Commentaire de citation sur Les Nombres 7:3

ויקריבו נשיאי ישראל, “the princes of the house of Israel offered etc.;” the Torah follows up with telling us what it was that the princes of the house of Israel offered, i.e. the offering was individual and collective at one and the same time; (verse 3) [Their sacrifices (pl.) are described as קרבנם, “their offering” (singular) instead of קרבנותיהם, “their offerings, pl.)

העומדים על הפקודים, “the ones who supervised the census.” According to Rashi, each prince had stood beside Moses and Aaron when the members of that prince’s tribe were being counted. He based himself on Numbers 1,4: ואתכם יהיו איש איש למטה איש ראש לבית אבותיו הוא, “and with you there shall be a man of every tribe, everyone head of his father’s house.” Therefore the construction of ויביאו את קרבנם, “they brought their atonement offering for counting the people of Israel,” is justified. We find another example of such an offering as atonement for counting in Numbers 31,50 after the successful punitive campaign against Midian, [both the soldiers who found that there had been no casualties, and the huge amount of booty collected. Ed.]

These things I will remember, etc., how I passed on with the throng Pasoye in Old French. I remember this, and my soul pours out when I remember the festive pilgrimage, how I would pass on with the throngs of people and walk slowly with them until the House of God. סַךְ is an expression of a number. Another explanation: סַךְ is an expression of a human barrier. Another explanation: סַךְ is an expression of a covering and a booth, meaning covered wagons. סַךְ is an expression relating to צָב (Num. 7:3), “covered wagons” (עגלותצב). Covered like a booth, their name in the language of the Aggadah is סקפסטאות and אסקופיטי.

and with covered wagons Heb. וּבַצַּבִּים. These are wagons equipped with partitions and a tent. Comp. (Num. 7:3) “Six covered wagons (עֶגְלוֹתצָב).”