Midrash su Esodo 32:26

A righteous person will flourish like a date palm. No part of the date palm is wasted: Its dates are eaten; its young branches are used for ritual blessing [of the lulav on sukkot]; its fronds cover the Sukkah; its fibers are used to make ropes; its leaves are used for sieves; its planed trunks are used for roof beams. So too there are none worthless in Israel: Some are versed in the Bible; others know Mishnah; some are masters of aggadah [storytelling]; others do good deeds; still others promote social equity.

R. Juda, in the name of Samuel, said: "The tribe of Levi did not worship idols [the golden calf], as it is said (Ex. 32, 26) And Moses stationed himself at the gate of the camp, and said: Whoever is on the Lord's side, let him come unto me. And there assembled themselves unto him, all the sons of Levi." Rabina was sitting and repeating this tradition, whereupon the children of R. Papa b. Abba raised the following objection: (Deut. 33, 9) [The tribe of Levi] which said [in the golden calf incident] of its father and its mother I have not seen Mm, [hence some of the tribe of Levi did worship the idol]. Rabina explained: "Father, refers to the maternal grandfather, who was of Israel; brother, refers to a half-brother of the mother; and children, to the daughter's children, whose father was an Israelite."

(Numb. 8:6:) “Take the Levites.” This text is related (to Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous.” The Holy One, blessed be He, does not elevate a person to an office until He first tests and examines him.¹Numb. R. 15:12. When he withstands his test, He elevates him to the office. And so you find in the case of our father Abraham; when the Holy One, blessed be He, tested him with ten temptations, he withstood his trials. Then after that He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 24:1), “And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things.” So also in the case of Isaac, when He tested him with the days of Abimelech, he withstood the trial. Then after that He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 26:12), “So Isaac sowed on that land […] for the Lord had blessed him.” So also in the case of Jacob, when He tested him by means of all those tribulations with Esau, with Rachel, with Dinah, with Joseph, with Simeon, with Benjamin and [with the tribulation of] how he departed from the house of his father and his mother (in Gen. 32:11), “for with [only] my staff did I cross [this Jordan].” Then after that He blessed him. It is so stated (in Gen. 35:9), “Now God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-Aram, and blessed him.” So also in the case of Joseph, He tested him with all of those tribulations, with the wife of Potiphar and he was imprisoned for twelve years. Then after that he came out and became king because he had withstood his trial. Ergo (in Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous.” So also in the case of the tribe of Levi, they laid down their lives for the sanctification of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, (i.e. for martyrdom), so that the Torah would not be set aside. Now when Israel was in Egypt, they had rejected the Torah and circumcision and all of them had become worshipers of idols, as Ezekiel has demonstrated where it is stated (in Ezek. 20:5), “And you shall say unto them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “In the day that I chose Israel […].”’” Then what is written at the end (in vs. 8)? “But they rebelled against Me and did not come to hearken unto Me; each man did not cast away [the abominations of their eyes nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt].” What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought darkness upon Egypt for three days, and during those [days] he killed all the wicked ones of Israel. For this reason it says (in Ezek. 20:36-38), “[As I brought your ancestors to judgment in the desert of the land of Egypt….] So will I remove from you those who rebel and transgress against Me.” So also it says (in Cant. 2:13), “And the fig tree sheds²Heb.: hanetah. Although the biblical context suggests a translation such as “puts forth” or “ripens” the context understands this rare verb in a more negative sense. See above vol. 2, p. 62 Tanh. (Buber); Exod. 3:7). its green figs…,” these are the wicked who are in Israel; (ibid. cont.) “and the vines in blossom give off fragrance,” these are the rest who have repented and been accepted; (ibid. cont.) “arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away,” for behold the time of redemption has arrived. However all those in the tribe of Levi were righteous and carried out the Torah. It is so stated (in Deut. 33:9), “For they observed Your word,” i.e., the Torah; (ibid. cont.) “and kept Your covenant,” i.e., circumcision. And not only that, but when Israel made the calf, the tribe of Levi did not participate there, as stated (in Exod. 32:26), “So Moses stood up on the gate of the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord come to me,’ and all the Children of Levi gathered unto him.” When Moses said (in vs. 27), “Each [of you] put his sword on his thigh…,” they immediately did so. Moreover they did not show partiality. And so Moses blesses them, [namely (according Deut. 33:9)], “The one who says of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them’ and his brother….” When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that they all were righteous, that He had tested them and they had withstood their trial – as stated (of Levi in Deut. 33:8), “[Your faithful one,] whom You tested at Massah” – the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately said (in Numb. 8:14), “And the Levites shall belong to Me,” to fulfill what is stated (in Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous.” In the case of the wicked, however, it is written of them (ibid. cont.), “but His soul (i.e. The soul of the Holy One, blessed be He,) hates the wicked and the lover of injustice.” David said (in Ps. 128:1), “Fortunate is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in His ways.”

Another interpretation (of Numb. 8:6): TAKE THE LEVITES. This text is related (to Ps. 11:5): THE LORD TESTS THE RIGHTEOUS. The Holy One does not elevate a person to an office until <first> he tests and examines him.³⁷Tanh. Numb. 3:8; Numb. R. 15:12. When he withstands his test, he elevates him to the office. And so you find in the case of our father Abraham, when the Holy One tested him with ten temptations, he withstood his trial. Then after that he blessed him. It is so stated (in Gen. 24:1): AND THE LORD BLESSED ABRAHAM IN ALL THINGS. So also in the case of Isaac, when he tested him in the days of Abimelech, he withstood the trial. Then after that he blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 26:12): SO ISAAC SOWED ON THAT LAND [ … FOR THE LORD HAD BLESSED HIM]. So also in the case of Jacob, when he tested him by means of all those tribulations with Esau with Dinah, with Joseph, and <with the tribulation of> how he departed from the house of his father and his mother (in Gen. 32:11 [10]): FOR WITH <ONLY MY STAFF DID I CROSS <THIS JORDAN> …, he blessed him. It is so stated (in Gen. 35:9): NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN, [WHEN HE CAME FROM PADDAN-ARAM, AND BLESSED HIM]. So also in the case of Joseph, he tested him with the wife of Potiphar, and he was imprisoned for twelve years. Then after that he came out and became king because he had withstood his trial. Ergo (in Ps. 11:5): THE LORD TESTS THE RIGHTEOUS. So also in the case of the tribe of Levi, they laid down their lives for the sanctification of the name of the Holy One (i.e. for martyrdom), so that the Torah would not be set aside. Now when Israel was in Egypt, they had rejected the Torah and circumcision and all of them had become worshipers of idols as Ezekiel has demonstrated where it is stated (in Ezek. 20:5): AND YOU SHALL SAY UNTO THEM: THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD, IN THE DAY THAT I CHOSE ISRAEL…. Then what is written at the end (in vs. 8)? BUT THEY REBELLED AGAINST ME AND DID NOT COME TO HEARKEN UNTO ME. [INDIVIDUALLY THEY DID NOT CAST AWAY THE ABOMINATIONS OF THEIR EYES NOR DID THEY FORSAKE THE IDOLS OF EGYPT]. What did the Holy One do? He brought darkness upon Egypt for three days, and during those <days> he killed all the wicked ones of Israel. For this reason it says (in Ezek. 20:36, 38): AS I BROUGHT YOUR ANCESTORS TO JUDGMENT IN THE DESERT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT….] SO WILL I REMOVE FROM YOU <THOSE WHO REBEL AND TRANSGRESS AGAINST ME>. So also it says (in Cant. 2:13): AND THE FIG TREE SHEDS³⁸Heb.: hanetah. Although the biblical context suggests a translation such as “puts forth” or “ripens” the context understands this rare verb in a more negative sense. See above vol. 2, p. 62 Tanh. (Buber); Exod. 3:7). ITS GREEN FIGS…. These are the wicked who are in Israel. (Ibid. cont.:) AND THE VINES IN BLOSSOM GIVE OFF FRAGRANCE. These are the rest who have repented and been accepted. (Ibid. cont.:) ARISE, MY BELOVED, MY FAIR ONE, AND COME AWAY, for behold the time of redemption has arrived. However all those in the tribe of Levi were righteous and carried out the Torah. It is so stated (in Deut. 33:9): FOR THEY OBSERVED YOUR WORD, i.e., the Torah; AND KEPT YOUR COVENANT, i.e., circumcision. And not only that, but when Israel made the calf, the tribe of Levi did not participate there as stated (in Exod. 32:26): SO MOSES STOOD UP ON THE GATE OF THE CAMP AND SAID: WHOEVER IS FOR THE LORD COME TO ME. THEN ALL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI GATHERED UNTO HIM. When Moses said (in vs. 27): EACH <OF YOU> [PUT HIS SWORD ON HIS THIGH, they immediately did so. Moreover they did not show partiality. And so Moses blesses them, <namely> the one (according Deut. 33:9) WHO SAYS OF HIS FATHER AND MOTHER: I DO NOT CONSIDER THEM …, FOR THEY (the Levites) OBSERVED YOUR WORD AND KEPT YOUR COVENANT. When the Holy One saw that they all were righteous, that he had tested them and they had withstood their trial, as stated (of Levi in Deut. 33:8): <YOUR FAITHFUL ONE,> WHOM YOU TESTED AT MASSAH, the Holy One immediately said (in Numb. 8:14): AND THE LEVITES SHALL BELONG TO ME to fulfill what is stated (in Ps. 11:5): THE LORD TESTS THE RIGHTEOUS. In the case of the wicked, however, it is written of them (ibid. cont.:) BUT HIS SOUL (i.e. the soul of the Holy One) HATES THE WICKED AND THE LOVER OF INJUSTICE. David said (in Ps. 128:1): BLESSED IS EVERYONE WHO FEARS THE LORD AND WALKS IN HIS WAYS.

(Numb. 3:14-15) “And the Lord spoke to Israel in the Sinai Desert, saying enroll the Children of Levi….” This text is related (to Ps. 92:13), “The righteous one shall flourish like the palm.” Just as the palm [casts] its shadow at a distance⁷³Because the long trunk of the palm has no branches.; so the reward of the righteous is at a distance [from them].⁷⁴Numb. R. 3:1; Gen. R. 40:1; M. Pss. 92:11; cf. above, Gen. 3:9. Just as the palm produces [ripe] dates and produces unripenable dates; so it is with Israel. It has Torah scholars within it, and it has ignoramuses ('amme ha'arets) within it. Just as the palm has within it unripenable dates, which never enter the storehouse, yet produces ripe dates, and these do enter the store house; so it was with Israel in the wilderness. Some of them did enter the land of Israel; yet some of them did not enter. (Ps. 92:13), “The righteous one shall flourish like the palm, [he shall thrive like a cedar in Lebanon].” Just as with the palm, if it is cut down or uprooted, another does not grow up in its stead; so also with the cedar, when it is uprooted or cut down, it does not grow again.⁷⁵Cf. M. Pss. 92:11, according to which the cedar is unlike the palm in that its trunk can grow new shoots. The righteous are therefore to be compared with the palm and with the cedar.⁷⁶Numb. R. 3:1, explains more fully that, like the palm and the cedar, the righteous cannot be replaced when they die. (Ps. 92:13) “The righteous one shall flourish like the palm.” Just as the palm produces dates and produces thorns, [so that] whenever anyone seeks to steal the dates, the thorns prevail against him; so it is with the righteous and the sages, the masters of Torah. Whoever does not preserve his soul from them falls to geiheinnom and is stricken in this world. Why? (Avot 2:10:) “Because their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting is the sting of a scorpion, their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words also are like coals of fire.” (Ps. 92:13) “The righteous one shall flourish like the palm.” [The passage] speaks about the tribe of Levi, in that the Holy One, blessed be He, set them apart because of their good works. And why are they compared to a palm? To tell you that just as the palm has only one heart, so too the tribe of Levi only has one heart for the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (Exodus 32:26), “And [Moses] said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, to me!’ And all of the sons of Levi gathered to him.” What is written next (in vs. 14)? “Planted in the house of the Lord; they shall prosper in the courts of our God. [These words are] to teach you that they never moved from the Temple, as stated (in Ps. 101:6), “My eyes are on the faithful in the land that they may dwell with Me. The one who walks in the way of the blameless shall minister to Me.” It is therefore stated (in Ps. 92:14), “planted in the house of the Lord,” where no help was lacking for them, as stated (ibid., cont.), “they shall prosper in the courts of our God.” What is the meaning of “in the courts?” This text is related (to Ps. 65:5), “Fortunate is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts. May we be sated with the goodness of Your house, Your holy Temple.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In as much as they are My legions who do not move from My house,⁷⁷Lat.: legiones; Gk.: legeones. go and number them.” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 3:15), “Enroll the Children of Levi….”

12 (Numb. 8:6) “Take the Levites”: This text is related (to Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous […].” The Holy One, blessed be He, does not elevate a person to an office until He first tests and examines him. When he withstands his test, He elevates him to the office. And so you find in the case of our father Abraham; when the Holy One, blessed be He, tested him with ten temptations, he withstood his trials. Then after that He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 24:1), “And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things.” So also in the case of Isaac, when He tested him with the days of Abimelech, he withstood the trial. Then after that He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 26:12), “So Isaac sowed on that land […] for the Lord had blessed him.” So also in the case of Jacob, when He tested him by means of all those tribulations with Esau, with Rachel, with Dinah, with Joseph, and [with the tribulation of] how he departed from the house of his father (in Gen. 32:11), “for with [only] my staff did I cross [this] Jordan.” Then after that He blessed him. It is so stated (in Gen. 35:9), “Now God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-Aram, and blessed him.” So also in the case of Joseph, with the wife of Potiphar and he was imprisoned for twelve years. Then after that he came out and became king because he had withstood his trials. Ergo (in Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous.” So also in the case of the tribe of Levi, they laid down their lives for the sanctification of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, (i.e. for martyrdom). Now when Israel was in Egypt, they had rejected the Torah and, as Ezekiel had rebuked them where it is stated (in Ezek. 20:5), “And you shall say unto them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “In the day that I chose Israel […].”’” Then what is written at the end (in vs. 8)? “But they rebelled against Me and did not come to hearken unto Me … and I resolved to pour out My fury upon them.” What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought darkness upon Egypt for three days, and during those [days] he killed all the wicked ones of Israel. For this reason it says (in Ezek. 20:36-38), “[As I brought your ancestors to judgment in the desert of the land of Egypt….] So will I remove from you those who rebel and transgress against Me.” So also it says (in Cant. 2:13), “And the fig tree sheds¹⁸Heb.: hanetah. Although the biblical context suggests a translation such as “puts forth” or “ripens” the context understands this rare verb in a more negative sense. See Tanh. (Buber); Exod. 3:7). its green figs…,” these are the wicked who are in Israel; (ibid. cont.) “and the vines in blossom give off fragrance,” these are the rest who have repented and been accepted; (ibid. cont.) “arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away,” for behold the time of redemption has arrived. However all those in the tribe of Levi were righteous and carried out the Torah. It is so stated (in Deut. 33:9), “For they observed Your word,” i.e., the Torah; (ibid. cont.) “and kept Your covenant,” i.e., circumcision. And not only that, but when Israel made the calf, the tribe of Levi did not participate there, as stated (in Exod. 32:26), “So Moses stood up on the gate of the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord come to me,’ and all the Children of Levi gathered unto him.” When Moses said (in vs. 27), “Each [of you] put his sword on his thigh…,” they immediately did so. Moreover they did not show partiality. And so Moses blesses them, [namely (according Deut. 33:9)], “The one who says of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them’ and his brother….” When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that they all were righteous, that He had tested them and they had withstood their trial – as stated (of Levi in Deut. 33:8), “[Your faithful one,] whom You tested at Massah” – the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately said (in Numb. 8:14), “And the Levites shall belong to Me,” to fulfill what is stated (in Ps. 11:5), “The Lord tests the righteous.” In the case of the wicked, however, it is written of them (ibid. cont.), “but His soul (i.e. the soul of the Holy One, blessed be He,) hates the wicked and the lover of injustice.” David said (in Ps. 128:1), “Fortunate is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in His ways.”

(Numb. 3:15:) “Enroll the Children of Levi….” This text is related (to Ps. 68:7), “God causes individuals to dwell in a home.” A certain matron⁷⁸Lat.: matrona. asked R. Jose ben Halafta, “In how many days [did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the world?” He said to her, “In six days, as stated (in Exod. 31:17), ‘for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth.’”⁷⁹Gen. R. 68:4; Lev. R. 8:1; Numb. R. 3:6; PRK 2:4; below, Numb. 9:9; cf. above, Gen. 1:2. She said to him, “Ever since the world was created, what does He do?” “He sits [there] arranging marriages and issuing decrees. So He says, ‘So-and-so shall marry so-and-so.’” (Ps. 68:7), “God causes individuals to dwell in a home.” Who are they? This was Amram and his wife Yochebed, since through their merit the Holy One, blessed be He, brought Israel out of Egypt, where they had been enslaved with clay and bricks.⁸⁰The Exodus theme is suggested by what follows in Ps. 68:7): HE BRINGS OUT THE PRISONERS INTO PROSPERITY, Cf. M. Pss. 68:4. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He married Yochebed to Amram in order to raise up from them a redeemer for Israel and from them to raise up high priests. It is therefore stated (ibid.), “God causes individuals to dwell in a home.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In as much as this tribe is accustomed to be raising up redeemers, go and number them.” (Numb. 3:15:) “Enroll the Children of Levi….” But it is written in another place (i.e., in Numb. 1:49), “However, you shall not enroll the tribe of Levi, nor shall you take a census of them.”⁸¹Cf. Numb. R. 3:7. When Israel had made the calf, what is written there (in Exod. 32:26)? “So Moses stood up in the gate of the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, to me!’ And all of the sons of Levi gathered to him.” Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, (in the words of Numb. 3:15), “Enroll the Children of Levi.” R. Judah bar Shallum said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, is accustomed to numbering [the children of] this tribe in every case while they are young.⁸²Numb. R. 3:8. How is it shown? When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Jacob to go down to Egypt, at that time he numbered Israel and his children; and all of them were found [to number] sixty-six, as stated (in Gen. 46:26), “And all the souls of the House of Jacob that came that came to Egypt… were sixty-six.” [In addition were] Joseph's two sons, plus Joseph, for a total of seventy minus one. But it says (in vs. 27), “all the souls of the House of Jacob, which came to Egypt, were seventy.” R. Levi said that R. Samuel bar Nahman said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, customarily numbers this tribe while they are in their mother's womb.”⁸³Gen. R. 94:9 and M. Pss. 92:12. R. Berekhyah the Priest said, “There is not enough resin to flow out before they collect it.⁸⁴Rt.: SPG; cf. the Gk.: spoggos (“sponges”). So it was in the case of Jochebed. Her mother was pregnant with her; and while she was in her mother's womb, she was numbered together with her.” Resh Laqish said, “While her mother was entering the gate of Egypt, her mother gave birth to her. The statement is therefore made concerning seventy souls (in Gen. 46:27).” And also concerning her children's children, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Numb. 3:15), “you shall enroll every male from the age of a month and upward.” Moses said to him, “Am I able to persevere and go around into their courtyards and into the midst of their houses to number each and every one of them, when You say (ibid.), ‘every male from the age of a month and upward?’”⁸⁵Numb. R. 1:9. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “You do your [part], and I will do my [part].” R. Judah bar Shalom the Levite said, “Moses would go and stand at the gate of the tent [in question]. Then the Divine Presence would draw near and say to him, ‘There are five infants in this tent; there are ten infants in that tent.’” Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Numb. 3:16), “So Moses enrolled them according to the word (literally, according to the mouth) of the Lord, as he had been commanded,” [i.e.,] just as the Divine Presence told him.

Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:15): ENROLL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI. But it is written in another place (i.e., in Numb. 1:49): HOWEVER, YOU SHALL NOT ENROLL THE TRIBE OF LEVI, NOR SHALL YOU TAKE A CENSUS OF THEM.¹⁰¹Tanh., Numb., 1:16, cont.; cf. Numb. R. 3:7. It is simply that the Holy One said: In as much as they have given their souls to me, go and number them separately. Now when had they given their souls to the Holy One? When Israel had committed that act (of the golden calf). It is so stated (in Exod. 32:26): SO MOSES STOOD UP IN THE GATE OF THE CAMP [AND SAID: WHOEVER IS FOR THE LORD, <COME> TO ME. THEN ALL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI GATHERED UNTO HIM]. The Holy One said to Moses: In as much as they are standing in their blemishes,¹⁰²Bemumehen. Cf. Buber, n. 154, who notes that the Oxford MS, Michael 577, No. 155 (described on pp. 141-142 of his introduction), reads, betsidqam, i.e., “in their righteousness.” Buber, however, prefers the better-attested reading, bemumehen, which can also mean “by some things of theirs” and which he interprets as the equivalent of “by their vow.” Still the simple translation, “in their blemishes” could mean that the Levites were deficient in not having been enrolled for the Holy One and that their enrollment now made them whole. go and number them. (In the words of Numb. 3:15): ENROLL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI. R. Judah bar Shallum says: The Holy One is accustomed to numbering <the children of> this tribe in every case while they are young.¹⁰³Numb. R. 3:8. How is it shown? When the Holy One told Jacob to go down to Egypt, at that time he numbered Israel and his children; and all of them were found <to number> sixty-six, [as stated (in Gen. 46:26): AND ALL THE SOULS… WERE SIXTY-SIX.] In addition were Joseph's two sons, plus Joseph, for a total of seventy minus one. But it says (in vs. 27): ALL THE SOULS OF THE HOUSE OF JACOB, WHICH CAME TO EGYPT, WERE SEVENTY. R. Levi said: R. Samuel bar Nahman said: The Holy One customarily numbers this tribe while they are in their mother's womb.¹⁰⁴Gen. R. 94:9 and M. Pss. 92:12. R. Berekhyah [the Priest Berabbi] said: There is not enough resin to flow out before they collect it.¹⁰⁵Rt.: SPG; cf. the Gk.: spoggos (“sponges”). So it was in the case of Jochebed. Her mother was pregnant with her; and while she was in her mother's womb, she was numbered together with her. Resh Laqish said: While her mother was entering the gate of Egypt, her mother gave birth to her. The statement is therefore made concerning seventy souls (in Gen. 46:27). And also concerning her children's children, the Holy One said to Moses (in Numb. 3:15): [YOU SHALL ENROLL] EVERY MALE FROM THE AGE OF A MONTH AND UPWARD. Moses said to him: Am I able to persevere and go around into their courtyards and into the midst of their houses to number each and every one of them, when you say (ibid.): EVERY MALE FROM THE AGE OF A MONTH AND UPWARD?¹⁰⁶Numb. R. 1:9. The Holy One said to Moses: You do your <part>, and I will do my <part>. R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said: Moses would go and stand at the gate of the tent <in question>. Then the Divine Presence would draw near and say to him: There are five infants in this tent; there are ten infants in that tent. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Numb. 3:16): SO MOSES ENROLLED THEM ACCORDING TO THE WORD (literally: ACCORDING TO THE MOUTH) OF THE LORD AS HE HAD BEEN COMMANDED, <i.e.,> just as the Divine Presence told him.

(Numb. 4:18) “Do not cut off.” This text is related (to Nahum 1:7), “The Lord is good, a shelter in the day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him.” The nature of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the nature of flesh and blood.¹³¹Numb. R. 5:3. In the case of a king of flesh and blood, when a province rebels against him, he acts against it with an indiscriminate punishment¹³²Gk.: androlempsia or androlepsia (“seizure of foreigners” in reprisal for murder committed abroad). and kills the good along with the bad. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like that. Rather, when a generation provokes Him, He saves the righteous and destroys the wicked. The generation of Enosh sinned. He destroyed them but rescued Enoch, as stated (in Gen. 5:24), “And Enoch walked with God.” Why? (Nahum 1:7:) “[The Lord is good, a shelter] in the day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him.” The generation of the flood provoked Him. So He destroyed them, as stated (in Gen. 7:23), “And He blotted out all existence”; but He rescued Noah, as stated (in Gen. 6:8), “And Noah found favor [in the eyes of the Lord].” And similarly with the Sodomites, He destroyed them, as stated (in Gen. 19:24), “Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom”; but He rescued Lot, as stated (in vs. 29), “and sent Lot away.” He brought darkness upon the Egyptians, but (according to Exod. 10:23) “all the Children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Why? (Nahum 1:7:) “[The Lord is good, a shelter] in the day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him.” They went forth from Egypt and came to the desert. [There] they committed that deed (i.e., the incident of the golden calf), [all] except for the tribe of Levi. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 32:26), “[So Moses stood up in the gate of the camp and said,] ‘Whoever is for the Lord, to me!’ And all of the sons of Levi gathered to him.” [What is the meaning of “Whoever is for the Lord?”] Whoever (in Exod. 32:3) has not given a ring for the calf, let him come unto me. [To him] the Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Nahum 1:7), “[The Lord is good, a shelter] in the day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him.” Moshe immediately arose and killed the sinners, as stated (Exodus 32:28), “And the Children of Levi did like the word of Moses.” With reference to the tribe of Levi, however, which gave their lives for the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, He thus said to Moses and Aaron (in Numb. 4:18), “Do not cut off….” And so He says in another place (i.e., in Numb. 3:15), “Enroll the Children of Levi.” But He has also said (in Numb. 1:49), “However, you shall not enroll the tribe of Levi.” Why? In order to exclude them from the decree. As the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that Israel was going to provoke Him and said to them (in Numb. 14:29), “In this desert shall your carcasses drop.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “The Children of Levi shall not be [part of] this decree, as stated (in Numb. 1:49, cont.), ‘nor shall you take a census of them as part of the Children of Israel.’ Why? Because they are Mine, as stated (Numb. 3:12), ‘and the Levites shall be mine.’” Thus when anyone offers (rt.: qrb) a little of himself, they advance (rt.: qrb) him a lot. Now they had offered (rt.: qrb) themselves, when Moses said (in Exod. 32:26), “Whoever is for the Lord, to me!” And not only that, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said (according to Numb. 1:50) “You shall enroll the Levites to be over the tabernacle of the testimony.” Thus when someone is tested in [one] area and found trustworthy, the Holy One, blessed be He, trusts him forever; for so you find in the case of Joshua.¹³³Numb. R. 1:12. When he was tested with Amalek, he prevailed against him according to the law and according to the commandment. It is so stated (in Exod. 17:13), “And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people….” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “From your tribe (Ephraim) I am raising up one to exact punishment from Amalek, as stated (in Jud. 5:14), “Out of Ephraim came those whose root is in Amalek….” What is the meaning of out of (mny) Ephraim? He appointed (mnh) Ephraim alone to destroy the seed of Amalek. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (ibid., cont.), “’After you, Benjamin with your peoples,’ [i.e.,] leave him for Saul ben Kish, the Benjamite; he will uproot him.” Another interpretation (of Jud. 5:14), “Out of Ephraim.” Saul was tested and found untrustworthy in his commission. Rather (according to I Sam. 15:9), “But Saul and the people spared Agag.” He put him back after him (i.e., behind Ephraim, the tribe of Joshua and Samuel) and the kingdom was taken from him, as stated (in Jud. 5:14), “after you (i.e., Ephraim), Benjamin with your peoples.” And I have also tested this tribe (of Levi), and they have been found to be preserving My honor; for they have given their life for the sanctification of My name (in Exod. 32:27-28), “Let each one put his sword on his thigh [….] So the Children of Levi acted according to the word of Moses,” and they did not show favoritism. Therefore, Moses blesses them and says to them (in Deut. 33:9), “Who says of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them […].’” And [so] I am also advancing him and making him My imperial agent.¹³⁴Lat.: frumentarius (“grain dealer”). and I am entrusting him with My house and My sanctity, as stated (in Numb. 1:50), “But you shall enroll the Levites to be over the tabernacle of the testimony….” And what was it that I told you (in vs. 49)? “However, you shall not enroll the tribe of Levi.” [This prohibition] was to exempt them from the decree which I was going to pronounce over Israel. It is simply that I am allotting them great honor. When you number them, [number them] by themselves through the Divine utterance (in Numb. 3:15), “Enroll the Children of Levi.” Now if I have honored the Levites, who bear the tabernacle, how much the more so in the case of the Children of Kohath, who bear the ark, [as stated] (in Numb. 3:31), “And their duties included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, [….]” He therefore said to them (in Numb. 4:18), “Do not cut off [the tribe of the Kohathite families from the Levites].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “And if because the Children of Kohath have feared Me, I have allotted glory to them and to their children; then [I will honor] whoever stands in awe of Me and not cut off his name from the world.”¹³⁵Numb. R. 5:9. From whom do you learn this? From the children of Jonadab ben Rechab. Since they did his will, what is stated about them? (Jer. 35:19), “Someone belonging to Jonadab ben Rechab shall not be cut off from standing before Me forever.” And if in the case of those who are proselytes, because they have done My will, I have done likewise for them (i.e., what they want); in the case of Israel, when they are doing My will, how much the more shall they neither be cut off nor have their name be erased from before Me? Rather, they shall live and abide forever and ever and ever, as stated (in Deut. 4:4), “But you who clung to the Lord your God are all alive today.”

(Numb. 4:18:) DO NOT CUT OFF. This text is related (to Nahum 1:7): THE LORD IS GOOD, A SHELTER [IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE]. The nature of the Holy One is unlike the nature of flesh and blood.¹⁵⁶Tanh., Numb. 1:26; Numb. R. 5:3. In the case of a king of flesh and blood, when a province rebels against him, he acts against it with an indiscriminate punishment¹⁵⁷Gk.: androlempsia or androlepsia (“seizure of foreigners” in reprisal for murder committed abroad). and kills the good along with the bad without considering: This one has sinned, and this one has not sinned. Instead he kills the whole of it (i.e., the province). Now the Holy One is not like that. Rather, when a generation provokes him, he saves the righteous and destroys the wicked. The generation of Enosh sinned. He destroyed them but rescued Enoch, as stated (in Gen. 5:24): AND ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD. Why? (Nahum 1:7:) <THE LORD IS GOOD, A SHELTER> IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM. The generation of the flood provoked him. So he destroyed them, as stated (in Gen. 7:23): AND HE BLOTTED OUT ALL EXISTENCE; but he rescued Noah, as stated (in Gen. 6:8): AND NOAH FOUND FAVOR <IN THE EYES OF THE LORD>. And similarly with the Sodomites, he destroyed them, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM; but he rescued Lot, as stated (in vs. 29): AND SENT LOT AWAY. He brought darkness upon the Egyptians, BUT (according to Exod. 10:23) ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD LIGHT IN THEIR DWELLINGS. Why? (Nahum 1:7:) <THE LORD IS GOOD, A SHELTER> IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM. They went forth from Egypt and came to the desert. <There> they committed that deed (i.e., the incident of the golden calf), <all> except for the tribe of Levi. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 32:26): <SO MOSES STOOD UP IN THE GATE OF THE CAMP> AND SAID: WHOEVER IS FOR THE LORD, COME TO ME <….> What is the meaning of WHOEVER IS FOR THE LORD? R. Simeon ben Johay says: Whoever (in Exod. 32:3) has not given a ring for idolatry, let him come unto me. (Ibid. cont.:) THEN ALL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI GATHERED UNTO HIM. The Holy One said (in Nahum 1:7): <THE LORD IS GOOD, A SHELTER> IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM. <Moses was asking:> Who took part in the deed of the calf, and who did not take part? What did <the Holy One> do? He killed the sinners, as stated (in Exod. 32:35): THEN THE LORD SMOTE THE PEOPLE…. With reference to the tribe of Levi, however, which gave their lives for the Name of the Holy One, he said to Moses and Aaron (in Numb. 4:18): DO NOT CUT OFF….

[Another interpretation (of Numb. 4:18:) DO NOT CUT OFF.] And so he says in another place (i.e., in Numb. 3:15): ENROLL THE CHILDREN OF LEVI. But he has also said (in Numb. 1:49): HOWEVER, YOU SHALL NOT ENROLL THE TRIBE OF LEVI. But he only spoke to him <with reference to numbering them in> the midst of the children of Israel and did not tell him to exempt them from the decree <itself>.¹⁵⁸Tanh., Numb. 26, cont.; Numb. R. 1:12; 3:7. The Holy One <did so> because he foresaw that Israel was going to provoke him and said to them (in Numb. 14:29): IN THIS DESERT SHALL YOUR CARCASSES DROP. Therefore, the Holy One said: The children of Levi shall not be <part of> this decree, as stated (in Numb. 1:49, cont.): NOR SHALL YOU TAKE A CENSUS OF THEM AS PART OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Why? Because they are mine (according to Numb. 3:12): AND THE LEVITES SHALL BE MINE. Thus when anyone offers (rt.: QRB) a little of himself, they advance (rt.: QRB) him a lot. Now they had offered (rt.: QRB) themselves, when Moses said (in Exod. 32:26): WHOEVER IS FOR THE LORD, <COME TO ME>. And not only that, BUT (according to Numb. 1:50) YOU SHALL ENROLL THE LEVITES TO BE OVER THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY. Thus when someone is tested in <one> area and found trustworthy, the Holy One trusts him forever; for so you find in the case of Joshua.¹⁵⁹Numb. R. 1:12. When he was tested with Amalek, he prevailed against him according to the law and according to the commandment. It is so stated (in Exod. 17:13): AND JOSHUA DEFEATED <AMALEK AND HIS PEOPLE>…. The Holy One said to him: From your tribe (Ephraim) I am raising up one to exact punishment from Amalek, as stated (in Jud. 5:14): OUT OF EPHRAIM CAME THOSE WHOSE ROOT IS IN AMALEK…. [What is the meaning of OUT OF (MNY) EPHRAIM?] He appointed (MNH) Ephraim in his heart¹⁶⁰Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Numb. 1:26, which reads, “Ephraim alone….” to destroy the seed of Amalek. The Holy One said to him (ibid., cont.): [AFTER YOU,] BENJAMIN WITH YOUR PEOPLES, <i.e.,> leave him for Saul ben Kish, the Benjamite; he will serve him.¹⁶¹Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Numb. 1:26, which reads, “He will uproot him.”

Rabbi Jehudah said: The tribe of Levi also did not associate itself in the affair of the calf, as it is said, "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on the Lord's side (let him come) unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him" (Ex. 32:26). Moses saw that the tribe of Levi was with him. He became strengthened with his might, and he burnt the calf with fire, and powdered it, like the dust of the earth, and he cast its dust upon the face of the waters, as it is said, "And he took the || calf which they had made" (Ex. 32:20). He made Israel drink the water (with the dust of the calf). Everyone who had kissed the calf with all his heart, his upper lip and his bones became golden, and the tribe of Levi slew him, until there fell of Israel about three thousand men, as it is said, "And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses" (Ex. 32:28).

(Bamidbar 9:5) "And they offered the Pesach in the first (month) on the fourteenth day of the month": Scripture speaks in disparagement of Israel, that all the forty years that they were in the desert they offered only this one Paschal sacrifice. And thus is it written (Amos 5:25) "Did you bring sacrifices and meal-offerings to Me for forty years in the desert?" R. Shimon b. Yochai says: Israel did not sacrifice, and who did sacrifice? The tribe of Levi, as it is written (Devarim 33:10) "They shall place incense before You and a burnt-offering upon Your altar." Israel served idolatry and the Levites did not serve idolatry, as it is written (Ibid. 9) "For they kept Your commandment ("You shall have no other gods"). And it is written (Shemot 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!' And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi." Israel did not circumcise themselves (in the desert), as it is written (Joshua 5:5) "and all the people who were born in the desert … were not circumcised," but the Levites were circumcised, viz. (Devarim 33:10) "and Your covenant (of circumcision) they kept." (Bamidbar 9:5) "According to all that the L-rd had commanded Moses": to declare the praise of Israel. Just as Moses told them, "thus did they do."

(Devarim 33:8) "And of Levi he said": Why was this (blessing) said of him (and not of Shimon)? Shimon and Levi drank of one cup, viz. (Bereshith 49:7) "Cursed be their wrath, for it is fierce, and their anger, for it is sore. I shall divide them in Jacob, and I shall scatter them in Israel." This is analogous to (the situation of) two, who borrowed from the king. One paid him back, and borrowed from him again, and the other — not only did he not pay him back, but he borrowed again. Thus, Shimon and Levi: Both "borrowed" in Shechem, viz. (Bereshith 34:25) "And there took, two sons of Jacob, Shimon and Levi, each man his sword, and came upon the city (Shechem) secure, (in that the men were ailing from the circumcision), and they killed every male." Levi paid back what he borrowed in the desert, (in the incident of the golden calf) viz. (Shemoth 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!' And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi, etc." And he returned and "borrowed" from the L-rd in Shittim, viz. (Bamidbar 25:11) "Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein turned My wrath away from the children of Israel when he raged My rage in their midst, and I did not consume the children of Israel in My wrath" — whereas Shimon, not only did he not repay the loan, but he went and "borrowed" again, viz. (Ibid. 14) "And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was smitten together with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house in the house of Shimon."

(Devarim, 33:9) (Levi) "who said of his father and of his mother (in the incident of the golden calf) 'I have not seen them.'": Now would it enter your mind that Levi served idolatry? Is it not already written (Shemoth 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!' And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi"? "his father," then (is to be understood as) his mother's Israelite (i.e., non-Levite) father, (whom he killed as commanded). "and his brothers he did not recognize": his maternal brothers by an Israelite. "and his sons he did not know": The son of his daughter by an Israelite.