Parsha Bemidbar: Numbers 1:1-4:20

Parsha Bemidbar: Day 5 (Numbers 3:14-39)

(Study Notes)

(Numbers 3:14)

This parsha portion continues the census of the Levites that began in our daily portion of day 4. Today's portion begins by telling us (again) that Hashem spoke to Moshe "in the wilderness of Sinai." As we have learned previously, this wilderness of Sinai is close to the Mountain of Sinai where Hashem gave the Torah to the Israelites through Moshe. We know that the Israelites reached the mountain of Sinai after 50 days of leaving Egypt.

We are told in Exodus 19 that Hashem summoned Moshe to the top of the Mountain of Sinai on the third new moon after leaving Egypt. The Israelites then remained in the wilderness of Sinai for at least a year, given the dates for the various census' at the beginning of Parsha Bamidbar.

Day 5: Numbers 3:14-39

וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃

14 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:

פְּקֹד֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִ֔י לְבֵ֥ית אֲבֹתָ֖ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם כׇּל־זָכָ֛ר מִבֶּן־חֹ֥דֶשׁ וָמַ֖עְלָה תִּפְקְדֵֽם׃

15 ’Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.’

וַיִּפְקֹ֥ד אֹתָ֛ם מֹשֶׁ֖ה עַל־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צֻוָּֽה׃