פרשת במדבר
This week’s Parsha tells us about an interesting switch that occurred in Jewish history. When the Jew’s came out of Egypt, all the first born were originally chosen to perform the work in the Tabernacle and eventually in the Beis Hamikdash on account of their being saved from the plague of the first born. Since God had singled them out by saving them in particular, it was reasonable to charge them with the privilege of being the priests in the holy places. However, when they sinned during the episode with the golden calf, they became demoted and instead, the tribe of Levi took their place. The Rambam writes in the end of the laws of Shmittah and Yovel (13:12) that the tribe of Levi was completely separated from the rest of the Jewish people at this time. They were told not to work like the rest of the Jewish people. They were told not to join the army like the rest of the Jewish people. And they had no portion in the land of Israel like the rest of the Jewish people. They were an elitist group whose sole job was to sanctify the name of God on this earth, to teach the Torah to the Jewish people, and to perform the service in the temple. The Slonimer Rebbi adds homiletically, that Levi’s unique purpose is actually alluded to in their name. The name Levi was originally given because it has a connotation of “accompaniment”, and Levi’s primary purpose in this world was to always be “accompanying” God during every step they took.
On a practical level, Levi’s primary responsibilities were to tend to the work in the Beis Hamikdash which the Torah refers to as “guarding” the Beis Hamikdash. We need to understand why it is that after building up so much pomp about the importance of the tribe of Levi, they were chosen for such a menial task as becoming watchmen. Generally, one doesn’t need to possess any particular talent to become a guard. R’ S. R. Hirsh explains beautifully that their physical job of guarding was only a front for their true spiritual responsibilities which was to guard and protect the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people from any possible danger. He explains that this vigil that Levi was responsible for was twofold. Firstly, they were responsible for watching out for the physical welfare of the Jewish people. By always remaining righteous, they ensured that no physical harm would come to the Jewish people such as plague or famine. And secondly, by setting a good example of how a person was supposed to act, they were responsible for the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people. The Jews always knew that they could look to the tribe of Levi as role models in order to emulate their behavior. With this explanation of R’ Hirsh, it makes perfect sense why Levi was specifically chosen after they had shown such outstanding behavior during the episode with the golden calf. When Moshe Rabenu called out, “Whoever stands for God, follow me”, Levi immediately heeded that call and followed Moshe, demonstrating to all the Jews what the proper attitude should be and how a person should act in the face of temptation. From then on, they were known as the tribe of Levi that we know today.
Obviously in today’s world, we no longer have the service in the Beis Hamikdash, and the tribe of Levi to look toward as a shining example in how we should behave, however, it goes without saying that Hashem would not leave His people in such a long and bitter exile without these two vital components which are integral to our survival. In today’s world, the Talmidei Chachamim and righteous people of each and every generation have taken the place of the tribe of Levi. Those who dedicate all their time to Torah Study are responsible to simultaneously protect the generation, by virtue of their righteousness, and to set an example for each and every Jew by virtue of their meticulous Mitzvah observance. The righteous individuals of every generation can be looked upon during any given time or place and can be relied upon blindly to know what the correct behavior should be in any situation.
Chazal say about Iyov that his years were long like a tree. They explain this cryptic statement to mean that just as a tree protects a man with its shade, so to Iyov protected the generation with his righteousness. I would just like to conclude with a true story told over by the great leader, R’ Issar Zalman Meltzer which reflects this point beautifully. There was a Jew in the small Lithuanian town called Eishishok by the name of R’ Chaim Leib who was not so well known, but whenever he would walk into the room, the Gedolim would stand for him. R’ Issar Zalman relates that he once asked all the great Rabanim why they stood up for this Jew, R’ Chaim Leib. Granted that he seemed to spend a lot of time learning, and seemed to be a very nice man, but why did that earn him such deference from these giants? The Gedolim responded to R’ Issar Zalman that there was once a plague in the surrounding regions of Eishishok, and hundreds of citizens were dropping like flies, but the entire city of Eishishok was completely untouched. The Rabbi of the city declared that the reason for this seemingly inexplicable miracle was solely because of this one Kollel member, R’ Chaim Leib, who learns the entire day, and even stands for the majority of the day, and whose righteousness and good deeds protect us all. Shortly after this episode, R’ Chaim Leib’s father in law became fearful that the plague would spread to where he was living, and so he demanded from his son in law that he travel to his town. As soon as R’ Chaim Leib had left Eishishok, unfortunately, the city surrendered to the plague and many of its inhabitants were lost. R’ Issar Zalman concluded this story by pointing out to what extent a righteous person protects over his own neighbors, and ultimately, over the entire generation.
May we all be Zoche to appreciate the tremendous merit we have to possess righteous people and do everything in our power to support them and emulate their ways!