Sforno on Numbers Chapter 2
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
וְנָסַע אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. בְּתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֹת. בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַדְּגָלִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים.
ונסע...אהל מועד...בתוך המחנה. Between the two flags which have already been mentioned.
כַּאֲשֶׁר יַחֲנוּ. שֶׁכְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ מַחֲצִית כָּל הַדְּגָלִים יִהְיֶה הַמִּשְׁכָּן מוּקָם לְגַמְרֵי בָּאֶמְצַע כֻּלָּם, כִּי תֵּכֶף אַחַר דֶּגֶל רְאוּבֵן נָסְעוּ הַקְּהָתִים נוֹשְׂאֵי הַמִּקְדָּש שֶׁהוּא עִקַּר הַמּוֹעֵד, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת״ (שמות כה:כב).
כאשר יחנו, as soon as half the camp had arrived at the next destination the Tabernacle would be put together again so that it would again be situated in the center of the entire encampment. This was possible as the Kehatites traveled immediately behind the flag of Reuven’s segment of the army, and they had been transporting the vital contents of the Tabernacle. We know from Exodus 25,22 that these parts of the Tabernacle were the essential ones, as G’d had made His communicating with Moses dependent on the presence of these furnishings. It follows that the meaning of the words כאשר יחנו can also be understood as “as soon as they (these parts) would come to rest.” The Tabernacle whether in its functional form, fully erected, or in its pre-fabricated parts only, always remained in the center of the Israelites whether the latter were on the move or encamped.
כַּאֲשֶׁר יַחֲנוּ. וּבְכֵן הָיָה אָז כֻּלּוֹ בָּאֶמְצַע כָּל הַמַּחֲנוֹת, גַּם בְּעֵת הַמַּסָּע.
וְהַלְוִיִּם לֹא הָתְפָּקְדוּ. גַּם בִּסְכוֹם כָּל שְׁאָר הַשְּבָטִים.
והלוים לא התפקדו, also among the total of the remainder of the tribes.
כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה. בְּאָמְרוֹ ״וְאֶת רֹאשָׁם לֹא תִשָּׂא בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״ (במדבר א:מט).
כאשר צוה ה' את משה. As G’d had said in 1,49 “do not count them as part of the Children of Israel.”