Parshas Naso
Levi Genes
The tribe of Levi was counted independently in the desert of Sinai, apart
from all of its fellow Israelites. Almost from its onset, the tribe of
Levi was deemed to be special. Even though it had a violent start in its
history, as Levi himself was one of the chief instigators of the rift
between Joseph and the brothers as well as being a destroyer of the city
of Shchem, the tribe of Levi, already in Egypt, began to redefine itself
almost exclusively in terms of pious leadership and service within Israel.
It became the miniature "kingdom of priests and holy nation," the
prototype for all of the other tribes and individual families of the
Jewish people. Therefore, after the debacle of the Golden Calf in the
desert, the first-born Jews forfeited their original priestly role and the
tribe of Levi was then designated as their successors "for the [holy] work
and the burden [of public service]." The tribe of Levi was "given over" to
God's service, to engage in the holy work of the Temple, and perhaps even
more importantly, to become the teachers of Torah and the role-models of
life-behavior and values for their fellow Jews.
As such, the tribe of Levi was separated from ordinary life. It owned no
property in the Land of Israel, it was freed from most taxes and national
service burdens, it was supported by the tithes and contributions of its
fellow Jews, and it devoted itself exclusively to the fulfillment of its
Godly charge of spiritual example, education and inspiration in the midst
of the Jewish people. Being a Levite was thus a distinction and an honor
but it carried with it grave responsibilities, high expectations and
constant demands. In the eyes of the rest of Israel, a Levi had to behave
as a Levi. Failure to do so, was deemed to be a desecration of the holy
name of God itself.
After the destruction of the Temple, the tribe of Levi lost much of its
unique role in the Jewish world, though vestiges of its preferred status
were retained as a reminder of its chosen standing. But the task of the
Levites in being the nucleus of Torah knowledge and moral inspiration for
the Jewish world still remained. Even though there was no longer a Temple,
a Levi still had to behave as a Levi.
Perhaps even more now than ever, in a "Templeless" exile, the Jewish
people require spiritual teachers and
role-models, people who operate above the mundane problems and
requirements of every day life, and who therefore introduce the
spark and color of holy behavior into the drab and depressing world of
Jewish exile.
Apparently, in the new and more difficult Jewish world of
exile, just the tribe of Levi alone would not be sufficient for the task.
Therefore, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, in his monumental Mishne Torah, states
that every human being can now become a Levi. In his golden words: "Every
person who enters this world, whose spirit moves him and his intellect
instructs him, to separate himself [from the pettiness of the world] in
order to stand before God, to truly serve Him, to be responsible to Him,
to know Him, and to walk upright and straight in His paths as God created
him; and he has freed himself from the yoke of petty human considerations
that other people pursue - such a person has sanctified himself as being
holy of holies, and the Lord is his share and inheritance for all time and
all worlds, and he will receive in the World to Come his proper and
fulfilling [reward] as God has given such to the Priests and the Levites."
Let us be on the lookout therefore to discern the true Levites in the
Jewish and general world. Let us be aware of the Levi who behaves as a
Levi, and give that exalted person due honor, recognition and emulation.
Let us count those Levites separately from the whole nation and extend to
them our appreciation and blessing.
Shabat shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com
Text Copyright © 2006 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
Visit www.rabbiwein.com for a complete selection of Rabbi Wein's books and tapes.
