במדבר, ראשון

וידבר. במדבר סיני באחד לחדש וגו'. מִתּוֹךְ חִבָּתָן לְפָנָיו מוֹנֶה אוֹתָם כָּל שָׁעָה — כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם מְנָאָן, וּכְשֶׁנָּפְלוּ בָּעֵגֶל מְנָאָן לֵידַע מִנְיַן הַנּוֹתָרִים, כְּשֶׁבָּא לְהַשְׁרוֹת שְׁכִינָתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם מְנָאָם, בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן הוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּבְאֶחָד בְּאִיָּר מְנָאָם:

In the Sinai desert . . . on the first [day] of the [second] month, etc. Because they (the Israelites) are precious before Him (Hashem), He counts them all the time; when they went out of Egypt He counted them [Shemos, 12:37], and when they fell because of [the sin of] the golden calf He counted them to know the number of those who remained, when He came to cause His Presence to rest upon them He counted them. On the first day of Nisan the Mishkon was set up, and on the first day of Iyar He counted them.

למשפחתם. לֵידַע מִנְיַן כָּל שֵׁבֶט וָשֵׁבֶט:

According to their families. To know the number of each tribe

לבית אבתם. מִי שֶׁאָבִיו מִשֵּׁבֶט אֶחָד וְאִמּוֹ מִשֵּׁבֶט אַחֵר יָקוּם עַל שֵׁבֶט אָבִיו (עי' בבא בתרא ק"ט):

To the house of their fathers: Someone whose father is from one tribe and his mother from another tribe shall be maintained in his father’s tribe.

לגלגלתם. עַ"יְ שְׁקָלִים — בֶּקַע לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת:

Individually Through the shekolim a half-shekel per head.

כל יצא צבא. מַגִּיד שֶׁאֵין יוֹצֵא בַּצָּבָא פָּחוּת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים:

All those eligible for the army. This teaches us that no one is eligible for the army below the age of twenty.

ואתכם יהיו. כְּשֶׁתִּפְקְדוּ אוֹתָם יִהְיוּ עִמָּכֶם נְשִׂיא כָל שֵׁבֶט וָשֵׁבֶט:

Along with you, there shall be. When you count them, there shall be with you the leader of each tribe.

אלה קרואי העדה. הַנִּקְרָאִים לְכָל דְּבַר חֲשִׁיבוּת שֶׁבָּעֵדָה:

These are the ones called from the congregation. The ones who were invited to everything of importance in the congregation.

האנשים האלה. אֶת שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְשִׂיאִים הַלָּלוּ:

These men. Those twelve leaders [mentioned above, 5–15].

אשר נקבו. לוֹ כָּאן בשמות:

Who were designated: To him (Moshe) here by [their] names.

ויתילדו על משפחתם. הֵבִיאוּ סִפְרֵי יִחוּסֵיהֶם וְעֵדֵי חֶזְקַת לֵדָתָם, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְהִתְיַחֵס עַל הַשֵּׁבֶט (עי' ילקוט תרפ"ד):

And they were registered by family ancestry. They brought their genealogical documents and witnesses who verified the status of their birth, this applied to each individual, to establish their kinship with the tribe.