וָאֶתְּנָ֨ה אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֜ם נְתֻנִ֣ים ׀ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן וּלְבָנָ֗יו מִתּוֹךְ֮ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ לַעֲבֹ֞ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֤ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וּלְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֨א יִהְיֶ֜ה בִּבְנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נֶ֔גֶף בְּגֶ֥שֶׁת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶל־הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃
און איך האָב געגעבן די לוִיִים אָפּגעגעבענע צו אַהרֹנען און צו זײַנע קינדער פֿון צװישן די קינדער פֿון ישׂראל, צו דינען דעם דינסט פֿון די קינדער פֿון ישׂראל אין אוֹהל-מוֹעד, און מכפּר צו זײַן אױף די קינדער פֿון ישׂראל, כּדי עס זאָל ניט זײַן צװישן די קינדער פֿון ישׂראל אַ פּלאָג, אַז די קינדער פֿון ישׂראל װעלן גענענען צום הײליקטום.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“I formally assign the Levites” [8:19]. Rashi writes here. Israel is mentioned five times in this verse. This teaches us that the Holy One loves Israel. Therefore, they are mentioned five times, like the five books of the Torah.14Rashi, Numbers, 8:19.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
Bahya writes. It is a parable. A child goes to the teacher. The father comes and asks about his child. He says: has my son eaten? Did my son drink? Has my son slept? Did my son go to the teacher? Did my son come home from the teacher? He mentions him at every question and says my son, out of love. So too is the Holy One. He mentions Israel five times in one verse, for the five books of the Torah, on which the world stands.15Bahya, Numbers, 8:19.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
Bahya writes that one can see the great strength that Aaron had. He lifted up twenty-two thousand Levites from the ground in one day.16Bahya, Numbers, 8:20.
Rashi
ואתנה וגו׳ AND I HAVE GIVEN [THE LEVITES etc.] — Five times are the “children of Israel” mentioned in this verse (where the last four times they might have been alluded to by a personal pronoun), in order to show what affection they are held by the Lord in that the mention of them is repeated five times in one verse corresponding in number to the “Five Books of the Torah”. Thus I have seen stated in Genesis Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah 2:4; cf. Genesis Rabbah 3:5).
Or HaChaim
צוטריטלעך נאָר פֿאַר פּרעמיום־מיטגלידערRabbeinu Bahya
צוטריטלעך נאָר פֿאַר פּרעמיום־מיטגלידערSiftei Chakhamim
צוטריטלעך נאָר פֿאַר פּרעמיום־מיטגלידערRav Hirsch
צוטריטלעך נאָר פֿאַר פּרעמיום־מיטגלידערRashi
ולא יהיה בבני ישראל נגף [AND I HAVE GIVEN THE LEVITES … TO DO THE SERVICE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] THAT THERE BE NO PLAGUE AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL COME NIGH UNTO THE SANCTUARY] — The meaning is: I have given them etc. so that it should be unnecessary for them to come near to the Sanctuary, because [having sinned by worshipping the Calf], if they came near there would be a plague among them.