ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה. הטעם שלא הולידו בניהם ולא הוסיפו בקרוב מעשרה חדשים כאשר דבר ה' עם משה בהר סיני בעלותו להתכפר על מעשה העגל אז נבחר שבט לוי ואמר השם למשה הקרב את מטה לוי גם פרשת ואני הנה לקחתי וכאשר הוקם המשכן אמר השם פקוד את בני לוי והשכינה במשכן על כן כתב במדבר סיני והנה היו תולדות אהרן ומשה במדבר סיני כאשר היו בהר סיני רק חסרו שני בני אהרן על כן אמרתי כי הלוים לא נתנו כפר נפשם כי כן כתוב לכל העובר על הפקודים ויש אומרים כי לא פקדם משה טרם עשות המשכן רק ידע פקודיהם בדרך נבואה והכתוב יכחישם והוא כי תשא: NOW THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF AARON AND MOSES. Scripture states this¹Our Torah portion deals with the census taken in the second year following the Exodus (see Num. 1:1; 3:14). The question thus arises, why does Scripture then tell us how many offspring Moses and Aaron had on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai? because it wants to inform us that their offspring did not beget children and did not increase²In other words, the generations of Moses and Aaron were the same at the time of the census as they had been on the day that Moses stood on Mount Sinai ten months earlier. Hence it was not necessary to count them again when the Levites were counted. See verse 15. in close to ten months.³Ten months passed from the day that Moses stood on Mount Sinai in the month of Sivan and the census was taken on the first day of the second month (Iyyar) following the Exodus. God chose the tribe of Levi at the time God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, when Moses ascended to atone for the making of the golden calf. God then said to Moses, Bring the tribe of Levi near (v. 6). The Lord then also related all that is contained in the section⁴Verses 12 and 13. that opens with And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel (v. 12). When the tabernacle was erected, God told Moses, Number the children of Levi (v. 15). God’s presence was then manifest in the tabernacle. Scripture therefore reads, in the wilderness of Sinai (v. 14).⁵And not on Mount Sinai. The point is that the Levites were numbered when the tabernacle stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. Scripture tells us that God spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai and told him to number the Levites, because once the tabernacle was erected God’s presence was manifest there, and God spoke to Moses there. Thus what is reported in 3:1-13 took place on Mount Sinai, and what is reported in 3:14-39 took place in the wilderness of Sinai. Now the descendants of Aaron and Moses in the wilderness of Sinai numbered the same as they did at Mount Sinai. However, two sons of Aaron were missing.⁶This is the point of verse 4.I therefore⁷According to I.E. only those who went forth to war were counted by offering half a shekel as ransom for their souls. However, the Levites were in the service of God and did not have to offer a ransom for their souls. See I.E.’s short commentary on Ex. 38:25. said that the Levites did not give a ransom for their souls, for Scripture clearly states, for every one that passed over to them that are numbered (Ex. 38:26). Some say that Moses did not count the Israelites before the tabernacle was constructed. He knew their number only by way of prophecy. However, Scripture contradicts them. It clearly states, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Ex. 30:11).