[ד"א פקוד כל בכור זכר]. והרי אני מוציאם מאתים ושבעים ושלשה בכורות שנמצאו עודפים על הלוים בשעה שמנה אותם משה. ר' יהודה ור' נחמיה. ר' יהודה אומר כך עשה משה, נטל (מאתים ושבעים ושלה) [שנים ועשרים אלף] פיטקים, וכתב בהם לוי לוי, ונטל עוד רע"ג פיטקים, וכתב בהם חמש סלעים, טרפן ונתנן בקלפי, והיה אביו של בכור מושיט ידו בקלפי, אם עלה בידו פטק שכתיב בו בן לוי היה נפדה, והיה פטור מה' סלעים, ואם עלה בידו פטק שכתוב בו ה' סלעים, היה נותן ה' סלעים, אלו דברי ר' יהודה, ר' נחמיה אומר עדיין היא מחלוקת בדבר, שהיה יכול לומר לו אין כאן פטק שכתוב בו בן לוי, לפיכך לא עלה בידי, אלא כך עשה משה, נטל פטקין כמנין כל הבכורות, וכתב בהן בן לוי, ועוד לקח פתקים אחרים במניינם, וכתב בהן חמשה סלעים, טרפן ונתנן בקלפי, והיה אביו של בכור מושיט ידו בקלפי, אם עלה בידו פטק של בן לוי, היה יודע שפדאו בן לוי, והיה פוטרו מה' סלעים, ואם עלה בידו פטק של ה' סלעים, [היה נותן חמשה סלעים], והממונה אמר לו הלא יש שם פטק אחר שכתוב בו בן לוי, ולא היתה ראוי לפדות בן לוי.
[(Numb. 3:40:) ENROLL EVERY FIRST-BORN MALE.] But look, I brought out two hundred and seventy-three first-born, who were found to be in excess of the <number of> the Levites at the time that Moses numbered them.129Tanh., Numb. 1:21; Numb. R. 4:7. According to Numb. 3:43, there were 22,273 first-born, while Numb. 3:39 put the number of Levites at 22,000. The problem for Moses was that he had been commanded (in Numb. 3:44-45) to replace all the first-born with Levites. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differ.130Numb. R. 4:10; ySanh. 1:4 (19c). R. Judah says: This is what Moses did: He took {two hundred and seventy-three} [twenty-two thousand] lots131Gk.: pittakia (“tickets”); Lat.: pittacia (“ticket”). and wrote "Levi," on each of them. Then he took two hundred and seventy-three more lots and wrote "five sela'im"132A sela‘ equals one sacred or two common shekels. Thus five sela‘im matches the payment of five shekels required in Numb. 3:46-47. <on each of them>. He mixed them up and put them in an urn.133Gk.: kalpe. For more details about such an urn, see Yoma 39a. Then the father of a first-born would put his hand into the urn. If there came up in his hand a lot on which was written "Levite," he was redeemed (by a Levite) and exempted from the five sela'im; but if there came up in his hand a lot on which was written "five sela'im," he handed over five sela'im. These are the words of R. Judah. R. Nehemiah says: There is still a difference of opinion on the matter, because one could say to him: There is no lot here on which "Levite" is written.134Sanh. 17a. That is the reason it did not come up in my hand. Instead this is what Moses did: He took lots according to the number of all the first-born, and wrote "Levite" on them. Then again he took other chits according to their number and wrote "five sela'im on them. He mixed them up and put them in an urn. Then the father of a first-born would reach into the urn. If a lot with "Levite" came up in his hand, he knew that a Levite had redeemed him, and had exempted him from the five sela'im; but if a lot with "five sela'im" came up in his hand, [he handed over five sela'im]. Then the officer said to him: Was there not another lot there on which "Levite" was written? So you are not worthy of being redeemed by a Levite.
[ד"א פקוד כל בכור זכר]. והרי אני מוציאם מאתים ושבעים ושלשה בכורות שנמצאו עודפים על הלוים בשעה שמנה אותם משה. ר' יהודה ור' נחמיה. ר' יהודה אומר כך עשה משה, נטל (מאתים ושבעים ושלה) [שנים ועשרים אלף] פיטקים, וכתב בהם לוי לוי, ונטל עוד רע"ג פיטקים, וכתב בהם חמש סלעים, טרפן ונתנן בקלפי, והיה אביו של בכור מושיט ידו בקלפי, אם עלה בידו פטק שכתיב בו בן לוי היה נפדה, והיה פטור מה' סלעים, ואם עלה בידו פטק שכתוב בו ה' סלעים, היה נותן ה' סלעים, אלו דברי ר' יהודה, ר' נחמיה אומר עדיין היא מחלוקת בדבר, שהיה יכול לומר לו אין כאן פטק שכתוב בו בן לוי, לפיכך לא עלה בידי, אלא כך עשה משה, נטל פטקין כמנין כל הבכורות, וכתב בהן בן לוי, ועוד לקח פתקים אחרים במניינם, וכתב בהן חמשה סלעים, טרפן ונתנן בקלפי, והיה אביו של בכור מושיט ידו בקלפי, אם עלה בידו פטק של בן לוי, היה יודע שפדאו בן לוי, והיה פוטרו מה' סלעים, ואם עלה בידו פטק של ה' סלעים, [היה נותן חמשה סלעים], והממונה אמר לו הלא יש שם פטק אחר שכתוב בו בן לוי, ולא היתה ראוי לפדות בן לוי.
[(Numb. 3:40:) ENROLL EVERY FIRST-BORN MALE.] But look, I brought out two hundred and seventy-three first-born, who were found to be in excess of the <number of> the Levites at the time that Moses numbered them.129Tanh., Numb. 1:21; Numb. R. 4:7. According to Numb. 3:43, there were 22,273 first-born, while Numb. 3:39 put the number of Levites at 22,000. The problem for Moses was that he had been commanded (in Numb. 3:44-45) to replace all the first-born with Levites. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differ.130Numb. R. 4:10; ySanh. 1:4 (19c). R. Judah says: This is what Moses did: He took {two hundred and seventy-three} [twenty-two thousand] lots131Gk.: pittakia (“tickets”); Lat.: pittacia (“ticket”). and wrote "Levi," on each of them. Then he took two hundred and seventy-three more lots and wrote "five sela'im"132A sela‘ equals one sacred or two common shekels. Thus five sela‘im matches the payment of five shekels required in Numb. 3:46-47. <on each of them>. He mixed them up and put them in an urn.133Gk.: kalpe. For more details about such an urn, see Yoma 39a. Then the father of a first-born would put his hand into the urn. If there came up in his hand a lot on which was written "Levite," he was redeemed (by a Levite) and exempted from the five sela'im; but if there came up in his hand a lot on which was written "five sela'im," he handed over five sela'im. These are the words of R. Judah. R. Nehemiah says: There is still a difference of opinion on the matter, because one could say to him: There is no lot here on which "Levite" is written.134Sanh. 17a. That is the reason it did not come up in my hand. Instead this is what Moses did: He took lots according to the number of all the first-born, and wrote "Levite" on them. Then again he took other chits according to their number and wrote "five sela'im on them. He mixed them up and put them in an urn. Then the father of a first-born would reach into the urn. If a lot with "Levite" came up in his hand, he knew that a Levite had redeemed him, and had exempted him from the five sela'im; but if a lot with "five sela'im" came up in his hand, [he handed over five sela'im]. Then the officer said to him: Was there not another lot there on which "Levite" was written? So you are not worthy of being redeemed by a Levite.