וַיְהִי֩ כָל־בְּכ֨וֹר זָכָ֜ר בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר שֵׁמ֛וֹת מִבֶּן־חֹ֥דֶשׁ וָמַ֖עְלָה לִפְקֻדֵיהֶ֑ם שְׁנַ֤יִם וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ אֶ֔לֶף שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים וּמָאתָֽיִם׃ (פ)
Or, la somme des premiers-nés mâles, comptés par noms depuis l’âge d’un mois et au-delà, dans ce recensement, fut de vingt-deux mille deux cent soixante-treize.
Rabbeinu Bahya
באהל מועד, “in the Tent of Meeting, etc.;” this is the Tabernacle. Once G’d called Moses from the Tabernacle, i.e. from Leviticus 1,1 on where the words “He called to Moses from the Tent of Meeting” occurred for the first time, G’d always spoke to Moses out of the Tent of Meeting seeing that the attribute כבוד which had addressed Moses at the Mountain had moved to the Tabernacle as soon as it had been inaugurated. This is why at this time the instructions had to be issued to the Levites whose camp was around the Tabernacle not to trespass and enter the Sanctuary as any non-priest who entered the Sanctuary was bound to die (verse 51). The warning not to enter the Sanctuary was of the same type as the warning before the revelation not to step beyond the fenced off section of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19,13). The warning is spelled out in detail in Numbers 18,5 after the rebellion of Korach and parts of the senior members of the tribe of Levite. At that time even the priests were included in the warning (Exodus 19,24), and in Numbers 4,20 the Torah warns the Kehatites, the senior group of Levites, not to “look” when the “holy” is inserted or they would die. Even though they carried these “holy” items such as the Ark, they were not to look at it until the Ark had been covered.
Furthermore, the Torah does command that the 22,000 Levites encamp around the Tabernacle (compare Numbers 3,43) seeing that their numbers corresponded to that of the angels who had accompanied G’d when He took up residence in the Tabernacle. We have this information from Psalms 68,18 where the psalmist speaks about רכב אלוהים רבותים, “G’d’s entourage amounting to 22.000.” The Israelites’ camp was composed of four flags, corresponding to their having observed at Mount Sinai that the angels grouped themselves into four camps with a flag each. [Some say each angel had a flag of his own, compare Rabbi Avdimi in Pesikta Rabbati on Asseret Hadibrot. Ed.]
Furthermore, the Torah does command that the 22,000 Levites encamp around the Tabernacle (compare Numbers 3,43) seeing that their numbers corresponded to that of the angels who had accompanied G’d when He took up residence in the Tabernacle. We have this information from Psalms 68,18 where the psalmist speaks about רכב אלוהים רבותים, “G’d’s entourage amounting to 22.000.” The Israelites’ camp was composed of four flags, corresponding to their having observed at Mount Sinai that the angels grouped themselves into four camps with a flag each. [Some say each angel had a flag of his own, compare Rabbi Avdimi in Pesikta Rabbati on Asseret Hadibrot. Ed.]
Siftei Chakhamim
And finds that it spread. Meaning: The phrase, “[The kohein shall come] and see; and behold! [The eruption] has spread” does not refer to [the case where it] returns and sprouts, because we derive ממארת through a gezeiroh shovoh above (3:51) that even though it does not spread it is impure. If so, in [regard to] what is the verse speaking? If regarding [a case] where [the eruption] spread during the first [week], it was already mentioned (v. 39): “The kohein shall return on the seventh day and shall see; and behold! The eruption has spread.” [It must be then that it speaks] only regarding the kohein who comes at the end of the first week and found it unchanged in his sight and it spreads in the second [week]. [In this case] we derive “coming” from “returning” through a gezeiroh shovoh, just as later [he removes the affected stones and] scrapes and plasters and gives it another week, so too here. And the verse (45), “and he shall dismantle the house” refers to (v. 43) “If the eruption returns and sprouts,” of which Scripture did not speak at all, and it explains here that it must be dismantled. However, if it remains unchanged in the first week and spreads in the second week, he removes the stones, scrapes, plasters, and gives it a week.