פירוש על במדבר 1:50

ואתה הפקד את הלוים BUT THOU SHALT APPOINT THE LEVITES OVERSEERS [OVER THE TABERNACLE etc.] — Understand the word הפקד as the Targum does: ,מני “appoint”; it (the word מני) is an expression for appointing a person to control that thing over which he has been appointed; similar is, (Esther 2:3) “and let the king appoint (ויפקד) officers”.

ואתה הפקד, the commandment to count them is repeated to make clear that they are in a class by themselves. The reason was that only this census rated as a holy activity.

Authority. One might ask: Why does Rashi explain that this word is to be understood as the Targum translates (with the word מני — “appoint”), was it merely so that one would not say that הפקד (appoint) is a term of counting? What answer is this, given that the Targum also renders terms of counting with the word מני? The answer is: Wherever the Targum uses the word מני for an appointment to authority, the nun is punctuated with a dagesh (מנּי), and here is also punctuated so. Thus we may infer that it refers to an appointment to authority. However, when the nun of the word מני is not punctuated, it refers to counting. Another answer is that Rashi explains that the word is to be understood as the Targum translates, because the word הפקד is also a term of remembrance, as in “Hashem פקד (remembered) Sarah” (Bereishis 21:1) and sometimes it is a term of omission as with “and not one of us is missing” (Bamidbar 31:49). Therefore Rashi explains that it is to be understood as the Targum translates, to exclude those two explanations (remembrance and omission) of the word. One is unable to say that it is a term of counting; therefore he explains that it is to be understood as in the phrase “let the king appoint officials.”

V. 50. ואתה הפקד וגו׳. Wie sie im Leben das Gesetz zu pflegen und zu vertreten haben, soll ihnen auch die, Pflege und Vertretung des Gesetzesheiligtums übertragen sein. Die Pflege spricht sich im Tragen des Heiligtums und seiner Geräte, sowie im Herrichten desselben, dem: ישרתהו aus; die Vertretung in dem Wache haltenden Lagern um das Heiligtum.

המה ישאו, “they will carry;” whenever the people broke camp and continued on their journey.

והמה ישרתוהו, “and they would minister to it;” when the Tabernacle would be put up again.

וסביב למשכן יחנו, and they would encamp immediately around the Tabernacle from all sides to ensure that no unauthorized person would enter the Tabernacle.