A Thought on Parshas Bamidbar

“…nesunim nesunim hae’ma lo mae’es Benei Yisroel…” “…given are to Aharon from the Children of Israel…” (3:9) The Torah commands us to present the Levites to the Kohanim, whom they will serve and assist in assuring that there can be the priestly service in the Mishkan. Our verse makes clear that this task of “giving” the Levites over to the Kohanim is the obligation of the Jewish people. The Gan explains: We know that the Leviim worked in and around the Mishkan, which involved labor, organization and portage. The Torah in turn awards the tithes of food and beverage to those Leviim. In fact, a verse later on (18:21) stipulates that those tithes were given “chaelef avodasam” – in exchange for the work which they did. The tithes – maaser – were portions that the Jewish people took from their own produce and gave over to the Leviim, as that same verse declares “kol maaser b’Yisroel”. What is the relationship between the Leviim, the Benei Yisroel, and the maaser? What does our verse mean here when it says that it is not only the tithes which we give to Leviim but it is the Leviim whom we “give” to the Kohanim? The Gan offers this thought: The original plan was, as we know, that the first born from each family would perform the ritual and sacrificial services. We lost that right, and this avoda was taken from our first born and given (by HaShem) to the Kohanim. They are doing the service which at one time was meant for us to do ourselves. Some of that work is undertaken by the broader tribe of Levi, of which the Kohanim are but one faction. The Torah wants those Leviim cared for, and this task of Benei Yisrael sustaining them with food-as-wages is ordained by the Torah. By telling us that the Leviim are to be given by the Benei Yisroel to the Kohanim, the Torah is emphasizing to us that we are in effect “hiring” the Leviim to serve the Kohanim. Since we are hiring them, they in effect become our agents or our employees but since we are not the ones doing work in the Mishkan, there is nothing that these Levites do for us. Rather, we send them to serve the Kohanim, who are doing our work. We pay them and hire them to lend support to the Kohanim, who are doing the avoda which at one time had been the sacred service which was to have been the task of the Jewish people. Wishing you a Good Shabbos and a Yom Tov Shel Matan Torah Sameach! D Fox