of the root קרב ("when·they·offered") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Onkelos
And Nadab and Abihu died before Hashem when they brought a foreign fire before Hashem in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered before Aaron their father.
Rashi
על פני אהרן [AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED] BEFORE THE FACE OF AARON — i.e. during his lifetime (cf. Rashi on Genesis 11:28).
Ramban
AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED ‘AL PNEI’ AARON THEIR FATHER - “that is, during the lifetime [of Aaron their father].” This is the language of Rashi. Now [Rashi] does not mean to say that they ministered during their father’s lifetime, for all priests of the family of Aaron may minister during their fathers’ lifetime [so why should Scripture single out Eleazar and Ithamar in this respect?] Rather, [the verse says that they were anointed during Aaron’s lifetime], because He had stated [that Aaron’s sons were] the priests that were anointed, meaning that they too were like the High Priests in that they were anointed during Aaron’s lifetime, just as he [Aaron] was anointed, a procedure which was not applicable in later generations. But the correct interpretation is that the expression al pnei refers to the beginning [of the verse, and the order of the phrases is to be understood as if inverted, as follows]: “And Nadab and Abihu died before the Eternal ‘al pnei’ (in the presence of) Aaron their father, when they offered strange fire.” And so indeed it is stated in the Book of Chronicles: And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children, and Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office. The meaning of [the expression] before the Eternal is that they died a miraculous death which came [directly] from Him. Similarly it is stated in the case of the spies that they died by the plague before the Eternal.
Ibn Ezra
"In the presence of" — I have already explained it.
Sforno
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.
Chizkuni
ובנים לא היו להם, “and they did not have sons.” Rabbi Yaakov, son of bar Avi, speaking in the name of Rabbi Acha, said: if these sons of Aaron had had sons, they would have preceded Elazar and Ittamar in greatness; it is a rule that anyone who has offspring takes precedence compared to those who do not have heirs. Their shortcoming was that they did not marry and assure themselves of offspring. (Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar 2,22.) על פני אהרן אביהם, “while their father was alive.” The expression: על פני, is to be understood as in Deuteronomy 21,16: על פני בן השנואה הבכור, “instead of the firstborn son of the hated wife;” or as in Exodus 20,3: לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים על פני, “you shall not have any other deities in My presence,”
Tur HaArokh
וימת נדב ואביהו לפני ה', “and Nadav and Avihu had died in the presence of Hashem, etc.” They died as a direct act of G’d. We find a similar expression used in Numbers 14,37 when the Torah reports the death of the 10 spies who had reported negatively on the people’s chances to conquer the land of Canaan. על פני אהרן אביהם, “during the lifetime of their father Aaron.” Rashi explains that the expression על פני means “during the lifetime of.” Nachmanides elaborates that what the Torah means is not that the sons who died had not had already functioned as priests during the lifetime of their father, in the sense of “substituting for their father.” All four sons had been anointed as priests and had functioned or were ready to function as priests. [After all they died on the very first day that Moses had handed over service in the Tabernacle to the priests, as we know from Leviticus Ed.] The reason that the Torah adds the words על פני אהרן אביהם, is only that seeing the Torah had spoken of the priests who had been anointed, it was made plain that these two had also been properly anointed. They were potentially High Priests just as their father was in practice. I, personally believe, (author speaking) that the words על פני אביהם refer to the beginning of our verse, i.e.לפני ה' as in Chronicles I 24,2 we also read the words לפני אביהם, not על פני אביהם, followed by the words ובנים לא היו להם ויכהן אלעזר ואיתמר תחתיהם, “and they were not survived by children, and Eleazar and Ittamar became priests in their stead.” [Just as in our verse here. Ed.]
Daat Zkenim
'לפני ה, “before the Lord;” Rabbi Yochanan queried this wording, asking if Nadav and Avihu had indeed died “before the Lord, i.e. while performing service in honour of the Lord?” He therefore concludes that when righteous peple have to die, their death is as difficult for the Lord to come to terms with as if they had died while performing service to the Lord. (Compare Bamidbar Rabbah 2,24).
Cross-references: Genesis 11:28; Exodus 30:9; Leviticus 10:1; I Chronicles 24:2
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר, 5 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה [to·Moses] (376) + לֵּאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 895.
"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
verse value 3565
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "Levi" (לֵוִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·shall·place" (וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: it, him. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·shall·serve" (וְשֵׁרְת֖וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "the·tribe·of" (root מטה, 111x in Numbers); "Aaron" (root אהרן, 83x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: הַקְרֵב֙ [bring·near!] (307) + אֶת־מַטֵּ֣ה [the·tribe·of] (455) + לֵוִ֔י [Levi] (46) + וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ֣ [and·you·shall·place] (525) + אֹת֔וֹ [it] (407) + לִפְנֵ֖י [before] (170) + אַהֲרֹ֣ן [Aaron] (256) + הַכֹּהֵ֑ן [the·priest] (80) + וְשֵׁרְת֖וּ [and·they·shall·serve] (912) + אֹתֽוֹ [him] (407) = 3565.
Onkelos
Bring near the tribe of Levi and set it before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
Rashi
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].
Ibn Ezra
"Before Aaron the priest" — for he is the appointed head of the tribe. The meaning of "you shall station them" is that they shall serve, just as [the sense of standing before] "As Hashem lives, before Whom I have stood" (1 Kgs. 17:1).
Sforno
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.
Chizkuni
הקרב את מטה לוי, “bring the tribe of Levi near;” in chapter 1,50, G-d had already told Moses to appoint that tribe to be in charge of all the furnishings of The Tabernacle as well as the Tabernacle itself and to carry it during the journeys; they had also been warned not to allow any non Levite to come close to the Tabernacle; now that the Levites were to be appointed as performing service for the priests (Aaron and descendants), Moses was commanded to והעמדת אותם, “to present them” to the priests by performing services for them. Use of the root עמד in the in a similar mode is also found Kings I 17,1, where the prophet Elijah saying: ועמדתי לפניו. “I will present myself before him [G-d] as being at his service.”
And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
verse value 5184 — אֹ֣הֶל = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "the·Tent·of" (אֹ֣הֶל) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5184 = 72². The shortest word is "the·Tent·of" (אֹ֣הֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·duties" (אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 1387: his·duties, and·the·duties·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "his·duties" (אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹ). The root שמר appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "the·whole·community" (root עדה, 79x in Numbers); "the·Tent·of" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers). First appearance of the root עבד ("to·serve") in Numbers. First appearance of the root עבדה ("the·work·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Meeting', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְשָׁמְר֣וּ [and·they·shall·perform] (552) + אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹ [his·duties] (1387) + וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙ [and·the·duties·of] (1387) + כׇּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה [the·whole·community] (134) + לִפְנֵ֖י [before] (170) + אֹ֣הֶל [the·Tent·of] (36) + מוֹעֵ֑ד [Meeting] (120) + לַעֲבֹ֖ד [to·serve] (106) + אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת [the·work·of] (877) + הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן [the·Tabernacle] (415) = 5184.
Onkelos
And they shall keep his charge and the charge of the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to perform the service of the Tabernacle.
Rashi
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”.
Ibn Ezra
"And the charge of the entire congregation" — with respect to the sacrifices.
Sforno
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.
Chizkuni
ושמרו את משמרתו, “and they shall keep his charge (The High Priest’s) in accordance with his instructions. ואת משמרת כל העדה, “and the charge of the whole congregation;” a reference to anything the Israelites were supposed to do in front of the Tent of Meeting they should see to it that it be done. לעבוד את עבודת המשכן, “to perform the service of the Tabernacle.” Details had been spelled out already in 1,50.
And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
verse value 4607 — אֹ֣הֶל = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "the·Tent·of" (אֹ֣הֶל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "the·Tent·of" (אֹ֣הֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·duty·of" (וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת, 8 letters). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "the·Tent·of" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְשָׁמְר֗וּ [and·they·shall·take·charge] (552) + אֶֽת־כׇּל־כְּלֵי֙ [all·the·furnishings·of] (511) + אֹ֣הֶל [the·Tent·of] (36) + מוֹעֵ֔ד [Meeting] (120) + וְאֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת [and·the·duty·of] (1387) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + לַעֲבֹ֖ד [to·serve] (106) + אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֥ת [the·work·of] (877) + הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן [the·Tabernacle] (415) = 4607.
Onkelos
And they shall keep all the vessels of the Tent of Meeting and the charge of the children of Israel, to perform the service of the Tabernacle.
Rashi
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”.
Ibn Ezra
"And the charge of the children of Israel" — meaning that they shall guard so that no Israelite touches the Tabernacle.
Sforno
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.
And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from the children of Israel.
verse value 3965 — ל֔וֹ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 3965 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Levites" (אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 546: assigned, assigned. The root נתן appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·you·shall·assign" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers). First appearance of the root נתן ("and·you·shall·assign") in Numbers. First appearance of the root לכם ("to·him") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·his·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתָּה֙ [and·you·shall·assign] (861) + אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם [the·Levites] (492) + לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן [to·Aaron] (286) + וּלְבָנָ֑יו [and·to·his·sons] (104) + נְתוּנִ֨ם [assigned] (546) + נְתוּנִ֥ם [assigned] (546) + הֵ֙מָּה֙ [they] (50) + ל֔וֹ [to·him] (36) + מֵאֵ֖ת [from] (441) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3965.
Onkelos
And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given, delivered to him from among the children of Israel.
Rashi
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]”.
Ibn Ezra
"Given" — forever, or [it means] they and their sons who serve in their place. "To Aaron and to his sons" — those present and those who stand in their stead. "From the children of Israel" — so as to be set apart.
Sforno
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.
Chizkuni
נתונים נתונים המה לו מאת בני ישראל, “they are wholly given to him (Aaron) from the Children of Israel (to be at his disposal).” We must understand these instructions as applying to the future when the average Israelite will be preoccupied with earning his livelihood as a farmer, and agriculture making demands upon him that cannot be delayed. The Levites, not having ancestral land, had time therefore to devote themselves to those tasks.
Rashbam
נתונים,נתונים, the repetition of the word is similar to the repetition נתן תתן להם אחזת נחלה, “be sure to give” in English, in Numbers 27,7.
And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood; and the common man that draws near shall be put to death."
verse value 4171
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "you·shall·appoint" (תִּפְקֹ֔ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Aaron" (וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Aaron" (וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן), "their·priestly·duties" (אֶת־כְּהֻנָּתָ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "you·shall·appoint" (root פקד, 103x in Numbers); "shall·be·put·to·death" (root מות, 87x in Numbers). First appearance of the root כהנה ("their·priestly·duties") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·priestly·duties', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן [and·Aaron] (663) + וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ [and·his·sons] (475) + תִּפְקֹ֔ד [you·shall·appoint] (584) + וְשָׁמְר֖וּ [and·they·shall·observe] (552) + אֶת־כְּהֻנָּתָ֑ם [their·priestly·duties] (916) + וְהַזָּ֥ר [and·the·outsider] (218) + הַקָּרֵ֖ב [who·encroaches] (307) + יוּמָֽת [shall·be·put·to·death] (456) = 4171.
Onkelos
And Aaron and his sons you shall appoint, and they shall keep their priesthood; and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.
Rashi
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.
Ibn Ezra
"And Aaron and his sons" — and included in the term "his sons" are his sons' sons; you shall charge each one, and they shall guard their priesthood so as not to incur disqualification. "And the stranger who draws near" — to the priesthood, seeking to join in the priestly service, whether an Israelite or a Levite, shall be put to death. The passage "And I — behold, I have taken" is also connected here, for there are passages in the Torah that are connected in meaning even though they appear separately, as [for example] "And it came to pass when all the men of war had perished" and similarly "And it came to pass on the day Hashem spoke to Moses."
Sforno
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).
Chizkuni
ושמרו את כהונתם, “so that the priests could preserve their time for their priestly duties. Their principal concern was to avoid becoming ritually defiled. והזר, “and the common Israelite, etc.” any Israelite or Levi who presumes to perform the duties of the priests will die.
Rashbam
ואת אהרן ואת בניו תפקד, you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to be in charge of the Levites, as in the word ויפקד in Genesis 40,4 where the warden of the jail appointed Joseph to be in charge of all the prisoners.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר, 5 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה [to·Moses] (376) + לֵּאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 895.
"And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every first-born that opens the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine;
verse value 4660
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "Mine" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Levites" (אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "first·issue·of" (פֶּ֥טֶר). The root לוי appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). First appearance of the root אני ("and·I") in Numbers. First appearance of the root הן ("hereby") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Onkelos
And I — behold, I have brought the Levites near from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn that opens the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall minister before Me.
Rashi
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).
Ibn Ezra
"I have taken" — a great elevation for the Levites. "Firstborn" is bound to [the word] "opener of" (peter, firstborn of the womb). "And the Levites shall be Mine" — consecrated to Me.
Sforno
תחת כל בכור, as a redemption.
Chizkuni
תחת כל בכור, “in place of every firstborn;” these firstborns also had not been intended to inherit ancestral fields, ever, as they were meant to be the priests in their respective families. When the Levites were appointed to perform the tasks previously meant to be performed by the firstborn, they forfeited their claim to ancestral heritage in the Land of Israel, and the firstborns, after redemption, could then lay claim to ancestral territory as did all the non firstborn.
for all the first-born are Mine: on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed to Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast, Mine they shall be: I am Hashem."
verse value 3841 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "every·first-born" (כׇּל־בְּכוֹר֒, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 278: every·first-born, every·first-born, every·first-born. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "from·human" (מֵאָדָ֖ם), "unto·animal" (עַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה). The root לי appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "they·shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). First appearance of the root כי ("for") in Numbers. First appearance of the root נכה ("my·striking") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·animal', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Onkelos
For every firstborn is Mine; on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated before Me every firstborn in Israel, from man to beast — Mine they shall be; I am Hashem.
Ibn Ezra
"For every firstborn is Mine." The meaning is: for the firstborn also belong to Me. "On the day I struck" — its sense is a time [i.e., "when I struck"], and there are many such usages. "They shall be Mine" — the meaning is: they are Mine and they shall be Mine, for every firstborn of a man is redeemed, as is every firstborn of an unclean animal.
Sforno
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.
Kli Yakar
For all the firstborn are Mine, etc. I ask one question, and this is its form: If God gave to the Levites, through this appointment, a position of prestige and authority, by separating them from the congregation of Israel to stand and serve before Him, then what is meant by For all the firstborn are Mine, on the day I struck, etc.? Was it at that time that God gave this authority to the firstborn? Wasn’t the service [in the Tabernacle] performed by the firstborn even in ancient times? Furthermore, on the day He struck all the firstborn, He did not give the firstborn any authority; on the contrary, He imposed upon them the burden of redemption and obligated them to give five shekels because He saved them from the plague of the firstborn. If so, what is the connection between the sanctification of the firstborn and the sanctification of the Levites? For to the Levites He gave a position of prestige and authority, while on the firstborn He imposed the burden of redemption. And if we say that He imposed servitude upon the Levites by having them stand before Aaron and serve him, and it is written they are given, given to him, then according to this, it is well stated For all the firstborn are Mine, etc. — to say that at that time it would have been justified to impose this servitude upon them [the firstborn]. Nevertheless, it is difficult to understand why God would impose this servitude on the Levites — was it because they did not become disqualified through the [sin of the] golden calf that He imposed this servitude upon them? However, my heart does not think so, because surely God gave the Levites authority and not servitude, as it is written Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you, etc. (Numbers 16:9). Previously, this service was performed by the firstborn, but they were disqualified because of the [golden] calf, and it was given to the Levites. But it was revealed before Him, blessed be He, that even though every firstborn would be replaced by a Levite, nevertheless, 273 firstborn would remain who could not have Levites stand in their place, and they would need redemption of five shekels per person. And here there is room for the firstborn to complain and say, “Because there is no Levite to replace me, must I give five shekels? Is it not enough that He punished me by disqualifying me from the service? Why should I also give five shekels as my substitution?” To this, He says, For every firstborn is Mine; on the day I struck [all the firstborn in the land of Egypt], etc. Therefore, I have a double claim against them from then and even now to impose upon them a double penalty: one for the old debt I have against them, that I saved them from death, and one because they sinned with the [golden] calf. And this explanation is correct from the perspective of context.
And Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:
verse value 1273 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה [to·Moses] (376) + בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר [in·wilderness·of] (248) + סִינַ֖י [Sinai] (130) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1273.
Onkelos
And Hashem spoke with Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:
Ramban
AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI. The reason for this statement is that since Scripture said above in the day that the Eternal spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai, it refers back and says [here] that the command for counting the Levites was not given in Mount Sinai; for only the choosing of the [four] children of Aaron [as priests] took place in Mount Sinai on the day that He commanded Moses about the making of the Tabernacle, but he was not given the command about the choosing of [all] the Levites [as ministers to the priests] at Mount Sinai, but in the wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting, just like the commandment mentioned [above] concerning [the counting of] the children of Israel [about which it is clearly stated that it was in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting].Now the tribe of Levi was not like all the other tribes, for [even though they were counted] from a month old and upward [unlike the other tribes who were counted only from the age of twenty years and over], they were still only twenty and two thousand, and from thirty years old and over they were all together [only] eight thousand [and five hundred and fourscore]. Thus, their number from twenty years old and over does not reach even a half of the [number of the] smallest of [the other] tribes of Israel! And they did not as yet carry the ark, [that we should say] that its holiness took a toll of them! This is indeed astonishing, that His servants and His pious ones should not be blessed of the Eternal as were the rest of the people!Therefore I am of the opinion that this is a confirmation of what our Rabbis have said, that the tribe of Levi was not [subject to] the enslavement of Egyptian bondage and the rigorous work [that was imposed on the rest of the tribes]. Now since the children of Israel’s lives were made bitter by the Egyptians with hard work in order to diminish them, the Holy One, blessed be He, increased them [miraculously] to overcome the decree of the Egyptians, just as He said, And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they grew, and just as it is said also with reference to the decree that if it be a son, then ye shall kill him — and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty — since the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “We shall see whose words shall stand, Mine or theirs. ” But the tribe of Levi [which was not subject to bondage] reproduced and increased in a normal way, and therefore they did not become as numerous as the other tribes. Perhaps also [their small numbers were] on account of the anger of the patriarch [Jacob] towards them, for the tribe of Shimon which now had a large population decreased, so that at the time of their entry into the Land [they numbered only] twenty-two thousand [and two hundred — whereas most of the other tribes increased in the same period, or decreased relatively slightly]; similarly, Levi, the tribe of His pious ones, was not decreased in the plague [caused because of Peor,...
Tur HaArokh
וידבר ה' אל משה במדבר סיני, “Hashem spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai.” Nachmanides writes that seeing that the last communication by G’d to Moses had been introduced with the words ביום דבר ה' את משה בהר סיני, “on the day that G’d had spoken with Moses on Mount Sinai,” the Torah draws attention to the fact that this most recent communication took place in the desert of Sinai, when Moses was not in the lofty regions where he had existed for 40 days without bread and water. [I wonder at the difference in the nuance of וידבר את משה, and וידבר אל משה, the former perhaps suggesting a more intimate relationship between G’d and Moses while the latter was on the mountain. Ed.] At any rate, the Torah wants us to know that the appointment of the Levites as a tribe more holy than the others had not surfaced or been revealed to Moses already on Mount Sinai, i.e. before the sin of the golden calf. Only the sons of Aaron, as part of the tribe of Levi, had already been designated as possessing a holier status at Mount Sinai, even though they had not been told about it at that time. The Levites were different from the other tribes even in the manner in which they were counted. Whereas the general census of the other tribes began with males who had attained the age of 20, the male Levites were included in the count as soon as they had attained the age of one month. Even so, their total number amounted only to some 22000. They were counted from one month old although they could not perform their function until they had attained the age of 30. According to Nachmanides, at the time of the count of the Levites only some 8000 had attained the age of 30. At the time when the count took place the Holy Ark had not yet been carried, as since being placed in the Tabernacle (holy of holies) the Israelites had not moved from their encampment around Mount Sinai. Moreover, moving the Holy Ark was forbidden on pain of death. The reason why the Levites numbered relatively few members was that while in Egypt, the members of that tribe never had to perform hard labour, for just as Joseph at the time had exempted the priestly caste in Egypt from having to sell their property in order to secure food supplies from his storage chambers, the Egyptians had recognized already then that the Levites were to the Israelites what the priests were to the Egyptians. The phenomenal increase in the numbers of the other tribes had been G’d’s reward, compensation to them for the Egyptians having tried to hold down their birthrate by imposing a cruel regime on them, one involving back-breaking labour. It is also possible that the tribe of Levi was not so blessed, as Yaakov on his deathbed had failed to accord them the generous blessings he had bestowed on the other sons. Although the tribe of Shimon, at this stage, had become quite numerous, in spite of having shared Levi’s fate in Yaakov’s blessings, by the time the Israelites entered the Holy Land, their numbers had been drastically reduced also.
"Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families; every male from a month old and upward shall you number them."
verse value 3932
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "record!" (פְּקֹד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "by·their·clans" (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם, 7 letters). The root פקד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·descendants" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "record!" (root פקד, 103x in Numbers); "by·their·clans" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·their·clans', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: פְּקֹד֙ [record!] (184) + אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י [the·descendants] (463) + לֵוִ֔י [Levi] (46) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·house] (442) + אֲבֹתָ֖ם [their·fathers] (443) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם [by·their·clans] (898) + כׇּל־זָכָ֛ר [every·male] (277) + מִבֶּן־חֹ֥דֶשׁ [from·age·of·a·month] (404) + וָמַ֖עְלָה [and·upward] (151) + תִּפְקְדֵֽם [you·shall·record·them] (624) = 3932.
Onkelos
Count the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their clans; every male from one month old and upward you shall count them.
Rashi
מבן חדש ומעלה [NUMBER THE CHILDREN OF LEVI … EVERY MALE] FROM A MONTH OLD AND ONWARDS — As soon as it passed the age of a non-viable child (a full month was regarded as the utmost time such a child can live) it can be counted to come under the term “keeper of the holy charge”. — R. Judah the son of R. Shalom said: It is quite the usual thing with this tribe to be included in a census from their very birth, for it is said, (Numbers XXVI 59) “[And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi], whom her mother bore to Levi in Egypt” — which is explained to mean that she bore her just as she entered the gates of the border-city of Egypt and yet she is counted among the seventy souls which came down with Jacob into Egypt (cf. Genesis 46:27 and Rashi thereon), because if you count their number (as set forth in Genesis 46:8—27) you will find that they were one short of seventy, and it was she whose name is not mentioned there who made up the number seventy (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar 16).
Ibn Ezra
"From one month and upward" — until the conjunction (mahberet) returns, or until the moon comes near to its original position — meaning these two points are close to each other. The discerning reader will understand.
Or HaChaim
כל וכר מבן חודש ומעלה, every male above the age of one month. The reason the Levites were counted from the age of one month is that they replaced the firstborn who also were viable at the age of one month. The reason the firstborn had to ransom himself was that a Levite was going to take his place and he had to redeem himself from his former obligation, i.e. sanctity, an obligation which was due to his birth as a firstborn. You may well ask why the firstborn Levites nowadays do not have to redeem themselves. The reason is that the Levites who replaced the firstborn at that time had been appointed by G'd to replace the firstborn of all future generations. Their sanctity was of a permanent nature. Perhaps the Torah alludes to this with the repetition of the words in verse 12: הנה לקחתי את הלוים….והיו לי הלוים. "I have taken the Levites….and the Levites shall be Mine." The second word הלוים seemed redundant otherwise.
Chizkuni
.מבן חדש ומעלה תפקדם, “you will count them from one month and up.” The reason why they were not counted from twenty years and up is that they would not participate in any wars, and from 30 days of age and up they could be used to redeem firstborns of the other tribes. A first born son of any tribe became viable at the age of 30 days.
Rabbeinu Bahya
מבן חדש ומעלה תפקדם, “you shall number them from one month up.” Our sages in Tanchuma Bamidbar 15 refer to Psalms 92,13 where the righteous is described as blooming like a date palm, saying that the reason that David chose this metaphor was that the shade of a palm tree can reach very far from its trunk. In other words, most of the time, sitting immediately under that tree you do not get much shade. They compare this to the reward the righteous receives for his righteousness. It is not immediate but delayed just like the full effect of the shade cast by the palm tree. Another similarity between the date palm and the people of Israel is that just as the date palm produces both dates (edible) and unripe or underdeveloped useless offshoots, so the Jewish people produce both righteous people, Torah scholars as well as ignorant people not worth preserving in G’d’s storage chambers. Some Israelites were deemed worthy to enter G’d’s treasure chamber, i.e. the land of Israel, others were not.
Rashbam
כל זכר מבן חדש ומעלה תפקדם. Seeing that they needed to redeem the firstborn of the Israelites at large whose redemption must take place when they are one month old, the Levites also had to be counted already from that age onward.
And Moses numbered them according to the word of Hashem, as he was commanded.
verse value 1824 — יְהֹוָ֑ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·recorded" (וַיִּפְקֹ֥ד, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פה ("at·command·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּפְקֹ֥ד [and·he·recorded] (200) + אֹתָ֛ם [them] (441) + מֹשֶׁ֖ה [Moses] (345) + עַל־פִּ֣י [at·command·of] (190) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר [as] (521) + צֻוָּֽה [he·was·commanded] (101) = 1824.
Onkelos
And Moses counted them according to the Word of Hashem, as he was commanded.
Rashi
על פי ה׳ [AND MOSES NUMBERED THEM] ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD — Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “How can I enter their tents to ascertain the number of their babes?!” Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, replied to him, “You do your share and I will do Mine!’ Moses accordingly went and stationed himself at the entrance of each tent, the Shechinah having gone there beforehand, and a divine voice issued from the tent, saying, “So-and-so many babes are in this tent”. It is on this account that it states, “[and Moses numbered them] according to the word (by the mouth) of the Lord” (Numbers Rabbah 3 9).
And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
verse value 2489
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·Kohath" (וּקְהָ֖ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·these·were" (וַיִּֽהְיוּ־אֵ֥לֶּה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·these·were" (וַיִּֽהְיוּ־אֵ֥לֶּה), "by·their·names" (בִּשְׁמֹתָ֑ם), "and·Merari" (וּמְרָרִֽי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Levi" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·these·were" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "by·their·names" (root שם, 75x in Numbers). First appearance of the root גרשון ("Gershon") in Numbers. First appearance of the root קהת ("and·Kohath") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·their·names', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְיוּ־אֵ֥לֶּה [and·these·were] (73) + בְנֵֽי־לֵוִ֖י [sons·of·Levi] (108) + בִּשְׁמֹתָ֑ם [by·their·names] (782) + גֵּרְשׁ֕וֹן [Gershon] (559) + וּקְהָ֖ת [and·Kohath] (511) + וּמְרָרִֽי [and·Merari] (456) = 2489.
Onkelos
And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
Ibn Ezra
"Gershon" — for he is the firstborn. In Chronicles the name is found with a mem in place of the nun [i.e., Gershom].
And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
verse value 2825
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·these" (וְאֵ֛לֶּה, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Gershon" (בְּֽנֵי־גֵרְשׁ֖וֹן, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Shimei" (וְשִׁמְעִֽי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Gershon" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "by·their·clans" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "and·these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root לבני ("Libni") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·their·clans', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֛לֶּה [and·these] (42) + שְׁמ֥וֹת [names·of] (746) + בְּֽנֵי־גֵרְשׁ֖וֹן [sons·of·Gershon] (621) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם [by·their·clans] (898) + לִבְנִ֖י [Libni] (92) + וְשִׁמְעִֽי [and·Shimei] (426) = 2825.
Onkelos
And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
verse value 2522
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2522 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Kohath" (קְהָ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "by·their·clans" (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Izhar" (וְיִצְהָ֔ר), "Hebron" (חֶבְר֖וֹן), "and·Uzziel" (וְעֻזִּיאֵֽל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "by·their·clans" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers). First appearance of the root עמרם ("Amram") in Numbers. First appearance of the root יצהר ("and·Izhar") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·their·clans', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + קְהָ֖ת [Kohath] (505) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם [by·their·clans] (898) + עַמְרָ֣ם [Amram] (350) + וְיִצְהָ֔ר [and·Izhar] (311) + חֶבְר֖וֹן [Hebron] (266) + וְעֻזִּיאֵֽל [and·Uzziel] (124) = 2522.
Onkelos
And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.
verse value 3711 — אֵ֥לֶּה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֥לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֛ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "by·their·clans" (לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Mahli" (מַחְלִ֣י), "and·Mushi" (וּמוּשִׁ֑י). The root משפחה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "by·their·clans" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root מחלי ("Mahli") in Numbers. First appearance of the root מושי ("and·Mushi") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Mushi', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֧י [and·sons·of] (68) + מְרָרִ֛י [Merari] (450) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם [by·their·clans] (898) + מַחְלִ֣י [Mahli] (88) + וּמוּשִׁ֑י [and·Mushi] (362) + אֵ֥לֶּה [these] (36) + הֵ֛ם [they] (45) + מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת [clans·of] (828) + הַלֵּוִ֖י [the·Levites] (51) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·house] (442) + אֲבֹתָֽם [their·fathers] (443) = 3711.
Onkelos
And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites by their fathers' houses.
Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites; these are the families of the Gershonites.
verse value 4250 — אֵ֣לֶּה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "those" (אֵ֣לֶּה) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4250 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Gershon" (לְגֵ֣רְשׁ֔וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 828: clan·of, clans·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Shimeites" (הַשִּׁמְעִ֑י). The root משפחת appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "clans·of" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "clan·of" (root משפחת, 77x in Numbers); "those" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root משפחת ("clan·of") in Numbers. First appearance of the root גרשני ("the·Gershonites") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Shimeites', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: לְגֵ֣רְשׁ֔וֹן [to·Gershon] (589) + מִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙ [clan·of] (828) + הַלִּבְנִ֔י [the·Libnites] (97) + וּמִשְׁפַּ֖חַת [and·clan·of] (834) + הַשִּׁמְעִ֑י [the·Shimeites] (425) + אֵ֣לֶּה [those] (36) + הֵ֔ם [they] (45) + מִשְׁפְּחֹ֖ת [clans·of] (828) + הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּֽי [the·Gershonites] (568) = 4250.
Onkelos
To Gershon belonged the clan of Libni and the clan of Shimei; these are the clans of Gershon.
Rashi
לגרשון משפחת הלבני OF GERSHON, THE FAMILY OF THE LIBNITES — that is to say: Of Gershon, those who were numbered were the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; and the section concludes with the statement (v. 22) “those who were numbered of them were so-and-so many”.
Ibn Ezra
"To Gershon: the family of the Libnites" — the meaning is: these are the two families, and their number is as follows.
Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
verse value 3426
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "seven" (שִׁבְעַ֥ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "their·recorded·entries" (פְּקֻדֵיהֶם֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 239: their·recorded·entries, their·recorded·entries. The root פקד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·recorded·entries" (root פקד, 103x in Numbers); "thousand" (root אלף, 103x in Numbers); "five" (root חמש, 99x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·upward', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: פְּקֻדֵיהֶם֙ [their·recorded·entries] (239) + בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר [in·number·of] (382) + כׇּל־זָכָ֔ר [every·male] (277) + מִבֶּן־חֹ֖דֶשׁ [from·age·of·a·month] (404) + וָמָ֑עְלָה [and·upward] (151) + פְּקֻ֣דֵיהֶ֔ם [their·recorded·entries] (239) + שִׁבְעַ֥ת [seven] (772) + אֲלָפִ֖ים [thousand] (161) + וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ [five] (354) + מֵאֽוֹת [hundred] (447) = 3426.
Onkelos
Their count in the number of every male from one month old and upward — their count was seven thousand five hundred.
The families of the Gershonites were to pitch behind the tabernacle westward;
verse value 2159
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·west" (יָֽמָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Gershonites" (הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּ֑י, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "clans·of" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "they·shall·camp" (root חנה, 73x in Numbers); "the·Tabernacle" (root משכן, 42x in Numbers). First appearance of the root אחר ("behind") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Gershonites', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִשְׁפְּחֹ֖ת [clans·of] (828) + הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּ֑י [the·Gershonites] (568) + אַחֲרֵ֧י [behind] (219) + הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן [the·Tabernacle] (415) + יַחֲנ֖וּ [they·shall·camp] (74) + יָֽמָּה [to·the·west] (55) = 2159.
Onkelos
The clans of Gershon shall encamp behind the Tabernacle, to the west.
Ramban
THE FAMILIES OF THE GERSHONITES WERE TO PITCH BEHIND THE TABERNACLE WESTWARD. Scripture did not begin from the east in [explaining] the charge of the [various families of the] Levites as it did in the case of the standards [of the other tribes], because the Levites had no charge there, except for Aaron and his sons the priests and Moses the priest of the priests. Therefore it began from the west, which was the position opposite the east. But He put the sons of Kohath who were the most honored of the Levites in the south [of the Tabernacle], which is the most distinguished direction [after the east], and He gave them [the charge of carrying] the ark and [all] holy vessels; and in the west [of the Tabernacle] He placed the sons of Gershon, since he was the firstborn [of Levi], and gave them [the charge of carrying] the Tabernacle and the Tent, and in the north, which is the last of the [four] directions, He put the sons of Merari, and gave them [the charge of] the implements of the sacred things.
Ibn Ezra
"Behind the Tabernacle" — like the word aḥorei ("behind"), and similarly aḥor u-qedem ("back and front"). "Westward (yamah)" — because it is the great Spanish Sea that lies to the west in the Land of Israel.
Tur HaArokh
משפחות הגרשוני אחרי המשכן יחנו, ימה, “The families of Gershon were encamped behind the Sanctuary, in a westerly direction.” The Torah makes a point of mentioning the Sanctuary before mentioning the fact that the Gershonites were encamped there. We find a similar pattern when the Torah describes the encampment of the Merarites in verse 35. This was due to the fact that the members of the Kehatites, who were charged with transporting the Holy Ark on their shoulders during the journeys, had to be encamped immediately adjoining the Sanctuary. The Merarites and Gershonides carried items that were transported on the wagons donated by the 12 princes. (Ccompare Numbers 7,3-11). It is also interesting that the Torah mentions the name of their leader first, as the location did not have anything special to commend it, when giving details of the encampment of the three families of Levites the names of the heads of the family of Gershon and Kehat are mentioned only after the location where they placed their tents, whereas the place of encampment of the Merarites, i.e. in the north, the name of their leader, Tzuriel ben Avichayil, is mentioned before we are told the location of their encampment. The reason is that the Gershonites had their tents in a most honoured position to the west of the Sanctuary, next to the Holy of Holies, and adjoining the flag of the camp of Reuven, the most senior of the tribes. The Kehatites who were encamped in the south of the Sanctuary, also were next to the camp of Ephrayim, the senior tribe of the family of Rachel. In the case of the family of Merari, who were encamped in the northerly direction, the Torah first tells us of the name of their leader, who was more distinguished than the leader of the tribe of Dan, descendant of one of Rachel’s maids. Nachmanides writes that the Torah deliberately did not begin by describing the watch being kept on the Tabernacle as starting from the east, [although that was the entrance to the Tabernacle. Ed.] not as when the Torah listed the direction where the army groups were encamped, listing the eastern group first, because the Levites did not post guards at the entrance to the Tabernacle, only the priests, i.e. Aaron and his surviving sons did that, alternating with Moses and Moses’ sons. [Nachmanides tries to show that the order in which the Torah describes everything here reflects the fact that order of preference was very important in every detail. Perhaps, this very fact later on led to distinguished people answering the rebellious call of Korach, who appealed to all those who felt that they had somehow been slighted. Ed.]
the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites being Eliasaph the son of Lael,
verse value 1669
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "and·chieftain·of" (וּנְשִׂ֥יא, 5 letters) and the longest is "of·the·Gershonites" (לַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּ֑י, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "of·the·Gershonites" (לַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּ֑י), "son·of·Lael" (בֶּן־לָאֵֽל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Lael" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·chieftain·of" (root נשיא, 62x in Numbers); "ancestral·house" (root בית, 61x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·the·Gershonites', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּנְשִׂ֥יא [and·chieftain·of] (367) + בֵֽית־אָ֖ב [ancestral·house] (415) + לַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּ֑י [of·the·Gershonites] (593) + אֶלְיָסָ֖ף [Eliasaph] (181) + בֶּן־לָאֵֽל [son·of·Lael] (113) = 1669.
Onkelos
And the chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
and the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting the tabernacle, and the Tent, its covering, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting,
verse value 3128 — אֹ֥הֶל = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "the·Tent·of" (אֹ֥הֶל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "the·entrance·of" (פֶּ֖תַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Gershon" (בְּנֵֽי־גֵרְשׁוֹן֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: Meeting, Meeting. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·the·tent" (וְהָאֹ֑הֶל), "and·the·screen·of" (וּמָסַ֕ךְ). The root אהל appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Gershon" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "in·the·Tent·of" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers); "Meeting" (root מועד, 65x in Numbers). First appearance of the root משמרת ("and·the·duties·of") in Numbers. First appearance of the root מכסה ("its·covering") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·tent', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת [and·the·duties·of] (986) + בְּנֵֽי־גֵרְשׁוֹן֙ [sons·of·Gershon] (621) + בְּאֹ֣הֶל [in·the·Tent·of] (38) + מוֹעֵ֔ד [Meeting] (120) + הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן [the·tabernacle] (415) + וְהָאֹ֑הֶל [and·the·tent] (47) + מִכְסֵ֕הוּ [its·covering] (131) + וּמָסַ֕ךְ [and·the·screen·of] (126) + פֶּ֖תַח [the·entrance·of] (488) + אֹ֥הֶל [the·Tent·of] (36) + מוֹעֵֽד [Meeting] (120) = 3128.
Onkelos
And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting was the Tabernacle and the Tent, its covering, and the screen for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,
Rashi
המשכן THE DWELLING — i.e. the lower curtains (those which were spread immediately over the boards of the Tabernacle). והאהל AND THE TENT (the word has not its usual meaning of “tent”; cf. Rashi on Exodus 26:7—12) — i.e. the curtains of goats’ hair that were made as a roofing (to cover the lower curtains). מכסהו THE COVERING THEREOF — the covering made of rams’ skins and tachash skins (cf. Rashi on Exodus 35:11). ומסך פתח AND THE SCREEN FOR THE ENTRANCE — i.e. the Veil (cf. Rashi on Exodus 35:12).
Ibn Ezra
"The Tabernacle (ha-mishkan)" — that is the ten curtains. "And the tent (ha-ohel)" — the eleven curtains. "Its covering" — and the covering of its covering is included therein.
Chizkuni
המשכן, this refers to the carpeting of twisted linen which formed part of the roof of the Tabernacle. והאהל, “and the tent;” these are the carpets made of goats’ hair. מכסהו, “its covering;” this is a reference to the hides of red dyed rams and the hides of the animal known as tachash.
and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court—which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar, round about—and the cords of it, even whatever pertains to its service.
verse value 4730
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. Verse gematria: 4730 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "the·entrance·of" (פֶּ֣תַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·cords" (וְאֵת֙ מֵֽיתָרָ֔יו, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 303: the·enclosure, the·enclosure. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·the·hangings·of" (וְקַלְעֵ֣י), "and·its·cords" (וְאֵת֙ מֵֽיתָרָ֔יו). The root חצר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "for·all" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "its·service" (root עבדה, 46x in Numbers). First appearance of the root חצר ("the·enclosure") in Numbers. First appearance of the root מזבח ("and·over·the·altar") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'surrounding', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְקַלְעֵ֣י [and·the·hangings·of] (216) + הֶֽחָצֵ֗ר [the·enclosure] (303) + וְאֶת־מָסַךְ֙ [and·the·screen·of] (527) + פֶּ֣תַח [the·entrance·of] (488) + הֶֽחָצֵ֔ר [the·enclosure] (303) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [that] (501) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן [over·the·Tabernacle] (515) + וְעַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ [and·over·the·altar] (168) + סָבִ֑יב [surrounding] (74) + וְאֵת֙ מֵֽיתָרָ֔יו [and·its·cords] (1073) + לְכֹ֖ל [for·all] (80) + עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ [its·service] (482) = 4730.
Onkelos
And the hangings of the court, and the screen at the entrance of the court that is around the Tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all its service.
Rashi
ואת מיתריו AND THE CORDS OF IT — This means: those of “the dwelling” (the lower curtains) and of “the tent” (the upper curtains), and not those of the enclosure (חצר) mentioned in this verse [although some of these are stated in Numbers 4:26 to be in charge of the Gershonites].
Ibn Ezra
"Which is over the Tabernacle" — that which is on the inner side of the courtyard. "And over the altar" — which is outside the Tabernacle. The meaning of "round about" is that there is no gap anywhere, no breach where there is no screen. "For all its service" — I will explain this further.
Chizkuni
אשר על המשכן ועל המזבח, “which are next to the Tabernacle and the copper altar.” In this verse the word משכן refers to the courtyard surrounding that structure.
And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites:
verse value 6393 — אֵ֥לֶּה = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֥לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "they·were" (הֵ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Uzzielites" (הָעׇזִּֽיאֵלִ֑י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 834: and·the·clan·of, and·the·clan·of, and·the·clan·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·to·Kohath" (וְלִקְהָ֗ת), "the·Amramites" (הַֽעַמְרָמִי֙), "the·Izharites" (הַיִּצְהָרִ֔י). The root משפחת appears 4 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·clans·of" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "the·clan·of" (root משפחת, 77x in Numbers); "these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root קהתי ("the·Kohathites") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Uzzielites', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְלִקְהָ֗ת [and·to·Kohath] (541) + מִשְׁפַּ֤חַת [the·clan·of] (828) + הַֽעַמְרָמִי֙ [the·Amramites] (365) + וּמִשְׁפַּ֣חַת [and·the·clan·of] (834) + הַיִּצְהָרִ֔י [the·Izharites] (320) + וּמִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙ [and·the·clan·of] (834) + הַֽחֶבְרֹנִ֔י [the·Hebronites] (275) + וּמִשְׁפַּ֖חַת [and·the·clan·of] (834) + הָעׇזִּֽיאֵלִ֑י [the·Uzzielites] (133) + אֵ֥לֶּה [these] (36) + הֵ֖ם [they·were] (45) + מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת [the·clans·of] (828) + הַקְּהָתִֽי [the·Kohathites] (520) = 6393.
Onkelos
And to Kohath belonged the clan of Amram, and the clan of Izhar, and the clan of Hebron, and the clan of Uzziel; these are the clans of Kohath.
Chizkuni
ולקהת משפחת העמרמי, “and of Kehat, the family of Amram;” we are now speaking of the antecedents of Moses, not including any of Aaron’s family; this is why we read in Chronicles I 23,13: ויבדל אהרן להקדישו קדש קדשים, “Aaron was separated to sanctify him to become most holy.”Moses and his sons were considered as simply members of the tribe of Levi.
Rashbam
ולקחת משפחת העמרמי, a reference to Moses and his sons. Now the Torah spells out what had been meant in verse one by the words ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה.
The families of the sons of Kohath were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward;
verse value 2719
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·sons·of·Kohath" (בְּנֵי־קְהָ֖ת, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 128x in Numbers); "the·clans·of" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "they·shall·camp" (root חנה, 73x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ירך ("the·side·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·shall·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת [the·clans·of] (828) + בְּנֵי־קְהָ֖ת [the·sons·of·Kohath] (567) + יַחֲנ֑וּ [they·shall·camp] (74) + עַ֛ל [upon] (100) + יֶ֥רֶךְ [the·side·of] (230) + הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן [the·Tabernacle] (415) + תֵּימָֽנָה [to·the·south] (505) = 2719.
Onkelos
The clans of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the side of the Tabernacle, to the south.
Rashi
משפחת בני קהת יוחנו … תימנה THE FAMILY OF THE SONS OF KOHATH SHALL ENCAMP … SOUTHWARD — and next to them was the division of Reuben who, too, were encamped in the South (cf. Numbers 2:10) — “Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbour!” It was on this account (on account of the friendship caused by this proximity) that some of them (the Reubenites) — Dathan and Abiram and 250 men (who were also mostly Reubenites, cf. Rashi on Numbers 16:1) — were punished together with Korah and his congregation, (cf. Numbers 16:32 ff.), because they were dragged into the quarrel with them (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 12).
Ibn Ezra
"Southward (teimah)." Because the sons of Kohath are more distinguished than all the sons of Levi, Kohath was placed on the right — for the right is more honored than the left or the rear — and there is no direction after the east more honored than it. And because Gershon was the firstborn of Levi, he has a great advantage over Merari in that he carries the holy [furnishings] in contrast to Merari's burden; therefore Gershon encamped to the west, as did the banner of Ephraim, and Merari to the north, like the banner of Dan which is the firstborn of the handmaids. Behold, the Kohathites were on the side of the banner of Reuben; therefore Korah allied himself with Dathan and Abiram. I will explain this further.
the prince of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites being Elizaphan the son of Uzziel,
verse value 2591
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·chieftain·of" (וּנְשִׂ֥יא, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Uzziel" (בֶּן־עֻזִּיאֵֽל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "son·of·Uzziel" (בֶּן־עֻזִּיאֵֽל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Uzziel" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "of·the·clans·of" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers); "and·chieftain·of" (root נשיא, 62x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Kohathite', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּנְשִׂ֥יא [and·chieftain·of] (367) + בֵֽית־אָ֖ב [ancestral·house] (415) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣ת [of·the·clans·of] (858) + הַקְּהָתִ֑י [the·Kohathite] (520) + אֱלִיצָפָ֖ן [Elizaphan] (261) + בֶּן־עֻזִּיאֵֽל [son·of·Uzziel] (170) = 2591.
Onkelos
And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Kohath was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
and their charge the ark, and the table, and the Menorah, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen, and all that pertains to its service;
verse value 5063
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·duties" (וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּ֗ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·the·table" (וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן֙), "and·the·lampstand" (וְהַמְּנֹרָ֣ה), "and·the·altars" (וְהַֽמִּזְבְּחֹ֔ת). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "and·all" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "the·sanctuary" (root קדש, 70x in Numbers). First appearance of the root ארון ("the·ark") in Numbers. First appearance of the root מנורה ("and·the·lampstand") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמִשְׁמַרְתָּ֗ם [and·their·duties] (1026) + הָאָרֹ֤ן [the·ark] (256) + וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן֙ [and·the·table] (399) + וְהַמְּנֹרָ֣ה [and·the·lampstand] (306) + וְהַֽמִּזְבְּחֹ֔ת [and·the·altars] (468) + וּכְלֵ֣י [and·the·utensils·of] (66) + הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ [the·sanctuary] (409) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יְשָׁרְת֖וּ [they·minister] (916) + בָּהֶ֑ם [with·them] (47) + וְהַ֨מָּסָ֔ךְ [and·the·screen] (131) + וְכֹ֖ל [and·all] (56) + עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ [its·service] (482) = 5063.
Onkelos
And their charge was the Ark, and the Table, and the Menorah, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
Rashi
והמסך AND THE SCREEN — i.e. the Partition Veil, for it, too, (cf. Rashi on v. 25) is called מסך in the phrase (Exodus 40:21): פרכת המסך.
Ibn Ezra
"And the altars" — both of them. "And the holy vessels with which they minister" — these are the vessels of the lampstand, the table, and the altars. Many have erred in explaining "and the screen (ha-masakh) and all its service." The truth is clear: it refers to the screen of the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. "And all its service" — its cords.
Chizkuni
וכלי הקודש, “and the holy vessels;” these are the ones enumerated further on.
Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest being prince of the princes of the Levites, and having the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
verse value 4008
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "the·Levite" (הַלֵּוִ֔י, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Aaron" (בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֣ן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 308: Eleazar, son·of·Aaron. The root נשיא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Aaron" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "the·Levite" (root לוי, 71x in Numbers); "the·priest" (root כהן, 71x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פקדה ("in·charge·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּנְשִׂיא֙ [and·chieftain·of] (367) + נְשִׂיאֵ֣י [the·chieftains·of] (371) + הַלֵּוִ֔י [the·Levite] (51) + אֶלְעָזָ֖ר [Eleazar] (308) + בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֣ן [son·of·Aaron] (308) + הַכֹּהֵ֑ן [the·priest] (80) + פְּקֻדַּ֕ת [in·charge·of] (584) + שֹׁמְרֵ֖י [those·attending·to] (550) + מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת [the·duties·of] (980) + הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ [the·sanctuary] (409) = 4008.
Onkelos
And the overseer who was appointed over the chiefs of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; under his supervision were appointed those who kept the charge of the sanctuary.
Rashi
ונשיא נשיאי הלוי AND [ELAZAR THE SON OF AARON THE PRIEST WAS] THE PRINCE OVER THE PRINCES OF THE LEVITES — i.e. he was appointed over all of them. And in regard to what was his overship? פקדת שמרי משמרת THE OVERSIGHT OF THEM THAT KEEP THE CHARGE [OF THE SANCTUARY] — i.e. by him was the appointment of all of these.
Ibn Ezra
"And the leader of the leaders of the Levites" — for they are three. The word nesi'ei (leaders of) draws itself and another along with it, as [in the usage]: "Not the many are wise"; and similarly it [means] he is the chief leader over the appointed guardians of the charge of the sanctuary. The meaning is that these three officers were appointed over the guardians who are the Levites.
Tur HaArokh
ונשיא נשיאי הלוי אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן, “and the leader of the Levites’ leader was Eleazar, son of the High Priest Aaron.” Eleazar was the leader of the three leaders of the families of Gershon, Kehat, and Merari. Ibn Ezra writes that the word נשיאי carries both itself and the following word הלוי with it, so that the meaning of the sequence ונשיא נשיאי הלוי אלעזר is: “and the prince of the respective leaders of the Levites was Eleazar.”
Targum Yonatan
And the Amarkol set over the chiefs of the Levites shall be Elazar bar Aharon the priest, who inquireth by Uraya and Thumaya; and under his hand shall they be appointed who keep the charge of the sanctuary.
And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred;
verse value 3117
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שֶׁת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·recorded" (וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם֙, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "six" (שֵׁ֥שֶׁת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·their·recorded" (root פקד, 103x in Numbers); "thousand" (root אלף, 103x in Numbers); "and·two·hundred" (root מאה, 90x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·upward', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם֙ [and·their·recorded] (245) + בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר [by·number] (382) + כׇּל־זָכָ֔ר [all·male] (277) + מִבֶּן־חֹ֖דֶשׁ [from·the·age·of·a·month] (404) + וָמָ֑עְלָה [and·upward] (151) + שֵׁ֥שֶׁת [six] (1000) + אֲלָפִ֖ים [thousand] (161) + וּמָאתָֽיִם [and·two·hundred] (497) = 3117.
Onkelos
And their count in the number of every male from one month old and upward was six thousand two hundred.
the prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari being Zuriel the son of Abihail; they were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward;
verse value 3584
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Abihail" (בֶּן־אֲבִיחָ֑יִל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 415: ancestral·house, the·Tabernacle. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Zuriel" (צוּרִיאֵ֖ל), "son·of·Abihail" (בֶּן־אֲבִיחָ֑יִל). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Abihail" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "upon" (root על, 128x in Numbers); "of·the·clans" (root משפחה, 81x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Abihail', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּנְשִׂ֤יא [and·chieftain] (367) + בֵֽית־אָב֙ [ancestral·house] (415) + לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣ת [of·the·clans] (858) + מְרָרִ֔י [Merari] (450) + צוּרִיאֵ֖ל [Zuriel] (337) + בֶּן־אֲבִיחָ֑יִל [son·of·Abihail] (113) + עַ֣ל [upon] (100) + יֶ֧רֶךְ [side] (230) + הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן [the·Tabernacle] (415) + יַחֲנ֖וּ [they·shall·camp] (74) + צָפֹֽנָה [northward] (225) = 3584.
Onkelos
And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail; they shall encamp on the side of the Tabernacle, to the north.
Ibn Ezra
"And it is fitting that [their encampment be] northward (tzafonah)" — from the root of "You have hidden away (tzafanta) for those who fear You" and "hidden away (tzafun) for the righteous," for there is nothing [of particular significance] in the south.
the appointed charge of the sons of Merari being the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its instruments, and all that pertains to its service;
verse value 4222
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "the·sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·bars" (וּבְרִיחָ֖יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·its·posts" (וְעַמֻּדָ֣יו), "and·all·its·furnishings" (וְכׇ֨ל־כֵּלָ֔יו). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·all" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "its·service" (root עבדה, 46x in Numbers). First appearance of the root עמוד ("and·its·posts") in Numbers. First appearance of the root אדן ("and·its·sockets") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·sockets', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּפְקֻדַּ֣ת [and·the·assigned·duties] (590) + מִשְׁמֶ֘רֶת֮ [charge·of] (980) + בְּנֵ֣י [the·sons·of] (62) + מְרָרִי֒ [Merari] (450) + קַרְשֵׁי֙ [the·planks·of] (610) + הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן [the·Tabernacle] (415) + וּבְרִיחָ֖יו [and·its·bars] (242) + וְעַמֻּדָ֣יו [and·its·posts] (136) + וַאֲדָנָ֑יו [and·its·sockets] (77) + וְכׇ֨ל־כֵּלָ֔יו [and·all·its·furnishings] (122) + וְכֹ֖ל [and·all] (56) + עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ [its·service] (482) = 4222.
Onkelos
And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari was the planks of the Tabernacle and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all its service.
and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
verse value 2194
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "the·enclosure" (הֶחָצֵ֛ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·cords" (וּמֵֽיתְרֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·the·posts·of" (וְעַמֻּדֵ֧י). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·sockets', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְעַמֻּדֵ֧י [and·the·posts·of] (130) + הֶחָצֵ֛ר [the·enclosure] (303) + סָבִ֖יב [around] (74) + וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֑ם [and·their·sockets] (116) + וִיתֵדֹתָ֖ם [and·their·pegs] (860) + וּמֵֽיתְרֵיהֶֽם [and·their·cords] (711) = 2194.
Onkelos
And the pillars of the court all around, their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.
And those that were to pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, even the charge for the children of Israel; and the common man that drew near was to be put to death.
verse value 6733
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Tent·of·Meeting" (אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֨ד, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: before, before. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "attending·to" (שֹֽׁמְרִים֙). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). First appearance of the root מקדש ("the·sanctuary") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 3 words.
Onkelos
And those who encamped before the Tabernacle, eastward — before the Tent of Meeting, to the east — were Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and any outsider who came near was to be put to death.
Rashi
משה ואהרן ובניו [BUT THOSE THAT ENCAMP BEFORE THE DWELLING … SHALL BE] MOSES, AND AARON AND HIS SONS — and adjacent to him was the standard of the camp of Judah, and next to the latter were encamped Issachar and Zebulun — “Well is it with the righteous, well with his neighbour!” Because they (the sons of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun) were the neighbours of Moses who occupied himself with the Torah, they themselves became eminent scholars in the Law, as it is said, (Psalms 60:9) “Judah is my lawgiver”; (I Chronicles 12:32) “and of the children of Issachar which were men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel had to do [the heads of them were two hundred]” — i.e., two hundred heads of the Sanhedrin; and (Judges 5:14) “and out of Zebulun came those that handle the pen of the writer” (Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar 12).
Ibn Ezra
"Eastward, toward the sunrise" — that is, toward the rising sun, at the place where the wagons converge. In the east stood the tent of Moses, the tent of Aaron, the tent of his sons and his sons' sons, and all of his household. "And the stranger who draws near" — to the place of the sanctuary. Thus all the Levites were encamped around the Tabernacle to guard it.
All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of Hashem, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
verse value 4716 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4716 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "whom" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·who·were·recorded·of" (כׇּל־פְּקוּדֵ֨י, 7 letters). The root פקד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "whom" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·their·clans', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Onkelos
All the counted ones of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the Word of Hashem, by their clans, every male from one month old and upward — twenty-two thousand.
Rashi
אשר פקד משה ואהרן [ALL THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THE LEVITES] WHOM MOSES AND AARON NUMBERED — There are dots on the word Aaron to indicate that he was not among the number of the Levites (Bekhorot 4a; Sifrei Bamidbar 69:2 on Numbers 9:10). שנים ועשרים אלף [ALL THE MALES FROM A MONTH OLD AND UPWARDS WERE] TWENTY AND TWO THOUSAND — But in the enumeration of them given above you will find three hundred more — the sons of Gershon 7500 (v. 22). the sons of Kohath 8600 (v. 28), the sons of Merari 6200 (v. 34), making 22,300! Why, then, did Scripture not include them in the sum total together with the others, when they, too, might have redeemed the firstborn of the Israelites (i.e., when each of the 300 might also have served the purpose of replacing a firstborn Israelite, as did the other 22,000; cf. v. 41), and thus the 273 firstborn Israelites who were in excess of the sum total of the Levites as given by Scripture, (the sum total of the firstborn having been 22,273, whilst the Levites, as summed up by Scripture, were only 22,000) would not have required redemption at all (cf. vv. 46—48)!? To this our Rabbis gave the reply in Treatise Bekhorot 5a: those three hundred Levites in question were themselves firstborn, and it was quite sufficient for them to do one thing — that they should free themselves from the necessity of ransom.
Ibn Ezra
"Twenty-two thousand." [This is a total,] yet when you add up the individual figures you will find they exceed [twenty-two thousand] by three hundred. Some say that Scripture took a shortened approach and mentioned only the thousands, omitting the hundreds. But this is untenable, because the figure of the excess [Israelite firstborns over Levites, namely 273] is less than three hundred. The truth is [based on] the received tradition: a firstborn cannot exempt another firstborn — and the meaning of the verse would be: all those counted among the Levites, excluding the [Levite] firstborns among them. Yehudah the Persian took pains to bring proof from the numbers, [arguing] that the Levite firstborns are one part in seventy-three of the Levites, and that when you take from the number of counted Israelites and then take the corresponding number of counted Levites [eligible for] the army in proportion to the Levites counted from one month and above, they will be close [in ratio]. But he said nothing [of substance], for Israel was counted from twenty years of age with no upper limit, whereas the Levites were counted from thirty to fifty years of age — there is a great difference between them. We therefore rely on the words of the received tradition.
Or HaChaim
כל פקודי הלוים, all the Levites who were numbered, etc. Nachmanides wonders at the small number of Levites seeing that we are dealing with a tribe who had proved loyal to G'd during the episode of the golden calf and had not sustained losses in their number at that time. Moreover, they were beloved of G'd already while in Egypt. How is it that their number was so small? Although they were counted from the age of one month, as opposed to the other tribes who were counted only from the age of twenty and over, the number of Levites was smaller than the numerically least populous tribe? Nachmanides provides two possible answers. 1) Seeing the phenomenal increase in the population of the Jews in Egypt was due to the cruel oppression of the Israelites by the Egyptians (Exodus 1,12), this blessing did not extend to the Levites who did not have to perform slave labour in Egypt. 2) Jacob's anger at his son Levi. I believe that the second reason cited by Nachmanides is quite difficult to accept. We do not find any source for assuming that the anger of a father caused lack of fertility in his sons. Besides, when you examine Chronicles I 23,3, you will find that the Levites between the ages of thirty and fifty who were numbered at that time (near the end of David's life) comprised 38,000. When we compare this number with the number given in Parshat Nasso, i.e. some 8,500, we certainly do not notice any lack of fertility on the part of that tribe. This means that during the approximately 480 years between our count and the count in Chronicles the Levites increased four-fold. When you compare the numbers given for the other tribes in Israel at that time when they were counted in Chronicles you will find that the other tribes had only doubled in number since being counted by Moses in the desert. In view of this, it is difficult to see how Jacob's anger at his son Levi impeded the development of his descendants. The first reason Nachmanides cites why the Levites increased far less during their stay in Egypt is correct and is supported by Bereshit Rabbah 79,1 according to which Jacob did not die until his descendants numbered 600.000. In order to reconcile the various verses in the Torah quoting numbers, it is necessary to understand the word כן in Exodus 1,12 as telling us that the Israelites who had first decreased in numbers after Jacob's death increased again after Pharaoh's attempt to reduce their numbers by the various measures described in the Torah. As to the statement in Exodus 1,7 about the Israelites being fruitful and multiplying exceedingly until the land appeared full of them, we must interpret that whereas during Jacob's lifetime the Israelites were not prominent in Egypt though numerous, after his death they became more and more visible so that the Egyptians were revolted by this phenomenon. If the original increase in the Jewish population included the tribe of Levi in full measure, why did they not increase the second time in similar measure?...
Chizkuni
אשר פקד משה ואהרן, “whom Moses and Aaron had counted.” There are dots on the word ואהרן.
Kli Yakar
Twenty-two thousand. We have already said that since they are the camp of the Divine Presence, and the Divine Presence does not rest with fewer than 22,000, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, reduced their number and established them at this count to indicate that the camp of the Divine Presence is not less than 22,000. Ramban wrote that because they were not included in the suffering of Egypt, therefore they were not included in the multiplication, for whoever was included in lest they multiply was included in the blessing of so they shall multiply. Although this is a homiletical interpretation, nevertheless it seems appropriate to add an explanation to it: that God did not multiply them against nature except to thwart the counsel of the nations who sought to diminish them through affliction, and God wanted to prevent them from accomplishing what they had planned to do. On the contrary, He multiplied them beyond nature, for they gave birth to six in a single pregnancy. But the tribe of Levi, who were not included in the affliction, and therefore there was no need to multiply them against nature, were fruitful and multiplied like the rest of the world. This is indeed a correct reason and could be what Ramban meant. Some say that they did not multiply so that it would be easier for Israel to support them, but this reason is far-fetched because there is no limitation for God to save and provide for His servants who do His will. Some say that the Ark consumed them, meaning the coffin of Jacob, which is the view of Ramban that we mentioned and as explained above in Parashat Vayetzei (29:34) on the verse Therefore his name was called Levi. Some say that the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that not all of them would be righteous, therefore He removed many of them from the world, leaving only the pure and refined so that all those engaged with the Ark would be righteous, and this is what is meant by the Ark consumed them. It seems to me that since we find in Pharaoh’s decree, that Amram divorced his wife and remained for a long time without having children, as Yocheved was 130 years old when he married her a second time. And what our Sages said (Sotah 12), “They all stood up and divorced their wives” — presumably not all of Israel did so, for how could they stand for a long time without a wife? For our Sages said (ibid. 11b), “In the merit of righteous women our forefathers were redeemed, etc.” And it concludes there describing all the good things they did for their husbands during the hard labor, which proves that the husbands could not endure without their wives. Furthermore, it states there that they were fruitful and multiplied in the field, which proves that even during the time of the decree they did not divorce their wives. Rather, certainly what it concludes, “They all stood up and divorced their wives,” refers to all the members of the tribe of Levi, who were not included in the enslavement, but were nevertheless afraid of the decree Every son that is born, you shall cast into the river. For on a single day, Pharaoh commanded this even regarding the sons of the Egyptians. Therefore, they too feared lest this cup pass over them, and most of the tribe of Levi remained for a long time without wives, just as Amram remained for a long time without a wife. This is why the tribe of Levi was few in number, and this is a sound reason that makes more sense than all others. And God chose them because they were few, as we find in many places that the Holy One, blessed be He, chooses the few, as it says (Deuteronomy 7:7), Not because you were more numerous [than other peoples did God desire you]… for you are the fewest. And similarly, among these three families — Gershon, Kohath, and Merari — Merari was the most populous, and therefore was distanced from carrying the holy items, which was given to the less numerous. And this is self-evident.
Daat Zkenim
שנים ועשרים אלף, “twenty two thousand.” This number corresponds to the number of angels that formed G–d’s entourage when He descended to Mount Sinai at the time of the revelation of the Ten Commandments. We have an allusion to this in Psalms 68,18: רכב אלהים רבותים אלפי שנאן, “the Lord’s chariots, myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands.” (Compare Talmud, tractate Avodah Zara folio 3) The Talmud there suggests that the spelling of the word be amended to read שאינן instead of שנאן. The meaning of רבותים אלפי, is 22000. Seeing that the Lord, with His knowledge of the future was aware that the Israelites would all serve the golden calf with the exception of the 22000 Levites, He took only 22000 of His angels with Him when He revealed Himself at Mount Sinai.
And Hashem said to Moses: "Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
verse value 4398 — יְהֹוָ֜ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "record!" (פְּקֹ֨ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·age·of·a·month" (מִבֶּן־חֹ֖דֶשׁ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·lift·up" (וְשָׂ֕א), "number·of" (אֵ֖ת מִסְפַּ֥ר), "their·names" (שְׁמֹתָֽם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה [to·Moses] (376) + פְּקֹ֨ד [record!] (184) + כׇּל־בְּכֹ֤ר [all·firstborn] (272) + זָכָר֙ [male] (227) + לִבְנֵ֣י [of·sons·of] (92) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + מִבֶּן־חֹ֖דֶשׁ [from·the·age·of·a·month] (404) + וָמָ֑עְלָה [and·up] (151) + וְשָׂ֕א [and·lift·up] (307) + אֵ֖ת מִסְפַּ֥ר [number·of] (781) + שְׁמֹתָֽם [their·names] (780) = 4398.
Onkelos
And Hashem said to Moses: Count every firstborn male among the children of Israel from one month old and upward, and take the count of their names.
Rashi
פקד כל בכר זכר … מבן חדש ומעלה NUMBER ALL THE FIRSTBORN OF THE MALES [OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] FROM A MONTH OLD AND UPWARDS — as soon as he (the firstborn) has passed the age when it might possibly prove non-viable (Numbers Rabbah 4:3; cf. Rashi on v. 15).
Ibn Ezra
"Count every firstborn male" — here "male" is an attributive adjective.
And you shall take the Levites for Me, even Hashem, instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."
verse value 5931 — יְהֹוָ֔ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for·Me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Levites" (אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֥ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 808: in·place·of, in·place·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "among·the·cattle·of" (בְּבֶהֱמַ֖ת). The root לוי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Onkelos
And you shall bring the Levites near before Me — I am Hashem — in place of every firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of every firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"And the livestock of the Levites" — so that the Levites should not suffer loss. "And every firstborn of the livestock" also [belongs] to Hashem.
Or HaChaim
ואת בהמת הלוים, and the animals of the Levites, etc. The Torah speaks of those animals which the firstborn owned and which had been subject to redemption such as the firstborn donkeys. The Torah (Exodus 13,13) legislated that the firstborn pure animals had to be offered as a sacrifice whereas the firstborn donkey (being an unclean animal unfit for the altar) had to be redeemed. Firstborn animals of the pure species which for some reason did not qualify for the altar became the property of their owners and lost any status of sanctity they had had prior to becoming disqualified. We could have assumed therefore that the law of redeeming them did not apply when the swap between the Levites and the firstborn Israelites was made. Hence the Torah had to go on record that firstborn donkeys owned by the firstborn being exchanged for a Levite had to be redeemed.
And Moses numbered, as Hashem commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel.
verse value 2884 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·first-born" (אֶֽת־כׇּל־בְּכ֖וֹר, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "all·the·first-born" (אֶֽת־כׇּל־בְּכ֖וֹר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּפְקֹ֣ד [and·he·recorded] (200) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר [as] (521) + צִוָּ֥ה [had·commanded] (101) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֹת֑וֹ [him] (407) + אֶֽת־כׇּל־בְּכ֖וֹר [all·the·first-born] (679) + בִּבְנֵ֥י [in·sons·of] (64) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2884.
Onkelos
And Moses counted, as Hashem commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
And all the first-born males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
verse value 5179
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "males" (זָכָ֜ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "as·recorded" (לִפְקֻדֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "as·recorded" (root פקד, 103x in Numbers); "thousand" (root אלף, 103x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·recorded', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִי֩ [and·it·was] (31) + כׇל־בְּכ֨וֹר [all·first-born] (278) + זָכָ֜ר [males] (227) + בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר [by·number·of] (382) + שֵׁמֹ֛ת [names] (740) + מִבֶּן־חֹ֥דֶשׁ [from·age·of·a·month] (404) + וָמַ֖עְלָה [and·up] (151) + לִפְקֻדֵיהֶ֑ם [as·recorded] (269) + שְׁנַ֤יִם [two] (400) + וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ [twenty] (626) + אֶ֔לֶף [thousand] (111) + שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה [three] (635) + וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים [and·seventy] (428) + וּמָאתָֽיִם [and·two·hundred] (497) = 5179.
Onkelos
And all the firstborn males by the count of names, from one month old and upward, according to their count, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר, 5 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·he·spoke] (222) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה [to·Moses] (376) + לֵּאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 895.
"Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine, even Hashem's.
verse value 4776 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "take" (קַ֣ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Levites" (אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 808: in·place·of, in·place·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "their·cattle" (בְּהֶמְתָּ֑ם), "and·they·shall·be·Mine" (וְהָיוּ־לִ֥י). The root לוי appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "among·the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: קַ֣ח [take] (108) + אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם [the·Levites] (492) + תַּ֤חַת [in·place·of] (808) + כׇּל־בְּכוֹר֙ [all·first-born] (278) + בִּבְנֵ֣י [among·the·children·of] (64) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + וְאֶת־בֶּהֱמַ֥ת [and·the·cattle·of] (854) + הַלְוִיִּ֖ם [the·Levites] (91) + תַּ֣חַת [in·place·of] (808) + בְּהֶמְתָּ֑ם [their·cattle] (487) + וְהָיוּ־לִ֥י [and·they·shall·be·Mine] (67) + הַלְוִיִּ֖ם [the·Levites] (91) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4776.
Onkelos
Bring the Levites near in place of every firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock; and the Levites shall minister before Me — I am Hashem.
Rashi
ואת בהמת הלוים וגו׳ AND [THOU SHALT TAKE] THE BEASTS OF THE LEVITES [INSTEAD OF ALL THE FIRSTBORN AMONG THE BEASTS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — The beasts of the Levites did not redeem the firstborn of the clean beasts belonging to the Israelites, but only the first offsprings of their asses (cf. Bekhorot 4a). One lamb of the Levites (it must be remembered that for the redemption of פטר חמור a lamb is prescribed; cf. Exodus 13:13) could, however, release several first offsprings of asses belonging to Israelites. You may know that this is so, for it (Scripture) mentions the number of firstborn Israelites in excess of the number of Levites in the case of human beings, but mentions no number of firstborn animals belonging to the Israelites as being in excess over the lambs of the Levites, [although there were undoubtedly many more firstborn asses of the Israelites than ordinary lambs of the Levites] (cf. Bekhorot 4b).
Ramban
TAKE THE LEVITES INSTEAD OF ALL THE FIRSTBORN AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. The firstborns had become sanctified to G-d from the time that He commanded Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn … among the children of Israel etc. There were thus many firstborns in Israel who had not been redeemed until now, since it had not yet been said who would “redeem” them, for it was only now that the priests became sanctified, and [Israel] had not yet been commanded about the gifts of the priesthood. Thus they [the firstborns] continued without restriction in their sanctity, and it is possible that they performed the Service of the offerings, as our Rabbis have said. The correct opinion appears to me to be that not all these firstborns were born in the desert in one year, for the people did not increase there so rapidly [that there should have been twenty-two thousand firstborns in one year, corresponding to the twenty-two thousand Levites, with an excess over the Levites of two hundred and seventy-three]. Rather, all firstborns of Israel [alive at that time, even those born many years previously] were counted, for they were all sanctified, as I have explained there. Now, He exchanged them for the Levites, and this was their “redemption,” and He commanded to redeem those that exceeded [the number of the Levites by means of each one giving five shekels]. And He gave the redemption-money to Aaron and his sons, as is the commandment for all generations [that a firstborn son be redeemed by giving five shekels to a priest].
Ibn Ezra
"Take the Levites" — once more, as if it said: when you take the Levites, those who are in excess shall be their redemption-payment (pidyon). The word piduyei is bound to the number, and there are many [constructions] like it. Some cite this as proof that the redemption of every firstborn is five shekels. But it is no proof, for this is an independent commandment. The truth is [a matter of] received tradition.
Or HaChaim
והיו לי הלוים אני השם, "and the Levites will belong to Me I am the Lord." The reason the Torah added the words "I am the Lord," is to tell us that although according to Yalkut Shimoni 364 there will come a time when the firstborn will once again be performing the priestly functions in the Holy Temple, the Levites will not therefore be demoted and cease to belong to G'd. [I have not foumd a reference in the Yalkut to the firstborn being reinstated as priests in the future. Ed.] The very expression והיו לי indicates that just as G'd's name is eternal so is the appointment of the Levites to their task.
Chizkuni
קח את הלוים תחת כל בכור בבני ישראל, “take the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn of the remainder of the tribes of Israel.” The reason why the Levites alive now were not used to also redeem the Israelites that were to be born during the 38+years that the Israelites were still to wander through the desert, is because the Levites that were sanctified now had already been born by other Levites who had redeemed firstborns. It is not logical to assume that they possessed the spiritual power to redeem a second time. All the firstborns that are mentioned at this point were not the ones that had been redeemed by Levites in the desert, but had been born by ordinary Israelites who had never been redeemed; the firstborns that had been redeemed by Levites had not been known to also redeem as yet unborn firstborn that stemmed from them.
Tur HaArokh
תחת כל בכור בבני ישראל, “in place of every firstborn of the Children of Israel.” According to Nachmanides the firstborn males of Israel had attained the status of being sanctified ever since Exodus 13,2 when G’d had told Moses to sanctify the firstborn to Him, seeing that He had not killed the Jewish firstborn when the Egyptian firstborn had been slain. There were in the meantime very many firstborn who had never been redeemed, as up until now it had not been revealed to whom the money for redeeming them was to be given. They were therefore in a state of arrested sanctity, unable to all perform priestly duties, and unable to lead ordinary lives. It is possible, as argued by our sages, that some of them had performed as priests. Nachmanides adds, that as far as he personally is concerned, it is most unlikely that all these 22000 firstborns had been born during the year that had elapsed since the Exodus, as we have no reason to believe that the people had multiplied at such a rapid rate since they had been in the desert. The count included all the firstborn, including the many who had been born prior to the Exodus. All of them were redeemed now for the Levites. The 273 for whom no matching Levites could be found, were redeemed for 5 shekels each, the money being given to Aaron and his sons, as became the law for all subsequent generations.
And as for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the first-born of the children of Israel, that are over and above the number of the Levites,
verse value 3363
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "the·children·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·redeemed·of" (וְאֵת֙ פְּדוּיֵ֣י, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·the·redeemed·of" (וְאֵת֙ פְּדוּיֵ֣י), "the·three" (הַשְּׁלֹשָׁ֔ה), "and·the·seventy" (וְהַשִּׁבְעִ֖ים). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·the·two·hundred" (root מאה, 90x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פדוי ("and·the·redeemed·of") in Numbers. First appearance of the root עדף ("those·in·excess") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·two·hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֵת֙ פְּדוּיֵ֣י [and·the·redeemed·of] (517) + הַשְּׁלֹשָׁ֔ה [the·three] (640) + וְהַשִּׁבְעִ֖ים [and·the·seventy] (433) + וְהַמָּאתָ֑יִם [and·the·two·hundred] (502) + הָעֹֽדְפִים֙ [those·in·excess] (209) + עַל־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם [over·the·Levites] (191) + מִבְּכ֖וֹר [of·the·first-born·of] (268) + בְּנֵ֥י [the·children·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3363.
Onkelos
And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three who are in excess of the Levites, from among the firstborn of the children of Israel —
Rashi
ואת פדויי השלשה וגו׳ AND AS FOR THOSE THAT ARE TO BE REDEEMED [OF THE TWO HUNDRED THREESCORE AND THIRTEEN etc.]… [THOU SHALT TAKE…] — This means, “and as for those firstborn who are yet to be redeemed among them (the Israelites), viz., the 273 who were in excess among them, being more than the 22,000 Levites, of them thou shalt take חמשת שקלים לגלגלת FIVE SHEKELS BY THE POLL, such, viz., twenty pieces of silver, was the selling price of Joseph who was Rachel’s firstborn. (Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 2:4; Genesis Rabbah 84:18).
you shall take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shall you take them—the shekel is twenty gerahs.
verse value 5628
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "you·shall·take" (תִּקָּ֔ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "per·head" (לַגֻּלְגֹּ֑לֶת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 748: five, five. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "per·head" (לַגֻּלְגֹּ֑לֶת), "the·shekel" (הַשָּֽׁקֶל). The root שקל appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "five" (root חמש, 99x in Numbers); "and·you·shall·take" (root לקח, 72x in Numbers); "the·sanctuary" (root קדש, 70x in Numbers). First appearance of the root שקל ("shekels") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'per·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְלָקַחְתָּ֗ [and·you·shall·take] (544) + חֲמֵ֧שֶׁת [five] (748) + חֲמֵ֛שֶׁת [five] (748) + שְׁקָלִ֖ים [shekels] (480) + לַגֻּלְגֹּ֑לֶת [per·head] (496) + בְּשֶׁ֤קֶל [by·the·shekel·of] (432) + הַקֹּ֙דֶשׁ֙ [the·sanctuary] (409) + תִּקָּ֔ח [you·shall·take] (508) + עֶשְׂרִ֥ים [twenty] (620) + גֵּרָ֖ה [gerah] (208) + הַשָּֽׁקֶל [the·shekel] (435) = 5628.
Onkelos
you shall take five shekels each per head, in the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take — the shekel is twenty ma'in.
Or HaChaim
ולקחת חמשת חמשת שקלים, "You shall take 5 shekels apiece, etc." Why did the Torah commence this verse with the conjunctive letter ו before the word לקחת seeing it is part and parcel of the legislation commencing in verse 46 about the redemption of the extra 273 firstborn for whom no equivalent Levites could be found? Perhaps the letter ו alludes to the fact that the money redeeming these 273 people was to come out of the pockets of the firstborn and not out of the pockets of the Levites. You could have reasoned that the process of redemption would be parallel to the redemption of the animals of the Levites when the money for the redemption had to be paid by the Levites. It would have been logical to conclude that the Levites had to pay. To disabuse us of such thinking the Torah had to write מבכור בני ישראל, "from the firstborn of the Israelites" (at the end of verse 46). The Torah spells this out when it came to the actual carrying out of these instructions in verse 50. The Torah describes Moses as taking the redemption money from the firstborn, not from the Levites. In our verse the additional information is the amount of the redemption money per person, i.e. 5 shekels each. The letter ו means that we are dealing with a second commandment. The Torah repeats the word תקח to tell us there is a third commandment i.e. that the five shekels are "holy shekels" worth 20 geyrah each. Every detail mentioned here was an essential part of the procedure.
Chizkuni
חמשת חמשת שקלים לגלגלת, “five shekel apiece per head count;” this was the standard amount for redeeming firstborns.
Daat Zkenim
ולקחת חמשת חמשת שקלים לגלגלת, “you will take five shekels apiece pr head;” this would be the method by which a census of the Jewish people would be performed also in future generations whenever the need for this arose. If you were to ask why the Levites did not redeem their respective first male children, as did the members of the other tribes, the answer is that all the Levites throughout the generations were descendants of the Levites of this generation who had not become contaminated at the time of the golden calf, so that no residue of that sin cleaved to them, as opposed to the descendants of the other tribes. The firstborn males of the other tribes, are not necessarily descendants of the firstborn who had once been redeemed, so that to be on the safe side all have to be redeemed.
And you shall give the money with which they that remain over of them are redeemed to Aaron and to his sons."
verse value 1782
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 1782 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "among·them" (בָּהֶֽם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·his·sons" (וּלְבָנָ֑יו, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·money" (הַכֶּ֔סֶף). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·you·shall·give" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers); "to·Aaron" (root אהרן, 83x in Numbers). First appearance of the root כסף ("the·money") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·his·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתָּ֣ה [and·you·shall·give] (861) + הַכֶּ֔סֶף [the·money] (165) + לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן [to·Aaron] (286) + וּלְבָנָ֑יו [and·to·his·sons] (104) + פְּדוּיֵ֕י [the·redeemed·of] (110) + הָעֹדְפִ֖ים [those·in·excess] (209) + בָּהֶֽם [among·them] (47) = 1782.
Onkelos
And you shall give the silver to Aaron and to his sons, as the redemption of those who are in excess among them.
Chizkuni
ונתת הכסף לאהרן ולבניו, “you are to give the money to Aaron and his sons; just as the Levites who had redeemed the firstborn now took the place of them, so the money realized from the 273 firstborn for whom no Levites were found to redeem them, now was given to the priests, seeing that the Levites themselves were also subservient to the priests.
And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites;
verse value 2126
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·redemption" (הַפִּדְי֑וֹם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·redemption" (הַפִּדְי֑וֹם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "upon" (root על, 128x in Numbers); "and·he·took" (root לקח, 72x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·redemption', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֣ח [and·he·took] (124) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + אֵ֖ת כֶּ֣סֶף [the·money·of] (561) + הַפִּדְי֑וֹם [the·redemption] (145) + מֵאֵת֙ [from] (441) + הָעֹ֣דְפִ֔ים [those·over·and·above] (209) + עַ֖ל [upon] (100) + פְּדוּיֵ֥י [the·ones·redeemed·by] (110) + הַלְוִיִּֽם [the·Levites] (91) = 2126.
Onkelos
And Moses took the silver of the redemption from those who were in excess of those redeemed by the Levites.
Rashi
העדפים על פדויי הלוים THE OVERPLUS THAT WERE MORE THAN THOSE REDEEMED BY THE LEVITES means, that were more than those whom the Levites redeemed by their own person.
Ibn Ezra
"The redeemed ones (ha-peduyim)" — [written] with a mem in place of nun, as with "Gershon" [versus "Gershom"].
Rashbam
הפדיום. The final letter ם here is superfluous just as it is superfluous in the word ריקם instead of simply ריק. (Genesis 31,42), or the same letter in the word הכנם in Exodus 8,13, or in the word שלשום in Genesis 31,2. Our sages explain that there were a total of 300 Levites in excess of the number of firstborn that they were to redeem (replace). (Bechorot 5, compare Rashi on verse 39). The reason that the verse described these as “leftover,” “in excess,” is that a firstborn cannot redeem another firstborn, i.e. there must have been a number of firstborn Levites also.
from the first-born of the children of Israel he took the money: a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
verse value 5026
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "from" (מֵאֵ֗ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·money" (אֶת־הַכָּ֑סֶף, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·money" (אֶת־הַכָּ֑סֶף). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·a·thousand" (root אלף, 103x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·money', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: מֵאֵ֗ת [from] (441) + בְּכ֛וֹר [the·first-born·of] (228) + בְּנֵ֥י [the·children·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לָקַ֣ח [he·took] (138) + אֶת־הַכָּ֑סֶף [the·money] (566) + חֲמִשָּׁ֨ה [five] (353) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֜ים [and·sixty] (656) + וּשְׁלֹ֥שׁ [and·three] (636) + מֵא֛וֹת [hundred] (447) + וָאֶ֖לֶף [and·a·thousand] (117) + בְּשֶׁ֥קֶל [by·the·shekel·of] (432) + הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ [the·sanctuary] (409) = 5026.
Onkelos
From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the silver: one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary.
Rashi
חמשה וששים ושלש מאות ואלף A THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND THREESCORE AND FIVE — This is the total sum: five shekels per head for two hundred firstborn if one thousand shekels; for seventy firstborn is three hundred and fifty shekels, and three firstborn give fifteen shekels, — thus altogether 1,365. — He, (Moses) said, “How shall I proceed? Any firstborn to whom I will say, “Give five shekels’ will answer me, ‘I am one of those redeemed by the Levites’!” What, then, did he do? He brought 22,000 tablets and inscribed them with the words “A son of Levi”, and 273 tablets, and wrote upon them the words “Five shekels”. These he mixed up, putting them into an urn. He said to them, “Come and draw your tablets and decide the matter by lot” (Sanhedrin 17a).
Chizkuni
מאת בכור בני ישראל, “from the firstborn of the Children of Israel;” this refers to the 273 who were in excess of the 22000 firstborns listed earlier.
And Moses gave the redemption-money to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of Hashem, as Hashem commanded Moses.
verse value 3511 — יְהֹוָ֑ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֜ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·his·sons" (וּלְבָנָ֖יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·redeemed" (הַפְּדֻיִ֛ם). The root משה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֨ן [and·he·gave] (466) + מֹשֶׁ֜ה [Moses] (345) + אֶת־כֶּ֧סֶף [the·money·of] (561) + הַפְּדֻיִ֛ם [the·redeemed] (139) + לְאַהֲרֹ֥ן [to·Aaron] (286) + וּלְבָנָ֖יו [and·to·his·sons] (104) + עַל־פִּ֣י [at·the·bidding·of] (190) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר [as] (521) + צִוָּ֥ה [had·commanded] (101) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה [Moses] (746) = 3511.
Onkelos
And Moses gave the silver of the redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the Word of Hashem, as Hashem had commanded Moses.
Or HaChaim
ויתן משה את כסף הפדויים, Moses gave the redemption money, etc. Seeing that the verse commences by telling us that Moses had given the redemption money to Aaron and his sons at the command of G'd, why does the Torah repeat: "as G'd had commanded Moses?" Perhaps the reason is that seeing Aaron and his sons had a direct financial benefit from this מצוה we could have assumed that Moses enjoyed the fact that he could bestow this benefit on his brother and nephews. The Torah tells us that Moses had no such considerations and that he performed G'd's instructions solely because he was commanded to do so.
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Ibn Ezra
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Chizkuni
Rabbeinu Bahya
Kli Yakar
Tur HaArokh
Rashbam
Daat Zkenim