Commentaire sur Les Nombres 18:8

ואני הנה נתתי לך AND I, BEHOLD, I HAVE ALSO GIVEN THEE [THE CHARGE OF MINE HEAVE OFFERING] with pleasure. This is suggested by the word “Behold”, for this is an expression used when something is done with pleasure, just as in, (Exodus 4:14) “Behold, he goeth forth to meet thee and when he will see thee he will rejoice in his heart!” A parable! This may be compared to a king who presented a field to his friend, but he did not write or seal a deed of gift nor did he record it in the court. When a man came and laid claim to the field, the king said to him, “It seems that anyone who wishes to do so may come and claim against you; behold, I will write and seal a deed of gift to you, and record it in the court! So here, too, because Korah came and made a claim against Aaron to the Priesthood, Scripture (God) came and gave him the twenty-four “gifts” of the priesthood as an everlasting covenant of salt (i.e. an enduring covenant). For this reason is this section recording the gifts of the priests placed here after that which narrates Korah’s rebellion (Sifrei Bamidbar 117:1).

ואני הנה נתתי לך, as for Me, in compensation for the careful security measures which you will take to preserve the sacred nature of these locations, I will grant you as exclusive gifts the potions listed forthwith.

ואני הנני נתתי לד את משמרת תרומותי, "And I, behold I have placed you in charge of My heave-offerings." The reason for the word ואני, which appears superfluous, is that G'd adds another duty to the duty of the priests to guard the sanctity of the Sanctuary on pain of death; G'd states that He had already given the priests an advance payment so to speak, namely the task to preserve the sanctity of the heave-offerings (which are theirs) and the sanctity of everything holy the Israelites designate as such.