Parashat Bamidbar, the opening of the fourth book of the Tora, begins with a census ordered by God. Moses, the chosen leader, is tasked with this duty. Each tribe is represented by a leader or chief delegate, known as a “nasi,” adding to the significance of this event.
The Tora mentions the number of men over 20 serving in the military from each tribe, which also serves as a family census. Special duties were also assigned to the Levites, who did not participate in military service but carried out all the Tabernacle or Mishkan’s ritual and logistical aspects, as will be seen.
The Tora presents the results of the census for each tribe, excluding the Tribe of Levi, which Moshe will count separately:
Tribe of Reuben: 46,500
Tribe of Shimon: 59,300
Tribe of Gad: 45,650
Tribe of Yehuda: 74,600
Tribe of Issakhar: 54,400
Tribe of Zebulun: 57,400
Tribe of Ephraim: 40,500
Tribe of Menashe: 32,200
Tribe of Binyamin: 35,400
Tribe of Dan: 62,700
Tribe of Asher: 41,500
Tribe of Naphtali: 53,400
The total number of men eligible for military service was 603,550.
HaShem bestows a special task upon the men of the Tribe of Levi: to care for the Mishkan, a mobile Sanctuary, and its utensils. This duty involves maintenance, dismantling, and transporting the Mishkan when the people move and rebuilding it when they encamp. The Levites are instructed to set up their tents in the center of the camp, closer to the Mishkan. At the same time, the other tribes are organized around them according to their respective groups and military formations.
Then, HaShem instructs Moses to conduct a separate census of the Tribe of Levi, and the final count is 22,000 individuals. The Tora also details the tasks assigned to each of the three families of the Tribe of Levi: Gershon, Qehat, and Merari.
At the end of the Parashah, Hashem appoints the Levites as His priests in place of the firstborns, as was the custom in those times. A “redemption ceremony” called “pidyon” is performed, which continues to be practiced to exempt firstborn males from priestly service.
