(א) וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר׃
(ב) שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ כׇּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כׇּל־זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם׃
(ג) מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כׇּל־יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפְקְדוּ אֹתָם לְצִבְאֹתָם אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן׃
(ד) וְאִתְּכֶם יִהְיוּ אִישׁ אִישׁ לַמַּטֶּה אִישׁ רֹאשׁ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתָיו הוּא׃
(ה) וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יַעַמְדוּ אִתְּכֶם לִרְאוּבֵן אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן־שְׁדֵיאוּר׃
(ו) לְשִׁמְעוֹן שְׁלֻמִיאֵל בֶּן־צוּרִישַׁדָּי׃
(ז) לִֽיהוּדָה נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן־עַמִּינָדָב׃
(ח) לְיִשָּׂשכָר נְתַנְאֵל בֶּן־צוּעָר׃
(ט) לִזְבוּלֻן אֱלִיאָב בֶּן־חֵלֹן׃
(י) לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף לְאֶפְרַיִם אֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן־עַמִּיהוּד לִמְנַשֶּׁה גַּמְלִיאֵל בֶּן־פְּדָהצוּר׃
(יא) לְבִנְיָמִן אֲבִידָן בֶּן־גִּדְעֹנִי׃
(יב) לְדָן אֲחִיעֶזֶר בֶּן־עַמִּישַׁדָּי׃
(יג) לְאָשֵׁר פַּגְעִיאֵל בֶּן־עׇכְרָן׃
(יד) לְגָד אֶלְיָסָף בֶּן־דְּעוּאֵל׃
(טו) לְנַפְתָּלִי אֲחִירַע בֶּן־עֵינָן׃
(טז) אֵלֶּה קְרוּאֵי הָעֵדָה נְשִׂיאֵי מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם׃
(יז) וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֵת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְּבוּ בְּשֵׁמֹת׃
(1) And Adonai spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first [day] of the second month, in the second year of their exodus from the land of Egypt, saying:
(2) Take a head count of the entire congregation of B'nei Yisrael according to their families, to the house of their fathers, according to the number of names of each male.
(3) From twenty years old and above, all those eligible for the army of Israel, you shall count them according to their divisions, you and Aaron.
(4) Along with you, there shall be one man for each tribe, each man shall be the head of his fathers’ house.
(5) These are the names of the men who shall stand along with you. For [the tribe of] Reuven, Elitzur the son of Shdeiur.
(6) For [the tribe of] Shimon, Shlumiel the son of Tzurishadai.
(7) For [the tribe of] Yehudah, Nachshon the son of Aminadav.
(8) For [the tribe of] Yissachar, Netanel the son of Tzu’ar.
(9) For [the tribe of] Zevulun, Eliav the son of Cheilon.
(10) For the sons of Yosef, for [the tribe of] Ephraim, Elishamah the son of Amihud. For [the tribe of] Menasheh, Gamliel the son of Pedatzur.
(11) For [the tribe of] Binyamin, Avidan the son of Gid’oni.
(12) For [the tribe of] Dan, Achiezer the son of Amishadai.
(13) For [the tribe of] Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran.
(14) For [the tribe of] Gad, Eliasaf the son of De'uel.
(15) For [the tribe of] Naftali, Achira the son of Einan.
(16) These are the ones called from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; they are the heads of the thousands of Yisrael.
(17) Moses and Aaron took these men who were specified by name.
(א) 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:
(1) And Adonai spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, etc. — Out of affection for them, God counts them all the time—When they went forth from Egypt God counted them (Exodus 12:37). When they fell [from grace] in [the incident of] the golden calf, God counted them to note how many remained (see Rashi on Exodus 30:16). When God's Shechinah came to dwell among them, God counted them. On the first day of Nisan the Tabernacle was raised (Exodus 40:2) and on the first day of Iyar, God counted them.
Susan Glickman
They had names like Auntie Bea and Aunt Laura and wore tight corsets.
When you put your arms around them you could feel the wires.
They had papery skins; cheeks like moth’s wings that trembled
when you kissed them. Their husbands were dead, or they were called Sam, or Arthur,
and wore hats even in summer.
They smoked cigars that always went out and they let them go out.
The old people had candies in their pockets, and Kleenex; they carried
pictures of grandchildren and knew all the stories about who was related to
whom, and why, and remembered them.
When I was a child I was told all the stories again and again, who was
related to whom, and why, and who died and why but I always forgot.
Years later, I have no one to tell me the stories. I remember the ladies’ perfumes: lilac, carnation and rose; they smelled like sachets.
And I remember arthritic fingers, wedding bands sunk in the flesh;
I always imagined they’d have to cut them off.
They kept trying to decide whose eyes I had, whose nose,
what were my talents. I didn’t listen.
Now I want to know, I want to know where I fit in that long line
of descendants from the country of the old.