<b>When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Exod. 30:12).</b> R. Judah said in the name of R. Samuel the son of Nahman: This may be compared to a king who has many silk garments. He tells one of his stewards: “This robe looks better on me than any of the others. Remember that when I wore it for the coronation ceremonies, it clung firmly to my body and gave me a distinguished appearance.” In the same way, the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses: Bear in mind that Israel cleaves to my loins, as it is said: <i>For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of man, so have I caused to cleave to Me the whole house of Israel</i> (Jer. 13:11). They acknowledged My authority and said: <i>The Lord shall reign forever and ever</i> (Exod. 15:18). Because of their great love for Me, I have descended from the heavenly sphere to the earthly sphere and shall dwell behind the curtain of goats’ hair.
Moses cried out: My master, You did not command me about even one of the seventy nations, only concerning Israel: <i>When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, Unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, And unto the children of Israel thou shalt say, Command the children of Israel, Speak unto the children of Israel</i>. You commanded me to do this only to the children of Israel. He replied to him: I did so because they are dearer to me than all the nations. They are My treasure, I love them and have chosen them, as it is said: <i>And the Lord hath chosen thee to be his own treasure out of all peoples</i> (Deut. 14:2). Observe how precious they are that they are mentioned five times in a single verse: <i>I have given the Levites</i>—<i>they are given to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel, through the children of Israel coming nigh unto the Sanctuary</i> (Num. 8:19).
R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: This may be compared to a king who has engaged a tutor for his son. He would summon him repeatedly and ask him: “Has my son eaten, has my son had a drink, has my son left for school, has my son returned from school?” In the same way, the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to remind the children of Israel each hour (about their relationship to Him).
R. Judah the son of Simon said: This may be compared to one who is fashioning a crown. A man passing by sees it and tells him to set many precious stones and beautiful pearls in it, so that in the future it might rest upon the head of a king. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Do whatever is in your power to glorify Israel and to praise them before Me, for I am to be glorified through them, as it is said: <i>And He said unto me: “Thou art My servant Israel, through whom I will be glorified”</i> (Isa. 49:3).