Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” This text is related (to Cant. 6:8-9), “There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and maidens without number; [but only] One is My dove, My perfect one….” [The matter] is comparable to a certain merchant,102Gk.: pragmateutes (“business representative”). who had glass beads,103Numb. R. 4:2. which he would bring to market; but he paid no attention to their number (minyan), because he had brought them out without counting (minyan) [them]. So when he came in to put them away, he put them away without counting. Because they were [made] of glass, he did not pay attention to them. However, he had a certain string104Lat.: linea. of fine pearls;105Gk. margelis. and this he would take and bring out with a count, then put away with a count. Similarly, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, said [in regard] to the nations of the world, “I have not given them a count, because none of them is important to me, as stated (in Is. 40:17), ‘All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are considered by Him as less than nothing and void.’ But as for you, you are My children, [as stated (in Is. 46:3)], ‘the ones who have been borne by Me from birth, carried from the womb.’ I therefore count you on every occasion.” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” Ergo (in Cant. 6:8-9), “There are sixty queens […]; [but only] One is My dove, My perfect one….” This is Israel. Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Because of the love for Israel I have altered the [natural] order of the world.106Numb. R. 4:5. How? I had written in My Torah that an ass should be redeemed with a lamb, as stated (in Exod. 34:20), “But the firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb (seh) ….” But I did not do so. Instead I redeemed a lamb (seh) with an ass. The Egyptians are likened to an ass, where it is stated (in Ezek. 23:20), “whose flesh is like the flesh of asses”; and Israel is called a lamb (seh), where it is stated (in Jer. 50:17), “Israel is a scattered flock (seh).” Then I slew the first-born of the Egyptians and sanctified the first-born of Israel, as stated (in Numb. 3:13), “For every first-born belongs to Me on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt,” I sanctified them for Myself. He therefore said to him (in Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male among the Children of Israel.”
דָּבָר אַחֵר, פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכוֹר זָכָר. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר, אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַּמָּתִי (שם ו, ח-ט). מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ פְּרַקְמְטוּטִים שֶׁל זְכוּכִית, וְהָיָה מוֹצִיאָן לַשּׁוּק וְלֹא הָיָה מְדַקְדֵּק בְּמִנְיָנָם, וְהָיָה מוֹצִיאָן וּמַכְנִיסָן שֶׁלֹּא בְּמִנְיָן שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מַשְׁגִּיחַ עֲלֵיהֶם, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שֶׁל זְכוּכִית. וְהָיָה לוֹ סְחוֹרָה אַחֶרֶת שֶׁל מַרְגָּלִיּוֹת נָאוֹת, וְהָיָה נוֹטְלָהּ בְּמִנְיָן וּמוֹצִיאָהּ וּמַכְנִיסָהּ בְּמִנְיָן, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ מַרְגָּלִיּוֹת וְהָיוּ חֲבִיבוֹת עָלָיו. כָּךְ כִּבְיָכוֹל, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, לְהַעַכּוּ״ם לֹא נָתַתִּי לָהֶם מִנַּיִן, לְפִי שֶׁאֵינָן חֲשׁוּבִין לְפָנַי לִכְלוּךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כָּל הַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדּוֹ מֵאֶפֶס וָתֹהוּ נֶחְשְׁבוּ לוֹ (ישעיה מ, יז). אֲבָל אַתֶּם בְּנֵי אָדָם הָעֲמוּסִים מִנִּי בֶטֶן, הַנְּשׂוּאִים מִנִּי רָחַם (שם פסוק מו), לְכָךְ אֲנִי מוֹנֶה אֶתְכֶם בְּכָל שָׁעָה. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכוֹר זָכָר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֶּן חֹדֶשׁ וָמַעְלָה וְשָׂא אֶת מִסְפָּר שְׁמוֹתָם. פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכוֹר זָכָר, הֱוֵי, שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים. אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַּמָּתִי, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל. פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכוֹר זָכָר. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בִּשְׁבִיל חִבַּתְכֶם שִׁנִּיתִי מִדָּתָהּ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. כֵּיצַד, כָּתַבְתִּי בְּתוֹרָתִי, שֶׁיְּהֵא חֲמוֹר נִפְדֶּה בְּשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְּשֶׂה, וְאִם לֹא תִּפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתוֹ, כָּל בְּכוֹר בָּנֶיךָ תִּפְדֶּה, וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם (שמות לד, כ). וַאֲנִי לֹא עָשִׂיתִי כֵן, אֶלָּא פָּדִיתִי שֶׂה בַּחֲמוֹר. שֶׁהַמִּצְרִים נִמְשְׁלוּ לַחֲמוֹר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם (יחזקאל כג, כ). וְיִשְׂרָאֵל נִמְשְׁלוּ לְשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שֶׂה פְּזוּרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל (ירמיה נ, יז). וְהָרַגְתִּי בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם שֶׁל מִצְרִים, וְהִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי לִי כָּל בְּכוֹר בְּיוֹם הַכֹּתִי כָּל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי לִי כָּל בְּכוֹר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָדָם עַד בְּהֵמָה לִי יִהְיוּ אֲנִי ה' (במדבר ג, יג). לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר לוֹ: פְּקֹד כָּל זָכָר בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” This text is related (to Cant. 6:8-9), “There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and maidens without number; [but only] One is My dove, My perfect one….” [The matter] is comparable to a certain merchant,102Gk.: pragmateutes (“business representative”). who had glass beads,103Numb. R. 4:2. which he would bring to market; but he paid no attention to their number (minyan), because he had brought them out without counting (minyan) [them]. So when he came in to put them away, he put them away without counting. Because they were [made] of glass, he did not pay attention to them. However, he had a certain string104Lat.: linea. of fine pearls;105Gk. margelis. and this he would take and bring out with a count, then put away with a count. Similarly, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, said [in regard] to the nations of the world, “I have not given them a count, because none of them is important to me, as stated (in Is. 40:17), ‘All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are considered by Him as less than nothing and void.’ But as for you, you are My children, [as stated (in Is. 46:3)], ‘the ones who have been borne by Me from birth, carried from the womb.’ I therefore count you on every occasion.” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” Ergo (in Cant. 6:8-9), “There are sixty queens […]; [but only] One is My dove, My perfect one….” This is Israel. Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Because of the love for Israel I have altered the [natural] order of the world.106Numb. R. 4:5. How? I had written in My Torah that an ass should be redeemed with a lamb, as stated (in Exod. 34:20), “But the firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb (seh) ….” But I did not do so. Instead I redeemed a lamb (seh) with an ass. The Egyptians are likened to an ass, where it is stated (in Ezek. 23:20), “whose flesh is like the flesh of asses”; and Israel is called a lamb (seh), where it is stated (in Jer. 50:17), “Israel is a scattered flock (seh).” Then I slew the first-born of the Egyptians and sanctified the first-born of Israel, as stated (in Numb. 3:13), “For every first-born belongs to Me on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt,” I sanctified them for Myself. He therefore said to him (in Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male among the Children of Israel.”