Parashas Bamidbar is full of numbers (pun intended). Not just the number of adult males in each Tribe, but also the number of adult males in each “Degel”(encampments/formations comprised of three Tribes). Since we were already given the total number of adult males in each Tribe, shouldn’t we only need to be told which Tribes were in each Degel? Can’t we do our own math to figure out how many adult males were in each of the four Degalim? Not only that, but saving us the trouble of having to turn back a page or two (or scrolling back a couple of columns), the Torah repeats how many adult males were in each Tribe of the Degel before giving us the total number for the Degel. Why are these numbers spelled out for us, and why were some, such as the number for each individual Tribe, repeated?Ramban (2:4 see also Ibn Ezra on 2:32) says the numbers were repeated to point out that there were exactly the same amount of people when the nation started traveling, on the 20th of Iyar (see 10:11) as there were when the census was taken, on the 1st of Iyar (see 1:1); it is quite remarkable that in such a large nation not even one death occurred over a 20 day period. However, just giving the total for each Degel and allowing us to compare it with the sum of the Tribes that are in the Degel (from 20 days earlier) would accomplish the same thing. Additionally, we don’t know how long the census took to complete; if it took more than a day, there are no longer 20 death-less days. [It should be noted that there are some (e.g. Tosefes B’racha on 1:46) who say that the numbers given in the census are not exact, but rounded off. Obviously, those commentators who say that the numbers being the same shows that there were no deaths over those 20 days must be of the opinion that the numbers were exact; otherwise the same rounded-off number could apply even if some had died during those 20 days.]
Rav Shimon Schwab makes a suggestion based on Rashi saying (1:1) that G-d counted the Children of Israel numerous times because they are so precious to Him; the reason He counted them again less than a month later was because of how extremely precious they were. Rav Schwab points out between the first census and the description of the Degalim the Levi’im were commanded to surround the Mishkan, creating a barrier between The Mishkan and the rest of the nation (1:48-53). Whether to counter the mistaken notion that they couldn’t be that cherished if G-d kept them at a distance, or because He cherished them even more after they agreed to have the Levi’im set up camp between them and the Mishkan (see 1:54), He counted them again despite how recently they had been counted; the numbers being repeated regarding the Degalim reflect this second counting. [Although only the first totals were based on an actual census, since Rashi (1:1) includes a count when they left Egypt as one of the instances of G-d “counting” them, and there was no census there either (only a mention of how many adult males there were, see Sh’mos 12:37), it is clear that merely mentioning a number is considered to be a counting by the All-Knowing One.]
The total given for the entire nation (Bamidbar 1:46 and 2:32) could also be considered unnecessary, as we could add up the population of all 12 Tribes ourselves. (Having to add twelve numbers together rather than just three does not really change things.) Nevertheless, this “repetition” isn’t much of an issue, since the sum of the nation is greater than its parts, and stating how many there were in the entire nation is not considered superfluous despite the ability to figure it out by adding together the totals of the 12 Tribes. (This applies when giving the total for all 12 Tribes and when giving the total for all four Degalim.) Similarly, a Degel can be considered a significant enough unit to warrant giving the number of its total population despite the ability to add up the populations of the Tribes the Degel is comprised of. By the same token, though, when giving a total population, there is also a need to avoid minimizing the importance of each of the parts that makes up that sum.
The commandment to conduct a census included counting them “according to the number of their names” (1:2), an expression repeated as each Tribe was counted. The commentators, in various forms (see, for example, S’fornu), explain this expression to be a reference to how important each individual was, manifested by each one being counted by name (not just by counting the half-shekalim). By mentioning that the census was done “by name” when giving the total for each Tribe (as well as several times when referring to counting the nation as a whole), the importance of each individual is stressed. The same can apply regarding giving the population of each Degel; even though it is considered a unit of three Tribes, the uniqueness and individuality of each of the Tribes is not to be lost, so their population is repeated before giving the Degel’s total population.
We would have known how many adult males the Children of Israel was comprised of without the Torah giving us the total, based on knowing how many were in each Tribe, and we would have known how many were in each Degel by adding up the numbers of each of its Tribes. Still, because each Degel was its own entity (not just three Tribes that happened to be grouped together), and the Nation of Israel was more than just twelve Tribes with a shared history and ancestors, the total population of each Degel, and of the nation, was given. Conversely, in order to highlight how important each Tribe was within that entity, the population of each Tribe is given separately. The same applies when the population of each Degel is given; the population number for each Tribe is repeated in order to highlight the importance of the unique contribution each Tribe made within the framework of the Degel.
