Brilliant and very cool.
One question -- if you look in parshas ba-midbar at the numbers of the census (which Rashi here explains is the same census that occurred with the mishkan), the 603,3550 number is the sum of numbers of each indiviudal shevet. Thus, that would mean that the erev rav was included in the census of specific shevatim -- which is questionable because the erev rav presumably would not be in any shevet given that the fathers were not Jewish. Any thoughts?
Quite impressive.
Just re-reading your post I realize I can put my question I think more simply -- the 603,350 was the count of the number of people inside the machaneh. See Bamidbar 2:32 -- kol pekuedei HA-MACHANOS le-tziosam shesh me'os elef ushloshes alafim vachamesh me'os vachamishim -- i.e., the count of those in the machaneh. See also Rashi in the beginnning of Pekudei 38:26, d"h le-shesh me'os, where Rashi connects the contribution of the machatzis ha-shekel with the count in Bamidbar. Thus, the question how can one suggest that the 3,350 were actually outside.
Thus, that would mean that the erev rav was included in the census of specific shevatim -- which is questionable because the erev rav presumably would not be in any shevet given that the fathers were not Jewish.
A little looking last night showed that you appear to be correct. See Rashi Bamidbar 1:18 who seems to be very clear that only miyuchasos were counted. See also Ramban there who argues with Rashi in part but clearly says also that the erev rav were not included in the census. Ramban Bamidbar 5:2 repeats the same thing.
But the vort is too good to discard just yet. V'tzarich iyun.
I agree -- the vort is too good to just discard. And the kasha that it answers is also good -- why is a reshus ha-rabim 600,000 and not 603,350. So I'll second your tzarich iyun. Too bad R'Reisman doesn't have a blog we can comment on!
Last night, I was asked to speak for 5 minutes between mincha maariv and I was deciding during Aleinu of mincha whether I should say over this whole discussion here or whether I should talk about a Meshech Chochmah that I always appreciated in the parshah. I open the Meshech Chochmah to try to find the piece that I was thinking about and guess what I stumble on -- the Meshech Chochmah in the beginning of Pekudei asks the question about the 3,550 and the 1775 and gives a different answer. Ayein Sham. Have a good Shabbos.
So which one did you end up talking about?
Ayein Sham.
I will look b"n over Shabbos.
Given that the Meshech Chochmah talked about this one too, I had to talk about this one. Though discussing math in public is always a dangerous thing, I think people liked it.
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