Commento su Numeri 1:47

BUT THE LEVITES AFTER THE TRIBE OF THEIR FATHERS WERE NOT NUMBERED AMONG THEM. Moses had understood at the beginning of his own accord that he should not count the Levites [with the other tribes], because he had been told, And with you there shall be a man of every tribe etc.,⁸⁶Ibid., Verse 4. meaning that each of the tribes that were to be counted should have their prince present, and since G-d had not appointed a prince for the tribe of Levi, hence he [Moses] did not count them. Therefore he was in doubt about the Levites and did not know what to do with them. And when he had finished all those who were counted of the people, and the Levites remained alone [uncounted], the Holy One, blessed be He, explained to him that he was not to count them among the children of Israel but that he should take their sum separately, for he was to appoint them over the Tabernacle of the Testimony.⁸⁷Further, Verse 50.
He stated ‘p’kod’ [‘number’ — in the singular] the children of Levi⁸⁸Ibid., 3:15. meaning that he [Moses] was to count them by himself without [the assistance of] the princes, and it was he [Moses] who called upon Aaron to be with him,⁸⁹Ibid., Verse 39: All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered etc. Thus it is clear that Aaron also participated in the counting of the Levites. Since his name was not mentioned when Moses was commanded to take that census, Ramban suggests that he joined at Moses’ invitation, see further in text of Ramban that Moses’ action was alluded to in the words of G-d. See Note 93. since he [Aaron] was the prince of that tribe, and just as the princes of Israel were [present] at [the counting of] their tribes, so was the prince of the Levites to be present when they were counted. Perhaps that is the reason for the dots [in the Torah] on the word ‘v’Aharon’ [and Aaron, in the phrase: All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses ‘and Aaron’ numbered]⁸⁹Ibid., Verse 39: All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered etc. Thus it is clear that Aaron also participated in the counting of the Levites. Since his name was not mentioned when Moses was commanded to take that census, Ramban suggests that he joined at Moses’ invitation, see further in text of Ramban that Moses’ action was alluded to in the words of G-d. See Note 93. since his [assistance in the counting] was not by the express commandment of G-d.⁹⁰Rashi however, [basing himself on Bechoroth 4a] states that the dots indicate that “Aaron himself was not in the census of the Levites.” This will be mentioned by Ramban further on in a somewhat different form (see Note 95). Afterwards, [however], when the Levites were appointed to their individual services and burdens, Moses called upon the princes of the congregation to be with him, as it is said, All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered,⁹¹Further, 4: 46. since it was fitting that they should all give their assent to and supervise the establishment of the mishmaroth.⁹²A mishmar [literally: a guard] is a Division of priests and Levites for duty in the Sanctuary. According to tradition, Moses divided the priests into eight Divisions, four from the families of Eleazar and four from Ithamar, and later on when the Sanctuary was built in Jerusalem, David and Samuel sub-divided them into twenty-four Divisions. Each Division served for a period of one week, and during the three Festivals all the Divisions were in attendance simultaneously (see “The Commandments” Vol. I, pp. 46-47). See also Ramban further, Verse 53, and at Note 96, for additional aspects of this term as used by Ramban. — It should be noted that the concept of mishmaroth applied also to the Levites and Israelites, for just as the priests were divided into twenty-four Divisions, so also were the other two groups. Each week a new mishmar of priests, Levites, and Israelites would arrive in Jerusalem to attend to the Divine Services in the Sanctuary. The Israelites’ function was to “stand by” the daily offerings brought for the whole congregation of Israel, for “how can a man’s offering be offered while he does not stand by it?” (Taanith 26a). Such a group of Israelites is referred to as a ma’amad (literally: “stand by”). In the text of Ramban before us, however, reference is only to the Divisions of the priests and Levites. And Scripture repeats in another place, These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites … whom Moses and Aaron numbered ‘according to the commandment of the Eternal’ by the hand of Moses⁹³Further, 4:37. The verse seems to indicate that G-d had explicitly commanded Aaron’s presence at the census, which does not corroborate Ramban’s interpretation above. Ramban therefore explains that although there was no explicit command, there had been a hint, and Moses therefore, in asking Aaron to be present, was indeed acting according to the command of the Eternal. Because He had already hinted through the dots [on the word v’Aharon⁸⁹Ibid., Verse 39: All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered etc. Thus it is clear that Aaron also participated in the counting of the Levites. Since his name was not mentioned when Moses was commanded to take that census, Ramban suggests that he joined at Moses’ invitation, see further in text of Ramban that Moses’ action was alluded to in the words of G-d. See Note 93.] that Aaron had to be there, from which Moses understood that he was to do so, [hence it says according to the commandment of the Eternal].⁹³Further, 4:37. The verse seems to indicate that G-d had explicitly commanded Aaron’s presence at the census, which does not corroborate Ramban’s interpretation above. Ramban therefore explains that although there was no explicit command, there had been a hint, and Moses therefore, in asking Aaron to be present, was indeed acting according to the command of the Eternal. But the [presence of the] princes of the congregation [at the numbering of the Levites]⁹¹Further, 4: 46. was not obligatory, and Moses called them in order to show them respect, [therefore Scripture does not state that their presence was “according to the commandment of the Eternal”]. In Tractate Bechoroth⁹⁴Bechoroth 4a. the Rabbis have said that the dots on the word Aharon⁸⁹Ibid., Verse 39: All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered etc. Thus it is clear that Aaron also participated in the counting of the Levites. Since his name was not mentioned when Moses was commanded to take that census, Ramban suggests that he joined at Moses’ invitation, see further in text of Ramban that Moses’ action was alluded to in the words of G-d. See Note 93. are to hint that Aaron himself was not counted at all in the census of the Levites.⁹⁵There is a marked difference on this point between the language of Rashi (see above Note 90) and that of Ramban. According to Rashi, the dots on the word Aharon indicate that “he was not in the census of the Levites,” which can be interpreted as saying that he did not participate in counting the people, and only Moses did it. Mizrachi in fact interprets Rashi in this way, since the verse [whom Moses and Aaron counted] refers to those who did the actual counting of the Levites, thus the dots on the word “Aaron” indicate that he did not participate in the counting — but he himself may well have been counted. Ramban’s language, however, clearly means that “Aaron himself was not counted at all in the census of the Levites.” This explains why Ramban does not quote this explanation of the Gemara in the name of Rashi, as he is wont to do, since his interpretation of the text of Bechoroth 4a is different than Rashi’s.

לא התפקדו, were not counted by the officials appointed to conduct the census, nor did they count themselves. (compare Ibn Ezra on this) They had not prepared themselves as had the other people for coming to the assembly point and providing documents proving their identity and genealogy. What is mentioned in this verse all referred to the time prior to G’d announcing in verse 49 that the tribe of Levi should not be included in this census. The Levites had been awaiting instructions concerning how they were going to be counted. The reason they had reason to wonder was that the tribe of Levi had not been mentioned in the list of tribes during this entire chapter when the Torah referred to “each man per each tribe” in verse 4.

והלוים…לא התפקדו בתוכם, and the Levites…were not numbered among them. I have explained this in connection with verse 2.

והלוים למטה אבותם לא התפקדו בתוכם, as will be spelled out in detail later in verse 49 where the command not to count them with the other tribes is reported. The reason why they were counted separately was that they had never been meant to be part of the military, so that they never would have formed part of such a census. Their duties were defined in terms of their ministering to the needs of the Tabernacle.

והלוים...לא התפקדו בתוכם, “But the Levites’ census was not included in that of the other twelve tribes.” Nachmanides writes, that notwithstanding the fact that up until then no directive had been given to count the Levites separately and according to different criteria, Moses realized on his own that he was not meant to include them as an integral part of that census. One of the reasons was that whereas a leader had been named for each of the other tribes, no one had been appointed as the leader of the tribe of Levi. At any rate, while Moses was in doubt how to proceed, he would not arrogate the decision to himself, and as soon as he had concluded the counting of the other twelve tribes, G’d told him how to proceed with the Levites. He called Aaron, in order to give him the honour, seeing that he was the de facto leader of the tribe. Perhaps this is the reason why we find dots on the word ואהרן (verse 39) i.e. a hint that Aaron was in Moses‘ company when G’d told him how to count the Levites. Subsequently, in 4,46 as well as in 4,36 and 4,45 we are also told about the respective leaders’ presence during these counts, as everything had to be done with the approval of all the notables concerned. The same applied to the division of the tasks to be performed by the various groups of Levites, each group headed by descendants of one of the three sons of Levi, son of Yaakov.

V. 47. לא התפקדו, eine aus התפעל und הפעל zusammengesetzte Form: sie waren nicht zugelassen oder nicht veranlasst worden, sich mit unter die Volksgemeinde zu zählen. Nicht aus eigenem Antriebe, weil etwa sie sich etwas Besonderes dünkten, sind sie von der Zählung zurückgeblieben. Sie hätten sich mitgezählt, allein es ist dies auf höheren Befehl unterblieben, wie der folgende Vers sogleich berichtet.

והלוים למטה אבותם לא התפקדו בתוכם, and the Levites according to their tribal affiliations had not been included in this census. The reason was that the basis of counting them was not the same; they were counted from thirty days and up instead from twenty years and up. They were also only counted from thirty years and up when they were ready to perform their duties. (Numbers 4,3). (Compare Bamidbar Rabbah 1,12)

The Levites. The main reason [they were not counted] is as the Rashbam wrote that they did not go out to war in the army but rather were appointed to oversee the Mishkon. This was also the reason they were not counted before the Divine command was given, since their tribe did not have a total that was fitting to form a battalion of warriors, as they were Torah scholars.