Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: Reckon the heads of the sons of Gershon too, according to the houses of their fathers and their families.
The Ohr Hachaim asks why the Torah describes a new statement from Hashem to Moshe. The possuk in last week’s parsha already told us that Hashem told Moshe to count the children of Kehas as part of the counting of the children of Levi. Why was this command not part of the previous conversation? Why was Moshe called again and commanded separately about this mitzvah? (The Ohr Hachaim is obviously referring to the words of Rashi at the beginning of Parshas Vayikra, who explains that each time the possuk says that Hashem spoke to Moshe, He also called him specifically into the mishkan. There was always a break before this new command. Why did Moshe have to be called specifically for this command for the children of Gershon? Why couldn’t it be included in the first time he was called?)
The Ohr Hachaim explains that the Torah wished to emphasize an extra point regarding the family of Gershon. Kehas had the most honorable job of all of the brothers. His family bore the vessels of the Mishkan, including the holiest of all – the Aron Hakodesh. If Gershon had been included in the same conversation as that of Kehas, the contrast would have been obvious, and Gershon would have been considered second-rate. For this reason, Gershon’s command was given in its own conversation with Hashem, and nobody would look down on Gershon for this.
The Ohr Hachaim adds that the possuk alludes to this, by saying ‘reckon the heads of the sons of Gershon’ with an expression of uplifting. נָשׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי גֵרְּ שׁוֹן - uplift the heads of the children of Gershon. They are to be uplifted during this counting; they should not be considered ‘less than’ Kehas.
Indeed, when the Torah continues with its command of counting the children of Levi, the Torah does not have a new conversation, it does not say וַיְּדַבֵר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵאמֹר again. And the Torah says there בְּנֵי מְּרָרִ י לְּמִשְּׁפְּחֹתָם לְּבֵית אֲבֹתָם תִפְּקֹד אֹתָם – the children of Merari, according to their families and the houses of their fathers you shall count them. It does not use the expression of uplifting, neither are they introduced with a new conversation. Their service in the Mishkan was indeed ‘less than’ that of their brothers and the Torah informs us of such.
