Weekly Torah Lesson
Parasha: B’Mid’bar In the wilderness
Torah: B’mid’bar (numbers) 1:1 – 4:20
“22 And you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus said Avinu, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.” (Ex 4:22-23 )
“Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.” (Ex 13:2 )
“Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am Avinu.” (Nu 3:13 )
** When Avinu began the removal of Israel from Egypt, He “hallowed” the firstborn males of Israel to serve as priests to Him.
“And let the priests also, which come near to Avinu, sanctify themselves, lest Avinu break forth on them.” (Ex 19:22 )
“And Avinu said to him, Away, get you down, and you shall come up, you, and Aaron with you: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up to Avinu, lest he break forth on them.” (Ex 19:24)
These “priests” for Avinu were serving as a “loosely organized” group under the direction of Moses.
The demise of the Firstborn Priesthood:
“1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us idols, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me. 3 And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a engraving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be your idols, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to Avinu. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” (Ex 32:1-6 )
“19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came near to the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my master wax hot: you know the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said to me, Make us idols, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. 24 And I said to them, Whoever has any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies:) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on Avinu’s side? let him come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, Thus said Avinu, Elohei Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to Avinu, even every man on his son, and on his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day.” (Ex 32:19-29 )
** Apparently, the firstborn priests were participating in this idol worship and disqualified themselves from being priests of Avinu.
2:12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that opens the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed to me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am Avinu.
2:15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shall you number them. 16 And Moshe numbered them according to the word of Avinu, as he was commanded.
** Notice that the Levites were counted ‘from one month and upward’ when they didn’t start training for the Holy Service until they turned twenty five years old.
2:17 These were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi.
2:30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof. 32 And have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
** These were the grand sons of Kohath who descended from Izeher, Hevron and Uzziel. They worked in and around the Tent but never served in a priestly function. This was reserved for the sons of Amran, Aharon etc.
39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moshe and Aharon numbered at the commandment of Avinu, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 40 And Avinu said to Moshe, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 And instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the children of Israel. 42 And Moshe numbered, as Avinu commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel. 43 And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and three score and thirteen. 44 And Avinu spoke to Moshe, saying, 45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am Avinu. 46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and three score and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; 47 You shall even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shall you take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:) 48 And you shall give the money, with which the odd number of them is to be redeemed, to Aharon and to his sons. 49 And Moshe took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 50 Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and three score and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 51 And Moshe gave the money of them that were redeemed to Aharon and to his sons, according to the word of Avinu, as Avinu commanded Moshe.
** The Levites were to “redeem” (take the place of) the firstborn of Israel in serving Avinu in the Mishkan. Because there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, the firstborn had to pay 5 shekels apiece for the excess number of firstborn to Aharon.
*** “And Avinu said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to Avinu, lest he break out against them.”” (Ex 19:24 )
** Moshe was told to bring Aharon (representing the Aharonic Priesthood) and prohibited the first born priests from participation.
“4:1 Avinu spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, 3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty,
** This phrase, ‘all who can come on duty’, eliminated those who weren’t spiritually clean or physically qualified to serve.
to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: 5 And when the camp sets forward, Aharon shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 6 And shall put thereon the covering of tanned leather skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
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