במדבר ח׳:ה׳-כ״ב

קח את הלוים. קָחֵם בִּדְבָרִים — אַשְׁרֵיכֶם שֶׁתִּזְכּוּ לִהְיוֹת שַׁמָּשִׁים לַמָּקוֹם:

Take the Levites. Take them with words of persuasion, “you are fortunate to merit becoming servants of the Omnipresent.”

הזה עליהם מי חטאת. שֶׁל אֵפֶר הַפָּרָה מִפְּנֵי טְמֵאֵי מֵתִים שֶׁבָּהֶם:

Sprinkle them with the sin-offering waters. Of the ashes of the red cow, for some of them were defiled by contact with the dead.

והעבירו תער. מָצָאתִי בְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה הַדַּרְשָׁן לְפִי שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ כַפָּרָה עַל הַבְּכוֹרוֹת שֶׁעָבְדוּ עֲ"זָ, וְהִיא קְרוּיָה זִבְחֵי מֵתִים, וְהַמְּצֹרָע קָרוּי מֵת, הִזְקִיקָם תִּגְלַחַת כִּמְצוֹרָעִים:

And cause a razor to pass. I found in R’ Moshe Hadarshan’s remarks: “Because they were given in atonement for the firstborn who practiced idolatry, which is referred to as ‘sacrificing to the dead,’ and since the leper is considered dead, they required shaving like lepers.”

ולקחו פר בן בקר. וְהוּא עוֹלָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב "וַעֲשֵֹה … וְאֶת הָאֶחָד עֹלָה", וְהוּא קָרְבַּן צִבּוּר בַּעֲ"זָ:

They should take a young bullock. This was a burnt-offering, as it is written, “he should make . . . one a burnt-offering.” This is the communal sacrifice for idolatry.

ופר שני. מַה תַּ"ל שֵׁנִי? לוֹמַר לְךָ מָה עוֹלָה לֹא נֶאֱכֶלֶת, אַף חַטָּאת לֹא נֶאֱכֶלֶת. וּבְזוֹ יֵשׁ סֶמֶךְ לִדְבָרָיו בְּת"כֹּ; וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי שֶׁהוֹרָאַת שָׁעָה הָיְתָה, שֶׁשָּׂעִיר הָיָה לָהֶם לְהָבִיא לְחַטַּאת עֲ"זָ עִם פַּר הָעוֹלָה:

And a second bullock. What does the Torah teach [by specifying] ‘a second’? To inform you that, just as the burnt-offering was not eaten, so was the sin-offering not eaten. This supports his remarks, from Toras Kohanim. Now I say that it was a temporary ruling, as they should have brought a goat as a sin-offering for idolatry with the burnt-offering bull.

והקהלת את כל עדת. לְפִי שֶׁהַלְוִיִּם נִתָּנִים קָרְבַּן כַּפָּרָה תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, יָבֹאוּ וְיַעַמְדוּ עַל קָרְבָּנָם וְיִסְמְכוּ אֶת יְדֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם:

And you shall gather the entire congregation Since the Levites are given as an atonement-offering in their place, let them come and stand near their offering and rest their hands on them.

והניף אהרן את הלוים תנופה. כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֲשַׁם מְצֹרָע טָעוּן תְּנוּפָה חַי; שָׁלֹשׁ תְּנוּפוֹת נֶאֶמְרוּ בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ: הָרִאשׁוֹנָה — לִבְנֵי קְהָת, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בָּם "וְהָיוּ לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת ה'", לְפִי שֶׁעֲבוֹדַת קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים עֲלֵיהֶם — הָאָרוֹן וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן וְגוֹ'; הַשְּׁנִיָּה — לִבְנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בָּם "תְּנוּפָה לַה'", שֶׁאַף עֲלֵיהֶם הָיְתָה עֲבוֹדַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ — יְרִיעוֹת וּקְרָסִים הַנִּרְאוֹת בְּבֵית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁית — לִבְנֵי מְרָרִי:

Aharon shall wave the Levites as a wave-offering Just as the leper’s guilt- offering requires waving when it is still alive. Three wavings were stated in this chapter: The first, of the sons of Kehos. Therefore it is stated of them: “They will be [entrusted] to do the worship of Adonoy,” since the work of the holiest is upon them — the Ark and the Table etc. The second, of the sons of Gershon. It is therefore stated of them: “A wave-offering to Adonoy,” for even they were entrusted with holy work — tapestries and the hooks which were seen in the Holy of Holies. And the third, of the sons of Merori.

נתנים נתנים. נְתוּנִים לְמַשָּׂא, נְתוּנִים לָשִׁיר:

They are given; they are given. Given for carrying, given for singing.

פטרת. פְּתִיחַת:

פִּטְרַת The opening of.

כי לי כל בכור. שֶׁלִּי הָיוּ הַבְּכוֹרוֹת בְּקַו הַדִּין, שֶׁהֲגִנֹּתִי עֲלֵיהֶם בֵּין בְּכוֹרֵי מִצְרַיִם וְלָקַחְתִּי אוֹתָם לִי — עַד שֶׁטָּעוּ בָעֵגֶל, וְעַכְשָׁו "וָאֶקַּח אֶת הַלְוִיִּם":

For every first born is Mine. The first born were Mine by the rules of justice, since I protected them among the Egyptian firstborn. So I took them for Myself — until they strayed with the [golden] calf. Now I have taken the Levites.

ואתנה וגו'. חֲמִשָּׁה פְעָמִים נֶאֶמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִקְרָא זֶה, לְהוֹדִיעַ חִבָּתָן, שֶׁנִּכְפַּל אַזְכְּרוֹתֵיהֶן בְּמִקְרָא אֶחָד כְּמִנְיַן חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תוֹרָה, וְכָךְ רָאִיתִי בִּבְ"רַ:

I have given the Levites, etc. Bnei Yisroel are mentioned five times, in this passage, to make their preciousness known. They are remembered repeatedly in a single passage to correspond with the number of the five books of the Torah. I saw this in Bereishis Rabbah.

ולא יהיה בבני ישראל נגף. שֶׁלֹא יִצְטָרְכוּ לָגֶשֶׁת אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ, שֶׁאִם יִגְּשׁוּ יִהְיֶה נֶגֶף:

So that there will not be a plague among Bnei Yisroel. So that they will not need to approach the Holy, for if they approach, there will be a plague.

ויעש משה ואהרן וכל עדת וגו'. מֹשֶׁה הֶעֱמִידָן וְאַהֲרֹן הֱנִיפָן, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל סָמְכוּ אֶת יְדֵיהֶם:

Moshe, Aharon, and the entire congregation did, etc. Moshe placed them, Aharon waved them, and the Israelites rested their hands.

כאשר צוה ה' … כן עשו. לְהַגִּיד שֶׁבַח הָעוֹשִׂין וְהַנַּעֲשֶׂה בָהֶן, שֶׁאֶחָד מֵהֶם לֹא עִכֵּב:

Just as Adonoy commanded, etc. so they did. This indicates the praiseworthiness of those who did, and those with whom it was done — no one objected.