[AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON.] Scripture reads, unto Moses and unto Aaron¹ because Aaron and his sons were to command the Kohathites as to which burdens they were to carry upon their shoulders.²

footnotes: ¹ In most cases, only Moses is mentioned when God addresses commands. Hence I.E.’s comment. ² For the burden of the Kohathites, see Num. 4:4-19.

ACCORDING TO THE ENSIGNS. There were signs upon each and every standard. The ancients³ said that the banner of Reuben had the form of a person on it.⁴ 2:6. Their statement is based on a midrashic interpretation concerning the mandrakes found by Reuben.⁵ The ancients also tell us that there was an image of a lion on the standard of Judah, for Jacob had compared Judah to a lion.⁶ They also tell us that the banner of Ephraim⁷ had the image of an ox upon it, in keeping with the verse, His firstling bullock (Deut. 33:17). The flag of Dan had the image of an eagle. Thus the banners were similar to the cherubim which the prophet Ezekiel saw.⁸

footnotes: ³ The Talmudic sages. ⁴ See Ba-Midbar Rabbah ⁵ The mandrakes have the appearance of a person. See I.E. on Gen. 30:14. ⁶ See Gen. 49:9. ⁷ The son of Joseph. ⁸ Each one of the cherubim seen by Ezekiel had four faces, the face of a man, an ox, an eagle, and a lion. See Ezek. 1:10. The camp of Israel similarly carried each one of these four images. In Ezekiel’s vision these cherubim supported the divine throne. Similarly, according to the sages, God’s spirit rested upon the camp of Israel.

A GOOD WAY OFF. The word mi-neged means a good way off.⁹ literally means opposite. Hence I.E.’s comment.

footnotes: ⁹ The word neged

ON THE EAST SIDE TOWARD THE SUNRISING. The beginning of the east.¹⁰. This literally means toward the east. According to I.E., kedemah mizrachah is a technical term for the beginning of the east, i.e., northeast. See I.E. on Ex. 27:9 and the notes thereto (Vol. 2, pp. 581-2).

footnotes: ¹⁰ Our verse reads, kedemah mizrachah

AND HIS HOST (U-FEKUDEHEM). Scripture could have read u-fekudav (and his host).¹¹ There is no difference between the two terms.¹² literally means and their host. U-fekudav means and his host. I.E. indicates that Scripture employs the singular for the plural, as the Bible uses collective nouns.

footnotes: ¹¹ As it does in verse 8. ¹² U-fekudehem

AND THOSE THAT PITCH NEXT UNTO HIM. Ve-hachonim alav means those that pitch with him.¹³ literally means on him. Thus the literal meaning of ve-hachonim alav (and those that pitch next unto him) is, and those that pitch upon him. Hence I.E.’s comment that alav means with him. Issachar was behind Judah and in front of Zebulun who was third.

footnotes: ¹³ Alav

THEY SHALL SET FORTH FIRST. The meaning of rishonah yissa’u is, they shall set forth first.¹⁴ should be read as if written ba-rishonah yissa’u. (Krinsky).

footnotes: ¹⁴ In other words, rishonah yissa’u

ON THE SOUTH SIDE. The word temanah (on the south side) comes from the same root as the word yemin (right).¹⁵

footnotes: ¹⁵ When a person faces east, the south is at his right.

SECOND. Sheniyyim (second) is an adjective.

THEN THE TENT OF MEETING, WITH THE CAMP OF THE LEVITES, SHALL SET FORWARD IN THE MIDST OF THE CAMPS. In the midst of the above-mentioned camps,¹⁶ for the Gershonites and Merarites journeyed between the banner of Judah and the banner of Reuben.¹⁷ And the Kohathites, and with them Aaron and his sons, journeyed between the banner of Reuben and the banner of Ephraim.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁶ The camps of Judah and Reuben. ¹⁷ Num. 10:14-20. ¹⁸ Num. 10: 21-24.

AS THEY ENCAMP, SO SHALL THEY SET FORWARD. The reference is to the camps, which refers to the camp of the Israelites. It¹⁹. does not refer to the camp of the Levites. The Gershonites, who pitched on the west²⁰ of the sanctuary, and the Merarites on the north²¹ journeyed together,²² after the camp of Judah who pitched on the east.²³

footnotes: ¹⁹ As they set encamp, so shall they set forward ²⁰ Num. 3:23. ²¹ Num. 3:35. ²² Num. 10:17. Unlike the way they camped. ²³ Judah who pitched on the east marched first, followed by Reuben who pitched on the south, followed by Ephraim who pitched on the west, followed by Dan who pitched on the north. However, the Levites who camped on all four sides of the tabernacle did not follow this order.

EVERY MAN IN HIS PLACE. The meaning of al yado (in his place) is, in his corner and place.²⁴ literally means his hand. Hence I.E.’s comment. The same applies to yad ha-yarden (by the side of the Jordan) (Num. 13:29) and ve-yad tiheyah lekha (and thou shalt have a paddle) (Deut. 23:13).²⁵, literally hand, is to be rendered as place in both of these verses.

footnotes: ²⁴ The word yado ²⁵ The word yad

THESE ARE THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. When they journeyed,²⁶ they were the same number as on the day that they were counted.²⁷ Thus not one of them died in twenty days. This is a great wonder.

footnotes: ²⁶ On the twentieth day of the second month (Num. 10:11). ²⁷ On the first day of the second month (Num. 1:1).

BUT THE LEVITES WERE NOT NUMBERED AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Scripture makes it clear that we should not count even one Levite among those who were counted when they journeyed.²⁸

footnotes: ²⁸ Scripture repeats in verse 33 what it said in Num. 1:47 to emphasize this point.

THUS DID THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. All the days that they spent in the desert.