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Parsha 34. B’midbar
(continued)
iii. The Levites (3:1-4:49)
1. The Sons of Aaron (3:1-4)
(iv) 1 Now these are the descendants of Aharon and Moshe as of the day ADONAI[GN] spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai. 2 The names of the sons of Aharon are: Nadav the firstborn, Avihu, El‘azar, and Itamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aharon the cohenpriest, whom he anointed and ordained as cohenim. 4 But Nadav and Avihu died in the presence of ADONAI when they offered unauthorized fire[4] before ADONAI in the Sinai Desert, and they had no descendants. El‘azar and Itamar served as cohenim in the presence of Aharon their father.
2. The Duties of the Levites (3:5-13)
5 ADONAI told Moshe, 6 “Bring the clan of Levi near, and assign them to Aharon the cohen, so they may assist him. 7 They are to carry out his duties and the duties of the whole community before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall keep all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, and the obligations of the people of Isra'el, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall give the L’vi’im to Aharon and to his sons. They are wholly given to him on the behalf of the people of Isra'el. 10 You shall appoint Aharon and his sons, and they shall keep their office of cohen, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
11 ADONAI said to Moshe, 12 “Hinneh,[GN] I have taken the L’vi’im from among the people of Isra'el instead of all the firstborn who open the womb among the people of Isra'el; and the L’vi’im shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me all the firstborn in Isra'el, both man and animal. They shall be mine. I am ADONAI.”
3. The Registration of the Levites from One Month Old (3:14-39)
(v) 14 ADONAI told Moshe in the Sinai Desert, 15 “Count the descendants of Levi by their clans, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”
16 Moshe counted them according to ADONAI’s word, as he was commanded.
17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, K’hat, and M’rari.
18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Livni and Shim‘i.
19 The sons of K’hat by their families: ‘Amram, Yitz’har, Hevron, and ‘Uzi’el.
20 The sons of M’rari by their families: Machli and Mushi.
These are the families of the L’vi’im according to their fathers’ houses.
a. The Gershonites (3:21-26)
21 Of Gershon was the family of the Livnites, and the family of the Shim‘ites. These are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.
24 Elyasaf the son of La’el shall be the leader of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. 25 The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.
b. The Kohathites (3:27-32)
27 Of K’hat was the family of the ‘Amramites, the family of the Yitz’harites, the family of the Hevronites, and the family of the ‘Uzi’elites. These are the families of the K’hatites. 28 According to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of K’hat shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the K’hatites shall be Elitzafan ben ‘Uzi’el. 31 Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service. 32 El‘azar ben Aharon the cohen shall be leader of the chiefs of the L’vi’im, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.
c. The Merarites (3:33-37)
33 Of M’rari was the family of the Machlites and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of M’rari. 34 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.
35 The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of M’rari was Tzuri’el ben Avichayil. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The appointed duty of the sons of M’rari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service, 37 the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
d. Moses and Aaron (3:38-39)
38 Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moshe, with Aharon and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the people of Isra'el. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 39 All who were counted of the L’vi’im, whom Moshe and Aharon counted at the commandment of ADONAI, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.[39]
4. The Redemption of the Firstborn (3:40-51)
(vi) 40 ADONAI said to Moshe, “Count all the firstborn males of the people of Isra'el from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 You shall take the L’vi’im for me — I am ADONAI — instead of all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el; and the livestock of the L’vi’im instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the people of Isra'el.”
42 Moshe counted, as ADONAI commanded him, all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el. 43 All the firstborn males according to the number of names from a month old and upward, of those who were counted of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.
44 ADONAI told Moshe, 45 “Take the L’vi’im instead of all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el, and the livestock of the L’vi’im instead of their livestock; and the L’vi’im shall be mine. I am ADONAI. 46 For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the people of Isra'el who exceed the number of the L’vi’im, 47 you shall take five shekels [two ounces] apiece for each one (you are to use the sanctuary shekel,[GN] which is equal to twenty gerahs)[GN] 48 and give the money, with which their remainder is redeemed, to Aharon and to his sons.”
49 Moshe took the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those who were redeemed by the L’vi’im; 50 from the firstborn of the people of Isra'el he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, using the sanctuary shekel; 51 and Moshe gave the redemption money to Aharon and his sons, according to what ADONAI had said, as ADONAI commanded Moshe.
4. This is one reason I am so concerned about “the Church.” God demands that He be worshipped only in the way He specifies, but “the Church” tells Him, “We don’t care to honor Your Holy Days; we have our own holy days and we want You to bless them.” To try to approach God on our own terms is to court disaster! [BACK]
39. 22,000 is the sum rounded to 2 significant digits. The sum of the Gershonites, K’hatites, and M’rarites given above is 22,300, but the traditional Hebrew text has the number rounded to 2 significant digits, not 3 significant digits. [BACK]
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
