Midrash su Esodo 30:31

[(Exod. 30:12): WHEN YOU TAKE A CENSUS.] What is written <just> before this lection (in Exod. 30:10)? AARON SHALL MAKE ATONEMENT UPON ITS HORNS (i.e., the horns of the incense altar) <ONCE A YEAR>.¹³Tanh., Exod. 9:6; PRK 2:7. When Israel sinned, the Holy One said to Moses: Go and make atonement for them. He said to him: Sovereign of the World, did you not say this: ONCE A YEAR? The Holy One said to him: Go and restore them. R. Abbin the Levite said: Moses said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, out of all the peoples that you have in your world, you only charge me concerning Israel. (Lev. 20:2:) AND UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL YOU SHALL SAY. (Exod. 30:31:) UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL YOU SHALL SPEAK. To what is the matter comparable?¹⁴Tanh., Exod. 9:8. To a King who had purple garments.¹⁵Gk.: porphurai. Now he had a certain purple cloak which he cherished more than all of them. So he commanded his servant and said to him: Shake it out; fold it up. He also said to him: Set your mind on it. He said to him: My Lord King, of all your purple garments you have only commanded me concerning this one. He said to him: Because I wore this one when I first became king, I therefore cherish it more than all these <other> garments of mine. In such a way did the Holy One speak, when <Moses> said to him: For what reason did you command me more concerning Israel than all the <other> peoples which are in the world? He said to him: For what reason? Because they were the first to make me king, <when they did so> by the sea. (Exod. 15:18:) THE LORD SHALL REIGN FOR EVER AND EVER.

Moses cried out: My master, You did not command me about even one of the seventy nations, only concerning Israel: When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, Unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, And unto the children of Israel thou shalt say, Command the children of Israel, Speak unto the children of Israel. You commanded me to do this only to the children of Israel. He replied to him: I did so because they are dearer to me than all the nations. They are My treasure, I love them and have chosen them, as it is said: And the Lord hath chosen thee to be his own treasure out of all peoples (Deut. 14:2). Observe how precious they are that they are mentioned five times in a single verse: I have given the Levites—they are given to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel, through the children of Israel coming nigh unto the Sanctuary (Num. 8:19).

9) (Vayikra 8:10): "And Moses took the oil of anointment and he anointed the mishkan and all that was in it, and he sanctified them.": R. Yehudah says: Many miracles were wrought with the anointing oil that Moses compounded in the desert — from beginning to end. For in the beginning there were only twelve logs of oil. A hin of olive-oil (viz. Shemoth 30:24) does not suffice for the anointment of the roots (of the incense). How much is burnt by the fire? How much is absorbed by the roots? How much is absorbed by the kettle (in its compounding)? And yet with it were anointed Aaron and his sons all the seven days of investiture, and with it were anointed the mishkan and all of its vessels, and with it were anointed high-priests and kings. And even a high-priest the son of a high-priest requires anointment. And a king the son of a king is not anointed. And why was Solomon anointed? Because of the contention of Adoniyahu. And Yehoash? Because of the contention of Ataliah. And Yehoachaz? Because of Yehoyakim, who was two years older than he. And that oil remains intact for time to come, viz. (Shemoth 20:31): "Holy anointing oil shall this (zeh) be to me throughout your generations. (The gematria [numerical equivalent] of "zeh" is twelve [logs]).