Selection of the Priests and Levites/1/en
Selection of the Priests and Levites
Introduction
Conflicting Verses
Parashat Tetzaveh opens with the choosing of Aharon and sons to serve as priests:
(א) וְאַתָּה הַקְרֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן.
(1) And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
As the Parashah is sandwiched between the commands regarding the construction of the Tabernacle and the story of the Golden Calf, it appears that the priests were designated before the sin, in preparation to serve in the Mishkan. However, in recounting the story in Devarim 10, Moshe appears to suggest otherwise:
(א) בָּעֵת הַהִוא אָמַר י"י אֵלַי פְּסׇל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לוּחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וַעֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה וְעָשִׂיתָ לְּךָ אֲרוֹן עֵץ...
(ח) בָּעֵת הַהִוא הִבְדִּיל י"י אֶת שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי לָשֵׂאת אֶת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית י"י לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי י"י לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ בִּשְׁמוֹ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
(1) At that time the Lord said unto me: 'Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto Me into the mount; and make thee an ark of wood....
(8) At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day.
These verses speak of the designation of the tribe of Levi for both the Levitical function of carrying the Ark, and the priestly task of blessing the nation, and place both in the aftermath of the Sin of the Golden Calf! How is one to reconcile the two verses? Moreover, why would Aharon be elevated in status right after his shady role in the story of the Calf, regardless?
Priests in Egypt?
To confuse matters further, a third verse in Shemuel I seems to set the election of the Priests to a totally different era:
(ב:כז) וַיָּבֹא אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים אֶל עֵלִי וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר י"י הֲנִגְלֹה נִגְלֵיתִי אֶל בֵּית אָבִיךָ בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּמִצְרַיִם לְבֵית פַּרְעֹה. (כח) וּבָחֹר אֹתוֹ מִכׇּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִי לְכֹהֵן לַעֲלוֹת עַל מִזְבְּחִי לְהַקְטִיר קְטֹרֶת לָשֵׂאת אֵפוֹד לְפָנָי וָאֶתְּנָה לְבֵית אָבִיךָ אֶת כׇּל אִשֵּׁי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(27) And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the Lord: Did I reveal Myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? (28) And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up unto Mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
According to the prophet who speaks with Eli, Hashem revealed himself to the priestly line and chose them to serve while they were still in Egypt! And, in fact, even before the construction of the Mishkan, the text attests to a class of "כֹּהֲנִים" and a group who sacrifices. Thus before revelation, Hashem warns, "גַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל י"י יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ" and during the covenantal ceremony in Shemot 24, the text shares, "יִּשְׁלַח אֶת נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים". Who are these groups and how do they relate to Aharon and his sons? Were the priests chosen prior to the Exodus, before the Sin of the Golden Calf, or in its aftermath?
Levites and Priests
While some of the above verses focus solely on the appointment of the priests, others speak of the selection together with that of the Levites. Were the two elections connected or distinct events? Did the groups merit their elevated positions for the same reason or was Aharon's designation due to factors unrelated to those of the larger tribal appointment? Since the two groups serve in related roles it would not be surprising that they might have been designated together. Nonetheless, the text describes the consecration of each group separately, discussing Aharon and sons in Shemot 28, and the Levites first in Bemidbar 8.
Replacement of Firstborns
The selection of the tribe of Levi is intricately connected to the rejection of the firstborns:
(יב) וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה לָקַחְתִּי אֶת הַלְוִיִּם מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תַּחַת כׇּל בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהָיוּ לִי הַלְוִיִּם. (יג) כִּי לִי כׇּל בְּכוֹר בְּיוֹם הַכֹּתִי כׇל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי לִי כׇל בְּכוֹר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָדָם עַד בְּהֵמָה לִי יִהְיוּ אֲנִי י"י.
Though the firstborns had been consecrated after the Plague of the Firstborns, they were replaced by the Levites. These verses raise several questions:
- What role was originally played by the firstborns? Were they similar to Priests or to Levites?
- Was their replacement by the Levites due to a sin on the part of the firstborns, or a meritorious deed of the Levites? Alternatively, was the decision a practical one unrelated to the worthiness of either group?
