Pinchas: Why The Count, and Why The Break Mid-Pasuk?

In parshat Pinchas, there is a command to count the Israelites, followed by Moshe's fulfilling this command. {Bemidbar 26:1}:

א וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה; {פ} וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר.	1 And it came to pass after the plague, {P} that the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:
ב שְׂאוּ אֶת-רֹאשׁ כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה--לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם: כָּל-יֹצֵא צָבָא, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.	2 'Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.'

What is the reason for this count? Rashi writes:

It was after the plague This can be compared to a shepherd whose flock was intruded by wolves who killed some of them [his sheep]. He counted them to know how many were left. Another interpretation: When they left Egypt and were entrusted to Moses, they were delivered to him with a number. Now that he was close to death and would soon have to return his flock, he returns them with a number. — [Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 4, Num. Rabbah 21:7]

Thus, in his first explanation, he connects the plague, which was the beginning of first pasuk, to the command, which began to be issues at the end of the first pasuk. Thus, the decimation due to the plague was cause for a new count. Thus,

א וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה; {פ}

1 And it came to pass after the plague, {P}

In the second answer, that this was a closing count, as he counted them when they left Egypt and now is counting them when they are to be returned from the shepherd's care, at Moshe's passing -- well, this also finds purchase in the pesukim. As part of this command's description, we have:

ג וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְאֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן, אֹתָם--בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב: עַל-יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ, לֵאמֹר.	3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:
ד מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וָמָעְלָה, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת-מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַיֹּצְאִים מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.	4 '[Take the sum of the people,] from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, that came forth out of the land of Egypt.'

Thus, Rashi's (or the midrash's) comparison and linking to the first count when they left Egypt is made explicit in the pasuk.

And, at the very end of the count -- well, we have the count, and related to the count, a short digression as to the daughters of Tzelaphchad -- but, at the very end of the count, the very next subject is the taking away the mantle from Moshe and it being passed on the Yehoshua. {Bemidbar 27}:

יב וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, עֲלֵה אֶל-הַר הָעֲבָרִים הַזֶּה; וּרְאֵה, אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי, לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.	12 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, and behold the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.
יג וְרָאִיתָה אֹתָהּ, וְנֶאֱסַפְתָּ אֶל-עַמֶּיךָ גַּם-אָתָּה, כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱסַף, אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ.	13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered;
יד כַּאֲשֶׁר מְרִיתֶם פִּי בְּמִדְבַּר-צִן, בִּמְרִיבַת הָעֵדָה, לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי בַמַּיִם, לְעֵינֵיהֶם: הֵם מֵי-מְרִיבַת קָדֵשׁ, מִדְבַּר-צִן. {ס}	14 because ye rebelled against My commandment in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes.'--These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.-- {S}
טו וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-יְהוָה לֵאמֹר.	15 And Moses spoke unto the LORD, saying:
טז יִפְקֹד ה, אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל-בָּשָׂר, אִישׁ, עַל-הָעֵדָה.	16 'Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
יז אֲשֶׁר-יֵצֵא לִפְנֵיהֶם, וַאֲשֶׁר יָבֹא לִפְנֵיהֶם, וַאֲשֶׁר יוֹצִיאֵם, וַאֲשֶׁר יְבִיאֵם; וְלֹא תִהְיֶה, עֲדַת ה, כַּצֹּאן, אֲשֶׁר אֵין-לָהֶם רֹעֶה.	17 who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.'
יח וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, קַח-לְךָ אֶת-יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן-נוּן--אִישׁ, אֲשֶׁר-רוּחַ בּוֹ; וְסָמַכְתָּ אֶת-יָדְךָ, עָלָיו.	18 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is spirit, and lay thy hand upon him;
יט וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ אֹתוֹ, לִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן, וְלִפְנֵי, כָּל-הָעֵדָה; וְצִוִּיתָה אֹתוֹ, לְעֵינֵיהֶם.	19 and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

Thus, the count is bracketed before and after with exactly the message set out in Rashi's second explanation.

I would suggest a third plausible explanation, based on context. In the pesukim immediately before the count is introduced, we encounter {Bemidbar 25}:

טז וַיְדַבֵּר ה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.	16 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
יז צָרוֹר, אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִים; וְהִכִּיתֶם, אוֹתָם.	17 'Harass the Midianites, and smite them;
יח כִּי צֹרְרִים הֵם לָכֶם, בְּנִכְלֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר-נִכְּלוּ לָכֶם עַל-דְּבַר-פְּעוֹר; וְעַל-דְּבַר כָּזְבִּי בַת-נְשִׂיא מִדְיָן, אֲחֹתָם, הַמֻּכָּה בְיוֹם-הַמַּגֵּפָה, עַל-דְּבַר-פְּעוֹר.	18 for they harass you, by their wiles wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.'

which leads directly into {Bemidbar 26:1}:

א וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה; {פ} וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר.

1 And it came to pass after the plague, {P} that the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:

Furthermore, who are to be counted? As usual,

ב שְׂאוּ אֶת-רֹאשׁ כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה--לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם: כָּל-יֹצֵא צָבָא, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.

2 'Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel.'

Thus, this count may be preparation for war, just as Rashbam suggests about the first count in sefer Bamidbar.

Another interesting thing to note -- there is a break in the middle of the first pasuk in the perek:

א וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה; {פ} וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר.

1 And it came to pass after the plague, {P} that the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying:

Why?

I would suggest that, if we assume the position that the Torah was given as a series of megillot, we have here an interjection. At the end of the last perek, as a result of the incident in Shittim, Hashem said that they should harass the Midianites. But then, we do not see any more of this until mid-parshat Mattot. In Bemidbar 31:

א וַיְדַבֵּר ה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.	1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
ב נְקֹם, נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאֵת, הַמִּדְיָנִים; אַחַר, תֵּאָסֵף אֶל-עַמֶּיךָ.	2 'Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.'
ג וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-הָעָם לֵאמֹר, הֵחָלְצוּ מֵאִתְּכֶם אֲנָשִׁים לַצָּבָא; וְיִהְיוּ, עַל-מִדְיָן, לָתֵת נִקְמַת-ה, בְּמִדְיָן.	3 And Moses spoke unto the people, saying: 'Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian.
ד אֶלֶף, לַמַּטֶּה, אֶלֶף, לַמַּטֶּה--לְכֹל מַטּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, תִּשְׁלְחוּ לַצָּבָא.	4 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.'

Just perhaps, the flow was originally continuous, but then there was all this material with the count, etc., that would logically be placed there. Therefore, the relevant material was inserted by Moshe, with a note as to the fact that all the following occurred after the plague -- וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה. Thus, not just this tzivui, this command, the end of this pasuk, but rather the whole section, was after the magefa and thus is placed here.