במדבר, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ב׳

As the desert journey nears its end and following a devastating plague, a new census is ordered. The primary approach among commentators is that this count serves to determine how many survived the disaster. It is much like a shepherd who, after wolves attack his flock, carefully counts his sheep to see who remains [רבנו בחיי]. Furthermore, the plague wiped out the mixed multitude responsible for leading the nation into past sins, such as the Golden Calf and the incident of the spies, leaving the people in a state of purity [צרור המור]. Moses is also nearing the end of his life; having counted the people when they left Egypt, he now counts them again to properly return the flock that was entrusted to his care [רבנו בחיי]. Despite the heavy losses, the total reaches six hundred thousand men, showing that the nation remains complete [כלי יקר].

Beyond measuring survival, the census has a clear practical goal: preparing to divide the land of Israel among those arriving there [חזקוני]. The counting itself is not done through a direct tally of individuals. Instead, a half-shekel is collected from each person, just as it was done during the first count upon leaving Egypt [הדר זקנים]. The people are organized according to their fathers' houses, establishing that a person's tribal identity follows their father rather than their mother [רש״י, רבנו בחיי]. This rule is especially important when parents come from two different tribes [שפתי חכמים, מזרחי]. While the count includes the entire community rather than just the heads of households [גור אריה], the specific families are not detailed immediately, as they are listed extensively later for each individual tribe [הטור הארוך, קיצור בעל הטורים].

Organizing the nation by families highlights the purity and modesty of the Israelites. God attached His own name to the family names to testify to their legitimacy. This divine stamp refutes the claims of other nations who suggested that the Egyptians had compromised the Israelite women. It serves as a special testament to the modesty of the women, who maintained their purity even more strictly than the men, some of whom had recently failed in matters of immorality. Certain tribes required additional testimony of their purity. Reuben and Simeon needed this due to historical sins, while Zebulun required it because of their lifestyle. As sailors, the men of Zebulun were away from home for long periods, making it necessary to testify that their families remained faithful and guarded against immorality [כלי יקר, צרור המור].

Finally, the count is restricted to those fit for military service. Only those capable of going to war are counted and granted an independent portion of land in Israel. Anyone who does not serve in the army is considered secondary to their family unit and does not receive their own distinct inheritance [העמק דבר].