Comentario citado sobre Números 4:18

ברך ה' חילו, “Bless, O Hashem its resources, etc.” According to Nachmanides this is a plea by Moses to Hashem to grant the tribe of Levi plenty of human resources, seeing that in fulfilling their tasks they put their lives at risk if they make any of many possible mistakes which result in such people forfeiting their lives. Compare Numbers 4,18 “Do not let the tribe of the Kehatites be cut off from the rest of the tribe of Levi.” Onkelos translates חילו as “its material resources,” using Genesis 37,29 and Number 31,9 as his models. In both those verses the expression ואת כל חילם means: “all their physical possessions.” The verse is an appendix to ישימו קטורה באפך in the previous verse, which describes the material possession of man most closely related to a spiritual asset, i.e. the fragrance of the incense burned on the Altar.

BLESS, ETERNAL, ‘CHEILO’ — that they be a great chayil (army). And the meaning thereof is that they should increase and not decrease when they enter the Holiness, similar in meaning to the verse, Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites.¹⁸⁶Numbers 4:18. It is similarly stated in the admonitions concerning [the Levites], and that they may not die.¹⁸⁷Ibid., Verse 19. And Onkelos rendered cheilo — “his possessions,” from the expression and all their flocks, and all ‘cheilam’ (their possessions).¹⁸⁸Ibid., 31:9. He means what our Rabbis have said concerning the incense — that it bestows a blessing [upon the priest that performs that service].¹⁸⁹Yoma 26a. The phrase [before us] is connected with the expression in [the preceding verse], they shall put incense before Thee,¹⁸⁵Verse 10. because, as a result of it, his possessions will be blessed, as we have been taught:¹⁸⁹Yoma 26a. “Fresh priests come and draw lots for the incense.”¹⁹⁰Four lots were drawn to determine the priests who would be privileged to minister in the Service of the Daily Whole-offering. Three of these lots were open to any priest whose family served that day. But prior to the lot for the burning of the incense the officer announced, “Fresh priests etc.,” i.e., those who had never yet performed the incense service were to come forward. The reason for this arrangement was to give as many priests as possible the opportunity to participate in the burning of the incense, because those who did so became wealthy. And in the Sifre it is stated:¹⁹¹Sifre, Brachah 352. “Bless, Eternal, ‘cheilo’ — his possessions. From here the Rabbis have deduced: Most priests are wealthy. In the name of Abba the Preacher the Rabbis have said: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken¹⁹²Psalms 37:25. — this refers to the seed of Aaron.”

על פי ה' ביד משה, “at the command of G–d, through Moses.” The counting of the sons of Kehot and the sons of Merari are described as having been done by Moses, whereas when it came to the counting of the sons of Gershon, the Torah only wrote: “at the command of the Lord,” without adding the words: “through Moses.” What is the reason for this? During the previous paragraph in verse 18, the Torah had written: וידבר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן, “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, whereas in this paragraph G–d had only spoken to Moses; when the sons of Merari were counted, (verse 29) no mention was made of this having been at the command of G–d; it was necessary therefore to inform us that that count had also been commanded by the Lord. In order to make up for the omission of mentioning that the sons of Merari had also been counted at the command of the Lord, the Torah had to add that also the last section of Levites to be counted the sons of Gershon, had been counted at the express command by G–d to Moses.