Every baseball game starts with an initial optimism and enthusiasm. The players from both teams trot out onto the field practicing their in-game throws, envisioning their contributions to secure the W. The fans too, despite a long sedentary stretch ahead, energetically settle into their seats, and hope they can vicariously experience the exciting battle of clutch hits, head-first slides, and diving catches.
The scoreboard shows a clean tie of 0-0 - it’s anyone’s game.
But sometimes one team catches fire early and the game quickly gets out of reach. What started out as a real contest, begins to devolve into an extended batting practice, and the score gets ugly fast. Half-hooded-eyed and flat-footed outfielders shuffle through the motions and disappointed fans start heading for the exits early, taking one last look at the field where they'd hoped for so much more.
In the late innings of such a rout, the managers of both teams will often yank their pitchers from the game and put in a “position player”—like the first baseman or right fielder—on the mound to finish out the game.
This move reveals everything about how the manager views the game's foreseeable outcome, because a pitcher has a particular skill set of throwing various complex pitches at varying speeds in over various parts of the plate - which other players are not trained in.
Nevertheless, managers make this unorthodox swap in order to preserve the pitchers’ energy for the next winnable game, rather than burning out their arm to attempt to save a game that’s already so far out of hand.
At the beginning of this week’s parsha, the Torah counts the census of the Jewish people in the desert. However, the passuk warns that the Leviim, who serve in the closest capacity to the Mishkan, are to have their own counting, separately.
The Medrash, brought by Rashi, likens the Leviim’s role in Klal Yisrael to that of the king’s personal guards.
(א) אך את מטה לוי לא תפקד. כְּדַאי הוּא לִגְיוֹן שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ לִהְיוֹת נִמְנֶה לְבַדּוֹ (תנחומא):
(1) אך את מטה לוי לא תפקד ONLY THOU SHALT NOT NUMBER THE TRIBE OF LEVI — The legion of the King is worthy to be numbered by itself (Midrash Tanchuma)
The Alshich asks: Granted that the Leviim serve an elevated role in Klal Yisrael, but does this make them inherently greater than everyone else? After all, the Medrash itself compares them to a king's personal guards within his kingdom, and every kingdom requires many positions to be filled - naturally some people will get higher positions than others. If so, why does their position of “royal guard” make them so special that they can’t be counted with the rest of Klal Yisrael?
The Alshich answers that the Leviim weren’t simply regular people in Klal Yisrael who were “promoted to upper management”; rather, their entire identity differed from the rest of Klal Yisrael in that what they did was something that no one else Klal Yisrael could do—under any circumstances.
For example, the Leviim were in charge of transporting the Mishkan when it was traveling. If a Yisrael were to help a Levi in this transport, the Yisrael would be liable to the death penalty! Now if the Leviim's role was merely a higher position, then occasional help from someone from “downstairs” shouldn't result in such fatal consequences. We see from here that the work the Leviim did wasn’t something that a “position player” of Klal Yisrael could help with in a pinch; rather, it was something that only a Levi could do because of his increased kedusha.
But I wondered, what is the nature of this singular kedusha that the Leviim had that made it “non-transferable” to the other segments of Klal Yisrael?
Perhaps we can answer based on a vort of the Chofetz Chaim in this week’s parsha. The passuk says later in the parsha:
(יז) וְנָסַ֧ע אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֛ד מַחֲנֵ֥ה הַלְוִיִּ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הַֽמַּחֲנֹ֑ת כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר יַחֲנוּ֙ כֵּ֣ן יִסָּ֔עוּ אִ֥ישׁ עַל־יָד֖וֹ לְדִגְלֵיהֶֽם׃ {ס}
(17) The Tent of Meeting, the division of the Levites, shall move midway between the divisions; as they camp, so they shall march, each in position, by their standards.
The Chofetz Chaim says that the Leviim served in the Ohel Moed, whose essence was its function of housing the Torah within the Aron.
Since the Torah is likened to “life,” and the life force of a person is in the heart—which is in the center of the body and gives life to the rest of the limbs—therefore, the Ohel Moed had to be exactly exactly in the middle between the rest of the other camps.
The Leviim, thus, were charged to operate the “heart” of Klal Yisrael - which is substantially different from the function of every other other organ, because no other organ provides the non-stop life-giving function that the heart gives.
The Leviim’s uniqueness of the “cardio-conductors” (I’ll trademark that) of Klal Yisrael qualified only them to serve the “heart” of the camp, to the direct exclusion of the rest of Klal Yisrael.
As we approach Shavuos we find ourselves back in the Beis Medrash where we’ll most likely be encountering yungerleit and bochurim in their “natural habitat”; the place where they devote their days and nights to Torah—the modern-day Shevet Levi, as the Rambam says.
(יג) וְלֹא שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא כָּל אִישׁ וְאִישׁ מִכָּל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אוֹתוֹ וֶהֱבִינוֹ מַדָּעוֹ לְהִבָּדֵל לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי יהוה לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְעָבְדוֹ לְדֵעָה אֶת יהוה וְהָלַךְ יָשָׁר כְּמוֹ שֶׁעֲשָׂהוּ הָאֱלֹהִים וּפָרַק מֵעַל צַוָּארוֹ עֹל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת הָרַבִּים אֲשֶׁר בִּקְּשׁוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם הֲרֵי זֶה נִתְקַדֵּשׁ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים וְיִהְיֶה יהוה חֶלְקוֹ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים וְיִזְכֶּה לוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דָּבָר הַמַּסְפִּיק לוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁזָּכָה לַכֹּהֲנִים לַלְוִיִּם. הֲרֵי דָּוִד עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אוֹמֵר (תהילים טז ה) "יהוה מְנָת חֶלְקִי וְכוֹסִי אַתָּה תּוֹמִיךְ גּוֹרָלִי":
(13) Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before God to serve Him and minister to Him and to know God, proceeding justly as God made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5]: "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot." Blessed be the Merciful One who provides assistance.
One who works in the world might think that this sect of Klal Yisrael are just regular Yisraelim who are inherently the same as he is, differing only in the simple fact that they have schedules that allow for more learning than he does.
However, this is a mistake; the yungerleit and bochurim aren't like ”position players" whose role as toilers in learn Torah can just as easily be substituted for tilling the field; rather they are a different breed, they are the heart of Klal Yisrael and you, respectfully, are a limb of Klal Yisraeland you can't transplant an arm to do the heart's job!
May we recognize this distinction and treat our full-time learners with the proper kavod HaTorah—not as people who "just learn more," but as the beating heart that sustains us all, our own limmud HaTorah will surely be even more beautiful in Hashem’s eyes.
Good Shabbos!
Additional Sources
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה...(ב) שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃
(1) Hashem spoke to Moses... saying: (2) Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters] by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.
(מז) וְהַלְוִיִּ֖ם לְמַטֵּ֣ה אֲבֹתָ֑ם לֹ֥א הׇתְפָּקְד֖וּ בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ {פ}
(מח) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (מט) אַ֣ךְ אֶת־מַטֵּ֤ה לֵוִי֙ לֹ֣א תִפְקֹ֔ד וְאֶת־רֹאשָׁ֖ם לֹ֣א תִשָּׂ֑א בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (נ) וְאַתָּ֡ה הַפְקֵ֣ד אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם֩ עַל־מִשְׁכַּ֨ן הָעֵדֻ֜ת וְעַ֣ל כׇּל־כֵּלָיו֮ וְעַ֣ל כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֒ הֵ֜מָּה יִשְׂא֤וּ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָ֔יו וְהֵ֖ם יְשָׁרְתֻ֑הוּ וְסָבִ֥יב לַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן יַחֲנֽוּ׃
(47) The Levites, however, were not recorded among them by their ancestral tribe.
(48) Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: (49) Do not on any account record the tribe of Levi or take a census of them with the Israelites. (50) You shall put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Pact, all its furnishings, and everything that pertains to it: they shall carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall tend it; and they shall camp around the Tabernacle.
וְהַ֨לְוִיִּ֔ם לֹ֣א הׇתְפָּקְד֔וּ בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יהוה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
The Levites, however, were not recorded among the Israelites, as יהוה had commanded Moses.
(טו) פְּקֹד֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִ֔י לְבֵ֥ית אֲבֹתָ֖ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם כׇּל־זָכָ֛ר מִבֶּן־חֹ֥דֶשׁ וָמַ֖עְלָה תִּפְקְדֵֽם׃
(15) Record the descendants of Levi by ancestral house and by clan; record every male among them from the age of one month up.
אך את מטה לוי וכו'. הנה במדרש רבו הטעמים למה לא נמנו הלוים עם ישראל ולא אמרו על דבר שהם נמנים מבן חדש וישראל מבני ך' שנה ויהיה טעמם על כי היה אפשר למנותם מבני עשרים ואחר כך למנותם מבן חדש ולצרפם עם הגדולים לפדיון בכורי ישראל והנה א' מהטעמים אשר במדרש הוא כי כדאי הוא לגיון של מלך לימנות בפני עצמו ומעין זה אחשוב שכיונה תורה לתת טוב טעם אל הדב' והוא כי אחרי אומרו לא התפקדו בתוכ' אמר וידבר יהוה וכו' אך את מטה לוי לא תפקוד בתוך בני ישראל לו' כי גם שנשיאות ראש הוא המספר הזה להם אין נשיאות ראשם דומה לשל ישראל והוא כי אין קדושת ישראל שוה לקדושת מטה לוי והראיה כי הלא ואתה הפקד את הלוים על משכן העדות וכו' כי הם נושאי כלי מושב השכינה והם ישרתוהו והנה זה הוא בעת הנסיעה וגם בעת וזמן החניה לא ישתוו כי הנה אלה סביב למשכן יחנו באופן שהם קרובים יותר אל יהוה שהם לגיון של מלך לא ימנו עם ישראל ואחר אומרו שני הטעמים האלה ראה
והנה היה אפ"ל כי אין זה ראיה על היות יתרון באיכותם של לוים על שאר ישראל כי הלא דרך המלך שיחלק משרתיו לעבודותיו מהם למלאכה רחוקה מארמונו ומהם במלאכת היכלו ולא יעשה כן על היות לדעתו איכות יתר לאלו על אלו רק לפי הכנת כל חלק מהם מתייחס אל חלק השירות ומציאותו ולפעמים יחזור ויעביר מלאכת אלו לאלו כן יעלה על לב איש יהיה ג"כ בענין זה כי לא מיתרון איכות אשר ללוים על שאר השבטים ייחד להם משא מלאכת המשכן לז"א ראו עתה כי לא כן הוא כי אם כן היה לא יאשם איש הישראלי כי יקרב לעזור ללוי במשאו ולא כן הוא כי אם ובנסוע המשכן יקימו אותו הלוים ובחנות וכו' והזר הקרב יומת ולמה יחייב את ראשו כי ישלח ידו אל מלאכת הגוי אם לא שאיכות הקדושה לא תצדק רק בקדושים בני לוי מה שאין כן לשאר ישראל והנה זה הוא על הענין הא' ממשאם וגם על השני והוא בזמן שהמשכן שרוי באיזה מקום שאמרתי שהלוים סביב למשכן יחנו אל יעלה על רוחך לומר שאין זה יתרון כי הלא יחנו בני ישראל איש על מחנהו שהוא י"ב מיל רחוק מהמשכן גם שהם נושאי דגל שהם איש על דגלו היינו לצבאותם שלהם הם מלאכי השרת שכל דגל הוא במקום דגל מלאכים מחנה ראובן כנגד דגל מיכאל וכן כל אחד ואחד וזהו לצבאותם שאין גדרם רק היותם למחנה מלאכים שהם בעד צבאותם של ישראל שהם המלאכים כמפורש למעלה אך הלוים יחנו סביב למשכן העדות ועל יד שישראל לא יחנו סביב למשכן כי אם הלוים לא יהיה קצף. על כל עדת בני ישראל ואין זה רק על איכות קדושת הלוים כי מקום חנייתם יהיה בו קצף לישראל אם יחנו שם ועל הטענה השנית אמר כי הנה ישראל הם בלבד לצבאותם אך הלוים שומרים משמרת המקדש והמשכן עצמו ששם עיקר השכינה וזהו ושמרו הלוים וכו':
Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah:
*I wanted to expand - and make an observation - on the proof that the Chofetz Chaim brings to assert his idea the word "betoch" means exactly in the middle, which he proves from Onkelos on a passuk that also uses the word "betoch" and Onkelos renders it as "metziusa", which means the middle.
(ט) וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יהוה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כׇּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃
(9) And from the ground God יהוה caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life inside of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.
(ט) וְאַצְמַח יהוה אֱלֹהִים מִן אַרְעָא כָּל אִילַן דִּמְרַגֵּג לְמֶחֱזֵי וְטַב לְמֵיכַל וְאִילַן חַיָּא בִּמְצִיעוּת גִּינְתָא וְאִילַן דְּאָכְלִין פֵּירוֹהִי חַכִּימִין בֵּין טַב לְבִישׁ:
(9) Adonoy Elohim made grow out of the soil every tree that is pleasant to look at, and good for [producing] food; the Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden, and the Tree from which the fruit if eaten gives Knowledge of what is good and evil.
However, in the context of our passuk itself, Onkelos does not render the word "betoch" this way, rather in his alternate rendering of the word:
(יז) וְנָטֵל מַשְׁכַּן זִמְנָא מַשְׁרִית לֵוָאֵי בְּגוֹ מַשְׁרִיתָא כְּמָא דְשָׁרַן כֵּן נָטְלִין גְּבַר עַל אַתְרֵיהּ לְטִקְסֵיהוֹן:
(17) The Tent of Meeting shall travel [along with] the camp of the Levites inside of the [other] camps, just as they camp so shall they travel, each man in his place according to their [various] banners.
Based on the context, Onkelos will either render the word "betoch" as "inside" or, if it necassarily is referring to the middle of an area, he will render it as such, "in the middle." Seemingly, in the context of the encampment of the Leviim, Onkelos does not see the emphasis of the word "betoch" to stress the centrality of the Leviim, as the Chofetz Chaim is asserting. Tzrich iyun.
To illustrate, Onkelos in Bereishis perhaps renders "betoch" as "in the middle" because it has significance as to the placement of both the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge.
In the passuk above the passuk, according to Onkelos, is saying that the Tree of Life was in the middle of the Garden. Later on in the parsha there, the passuk says about the Tree of Knowledge:
(ג) וּמִפְּרִ֣י הָעֵץ֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתוֹךְ־הַגָּן֒ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים לֹ֤א תֹֽאכְלוּ֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְלֹ֥א תִגְּע֖וּ בּ֑וֹ פֶּן־תְּמֻתֽוּן׃
(3) It is only about fruit of the tree inside of the garden that God said: ‘You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.’”
(ג) וּמִפֵּירֵי אִילָנָא דִּי בִמְצִיעוּת גִּינְתָא אֲמַר יהוה לָא תֵיכְלוּן מִנֵּהּ וְלָא תְקַרְבוּן בֵּהּ דִּילְמָא תְּמוּתוּן:
(3) But of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the Garden, Elohim said, You shall not eat from it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
According to Onkelos, it emerges that both the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life were in the exact same place - in the "middle" of the garden. Different approaches are given among the meforshim how to reconcile this. Some say that according to Onkelos, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge were one in the same.
(א) וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע: בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן וְלֹא אָמַר בַּגָּן, וְעוֹד שֶׁאָמַר (בראשית ג':ג') "וּמִפְּרִי הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ", שֶׁלֹּא הִזְכִּירוֹ וְלֹא הוֹדִיעוֹ בְּשֵׁם אַחֵר, נֹאמַר לְפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁהוּא מָקוֹם יָדוּעַ בַּגַּן שֶׁהוּא בַּתָּוֶךְ, וּלְכָךְ תִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס "בִּמְצִיעוּת גִּנְּתָא". וְהִנֵּה לִדְבָרָיו עֵץ הַחַיִּים וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם הָיוּ בָּאֶמְצַע, וְאִם כֵּן נֹאמַר שֶׁהוּא כְּאִלּוּ תֵּעָשֶׂה בְּאֶמְצַע הַגַּן עֲרוּגָה אַחַת סוּגָה, וּבָהּ שְׁנֵי הָאִילָנוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְיִהְיֶה הָאֶמְצַע הַזֶּה אֶמְצַע רָחָב, כִּי אֶמְצַע הַדַּק כְּבָר אָמְרוּ שֶׁאֵין יוֹדֵעַ בּוֹ אֲמִתַּת הַנְּקֻדָּה בִּלְתִּי הַשֵּׁם לְבַדּוֹ...
(1) AND THE TREE OF LIFE IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. Since Scripture says, And the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and does not say “in the garden,” and, moreover, since it says, But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, G-d hath said: ‘Ye shall not eat of it,’ and does not mention it or refer to it by another name, we must say, according to the simple meaning of Scripture, that it was a known place in the garden which was “in the midst” thereof. This is why Onkelos translated: “in the middle of the garden.” Thus according to Onkelos the tree of life and the tree of knowledge were both in the middle of the garden. And if so, we must say that in the middle of the garden there was the likeness of an enclosed garden-bed made which contained these two trees. This “middle” means near its middle for with respect to the exact middle, they have already said that no one knows the true central point except G-d alone...
Other appraoches are given to reconcile Onkelos, but the point is that Onkelos renders "betoch" as "the middle" for a very specific purpose.
However, when the exact placement is not as central (no pun intended) to the context of the passuk, Onkelos uses a different terminology in the rendering of the word "betoch:"
(כב) וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃
(22) and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
(כב) וְעַלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגוֹ יַמָא בְּיַבֶּשְׁתָּא וּמַיָּא לְהוֹן שׁוּרִין מִיַּמִינֵהוֹן וּמִסְמָאלֵהוֹן:
(22) The B’nei Yisrael went into the midst of the sea on dry land. The waters were like walls to them, to their right and to their left.
In the case of the splitting of the Yam Suf, the exact center of the sea splitting isn't important to the context, and therefore it seems that Onkelos uses the more generic term of "inside" instead of "in middle." See Parshegen for a detailed e