Bamidbar

📜 The Story

Bamidbar opens the fourth book of the Torah, and takes its name from the desert where Bnei Yisrael were camped, one year after leaving Egypt. Hashem told Moshe to count all the men aged twenty and older who could go out to serve in the army, tribe by tribe. Together with Aharon and one leader from each tribe, Moshe carried out this special census.

The count did not include the tribe of Levi, because the Leviim had a different job. Instead of joining the army, they were chosen to serve in the Mishkan, carrying it and guarding it whenever Bnei Yisrael traveled or camped. The Leviim were counted separately, starting from babies just one month old, and they took the place of the firstborn sons who had originally been meant to serve.

The Torah then describes how the twelve tribes camped around the Mishkan. They were arranged into four camps of three tribes each, one camp on the east, one on the south, one on the west and one on the north, and each camp had its own special flag and leader. In the very center stood the Mishkan itself, surrounded closely by the tribe of Levi.

The three Levite families, Gershon, Kehat and Merari, each received their own important job. The family of Kehat carried the holiest vessels, like the Aron and the Menorah. The family of Gershon carried the curtains and coverings, and the family of Merari carried the heavy beams and pillars. Everything was organized with great care and order.

The total number counted, not including Levi, came to 603,550 men. Many teach that this careful counting, naming each tribe and each family, shows how precious every single person is to Hashem, since He counts them not as one big group but individually. This parsha is almost always read right before the holiday of Shavuot, reminding us that the Torah was given in the desert, an open place belonging to no one, so that it could belong to everyone.