במדבר

On the first day of the second month, in the second year after leaving Egypt, the Israelites were in the wilderness of Sinai, gathered near the Tent of Meeting. God spoke to Moses with a clear instruction: “Take a census of the whole community.” Moses and Aaron were to count the men tribe by tribe, by clans and ancestral houses, listing each name. Only males twenty years and older, those able to serve as soldiers, were included.

A leader from each tribe stood with them to help: Elizur of Reuben, Shelumiel of Simeon, Nahshon of Judah, Nethanel of Issachar, Eliab of Zebulun, Elishama of Ephraim, Gamaliel of Manasseh, Abidan of Benjamin, Ahiezer of Dan, Pagiel of Asher, Eliasaph of Gad, and Ahira of Naphtali. The community was registered “head by head,” and the total came to 603,550. But one tribe was different: Levi was not counted with the others, because God gave them a special task connected to the holy tent.

Next, God told Moses and Aaron how the camp should be arranged. Each household would camp under its tribe’s banner, but everyone had to stay at a distance from the Tent of Meeting. In the center, the Levites would camp around the Tabernacle of the Pact, Mishkan, meaning “dwelling place,” the sacred home where God’s presence was honored among the people.

On the east side, Judah’s division camped in front, with Issachar and Zebulun beside it; they would march first. On the south side, Reuben’s division camped with Simeon and Gad; they would march second. Then, midway between the divisions, the Tent of Meeting would move with the Levites.

On the west side, Ephraim’s division camped with Manasseh and Benjamin; they would march third. On the north side, Dan’s division camped with Asher and Naphtali; they would march last. The total enrolled in all the divisions was still 603,550. The Israelites camped and marched exactly as commanded, each tribe in its place.

God then spoke about Aaron’s family and the Levites. Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died in the wilderness when they brought “alien fire” before God, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with Aaron.

The Levites were set apart to assist Aaron and to care for the Tent of Meeting and its furnishings. They were counted separately, every male from one month old and up, and the total was 22,000. Their clans were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, each with assigned work and a place to camp: Gershon to the west, Kohath to the south, Merari to the north, while Moses, Aaron, and the priests camped on the east.

God said the Levites would be taken in place of Israel’s first-born males. When Moses counted the first-born, there were 22,273, 273 more than the Levites, so a redemption payment of five shekels each was given to Aaron and his sons.

Finally, God gave careful rules for moving the most sacred objects. Aaron and his sons had to cover the Ark, the table, the lampstand, and the altars before the Kohathites could lift them, so no one would touch the holy items and die.