This week’s parsha teaches how the firstborns of the Jewish people were redeemed by the Leviim. (Bamidbar 3:40-51) The number of firstborns hints to the Jewish people’s population growth in Mitzrayim. How so?

Back in parshat Shemot, Rashi teaches that in Mitzrayim, Jewish women gave birth to six babies at a time (Shemot 1:7). That means that by the time of the Exodus, each family would have a lot of children. Fast forward to Parshat Bamidbar. Hashem commands Moshe to take a census. The total male population from 20 years and up was 603,550 (Bamidbar 1:46). Then, Hashem commanded Moshe to count the firstborn males. They needed to be redeemed by the Levi’im. The population of the firstborn males was 22,273 (Bamidbar 3:43).

Assume that every family’s firstborn child was male. In other words, the total count of 22,273 represented all of the firstborn children. Given the two population counts 603,550 and 22,273, what was the average number of male children per family?

Solution: Each family had one firstborn male child. That means that the division problem 603,550 / 22,273 gives the average number of male children in a family. It is approximately 27. That means that each family had on average 27 male children. The total number of children per family was actually more. That is, women and children under 20 years old would also be counted. Shabbat Shalom.

Ari Blinder is a math educator living in Highland Park. He is the owner of Math for the Masses, an innovative tutoring and consulting company. Please visit www.math4masses.com for fun activities and helpful worksheets. Ari can be reached at ari.m4m@gmail.com. Never think you are “not a math person.” You are very much one already, but no one has shown you how.