עַל־פִּ֨י יְהוָ֜ה פָּקַ֤ד אוֹתָם֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אִ֥ישׁ אִ֛ישׁ עַל־עֲבֹדָת֖וֹ וְעַל־מַשָּׂא֑וֹ וּפְקֻדָ֕יו אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (פ)
לױט דעם מױל פֿון גאָט דורך משהן האָט מען זײ געשטעלט יעטװעדער מאַן אױף זײַן דינסט און אױף זײַן משׂא. אַזױ איז געװען זײער צײלונג װאָס גאָט האָט באַפֿױלן משהן.
Sifra
2) The limitations: (Bamidbar 7:89): "And when Moses came to the ohel moed (for the L–rd) to speak to 1 him, that he heard the voice speaking to 2 him … and He spoke to him." (Shemoth 25:22): "And I will be appointed for you there, and I will speak to you … all that I will charge you with to the children of Israel." (Shemoth 29:42): "… where I shall appoint a time for you (plural) to speak to you (singular) there." (Shemoth 30:6):
Bamidbar Rabbah
“Their counted were eight thousand and five hundred and eighty” (Numbers 4:48).
“Their counted were eight thousand and five hundred and eighty.” This is what they said: They counted them separately and they counted them together, like a person who has objects that are fine, excellent, and especially dear to him; he counts them separately and then counts them together, because he rejoices in their substantial number. So, the Holy One blessed be He commanded to write the number of the Levites separately and together, because they were members of His household, upright, and especially dear to him.
“According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses, each man to his service, and to his burden, and his count was as the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 4:49).
“According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses.” This is said in reference to the sons of Kehat, as Aaron counted the sons of Kehat and said: ‘So-and-so and so-and-so will bear the Ark, and so-and-so and so-and-so will bear the altar, and likewise all the vessels of the most sacred order.’ Just as the Holy One blessed be He commanded Moses that Aaron should perform, so Aaron performed. That is, “at the hand of Moses.” From where do you say that it is regarding the sons of Kehat that the verse is speaking? It is as it is written: “Each man to his service, and to his burden.” So it is written regarding the sons of Kehat: “Aaron and his sons shall come, and assign them, each man to his service and to his burden” (Numbers 4:19).
“And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses.” This is said in reference to the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, as the Holy One blessed be He commanded that their service should be under his [Moses’] direction, with his brother Aaron. Regarding the sons of Gershon it is written: “You shall assign them all their burden as a commission” (Numbers 4:27), Moses was with them. Regarding the sons of Merari it is written: “And by names you shall appoint the instruments of the commission of their burden” (Numbers 4:32), it included Moses. That is why it is written: “And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses,” as Moses counted and said so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Gershon will bear the woven strips of fabric. So-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so will bear the Tent of Meeting, and likewise regarding all the instruments of their service. He would assign the burden of the sons of Gershon by number. Likewise, Moses counted and said so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Merari will bear the beams; so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Merari will bear the bars; and likewise it was regarding all the instruments of the service of the burden of the sons of Merari; he would assign them by number to their service. That is, “as the Lord commanded Moses.” Moses was commanded regarding these two families, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, that he should command them how they should bear and how they should guard what is in their care. That is, “as the Lord commanded Moses.”
“Their counted were eight thousand and five hundred and eighty.” This is what they said: They counted them separately and they counted them together, like a person who has objects that are fine, excellent, and especially dear to him; he counts them separately and then counts them together, because he rejoices in their substantial number. So, the Holy One blessed be He commanded to write the number of the Levites separately and together, because they were members of His household, upright, and especially dear to him.
“According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses, each man to his service, and to his burden, and his count was as the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 4:49).
“According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses.” This is said in reference to the sons of Kehat, as Aaron counted the sons of Kehat and said: ‘So-and-so and so-and-so will bear the Ark, and so-and-so and so-and-so will bear the altar, and likewise all the vessels of the most sacred order.’ Just as the Holy One blessed be He commanded Moses that Aaron should perform, so Aaron performed. That is, “at the hand of Moses.” From where do you say that it is regarding the sons of Kehat that the verse is speaking? It is as it is written: “Each man to his service, and to his burden.” So it is written regarding the sons of Kehat: “Aaron and his sons shall come, and assign them, each man to his service and to his burden” (Numbers 4:19).
“And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses.” This is said in reference to the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, as the Holy One blessed be He commanded that their service should be under his [Moses’] direction, with his brother Aaron. Regarding the sons of Gershon it is written: “You shall assign them all their burden as a commission” (Numbers 4:27), Moses was with them. Regarding the sons of Merari it is written: “And by names you shall appoint the instruments of the commission of their burden” (Numbers 4:32), it included Moses. That is why it is written: “And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses,” as Moses counted and said so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Gershon will bear the woven strips of fabric. So-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so will bear the Tent of Meeting, and likewise regarding all the instruments of their service. He would assign the burden of the sons of Gershon by number. Likewise, Moses counted and said so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Merari will bear the beams; so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so of the sons of Merari will bear the bars; and likewise it was regarding all the instruments of the service of the burden of the sons of Merari; he would assign them by number to their service. That is, “as the Lord commanded Moses.” Moses was commanded regarding these two families, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, that he should command them how they should bear and how they should guard what is in their care. That is, “as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Bamidbar Rabbah
“They shall send out from the camp every leper…” – why is the portion of lepers juxtaposed to the portion of the Levites? You find that Israel and the Levites accepted the kingdom of the Holy One blessed be He upon themselves at Sinai, as it is stated: “All the people answered together” (Exodus 19:8). At the end of forty days, Israel rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He: “They crafted for themselves a molten calf…and said: This is your god, Israel, who took you up from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:8). But the Levites were found faultless before the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Moses stood at the gate of the camp [and said: Whoever is for the Lord, come to me; and all the sons of Levi gathered to him]” (Exodus 32:26). The Holy One blessed be He said: “For those who honor Me, I will honor, but those who scorn Me will be lowly” (I Samuel 2:30). The sons of Levi, who honored Me and did not deny Me, them I honor. But Israel, who scorned Me, as I took them up out of Egypt but they said it was the calf that took them up, by right they should be lowly. With what honor did the Holy One blessed be He honor the Levites? It is that He took them as His portion, as it is stated: “I have hereby taken the Levites from among the children of Israel…[and the Levites shall be Mine]” (Numbers 3:12). When He came to count them to stand in His service, He counted them Himself.
From where is it derived that it is so? Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon said: It is written before the portion of the lepers: “According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses” (Numbers 4:49), and it says: “And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 4:49). It is written at the beginning of the matter: “Their counted were” (Numbers 4:36). Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon said: How will the expounder find his bearings between “his count” and “their counted”? If “his count,” why “their counted”? Rather, “their counted” – what Moses and Aaron counted; “His count” – what God counted. Why did God count them? The Holy One blessed be He said: So no man would say: Were Moses and Aaron capable of counting all those multitudes? God said: If you express reproof about them it is as though you are expressing reproof about Me. That is why He wrote: “His count” and “their counted.”
How did Moses count them? Rabbi Berekhya said: The Holy One blessed be He would say to Moses: ‘In such and such family there are such and such people,’ until he counted them. That is what is written: “According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses.” When Moses counted them from one month old, he counted them at the directive of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “All those counted of the Levites, [whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the directive of the Lord]” (Numbers 3:39). Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen said: Do you believe that Moses would go and enter the tent of each and every one to see how many sons he had? No, rather God said to Moses: ‘There are two in the tent of so-and-so, and three in the tent of so-and-so,’ until he counted them. From where is it derived? As it is stated: “According to the directive of the Lord.” Thus, He accorded great honor to them in that He Himself counted them. But in the census of Israel, you do not find “according to the directive of the Lord.” Because they did not honor Him, He did not honor them.
Likewise, when the Holy One blessed be He came to establish the Tabernacle, He drew the Levites near in His service, as it says in the portion.2This refers to Numbers, chapters 3–4, which describe how the Levites were chosen and what their role was in the Tabernacle. The Holy One blessed be He said: The Levites who honored Me will be with Me, but those who erred with the calf will be afflicted with leprosy, as it is stated: “Moses saw the people, that it was wild [farua]” (Exodus 32:25).3The proof from the verse is explained in Bemidbar Rabba 7:1. Likewise, it says: “I hate the doing of perversity; [it shall not cleave to me]” (Psalms 101:3).4Therefore, other Israelites, who sinned with the calf, were rejected and did not serve in the Tabernacle and Temple.
From where is it derived that it is so? Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon said: It is written before the portion of the lepers: “According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses” (Numbers 4:49), and it says: “And his count was as the Lord commanded Moses” (Numbers 4:49). It is written at the beginning of the matter: “Their counted were” (Numbers 4:36). Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon said: How will the expounder find his bearings between “his count” and “their counted”? If “his count,” why “their counted”? Rather, “their counted” – what Moses and Aaron counted; “His count” – what God counted. Why did God count them? The Holy One blessed be He said: So no man would say: Were Moses and Aaron capable of counting all those multitudes? God said: If you express reproof about them it is as though you are expressing reproof about Me. That is why He wrote: “His count” and “their counted.”
How did Moses count them? Rabbi Berekhya said: The Holy One blessed be He would say to Moses: ‘In such and such family there are such and such people,’ until he counted them. That is what is written: “According to the directive of the Lord he counted them, at the hand of Moses.” When Moses counted them from one month old, he counted them at the directive of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “All those counted of the Levites, [whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the directive of the Lord]” (Numbers 3:39). Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen said: Do you believe that Moses would go and enter the tent of each and every one to see how many sons he had? No, rather God said to Moses: ‘There are two in the tent of so-and-so, and three in the tent of so-and-so,’ until he counted them. From where is it derived? As it is stated: “According to the directive of the Lord.” Thus, He accorded great honor to them in that He Himself counted them. But in the census of Israel, you do not find “according to the directive of the Lord.” Because they did not honor Him, He did not honor them.
Likewise, when the Holy One blessed be He came to establish the Tabernacle, He drew the Levites near in His service, as it says in the portion.2This refers to Numbers, chapters 3–4, which describe how the Levites were chosen and what their role was in the Tabernacle. The Holy One blessed be He said: The Levites who honored Me will be with Me, but those who erred with the calf will be afflicted with leprosy, as it is stated: “Moses saw the people, that it was wild [farua]” (Exodus 32:25).3The proof from the verse is explained in Bemidbar Rabba 7:1. Likewise, it says: “I hate the doing of perversity; [it shall not cleave to me]” (Psalms 101:3).4Therefore, other Israelites, who sinned with the calf, were rejected and did not serve in the Tabernacle and Temple.