God in His love for Israel had frequent censuses taken of them, so that
He might accurately estimate His possession. In scarcely half a year
they were twice counted, once shortly before the erection of the
Tabernacle, and the second time a month after its dedication. [422] On
the first day of the month of Iyyar, Moses received instructions to
take a census of all men over twenty who were physically fit to go to
war. He was ordered to take Aaron as his assistant, so that in case he
should overlook some of the men Aaron might remind him of them, for
"two are better than one." They were also to take as their subordinate
assistants Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons, and a man each from the
several tribes. These twelve men were appointed not only to conduct the
census, but also to look after the spiritual welfare of their
respective tribes, the sins of which would be upon their heads unless,
with all their powers, they strove to prevent them. Moses and Aaron
nevertheless adjured the princes of the tribes, in spite of their high
rank, not to tyrannize over the people, whereas, on the other hand,
they admonished the people to pay all due respect to their superiors.
[423]
The names of these twelve princes of the tribes indicated the history
of the tribes they represented. The prince of the tribe Reuben was
called Elizur, "my God is a rock," referring to the ancestor of this
tribe, Reuben, Jacob's son, who sinned, but, owing to his penance, was
forgiven by God, who bore his sin as a rock bears the house built upon
it. The name of Elizur's father was Shedeur, "cast into the fire,"
because Reuben was converted to repentance and atonement through Judah,
who confessed his sin when his daughter-in-law Tamar was about to be
cast into the fire.
The prince of the tribe of Simeon was named Shelumiel, "my God is
peace," to indicate that in spite of the sin of Zimri, head of this
tribe, through whom four and twenty thousand men among Israel died, God
nevertheless made peace with this tribe.
The prince of the tribe of Judah bore the name Nahshon, "wave of the
sea," the son of Amminadab, "prince of My people," because the prince
received this dignity as a reward for having plunged into the waves of
the Red Sea to glorify God's name.
The tribe of Issachar had for its prince Nethanel, "God gave," for this
tribe devoted its life to the Torah given by God to Moses. Accordingly
Nethanel was called the son of Zuar, "burden," for Issachar assumed the
burden of passing judgement on the lawsuits of the other tribes.
Corresponding to the occupation of the tribe of Zebulun, its prince was
called Eliab, "the ship," son of Helon, "the sand," for this tribe
spent its life on ships, seeking "treasures hidden in the sand."
Elishama, son of Ammihud, the name of the prince of the tribe of
Ephraim, points to the history of Joseph, their forefather. God said:
"Elishama, 'he obeyed Me,' who bade him be chaste and not covet his
master's wife that wanted to tempt him to sin, and Ammihud, 'Me he
honored,' and none other."
The other tribe of Joseph, Manasseh, also named their prince in
reference to their forefather, calling him Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur,
which signifies, "God rewarded Joseph for his piety by releasing him
from bondage and making him ruler over Egypt."
The prince of the tribe of Benjamin was named Abidan, "my father
decreed," son of Gideoni, "mighty hosts," referring to the following
incident. When Rachel perceived that she would die at the birth of her
son, she called him "son of faintness," supposing that a similar fate
would overtake him, and that he was doomed through weakness to die
young. But Jacob, the child's father, decreed otherwise, and called him
Benjamin, "son of might and of many years."
The prince of the tribe of Dan bore the name Ahiezer, "brother of
help," son of Ammishaddai, "My people's judge," because he was allied
with the helpful tribe of Judah at the erection of the Tabernacle, and
like this ruling tribe brought forth a mighty judge in the person of
Samson.
The tribe of Asher was distinguished by the beauty of its women, which
was so excellent that even the old among them were fairer and stronger
than the young girls of the other tribes. For this reason kings chose
the daughters of this tribe to be their wives, and these, through their
intercession before the kings, saved the lives of many who had been
doomed to death. Hence the name of the prince of the tribe of Asher,
Pagiel, "the interceder," son of Ochran, "the afflicted," for the women
of the tribe of Asher, through their intercession, obtained grace for
the afflicted.
The prince of the tribe of Gad bore the name Eliasaph, "God
multiplied;" son of Deuel, "God is a witness." To reward them for
passing over the Jordan and not returning to their property on this
side of the river until the promised land was won, their wealth was
multiplied by God; for when, upon returning, they found the enemy at
home, God aided them and they gained all their enemies possessions. God
was furthermore witness that this tribe had no wicked motive when they
erected an altar on their land.
The prince of the tribe of Naphtali was called Ahira, "desirable
meadow," son of Enan, "clouds;" for the land of this tribe was
distinguished by its extraordinary excellence. Its products were
exactly what their owners "desired," and all this owing to the plenty
of water, for the "clouds" poured plentiful rain over their land.
At the census of the people the tribes were set down in the order in
which they put up their camp and moved in their marches. The tribes of
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun formed the first group, the royal tribe of
Judah being associated with the tribe of learned men, Issachar, and
with Zebulun, which through its generosity enabled Issachar to devote
itself to the study of the Torah. The second group consisted of Reuben,
Simeon, and Gad. The sinful tribe of Simeon was supported on the right
by the penance of Reuben and on the left by the strength of Gad. The
tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin formed a group by themselves,
for these before all the other tribes were destined to appear
gloriously against Amalek. The Ephraimite Joshua was the first who was
victorious against Amalek, the Benjamite Saul followed his example in
his war against Agag, king of Amalek, and, under the leadership of men
out of the tribe of Manasseh, the tribe of Simeon at the time of king
Jehoshaphat succeeded in destroying the rest of the Amalekites, and to
take possession formed the last group, and for the following reason
were united in this way. The tribe of Dan had already at the time of
the exodus from Egypt been possessed of the sinful thought to fashion
an idol. To counteract this "dark thought" Asher was made its comrade,
from whose soil came "the oil for lighting;" and that Dan might
participate in the blessing, Naphtali, "full with the blessing of the
Lord," became its second companion. [424]
At this third census the number of men who were able to go to war
proved to be exactly the same as the second census, taken in the same
year. Not one among Israel had died during this period, from the
beginning of the erection of the Tabernacle to its dedication, when the
third census took place. [425] But no conclusive evidence concerning
the sum total of the separate tribes can be drawn from this number of
men able to go to war, because the ration of the two sexes varied among
the different tribes, as, for example, the female sex in the tribe of
Naphtali greatly outnumbered the male. [426]