Comentario citado sobre Números 7:2

ומן הבהמה אשר איננה טהורה, “and of the category of mammal that was not pure, etc.;” This “clumsy” way of describing “impure,” טמאה, by using eight extra letters merely to avoid having to use the expression: “impure,” caused the sages in the Talmud Pessachim 3, to teach us how concerned the Torah is that we use only dignified language even when describing repulsive phenomena. Actually, the Talmud could have derived this already from verse two in our chapter, i.e. אשר לא טהורה היא, but the Torah preferred to use this fine point when referring to beasts which basically are suitable as sacrifices on the altar, i.e. domesticated mammals, and free roaming mammals, although the latter do not qualify for the altar even though they may be allowed for us to eat. According to the Talmud, the word טהורה in verse 2 of our chapter would have had to be spelled with the letter ו, i.e. plene, which it is not in our texts.

V. 16. תספרו חמשים יום ,עד ממחרת וגו׳: die Zählung ist zweifach; sieben Schabbatwochen werden gezählt, wie es Dewarim 16, 9 heißt: שבעה שבועות תספר לך und es werden die Tage bis zum fünfzigsten Tag gezählt, der den Tag nach der siebten Schabbatwoche bezeichnet, מצוה למימני יומי ומצוה למימני שבועי (Chagiga 17b). Dieser fünfzigste Tag ist das durch Zählen zu erreichende Ziel. Dieser fünfzigste Tag wird nicht gezählt. Es ist nicht unmöglich, daß das חמשים יום Apposition zu ממחרת השבת ist: bis zum Tage nach der siebten Schabbatwoche, dem fünfzigsten Tage, sollt ihr zählen. חמשים יום wie בום עשתי עשר יום ,ביום שנים עשר יום. (Bamidbar 7, 2 u. 28), wo auch der Begriff der Ordnungszahl durch die Kardinalzahl in dem Sinne ausgedrückt ist: der Tag, an welchem elf Tage, zwölf Tage vom Anbeginn der Zählung verflossen sind. Oder es ist hier das תספרו nicht ein solches ausdrückliches Zählen wie וספרתם לכם und gleichwohl ist implizite damit gegeben, daß bis dahin nicht nur Wochen, sondern auch Tage zu zählen sind, da das Gesetz sich nicht damit begnügt, das Zurücklegen der sieben Schabbatwochen zu bezeichnen, sondern auch die Zahl der damit zurückgelegten Tage samt dem nun erreichten zusammen summiert.

ויפקד משה ואהרון ונשיאי העדה, Moses, Aaron and the princes of the congregation counted, etc. Why were three groups of people needed to perform this count? Moses was G'd's agent; Aaron was required as the Levites were subject to his instructions as the Torah made plain in 3,9. The princes of the various tribes had also been appointed to be in charge of the people who were numbered (compare Numbers 7,2). Why were the princes not involved when the Levites were counted who replaced the firstborn, i.e. the Levites from the age of one month and over (3,40-43)? On that occasion the total number was determined by G'd and this is why even babies in a crib had to be included. Bamidbar Rabbah 3,9 describes how Moses asked G'd if he was really expected to enter the tent of every Levite family and examine if there was a male baby of 30 days and over. G'd responded that if Moses were to stand outside He would convey to him the number of Levites who qualified for the count inside that tent. As this information was given only to Moses, neither Aaron nor the princes were involved in that count.