Selection of the Priests and Levites/1/en

Selection of the Priests and Levites

Introduction

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Conflicting Verses

Parashat Tetzaveh opens with the election of Aharon and his sons to serve as priests:

EN/HEע/E

(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 in between the command to build the Tabernacle and the story of the Golden Calf, it would appear that the priests were designated before the sin, in preparation for their serving in the Mishkan.¹  However, in recounting the aftermath of the Golden Calf in Devarim 10, Moshe seems to suggest otherwise:

EN/HEע/E

(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.

Ostensibly, these verses indicate that the tribe of Levi assumed their special responsibilities only after the Sin of the Golden Calf.  And while the carrying of the Ark might be a Levite function, the blessing of the nation is a uniquely priestly role.  How is one to reconcile the accounts of Shemot and Devarim?  Moreover, is it logical that Aharon, who is castigated by Moshe for his role in the making of the Calf, should receive a special promotion in its immediate aftermath?

Priests Before the Miskhan?

Further confusing matters, a third verse in Chapter 2 of Shemuel may place the selection of the Priests in an even earlier era:

EN/HEע/E

(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 these verses, 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 describes a class of "כֹּהֲנִים" as well as a group who offer sacrifices.  Thus before revelation, Hashem warns, "גַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל י"י יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ" and during the covenantal ceremony in Shemot 24, the Torah states, "וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים".  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?

Priests and Levites

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 broader 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 integrally connected to the rejection of the firstborns:

EN/HEע/E

(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?

¹ This assumes that the commandment to build the Mishkan preceded the sin of the Golden Calf, like the straightforward reading of Sefer Shemot.  However, there are dissenting opinions.  For more, see Purpose of the Mishkan.