The number of men over the age of 20 from each tribe is described, which also serves as a military census. Special duties are also assigned to the Levites, who do not participate in military service but rather of all the ritual and logistical aspects of the Tabernacle or Mishkan as will be seen.
The Tora presents the results of the census for each tribe, excluding the Tribe of Levi, which will be counted 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 assigns a special task to the men of the Tribe of Levi: to care for the Mishkan (Tabernacle, a mobile Sanctuary ) and its utensils. This responsibility involves dismantling and transporting the Mishkan when the people move from one place to another and rebuilding it when they encamp. The Levites are commanded to set up their tents in the center of the camp, closer to the Mishkan, while the other tribes residing around them are organized according to their respective groups and military formation.
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: the families of Gershon, Qehat, and Merari.
At the end of the Parashah, it is mentioned that Hashem will appoint 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 a practice observed to exempt firstborn males from priestly service to this day.
