Mussar HaTorah
14 Sivan, 5769 Vol. 10, No. 32 Parashas Naso
The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 6:8) describes the census of the tribe of Levi. Moshe counted each of the three major Levite families, Kehas, Gershon and Merari, as instructed by Hashem. Moshe also invited his brother Aharon to join him in the census, but there was a slight difference in how Aharon was invited for the counting of each of the three families. Hashem commanded Moshe to invite Aharon when He instructed Moshe about Kehas, the first family. However, Hashem did not specifically mention Aharon in the original command for the other two families. As a result, while Moshe did, out of respect for his older brother, invite Aharon for the next census, that of Gershon, he did not mention to him that it was in the name of Hashem as he had done for the family of Kehas. Since Moshe was including Aharon by his own initiative, Moshe felt he could not relay the invitation as coming from Hashem.