Kommentar zu Dewarim 10:8

בעת ההוא הבדיל ה׳ וגו׳ AT THAT TIME THE LORD SEPARATED [THE TRIBE OF LEVI] — This is to be connected with the former narrative (that which speaks of the tablets of stone, ending at v. 5; vv. 6—8 which contain reference to Aaron’s death being interpolated for the reason given by Rashi);

AT THAT TIME THE ETERNAL SEPARATED THE TRIBE OF LEVI. “This refers back to the first subject. At that time, in the first year of your departure from Egypt when you sinned by worshipping the calf and the sons of Levi did not sin, G-d separated them from you.” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, he is stating that from that time the sons of Levi were separated before Him, blessed be He [but only in thought], for He did not separate them in fact until the second year in the second month [after the first census which took place on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt]!²²⁵Numbers 1:1. Or it may be that he is alluding to what he said to them [at the affair of the calf], Consecrate yourselves today to the Eternal,²²⁶Exodus 32:29. for thereby you dedicate yourselves to the service of priests and Levites.
The correct interpretation, it appears to me, is that the expression at that time means that the second [giving of the Tablets] was like the first. For, from the time He said to Moses Hew thee two Tablets of stone,²²⁷Ibid., 34:1. He was reconciled with Israel, and Moses was instructed regarding the construction of the Tabernacle. Then He was reconciled also with Aaron, and Moses was commanded, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons — to sanctify him — that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office,²²⁸Ibid., 28:4. The phrase to sanctify him is found there in Verse 3. and He further commanded him concerning the initiation [of the priests]. Therefore he said [here in Verse 6] that Eleazar ministered in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, since their anointing was to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.²²⁹Ibid., 40:15. Moses regarded the separation of the entire tribe [of Levi — priests and Levites] as one matter [therefore he said here, At that time — when the second Tablets were given, even though only the priests were formally separated, it was equivalent to a designation of the entire tribe, with the formal designation of the Levites to come after the first census], for, from that day on it was [resolved] before Him that His tribe be wholly given unto Him²³⁰Numbers 8:16. to perform the service of the Tabernacle. Or perhaps he is saying that the tribe of Levi was separated at that time for the priests to be [chosen] from them, for they [i.e., the priests] also carried the ark.²³¹The verse before us states: At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark … Now, according to the interpretation that the verse means that the tribe of Levi was separated to be the source of the priests, rather than as a special tribe in its entirety, the following question arises: The verse indicates that the priests [derived from the tribe of Levi] were to carry the ark, but it is known that the Levites, not the priests, carried the ark (Numbers 7:9). Ramban answers that the priests, too, were permitted to carry the ark. See “The Commandments.” Vol. I, pp. 43-44, for a fuller discussion on this subject. And so it is said, and he [Moses] delivered it [the Torah] unto the priests the sons of Levi; that bore the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,²³²Further, 31:9. and they [the priests] are the ones who minister to G-d and bless in His Name [as the verse before us concludes]. And the meaning of the expression unto this day [at the end of this verse] is that it refers [back] to Eleazar’s ministering in the priest’s office [in Aaron’s stead — mentioned in Verse 6], as if saying: “then He separated them [the priests] to minister to Him, and it [so] was to this day” [i.e., the time when Moses spoke these words, that Eleazar served as High Priest].²³³Ramban’s reasoning is as follows: Since we have now explained the verse, At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi (Verse 8) as referring to the designating of the priests, from the tribe of Levi, to minister in the Tabernacle, why does the verse conclude with the expression, unto this day, since on “this day,” when Moses spoke these words, the whole tribe of Levi was already elevated to its exalted position? But if it refers back to Eleazar’s office as High Priest (mentioned in Verse 6) that it was so “unto this day,” there is of course no difficulty as to why the Levites are not mentioned here.

בעת ההיא הבדיל, after G’d had already set aside the tribe of Levi as the tribe to perform the holy service in the Temple so that you are not deemed worthy for this task, my prayer was not effective enough except to prevent G’d from destroying you, so that He said to me: “arise and make them journey, and be in front of the people!” (verse 11) The expression is used in the same sense as in Numbers 10,2)

בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, the time Moses refers to is that of the sin of the golden calf when the latter had found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (compare Exodus 32,26)

בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, “At that time Hashem set apart the tribe of Levi, etc.” According to Rashi, the “time” referred to by Moses was the episode of the golden calf. Nachmanides adds that if we accept Rashi’s comment it refers not to the actual setting apart of the tribe of Levi by Hashem, but to the time when Hashem made up His mind to do so. In fact, no action was taken until the second year in the second month. Alternately, what Rashi had in mind was Exodus 32,26-29, when Moses asked for volunteers to execute the people who had actively worshipped the golden calf as a deity. At that time only members of the tribe of Levi had responded to that call. Personally, (Nachmanides writing) I believe that the correct interpretation is that the words בעת ההיא which appear here a second time, refer to the same time as the first time Moses used this expression, (10,1) the time when Moses had been invited to carve out the Tablets for G’d to inscribe the second set of Ten Commandments upon. At the time when G’d became reconciled with His people, He did make some changers in the hierarchy of that people by appointing the Levites en masse to take over the functions previously reserved for the first born in each family. At that time G’d had also become reconciled to Aaron’s role in that tragic episode, and He commanded to make the special vestments for the High Priest which proclaimed to all the people that Aaron as well as his sons were held in high esteem by Hashem. At that time Moses had also been commanded to arrange for the seven days of consecration of the Tabernacle and the inauguration of the priests into their positions. This also enabled Moses to say that Eleazar became High Priest in place of his (deceased) father, as there was no need for him to be anointed first, seeing that the anointment to the priesthood, by the oil of anointment was for the members of that family something hereditary, and did not need to be renewed every time a new High Priest was appointed. The setting apart of the priests from the ordinary Levites, and the Levites from the other tribes of the Israelites, occurred simultaneously. Hashem had decided at the time of the episode of the golden calf that these changes were imperative for the development of the people as His people, and that is implied in the lineנתונים נתונים , that the Levites were, so to speak, placed at the disposal of the priests to assist them in their holy tasks. (Numbers 8,16-19) Another possible approach to the words בעת ההיא on this occasion, is that at that time Hashem decided to set apart the priests from the remainder of the tribe of Levi, in that they too were allowed to carry the Holy Ark. [only the descendants of Kehat, one of the families of the tribe of Levi, had qualified for that privilege, anyways. Ed.] We have proof that the priests did carry the Holy Ark from Deut. 31,9 ויכתוב משה את התורה הזאת ויתנה אל הכהנים בני לוי הנושאים את ארון ברית ה', “Moses wrote down this Torah and gave it to the priests, the members of the tribe of Levi, who carried the Ark of the covenant of Hashem.” They are the ones who would perform the sacrificial service and bless the people in the name of Hashem.

בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi.” The time frame described by Moses is when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf. At that time G’d separated the Levites who had not taken part in that sin from the rest of the people. The reason that all this is mentioned in connection with Mosserah is that on that occasion, 40 years later, the tribe of Levi again distinguished itself by not participating in the plan to return to Egypt and by opposing it actively.

And the Levites did not transgress, the Omnipresent separated them from you. [One might ask:] It is written, “the Omnipresent separated them,” but they were not separated until the second year when the Mishkon was erected! We must say that the Omnipresent separated them in thought. Perforce, “Adonoy separated the tribe of Leivi,” must be explained in this manner [instead of saying that it refers to the second year when they were actually separated] because it is written afterwards (v. 10), “And I stood on the mountain,” which also refers to, “At that time,” which was in the first year, after the sin of the calf. According to this we can understand why Rashi does not explain this verse in the same order it is written in the Torah [I.e., “the Omnipresent separated,” is juxtaposed with their retreat to Bnei Ya’akon to teach us something; not because it happened after their retreat].

VV. 8 u. 9. בעת ההיא וגו׳. Aus jener Zeit des wiederhergestellten Gottesbundes stammt auch die Erwählung des Stammes Levi, der durch die bewiesene Treue und Hingebung während der Verirrung und deren Sühne sich der bleibenden Pflege und Vertretung des göttlichen Gesetzes im Volke würdig gemacht. Diese Ausscheidung eines ganzen Stammes, der mit Verzicht auf Landesbesitzanteil in dem Dienste des göttlichen Gesetzes und des Gesetzesheiligtums seinen ganzen Beruf zu finden hatte, gehört wesentlich zur Sicherung der Zukunft, deren einstige Verwirklichung die Möglichkeit des erneuten Gesetzesbundes bedingte. Wie der Stamm Levi Träger der Bundeslade und des Heiligtums, wie die Aharonidenfamilie desselben den symbolischen Dienst der Hingebung an das Gesetzesfeuer vor Gott zu erfüllen und mit dem Gottesnamen den Nationalsegen auszusprechen hatte: so stand der ganze Stamm in dem Lebensdienst des göttlichen Gesetzes, hatte das Gesetz zu lehren und zu wahren, hatte die Geister und Gemüter für die Hingebung an Gottes Gesetz zu wecken, hatte die ganze Nation des Namens Gottes würdig zu machen, der auf ihr ruhete, und ihr damit den Segen zu erzielen, der in ihm liegt — der symbolische Ausdruck der Bedingungen und Ziele des erneuten Gottesbundes war den Händen der Leviten anvertraut, für deren konkrete Verwirklichung tätig zu sein, ihr Lebensberuf. — Mit dem הכדיל ד׳, mit dieser die übrigen Glieder des Volkes zurückweisenden Aussonderung des Stammes Levi zu geborenen Trägern und Wahrern des symbolischen Gesetzesheiligtums, war aber die noch konkrete Unvollkommenheit der Volksgesamtheit dauernd zum Bewusstsein gebracht, und

בעת ההיא, at that time, i.e. when the golden calf had been made, as I explained earlier.

בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, “at that time the Lord set the tribe of Levi apart;” this decree was issued while the people were still encamped around Mount Sinai. Moses acted upon that decree only after the Tabernacle had been erected, and it had assumed practical meaning. This would have been a number of months after he had received these instructions.

בעת ההוא AT THAT TIME accordingly means: In the first year of the Exodus from Egypt, when ye sinned by worshipping the golden calf, but the sons of Levi did not thus sin. — at that time God separated them from you. It places this verse in juxtaposition with the retreat to Bene Jaakon to tell you that in this matter also, the sons of Levi did not sin, but stood steadfast in their faith.

ולברך בשמו this refers only to the priests who are to bless the rest of the Israelites.

עד היום הזה, “until this day.” Moses added this on account of Eleazar the new High Priest, and it is as if he had written “then Hashem set apart the tribe of Levi, etc., etc., a condition which remains in force till his day.”

לשאת את ארון ברית ה', “to carry the Ark of the Covenant with Hashem.” This refers to the Levites.
לעמוד לפני ה' לשרתו, “to stand in front of the Lord to serve Him;” this refers to the Priests. ולברך בשמו, “and to bestow blessing in His name.” The priests were to bless the Israelites in Hashem’s name, as is written in Numbers 6,27 ושמו את שמי.

The Levites. Rashi is answering the question: From the verse, “Adonoy separated, etc.,” it seems that the Levites also bless in His Name, but this is not so! Therefore Rashi explains that, “to carry the ark,” pertains to the Levites, and, “to stand… and to serve Him and bless in His Name,” pertains to the kohanim.

הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי, “the Lord separated the tribe of the Levites,” in order for it to serve the Lord specifically. The reason was that that entire tribe had not participated in the sin of the golden calf. This is what the prophet Ezekiel referred to in Ezekiel 44,15: והכנים הלויים בני צדוק אשר שמרו את משמרת מקדשי בתעות בני ישראל מעלי, המה יקרבו אלי לשרתני, “but the Levite-kohanim- descendants of Tzadok, who safeguarded the charge of My Sanctuary when the Children of Israel strayed from Me, etc., they will draw near to Me to serve Me.” As a result of the Levites having been appointed to become G–d’s share and inheritance on earth, they did not receive ancestral land in the Holy Land, [they would not have had time to work it, anyway Ed.] If you will therefore ask how they would support themselves economically, the answer is that G–d commanded the landowners to give 10% of their crops to the Levites and they were allocated a number of cities in the land of Israel for their exclusive use, houses with gardens attached for growing vegetable. (48 such cities)

לשאת את ארון TO BEAR THE ARK — [This was the function of] the Levites (such as were not כהנים).

עד היום הזה, “until this day.” Eleazar was pronouncing the blessing in lieu of his father Aaron who had died already at the time when Moses addressed the people. Eleazar had taken over all of his father Aaron’s functions as High Priest as is clear from verse 6 in our chapter.

‎ לעמד לפני ה׳ לשרתו ולברך בשמו TO STAND BEFORE THE LORD, TO MINISTER UNTO HIM AND TO BLESS IN HIS NAME — This (to bless in His Name) was the function of the priests and refers to the “raising of the hands” (a technical term for reciting the priestly benediction which is done with uplifted hands) (Arakhin 11a).