Service of the Levites/0

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Service of the Levites

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Overview

Bemidbar 8 describes the purification and consecration of the Levites to service of Hashem. When and why were they selected for this position?  What did it entail?  How did their role in the Tabernacle compare to that of the priests? Did their tasks change after arrival in Canaan, with the building of the Mikdash? The page below will survey several approaches to these questions, touching on various aspects of the Levites' service.

Chosen for Service

When was the Tribe of Levi designated to assume their special responsibilities and why did they merit them?  Is their elevated position a reward for some meritorious deed or were they simply best suited for the tasks required of them?  Commentators debate these issues, reaching different conclusion regarding both the timing and reason for the Levite appointment: [See Selection of the Priests and Levites for details.]

  • Before the Exodus – According to Jubilees, the tribe of Levi was elevated already in the Patriarchal Period, as a reward for Levi's avenging of Dinah in Shekhem. [For elaboration on Jubilees' reading of the Shekhem story, see Sin and Slaughter of Shekhem.]
  • Before the Sin of the Golden Calf –  The tribe was designated at the same time that Aharon was appointed priest, when construction of the Mishkan necessitated their service.  It is possible that they were selected due to the merits of the family of Moshe and Aharon rather than any specific deeds  performed by the tribe as a whole. R"Y Bekhor Shor posits that Hashem wanted the service to be centralized and confined to a family line (rather than be carried out by individual firstborns in every family), so that the laws of cultic service could be passed from father to son, facilitating their transmission and ensuring expertise.
  • After the Sin of the Golden Calf – Rashi, Ibn Ezra and many others maintain that Levites merited their position as a reward for their loyalty to Hashem during the sin of the Golden Calf.

Age of Service

While Bemidbar 4 sets 30-50 as the age of Levite service, Bemidbar 8:23-26 instead sets 25 as the lower age limit. How can this contradiction be understood? How do both verses work with the fact that in the era of David (Divrei HaYamim I 23:24-28), Chizkiyahu (Divrei HaYamim II 31:17) and Ezra (Ezra 3:8-11), it appears that the Levites began working already at the age of twenty? Commentators resolve the contradiction in one of two ways: [For discussion, see Ages of Levite Workers.]

Types of Work

What functions were carried out by the Levites in the Tabernacle and Mikdash? Which of these are attested to in Torah and which only in the rest of Tanakh?

Transport and Assembly

Bemidbar 1:50Bemidbar 3:21-38 and Bemidbar 4 describe how the Levites were tasked with transporting the Tabernacle. The family of Kehat carried the various vessels, Gershon took the curtains, and Merari was in charge of the boards. The Levites were further responsible for the dismantling and erecting of the Mishkan throughout the travels in the Wilderness (see Bemidbar 1:51and Bemidbar 10:17-21).  Some aspects of these roles, though, are under debate:

  • Who carried the ark?  Though Bemidbar 3-41 suggest that it was the Levites' job to carry the ark, other verses2 imply that perhaps this was a task reserved for the priests. Yet other verses3 are ambiguous, mentioning both the priests and Levites. How can the differing portraits be reconciled? Whose job was it to carry the ark?
    • Levites – According to R. Yose in Bavli SotahSotah 33bAbout the Bavli, the Levites were normally in charge of carrying the ark, but there were a few special occasions (crossing the Jordan, conquering Yericho and placing the ark in the Mikdash) when the priests were given the honor in their stead.4
    • Priests RambamPositive Commandments 34About Rambam Sefer HaMitzvot, in contrast, suggests that really the task of transporting the ark was reserved for the priests.  It was only in the Wilderness period, due to the small number of priests,5 that Levites were allowed to carry it.
  • How did the ark travel?

Guard Duty

Bemidbar 1:53, 3:7-8, 8:26, and Bemidbar 18:1-5 all speak of the Levites' role in guarding the Tabernacle. See also the many verses in Ketuviim6 which speak of the Levites similarly serving as gate-keepers of the Mikdash.7

  • Purpose of guarding – Commentators discuss the goal of this guard duty:
    • Practical function – Most commentators assume that the purpose of guarding was practical in nature, to prevent Israelites from approaching too close to the Mishkan.
    • Honor to the Mikdash – RalbagBemidbar 3:6About R. Levi b. Gershom adds that having guards serves to elevate the Mikdash in the eyes of the people, for palaces and mansions tend to have people standing guard in front.
  • Placement in camp – Many commentators directly relate the Levites' placement in the camp closer to the Tabernacle, with their task of ensuring that no foreigners approached the Mishkan.8 NetzivBemidbar 1:50Bemidbar 18:4About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin adds that proximity to the Tabernacle more easily allowed the Levites to care for it. RalbagBemidbar 18:2-3About R. Levi b. Gershom, however, suggests that the placement is meant to honor the Levites. The more elevated the tribe, the more honored a position they received around the Tabernacle.

"וְשֵׁרְתוּ אֹתוֹ" – Service of the Mishkan / Priests

Bemidbar 1:50 speaks of the Levites serving the Tabernacle ("וְהֵם יְשָׁרְתֻהוּ"), while Bemidbar 3:6 and 18:1-3 speak of them serving Aharon ("וִישָׁרְתוּךָ").9 What is included in this "service"?

Miscellaneous Jobs Not Explicit in Torah

There are several roles played by the Levites in later books of Tanakh which are not mentioned explicitly in Torah:

  • Music – Though no verses in Torah explicitly mention that the Levites were supposed to function as singers or musicians,11 verses throughout Divrei HaYamim attest to this role.12
  • Preparation of BreadDivrei HaYamim I 9:32 speaks of Kehat being n charge pf baking the showbread.  It is not clear, though, if this refers to the Levites or Priests.
  • Purification of Mikdash

Teachers of Torah

Supervisors

Was Elazar or Itamar assigned to supervise the Levites?