וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר וְגוֹ', שְׁאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנָּפְלוּ, הוּזְקְקוּ לְמִנְיָן. מָשָׁל לְמַה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לִזְאֵב שֶׁנָּפַל עַל הַצֹּאן, הֻצְרַךְ בַּעַל הַצֹּאן לִמְנוֹתָם לֵידַע כַּמָּה חָסְרוּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה מָנָה אוֹתָן כָּאן. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לְרוֹעֶה שֶׁמָּסַר לוֹ בַּעַל הַבַּיִת צֹאנוֹ בְּמִנְיָן. הִשְׁלִים שְׁמִירָתוֹ. כְּשֶׁהֶחְזִירָן, צָרִיךְ לִמְנוֹתָן. כָּךְ כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם, מְסָרָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה בְּמִנְיָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי וְגוֹ', שְׁאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ וְגוֹ' (במדבר א, א-ב). וְאַף כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ כְּתִיב: וַיִּסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שם לג, ה), הֲרֵי קִבְּלָן בְּמִנְיָן. בָּא לְהִפָּטֵר בְּעַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב, הֶחְזִירָם בְּמִנְיָן. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: שְׁאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ. (Numb. 26:1-2:) “And it came to pass after the plague [that the Lord said unto Moses and unto Elazar ben Aaron the priest, saying,] ‘Take a census.’” Every time that they fell, they were required to be numbered.10Numb. R. 21:7. The matter is comparable to the wolf who went into the midst of the flock. The owner of the flock was obliged to count them to know how many were missing. Another interpretation (of Numb. 26:2): Why did he count them here? The matter is comparable to a shepherd to whom the householder has delivered a flock after numbering them. [After] he has fulfilled his guardianship, when he returns them, it is necessary for them to be numbered. Thus when Israel went out from Egypt the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered them to Moses after numbering [them], as stated (in Numb. 1:1-2), “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert …, ‘Take a census….’” So also, when they went out, it is written (in Exod. 12:37), “Then the Children of Israel traveled [from Ramases to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot].” Ergo, he received them with a numbering. [So when] he was about to pass away in the Plains of Moab (after completing his guardianship), he returned them with a numbering. It is therefore stated (Numb. 26:2), “Take a census.”