פּירוש אויף במדבר 1:1

וידבר… במדבר סיני … באחד לחדש וגו׳ AND [THE LORD] SPOKE [UNTO MOSES] IN THE DESERT OF SINAI … ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE [SECOND] MONTH … [TAKE YE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION] etc. — Because they were dear to him, He counts them every now and then: when they went forth from Egypt He counted them (Exodus 12:37), when many of them fell in consequence of their having worshipped the golden calf He counted them to ascertain the number of those left (cf. Rashi Exodus 30:16); when he was about to make His Shechinah dwell amongst them (i. e. when He commanded them to make a Tabernacle), He again took their census; for on the first day of Nisan the Tabernacle was erected (Exodus 40:2) and shortly afterwards, on the first day of Iyar, He counted them.

In the wilderness of Sinai. Because these two sections were said to him in the wilderness of Sinai within a span of thirty days, therefore it is written here "In the wilderness of Sinai." See Ramban, of blessed memory.

And the Lord spoke, etc., in the wilderness of Sinai. It is worth noting: (1) Why does the Torah inform us of the location of this statement, something not done elsewhere? (2) It says "in the Tent of Meeting," as if it wasn't known that He speaks to him there. (3) Why does it mention the specific time, "on the first day of the second month," and also that it was in the second year after their exodus from Egypt? (4) Why does it use the term "lift up the head" (census) regarding taking the census? (5) Why is it important to count them according to their families and their fathers' houses, and why specify counting by name and by head? (6) Since they were not yet going out to war, why count those from twenty years and older? (7) Why does it say "by their hosts" and not simply "count their hosts"? It seems there is a distinction between "them" and "their hosts." (8) Why did God not include the heads of the fathers' houses with Moses and Aaron, saying "you and Aaron and the heads of the fathers," instead of "and with you there shall be"? Also, why say "each one the head of his fathers' house," which seems redundant? (9) Why does it elaborate on their names, saying "and Moses took" instead of "and Moses took them," as it is known who they are? (10) Why say "as the Lord commanded Moses," which is obvious, and also "and he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai," when it should say "and they counted them"? (11) Is it not known that it was in the wilderness of Sinai? (12) Why does it say "and they were" for Reuben and Simeon, but not for the other tribes? Also, why add "according to their enumeration" only for Simeon? (13) Why mention "everyone who goes out to war" for each tribe, after it was stated for all of them previously? (14) Why are the tribes listed in the order Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and not include Gad in between? If it's according to the camp order, they were not yet commanded on that. (15) Why say "these are the ones counted by Moses" etc., "each one from his fathers' house," since from "each one" onwards it seems redundant? (16) Why does it say "and all the counted of the children of Israel" when the verse seems unnecessary, as it could directly state the final count? (17) Why does it say "but the Levites, according to their fathers' tribe, were not counted" etc., as if to imply they were counted but not according to their fathers' tribe, instead of just saying "the Levites were not counted"? (18) Why does it say "to the sons of" for each tribe except Reuben and Naphtali, which do not have the prefix "to"? Additionally, the "to" prefix for each tribe is not well understood, as it would be clearer without it.