Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tetzaveh/0/en
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This topic has not yet undergone editorial review
Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Tetzaveh
Why were Aharon and the Levites Chosen? For elaboration, see Selection of the Priests and Levites.
Parashat Tetzaveh opens with the directive to consecrate Aharon and his sons, suggesting that they were selected to serve as priest before the Sin of the Golden Calf. However, Devarim 10:8 suggests that both the Priests and Levites were chosen only in the aftermath of the sin.
- How are the two sets of verses to be reconciled? Were the Levites and Priests chosen together or at different times?
- Why was the tribe as a whole selected? Rashi suggests that they merited the positions due to their loyalty to Hashem during the Sin. Is it it logical, though, that Aharon, who is castigated by Moshe for his role in the making of the Calf, would receive a special promotion immediately thereafter? How might Rashi respond?
- R"Y Bekhor Shor, instead, suggests that the choice was practical in nature. Though originally all firstborns had been designated to serve, Hashem decided that it was better that the sacrificial service be confined to a single family line. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model of service (one tribe versus one individual from each family)?
