Parshanut for Numbers 26:62
וַיִּהְי֣וּ פְקֻדֵיהֶ֗ם שְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ אֶ֔לֶף כָּל־זָכָ֖ר מִבֶּן־חֹ֣דֶשׁ וָמָ֑עְלָה כִּ֣י ׀ לֹ֣א הָתְפָּקְד֗וּ בְּתוֹךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כִּ֠י לֹא־נִתַּ֤ן לָהֶם֙ נַחֲלָ֔ה בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
And they that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, every male from a month old and upward; for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.
Meshekh Chokhmah
They numbered. The early commentaries expressed astonishment as to why the tribe of Levi was smaller in population than the other tribes. In my opinion, the answer is that “by Him actions are weighed” — and He knew that the tribe of Levi would be the King’s legion. They would not inherit a portion, only the cities of open spaces. If the Levites would be numerous, they would have a complaint: Why was their inheritance reduced? Additionally, Bnei Yisroel would find it difficult to support a large population. Therefore, the Creator saw fit, in His wisdom, to withhold the miraculous population increase from them, and they only increased in a natural way. They were not counted among Bnei Yisroel, since no inheritance was given to them among Bnei Yisroel — therefore, they were less in number.
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