מוסר אויף במדבר 8:6

This Parshah deals primarily with the camp of the Israelites. This is strongly suggested by the statement in 8,6: קח את הלוים מתוך בני ישראל וטהרת אותם, "Take the Levites from amongst the Israelites, and purify them." Since the Levites acted as the atonement for the Israelites, they were commanded to place their hands on them (8,10). They were then able to atone for the sin of the golden calf which Israel had made and which the firstborn had worshipped, as Rashi points out on verse 7 in the name of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. It follows that the sanctity of the Levites caused a degree of sanctity to be bestowed on the Israelites. This is why the Israelites are mentioned five times in 8,19. Rashi explains that this number corresponds to the five books of the Torah and that it underlines how beloved the Israelites were in the eyes of G–d. This quintuple belovedness refers to the five parts of the soul of the Jewish people, i.e. the נשמה, רוח, נפש, חיה, יחידה, that we discussed in Parshat Nasso. The Levites are perceived as the messengers or agents of the Israelites, and we have a halachic ruling that a man's messenger has equal standing in law to the man who has appointed him as such.

There is a difficulty concerning the sequence in which events are recorded in these three פרשיות. The Torah begins by relating the erection of the Tabernacle on the first of Nissan. Then it reports that G–d's Presence manifested itself there on the first day of the following month, lyar. The Torah then states that the people were counted. Next the Torah explains that henceforth the tribe of Levi would assume the functions that used to be reserved for the firstborn. The Torah proceeds to report the counting of the tribe of Levi, i.e. the Kehatites, the Gersonides and the Merarites. Their respective duties are also listed. After that, in Parshat Nasso, we read about the people who have to leave the camp because of impurity. Up to this point, the order of events is logical. At this point however, the Torah inserts other subjects, such as the steps for rehabilitation of people who have trespassed against Torah commandments. There follow the laws about סוטה, the woman accused of unproven infidelity. This in turn is followed by the laws governing the conduct of a Nazirite. Only after that does the Torah resume dealing with matters related to the Tabernacle, such as the Priests bestowing blessings on the people of Israel. This is followed by reports about the consecration of the Tabernacle/Altar by the offerings of the twelve tribal heads, נשיאים. This is followed by details about the candelabrum in the Tabernacle in Parshat Behaalotcha. At this point, the Torah again refers to the Levites (8,5), and their consecration. Why did the Torah interrupt with the legislation about פסח שני only to report subsequently about the encampment of the twelve tribes, the manner of getting ready to break or pitch camp? This is followed by a report that two trumpets had to be made, and by the proposal to keep Yitro with the Jewish people permanently. Next we hear how the Israelites complained about the manna, how they craved a meat diet, and how they were punished for their greed and lust. This is followed by Miriam's slanderous remarks about Moses and her punishment by צרעת. We will have to justify the order in which the Torah relates all these matters by showing how each is directly related to what follows. The numbers three and four respectively, which play a major role in our Parshah, find their counterpart in the layout of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple.