A Thought On Parshas BaMidbar

A Thought On Parshas BaMidbar "...Ki Li kol bechor..." "...the firstborn are all mine..." (3:13) At one time, each family's firstborn son was designated to serve HaShem. This changed following the Golden Calf incident in the desert, and a segment of the tribe of Levi, those who were the sons of Aharon, became the "kohanim" and took over the role that had once been given to firstborn sons. In our times too, anyone who can trace his lineage to that line of Kahuna takes on certain responsibilities which pertain to Kohanim. On the other hand, one of the realities of being a kohen and for that matter a Levite was that they did not inherit a share in the land of Israel. When the land was dispensed among the tribes, the tribe of Levi and its cohort, the kohanim, did not get a share. They were sustained largely through the tithes which the Torah allotted to them, but had no real property or livelihood other than serving in the Temple. The Bechor Shor offers two insights. He sees the "no-inheritance" rule of the kohanim as being intertwined with their exclusive "Temple service" designation. That is, he suggests that having to deal with property and livelihood-worries would distract a kohen from focusing fully on his sacred Temple tasks. So, not having an inheritance was not really a detriment. It was an asset for Kohanim, in that it served to facilitate their having fuller concentration with what really mattered - their undivided attention to a life of devotion. The second insight pertains to a Talmudic adage. In a number of instances, we are told that "Kohanim zerizim heim" - one can rely on the meticulous conscientious care shown by the Kohanim in all aspects of their devotional work. Some understand that this attribute of "zerizus" was somehow inborn within those kohanim. Others suggest that it was the gravity of where they worked and all of its awesome responsibilities which kept them on their toes, or zerizim. The Bechor Shor suggests that their zerizus was also intertwined with the fact that they had no property or financial preoccupations. Being free of those concerns gave them the time and the tranquility to dedicate themselves fully to studying and knowing the laws and the methods for thorough involvement in the Temple avoda. So, zerizus was an offshoot of having no material preoccupations or mundane distractions. As we prepare for Shavuos, the commemoration of the giving of the Torah, perhaps we too can get our minds off of the worldly matters which draw so much of our time and attention. Besides allowing us to devote this festival to the beauty of serving HaShem through learning and knowing His Torah, we might also find ourselves becoming more zariz - more conscientious of how we live our lives, spend our time, channel our energy and set our values. Good Shabbos. D Fox