I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
- John Fogerty
(11) Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: (12) I hereby take the Levites from among the Israelites in place of all the first-born, the first issue of the womb among the Israelites: the Levites shall be Mine. (13) For every first-born is Mine: at the time that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every first-born in Israel, man and beast, to Myself, to be Mine, Adonai’s.
(1) Adonai spoke further to Moses, saying, (2) “Consecrate to Me every first-born; man and beast, the first issue of every womb among the Israelites is Mine.”(13) ...And you must redeem every first-born male among your children. (14) And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘It was with a mighty hand that Adonai brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage. (15) When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Adonai slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both man and beast. Therefore I sacrifice to Adonai every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every first-born among my sons.’
Originally the service (the priestly functions) was performed by the firstborn, but when they (the Israelites and among them their firstborn too) sinned by worshipping the golden calf they became disqualified, and the Levites who had not worshipped the idol were chosen in their stead.
(1) The people took to complaining bitterly before Adonai. Adonai heard and was incensed: a fire of Adonai broke out against them, ravaging the outskirts of the camp.
- We don't have meat to eat... or fish, or cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. (Numbers 11:4-5)
- There's nothing but manna, and we're sick of it. (Numbers 11:6)
- The new land is too scary - we should have just died in Egypt rather than here! (Numbers 14:1-2)
- Who says YOU should get to be the leader, anyway? What makes YOU so special? (Numbers 16:3)
- There's nothing to drink! (Numbers 20:1)
- Also there's nothing good to eat - no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. (Numbers 20:5)
- Really, why did you make us leave Egypt? No bread, no water, just the same old manna. Gross! (21:5)
In choosing the Leviim, God makes a remarkable statement about leadership: It’s not inherited, but earned. Since Bereshit, God has rejected the primacy of the firstborns — a primacy that every society was built on. This is a countercultural value that the Torah brings to the moral stage of history. By shifting leadership from the firstborns because of their involvement in the sin of the golden calf, God communicates that leadership must be merited and cherished as a privilege — one that also can be lost.
Not only the tribe of Levi, but each well-informed thinking person whose spirit moves him to devote himself to the service of God, to know God, and has walked uprightly after casting off his neck the yoke of unhealthy pursuits is indeed divinely consecrated, and Adonai will forever and ever be his portion. God will provide sufficiently for his needs, as God did for the priests and the Levites. David, may he rest in peace, declared: "Adonai is my allotted portion and my cup; you control my fate" (Psalm 16:5).
(יג) רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בַּתַּלְמוּד, שֶׁשִּׁגְגַת תַּלְמוּד עוֹלָה זָדוֹן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן:
Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.