“Moses counted them according to the directive of the Lord” (Numbers 3:16) – Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You say to me to count them from one month old; can I move and circulate in their courtyards and inside their houses and count each and every one, that You are saying to me: “Every male from one month old and above, you shall count them”?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You do yours and I will do Mine.’
Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi bar Rabbi Shalom said: Moses would go and stand at the entrance of their tents, and the Divine Presence would draw near and say to him: There are five children in this house, there are five children in that tent, there are ten children in that tent. That is what is written: “Moses counted them according to the directive of the Lord,” just as the Divine Presence says to him.