Commentary for Numbers 3:10
וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹ֤ן וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ תִּפְקֹ֔ד וְשָׁמְר֖וּ אֶת־כְּהֻנָּתָ֑ם וְהַזָּ֥ר הַקָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת׃ (פ)
And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death.’
Rashi on Numbers
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).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Sforno on Numbers
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Rashbam on Numbers
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy