Alshekh on Torah

Sefaria · Tanakh > Acharonim on Tanakh · 22 sections

Genesis.24.55.1
...Behold Laban placed his eyes on money, as he saw that for a little water, he gave a nose-ring and bracelets. And all the more so after they fed him, his men and his camels, would he then give a nice sum to the bride's relatives. And so, he blustered to show the goodness of their hearts, by saying, "Here is Rebecca in front of you; take her and go." But [the servant] foiled their plan and brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold, but gave them to Rebecca; since they would stay with her in the house of her [new] husband. What he gave to her brother and her mother, however, was only cakes. And when they saw that they waited falsely, their dance turned into mourning. And so they reversed [their way] towards him, and vented their anger by saying, "Let the girl abide...," to anger him and to correct that which he had spoiled with the money. And they also did not say, "Afterwards, you shall take her," but rather, "Afterwards, she will go" - meaning, "but not with you." Then he answered, "Do not [think] that it is I you are scaring, but rather it is the Lord that you are angering, as He is the one that is doing all that I do and makes me successful - so it is Him that you are opposing." And this is [the meaning of] his saying, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has given success to my journey." Then in order to remove the blame from themselves, they said, "Let us call the girl and inquire at her mouth." And in order to put into her heart that she should decline, they spoke to her in a questioning way, "Will you go? [...] And also "with this man?" As he is a servant and lacking honor. And in spite of all this, "she said, 'I will go.'"
Genesis.37.1.1
And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, etc." This verse seems disconnected, neither relating upward nor downward. The Sages in Bereishit Rabbah (64:4) explained that Jacob sought to dwell in peace, but Joseph's coat kindled his anger. It was not enough for the righteous to have what is prepared for them in the World to Come; rather, "and etc." shows that the verse connected it to what follows. Yet, their statement remains challenging because, is it not punishment for the righteous to seek peace in this world, not to mention a stranger being considered like a serpent? Why should one not enjoy the fruits of Torah and commandments in this world, with the principal awaiting in the World to Come? I have heard it said that this is explained by the phrase, "He pleaded with him," not saying "he desired." Even good is received from God, but one should not seek it and pursue it. The knowledgeable in Midrashim might occasionally say "seek" instead of "desire." However, I think the explanation relates to not judging enough. It is appropriate to pay attention to what is corrected for them, not what is prepared for them, and similar expressions. It is not a term preserving correction, signifying what was lacking correction. Indeed, we find several righteous individuals who refrained from enjoying the fruits of Torah and commandments specially designated for consumption in this world, such as Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat, and others. Concerning their sayings, the Torah says before the Holy One, blessed be He: "It has wealth and honor, why does the poor suffer?" He replied, "Let them inherit lovers," etc. What is the answer? He will inherit them with a permanent fund in the World to Come, and the fruits in this world. However, God says, "If I let them eat the fruits in this world, their fruits will go to waste in the vain that is the goodness of this world, not in what has substance; therefore, I will make a permanent fund from their fruits for the World to Come." This is what it says here, "Jacob sought, etc." Perhaps you would ask, "Does Jacob lack in sitting in tents what he should consume of the fruits in this world?" To this, I would say that it is not enough for the righteous to have what is corrected for them from the fruits of their deeds, which are the goodness of this world and become spiritual good. There is no greater correction than this. However, they also seek good in this world.
Genesis.37.1.2
And in a straightforward manner, it is also connected to what will be said below, "to Shem his son." But on this, we recall our commentary on the well-known verse, "Know well that your seed will be strangers," etc. It is fitting to pay attention to the entry in singular form and the exit in plural form. So, it is stated in "you will dwell" but "and they will afflict." However, it instructs that the mockery begins with the four hundred years. This is because there are two aspects to the sojourning: there is sojourning in general, and there is self-imposed servitude and affliction. He said, "Know well that there are two types of knowledge. One is that the sojourner, who is a wanderer in the world, will be your seed. This is the seed that will be a stranger before it enters the general multiplicity. However, upon reaching the general multiplicity, it will become enslaved. When they become numerous and are oppressed, they will count the years from when they were in Egypt. Among the sojourning and the servitude, they total four hundred years.
Genesis.37.5.1
"He dreamed, etc." It is worth paying attention. A) That is says "They hated him even more," because there is no doubt it is because of his dreams. B) Why doesn't it simply say "they hated him." as it does at the end of the story. C) It says "hear this..." The entire verse is unnecessary and the next verse could have begun "He said..." D) "My sheaf stood up and remained upright" appears unnecessarily redundant, so why include the second part. E) "Gathered around" is also redundant when he could have just said "Your sheaves bowed to mine." F) "Reign" and "Rule" are different types of authority. Why mention both? Also, are they questions or objections? G) They hate him for his dreams and his words, but are they not one and the same? H) What sin is because of his dreams - what he see, he should say? I) It should say "for his dream," because there is only one. J) It says "another different dream" when it should say "dreamed again and he told..." or "he dreamed a different dream." Why say both "another" and "different"? Furthermore, when he told them, he said "another" and not "a different." K) Initially it says he told "his brothers" and later it says "his father and his brothers." L)Why does it say "his brothers were jealous" and not "they hated him even more" as it said earlier. And what does "his father kept the matter in mind" mean?
Genesis.41.15.1
Why did Pharaoh not say, "and there is not that can interpret it to me"; like it is stated above, "but there was none that could interpret them to Pharaoh"; and as the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said, "They would interpret it, but not to Pharaoh"...
Genesis.41.51.3
[Joseph] put into his heart that, in that the Lord was with him, he was not brought down there for naught; but rather to precipitate the [arrival of the] Divine Presence in Egypt, such that he was Its 'chariot.' And so he saw that the Lord was with him. And therefore when he was in the house of his master, he did not inform his father, to redeem him form his master. And [so it was] in this way, regarding all of the times [that he was in Egypt], he was as if silent. As behold, the intellect would suggest that at least when he was still in the jail, he would assuage his father's worrying with a carrier to run with a letter from his hand. However since he stopped himself to not reveal [anything to his father], he therefore called his firstborn son, Menashe - meaning, it is good to praise the Lord, "for God made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house." As I was given the strength to forget this through him... As if not, I would have told my father's household. But the Lord [granted him a child] so that his father would not redeem him from his distress with all of the wealth of his home, and that [he not] command him to return to his land. And [then] the entire preparation of the exile which He, may He be blessed, prepared by having His Divine Presence come to Egypt with Joseph as its chariot would have been spoiled. And this is [the meaning of] "for God made me forget..."
Exodus.2.16.1
And to the priest... (Shemot 2:16). It's appropriate to pay attention to why it tells us that "they came and drew water and filled" - and why was the word "they drew water" included? It's included in the word "and they filled"! And immediately it says "their father's flock" and after that it says "their flock" (Shemot 2:17), and after that "the flock" (Shemot 2:19), without qualification. And further, it says "And [the shepherds] drove them away [ויגרשום]" (Shemot 2:16) and doesn't say ויגרשון, with a nun [i.e. with the appropriate fem. pl. object of the verb]. And further, it's appropriate to pay attention to the verse, for first it says they filled the troughs to water the flock, and after that they testified that the Egyptian man it was who drew water and watered the flock. (c.f. Shemot 2:19)
Exodus.2.16.2
Therefore, one should say that the text recognised modesty within them, for it's the way of women when they come to the well to speak with a man who's found there. And with his also being a stranger who wasn't from their land, they surely asked him "what's your land, and from which people are you?" (Yonah 1:8), or at the very least they spoke with one another. But these were not like that group of women - rather, "they came" and immediately "they drew water and filled" etc, and they didn't make light in word, even one with the other, for they were embarassed in front of him. And this is "And he sat by the well" - for this reason they were all silent, "and they came", as has been said. And further, he saw secondly that there was no agreement (lit. "closeness of mind", קירוב דעת) between the shepherds - for was it not the contrary, "And the shepherds came and drove them away" (Shemot 2:16) - for this reason he put himself nearby, to rise alone against the many shepherds, and he wasn't concerned that they would break his skull (Avodah Zarah 25b). And behold, our rabbis of blessed memory said (ibid.) that they wanted to rape them [this is a general statement about non-Jews in the Talmud, not specific to these shepherds], and Moshe came and saved them, as it says "the engaged girl cried out, and there was none to save her" (Devarim 22:27). And it's possible that this is alluded to in the verse by its saying "And they drove them off" (Shemot 2:17) with a mem [i.e. a masc. pl. object rather than a fem. pl. one] - and that is, since "they came and drew water and filled" (Shemot 2:16), then the shepberds came to them, to connect with them, and then "they drove away" (Shemot 2:17) - the daughters drove the shepherds away from them with their cries, for the young women cried out to seek saviours to come and save them, and then Moshe was angry with the shepherds and arose and saved the daughters from rape, and he also saved their water and gave their flocks to drink and didn't water the shepherds' flocks from this. And this is [true], since they overpowered the shepherds to drive them away, since it's as men do, that's why it doesn't say ותגרשום "and they (f.pl.) drove them (m.pl.) away", rather ויגרשום "and they (m.pl.) drove them (m.pl.) away". And first it says "their father's flock" (Shemot 2:16) and after that it says "their flock" (Shemot 2:17), and after that "the flock" (Shemot 2:19). Therefore, it was in their being adult daughters that they 'owned' the flock for the need of their weddings/dowries from their father, their own flock alone, and their father's flock alone. And they, out of respect for their father, began to draw water and to fill [troughs] for their father's flock. And this is "and they drew water, and filled... to water their father's flock" (Shemot 2:16) - but it wasn't enough for their own flock. And in Moshe's coming to save them, he then watered their father's flock which was great, and drew water for us and filled troughs for our own flock. This is why he "watered the flock" (Shemot 2:19), since it includes their father's flock and also their own, enough to sate the needs of their father's flock. And they began to drink but hadn't finished when the shepherds struggled, since they hadn't finished watering their flocks when they drove off the shepherds, and Moshe watered their flocks from troughs which they themselves had filled, and he drew more water himself, and after that he drew water and watered their flocks, as is said.
Exodus.27.20.6
...As once Moshe saw the making of the Tabernacle, 'that it was awesome, to make a sanctuary for Him, that the Lord God would dwell within it; and He commanded His people, that they should take gifts; and Bezalel and Oholiab and every wise-hearted man to do make the ark, the menorah, the table, all the vessels of the Tabernacle, its tent and its cover; and Aaron and his sons to be priests in front of him - would his heart not be soured to say, "'What is this that the Lord has done to me,' as I have no portion in this great thing!" Would it not be even more, since he was supposed to be the priest in the future and Aaron be the Levite, but the matter was changed during his [receiving] his mission to Egypt. Hence God came to speak to his heart and to comfort him. And He said, "Do not be concerned, since your portion is greater than all of them. For does not the perfection of them all come through you? For it is through that which 'you command' the Children of Israel with all of the commandments. They also merit in that which 'They shall take the oil to you, etc.' As through this, they will be effective in lighting the permanent lamp - as will be explained - to bring them light for the world to come. However without you, they would not have merited this. That is concerning the aggregate of Israel. And that which you are jealous about Aaron and his sons - that they are the priests and not you - also their perfection is from you. And they do not even have the power to sanctify the garments for priesthood without you. But rather (Exodus 28:3), 'You shall speak to the wise-hearted... and they shall make, etc. to sanctify him.' Through that which it shall be though you!"
Exodus.31.13.6
... [Shabbat observance] is an inner thing that connects between Me and you, as it is something that is within Me and goes into you, meaning in[to] your souls - such that your souls become like a sanctuary for My Divine Presence, which is also a part of God, may He be blessed... And if so, since the dwelling of the Divine Presence in the Tabernacle is not intrinsic, but rather a result of man - as it is found (Exodus 25:8), "'And make Me a sanctuary, so I will dwell among you,' 'so among it,' is not stated, but rather, 'so among them'"; which is because the sanctuary of God is man, and it spreads out from him to the Tabernacle - if so, I will ask from this, how is it that man who is the sanctuary of God would do work on Shabbat upon the Tabernacle which does not intrinsically have the Divine Presence within it, but rather from that which is drawn to it from man; as it is drawn to the Tabernacle from man, in his being the sanctuary of God.
Exodus.31.13.7
And there is also a second reason; and that is that the Shabbat [represents] eternal holiness for man, whereas the Tabernacle is only for its time. So how could the holiness that is only for [all] generations be overridden by that which is only for a limited time. And this is [the meaning] of that which is written, "for your generations."
Exodus.35.1.1
...Look and see that it is not fitting to profane Shabbat with the work of the Tabernacle. For is it not that the Tabernacle and all of its vessels do not have holiness in them until the Tabernacle is established in its place and the Divine Presence rests upon it? It comes out that the making of the Tabernacle is only a preparation for something that will only be holy after its making. However, there is no need to say that Shabbat is intrinsically holy...
Leviticus.14.33.6
Coming to the verses as they are rendered: We will begin with what we have written on parashat Lekh Lekha in our book She’arim, and in other places besides (see Alshekh on Torah, Genesis 12:1:1-5), what we know of the relationship that the land of Israel has with God’s nation Israel, which is an overview of the subject. For this land, the lower land of Israel, is modeled after the upper land and receives its abundance from it, by the hand of God. And like the verse says: a land that the Lord your God cares for (Deuteronomy 11:12), and did not appoint a minister or an angel over it. And so it says: Behold, I am sending an angel… to bring you to the place that I prepared (Exodus 23:20), implying that the angel only serves up to the place that He prepared, because within it, there is no angel and no minister. And Israel also has an affiliation with [the land], because the roots of all the souls of the children of Israel are in the upper land. And therefore, when Israel dwells in this holy land, and when they perform in it all of God’s commandments which a person should do (Leviticus 18:5), holiness is poured out on them and on their earth, and the worlds are linked. And they attain and obtain holiness for the lower land. And they obtain for themselves belonging and holding of the land itself through the holiness that they pour into it.
Leviticus.14.35.1
And the one whose house it is shall come. Our Father, our King, our God teaches us the way of truth in order that we be enlightened to serve God. And this is that which we are obliged to place 'like a seal on our hearts' (ref. to Song of Songs 8:6): that there is nothing void of His watching, may He be blessed, and there is no teaching of pain which is not reproach for sin. And it is good to praise God for all pain which has not come, for if one's God were not in one's midst, these evils would have found one. And this is "And the one whose house it is shall come". The "telling" [that the homeowner gives to the priest] could have been "I have seen something like a plague in the house" -- but this is not what God has chosen, rather that they should say "something like a plague has appeared to me on my house". This is as if to say, for my sake it appeared on the house; for my sin God made me liable for a plague of tzara'at, it should have been on me and God placed it [instead] on my house. And this is why it says "appeared to me"; as if to say, it is suitable to say "like a plague appeared to me" for this has the substance of "to me". This is like what is said (Genesis 27:3-4) "prepare for me a dish"; "and trap for me"; "and bring it to me". And there are innumerable further examples.
Leviticus.23.9.1
...As there is nothing that profanes and makes a man's heart haughty like great bounty; as it is stated (Deuteronomy 32:15), "So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked." And behold that all of this happens [because] he does not look to God who gave it to him, but rather they forget Him and say that it is 'their strength and their might that produced all of this glory for them.' As ingratitude removes them from the good path and from walking after God, to the point that they are soon lost. Hence our Father in heaven, who wishes [our good] like a father for a child, loves us and teaches us proper ethics: From the time when the scythe begins [to cut] the crop of barley - which is the first of the land's produce - before our hearts become haughty when we see the abundance of produce in the house and in the field, when the threshing floors are filled with grain and the barns with plenty; God comes to open blinded eyes to teach them knowledge. As 'the Lord's is the earth and all of its fullness' - the fruit and the fruit of fruits - since man has no power; hence 'all is vanity.' And so they shall do this in order that their heart not become haughty; such that before any enjoyment from the bounty of the field comes to their mouth, and before they taste the smallest bit of bread or parched grain, all of the Jewish people bring the first of their harvest to the priest while saying to Him, may He be blessed, "Behold we recognize that all of the land and everything in it is Yours; and what is Yours from the beginning of it all has been given to You before we eat from anything, to show that everything is from You and that we are not brazen-faced ingrates." And this is [the meaning] of its statement, "When you come to the land," which you did not need to take with the might of your hands but rather as one who comes to an inheritance": It should not enter your heart to say, "The land was given to us an inheritance from our forefathers and it is ours and our children's forever; and that which we eat its goodness and its produce, it is the effort of our hands that we eat, as we work the land by plowing and reaping and [doing] all the work in the field until the produce arrives. As none of us stops from work - whether by sowing, planting trees, planting shoots, winnowing separating - so we eat the bread of the land by the sweat of our brow..." Hence God, may He be blessed, preceded [us by] saying, "Observe and see that after your coming to the land is not an inheritance that has no break, nor a present given to a heir that had it as an inheritance with no break, but rather 'which I give' - in the present tense - and the giving is never completely final. For whenever you turn away from Me, I shall transfer it to others besides you. And you should not let it enter your minds that it is your harvest that you are harvesting, but rather, 'you shall harvest the harvest' of the land, for it is blessed, and you shall be blessed from its blessing."... "Then you shall bring the omer of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest," so that you not be ingrates. And perhaps you will say, "What is this that I should give to the priest, since he is a servant of my Master just like me, such that my Father in Heaven will not take the smallest thing from me and not require it from me, God forbid. So how will it be examined and revealed and seen that I am showing appreciation to God?" Hence, it stated, "And he shall wave the omer before the Lord," such that the priest will wave it up and down and to the directions of the world - to indicate that all of the world and up and down are His, may He be blessed, and that this omer is going to Him and not to the priest...
Numbers.1.1.1
And the Lord spoke, etc., in the wilderness of Sinai. It is worth noting: (1) Why does the Torah inform us of the location of this statement, something not done elsewhere? (2) It says "in the Tent of Meeting," as if it wasn't known that He speaks to him there. (3) Why does it mention the specific time, "on the first day of the second month," and also that it was in the second year after their exodus from Egypt? (4) Why does it use the term "lift up the head" (census) regarding taking the census? (5) Why is it important to count them according to their families and their fathers' houses, and why specify counting by name and by head? (6) Since they were not yet going out to war, why count those from twenty years and older? (7) Why does it say "by their hosts" and not simply "count their hosts"? It seems there is a distinction between "them" and "their hosts." (8) Why did God not include the heads of the fathers' houses with Moses and Aaron, saying "you and Aaron and the heads of the fathers," instead of "and with you there shall be"? Also, why say "each one the head of his fathers' house," which seems redundant? (9) Why does it elaborate on their names, saying "and Moses took" instead of "and Moses took them," as it is known who they are? (10) Why say "as the Lord commanded Moses," which is obvious, and also "and he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai," when it should say "and they counted them"? (11) Is it not known that it was in the wilderness of Sinai? (12) Why does it say "and they were" for Reuben and Simeon, but not for the other tribes? Also, why add "according to their enumeration" only for Simeon? (13) Why mention "everyone who goes out to war" for each tribe, after it was stated for all of them previously? (14) Why are the tribes listed in the order Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and not include Gad in between? If it's according to the camp order, they were not yet commanded on that. (15) Why say "these are the ones counted by Moses" etc., "each one from his fathers' house," since from "each one" onwards it seems redundant? (16) Why does it say "and all the counted of the children of Israel" when the verse seems unnecessary, as it could directly state the final count? (17) Why does it say "but the Levites, according to their fathers' tribe, were not counted" etc., as if to imply they were counted but not according to their fathers' tribe, instead of just saying "the Levites were not counted"? (18) Why does it say "to the sons of" for each tribe except Reuben and Naphtali, which do not have the prefix "to"? Additionally, the "to" prefix for each tribe is not well understood, as it would be clearer without it.
Numbers.1.1.2
Indeed, according to Rashi, the reason for this census is that since God's presence was to dwell in the Tabernacle, they were counted. However, it is difficult to understand why this census did not take place before Nissan or in Nissan itself, but rather on the first day of the second month. Moreover, we are puzzled by the placement of the tribe of Gad between the tribes of Simeon and Judah. This, however, is an indication that from this point onwards, there was a hint towards the arrangement of the banners, as Gad and Simeon were part of the banner of the camp of Reuben. Let us delve into this matter: Our sages commented on the verse "and his banner over me is love" that when the Israelites were at Sinai, they saw the Divine Presence resting on four camps of angels, each with a banner: the banner of Michael, the banner of Gabriel, the banner of Nuriel, and the banner of Raphael. They longed for this and said, "Who would grant that the Divine Presence rests upon us in four camps!" This is the meaning of "and his banner over me is love," as their preparation was intensified due to the merit of the Torah, though they soon erred with the sin of the Golden Calf. Once they were rectified the day after Yom Kippur, when Moses came with the second tablets and the good news regarding the Tabernacle, they involved themselves in its construction until the first day of Nissan in the second year after their exodus from Egypt. Thirty days after the Tabernacle was erected, God came to fulfill their request to dwell among them, arranged in four camps like the ministering angels. At Mount Sinai, the influx of divine influence came upon them all at once, and they could not endure it, as the Divine Presence and the spirit of prophecy rested upon them while awake, and the whole nation saw the sounds until their souls left their bodies, unable to bear such great sanctity. They remained as corpses. Therefore, what did God do? He brought this great presence gradually. He divided it into three levels to allow the sanctity to spread step by step, first to those most prepared. Hence, His wisdom decreed to form three camps: the camp of the Divine Presence within the Tabernacle, the camp of the Levites surrounding the Tabernacle, and the camp of Israel in four banners, like the camp of God. He began sanctifying them through the construction of the Tabernacle, initially bringing the Divine Presence to the Tent of Meeting, the camp of the Divine Presence. After it was established for thirty days, they were gradually elevated to become like the ministering angels, arranged in four camps, spreading the sanctity to all Israel. The Levite camp was placed between them, commanded to encamp around the Tabernacle, followed by the instructions for the camps of all Israel. We know from the Zohar that in each camp of the divine chariot, there are three leaders: Michael with two heads beneath him in his camp, Gabriel with two heads beneath him, Raphael with two heads beneath him, and Nuriel with two heads beneath him, making twelve angels. Correspondingly, the banner of the camp of Judah had two leaders with the leader of Judah, and the same for the camps of Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, making twelve leaders in four camps.Moreover, we know that even though the numbers of the chariot angels vary greatly, some say they are 22,000 or 18,000, and sometimes 600,000, as when the Divine Presence descended with 600,000 ministering angels to Sinai, crowning each Israelite with two crowns. When Israel desired to be like the chariot, they had this number, as the great sanctity exists in Israel when they are at this measure. Hence, a special blessing is recited for 600,000 people, "Blessed is the Wise Knower of Secrets," as their souls encompass all aspects of the Torah, connected to the upper lights, encompassing the sanctity spread from above. This is the way of God to fulfill the wishes of His reverent ones at an opportune time before Him. Hence, when Israel, numbering 600,000, were in the wilderness of Sinai, God commanded to count them, showing that they were at the measure they desired, fitting the banners, and commanding at that place to elevate them to that high status. This leads us to the scriptural text, indicating the great virtue of Israel through the Torah, showing that even while still in their physical bodies, they are like the ministering angels. Choosing this formation is due to the Torah and commandments received at Sinai, giving Israel superiority over the ministering angels. Therefore, it was in the wilderness of Sinai, where they received the Torah, that they were granted this advantage.
Numbers.1.1.3
Or it could be said, see now God's desire to fulfill the wishes and desires of His people, as He spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. This was the place where they longed to become a chariot of four banners before God. He came to fulfill their desire as they had longed for. And if you ask why He delayed until now and did not do so earlier, the answer is that it was done gradually, after they had the Tent of Meeting, which represented the Divine Presence among them.After this, He elevated them to a higher level by resting His Presence upon them, making them a unique chariot for Him at all times, similar to the chariot of the ministering angels. Therefore, it was on the first day of the second month, which is thirty days after acquiring the status of having the Tent of Meeting among them. This gave them time to sustain one level of holiness for thirty days before preparing to receive the next. And if you still ask why all these stages couldn't have happened sooner, the answer is given in the second year after their exodus from Egypt. The reason it occurred in the second year and not earlier is because they had just left a place of idolatry. It was impossible to acquire such a high level of sanctity without gradual progression over time, unlike the giving of the Torah, which happened fifty days after the exodus, and they immediately sinned with the Golden Calf. Our sages explained that Moses said to God, "I will give you an analogy: it is like a wise man who had a beautiful son and placed him in a perfumery shop in a market of harlots. The youth did what was natural for him, the perfume shop did its part, and the place did its part, and he became defiled with lust." Similarly, God is the wise man, Israel is the beautiful son, and the market of harlots is Egypt. They were defiled there by idolatry, which led to the sin of the Golden Calf because they acquired this bad trait in Egypt. Therefore, it is fitting to say that the scripture indicates that this event happened in the second year to show that only over time and through gradual steps could they acquire such sanctity, shedding impurity and acquiring holiness step by step. After this introduction, the text explains the matter: "In the second year..." to indicate that the purpose of the count was to elevate the heads of the entire congregation, so that the entire congregation would achieve one higher level, as will be explained later concerning the banners. This is hinted at by mentioning the census of the tribe of Gad with Reuben and Simeon, as all three were under one banner, as were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and similarly Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, and Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, showing the intention behind the count, which will be detailed in the scriptures. It is known from our sages that the Divine Presence only rests upon families of Israel that have no disqualifications. Therefore, it says to show that they are worthy of the Divine Presence, two things are needed: unity, like the angels of the chariot, and no disqualification in their lineage. Regarding unity, it says "the head of all the congregation," indicating they are all one head, the entire congregation. This is the meaning of the verse "and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain" at the giving of the Torah, where they attained prophecy through unity. Therefore, it does not say "they encamped" in the plural, as explained in its place. This is the reason it says "the head of all the congregation" here, because they are the children of Israel, the children of Jacob, whose descendants are called one soul, as it says, "all the souls of the house of Jacob were sixty-six," all considered one soul, unlike Esau, of whom it is said "the souls of his house," indicating they were not unified. This is because the descendants of Jacob originate from the place of unity from God. Additionally, there is no disqualification in their lineage as they all belong to their respective tribes, each man according to his tribe. This is because they all follow their paternal lineage without any disqualification, as no woman was defiled in Egypt, except one, and the scripture publicized it. Therefore, it says "by their names, every male..." to indicate that it is not just about the majority but that none of their mothers were defiled. Each one is related to his father's house without any disqualification. This is the meaning of "by their skulls," indicating they were counted by their heads, not merely by census tokens or the like, God forbid.
Numbers.1.1.4
It may also hint that the entire congregation of Israel is considered as one head because they are all regarded as one person. Even though they are divided into their families and tribes, they still relate to the house of their fathers, Jacob. You should not think that an individual is not considered important unless joined with the whole congregation; it is not so. Rather, I consider each male individually, each one by their head. Therefore, they were commanded to count each one individually.
Deuteronomy.1.22.1
(8) Why did Moshe leave out all of their evil speech and say that they said, "It is a good land?" If it was a land that eats up its inhabitants, as they had said, how was the land good? And not only that, but he said that they said, "that the LORD our God is giving to us." And it was just the opposite - they (actually the people) said (Numbers 14:2), "Why is the LORD taking us to that land to fall by the sword?"
Deuteronomy.12.20.1
And notice that the permission to eat meat that we have up in the text was repeated here, and why was it repeated? And more, why does it say "and you will say 'I will eat meat'? What is gained by reminding us that, given that we already have the permission to eat meat? And more, if it mentioned "when your soul desires" why does it repeat "with all of your soul desire"? It is obvious that this is the case! And it is repeating the same wording in the previous verse regarding the enlargement of borders. And it also says 'from your cattle, from your sheep' that God has given you - all these are extra words, and it would have been enough to say 'you shall make a sacrifice and eat'. And more, it says 'in your gates' - who wouldn't know that they eat in their borders? And it also repeats 'like the deer' etc, and it also 'make sure not to eat the blood' and 'spill the blood into the earth like water' like the previous verse.
Deuteronomy.12.20.2
[This is the answer] Indeed, let's talk about the greatness of the Blessed One. When God saw that this is the way of a person, to walk mischievously around one's heart, to find ways to permit what it knows to be forbidden. And this is the way of the Impulse to Evil, to go for murmur to murmur, slowly slowly, to separate a person from the ways of God. And this is that, in the beginning, it sees that the borders were enlarged by God, and then the way to the place where God put the Temple is far away, and it says 'if just you were close to the place that God chose, then you would make a sacrifice of well-being, and you would eat meat, but now what can you do, you're so far away.' And despite this, you would strengthen your heart and say 'would it really please God that I eat meat without bringing it to the tent entrance?' And as a sword the Impulse would pierce you to eat meat to satisfy your own flesh and to fill your belly rather than to do the will of your Maker. But this is what is meant: it would be a kindness [tzedakah] to the soul (of the animal) if you ate from the cattle and the sheep, and raise the soul as you make it part of a Human, that has a neshamah, since what could be said of that animal? And now your merit would be raised, and it is known, but this is "the desire of the soul" and not of your body, this would be for the sake of heaven. ... And only if you are doing this for the desire of raising the soul, to raise the soul of the animal to the higher levels of a soul that possesses holiness, and not for the sake of enjoying your body. And this is what I warn you against: it says 'with your soul desire' and not 'to please your body.'

Sefaria Community Translation. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: https://www.sefaria.org Licence: CC0. Source.