Komentarz do Wyjścia 6:14

אלה ראשי בית אבתם THESE ARE THE HEADS OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES — Since it (Scripture) finds itself compelled to give the genealogy of the tribe of Levi as far as Moses and Aaron because of Moses and Aaron, it begins to give the genealogy of the tribes in the order of their birth commencing from Reuben. And in Pesikta Rabbati 7 (on Numbers 7:12) I have seen the statement, that because their father Jacob reproached these three tribes in the hour of his death Scripture again enumerates here their genealogy alone of all the tribes to indicate that they nevertheless were men of worth.

THESE ARE THE HEADS OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES: THE SONS OF REUBEN…. Scripture did not wish to begin with the statement, And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations,⁸⁰Verse 16. so that it should not appear that henceforth in honor of Moses, Levi is first in genealogy. Instead, [Scripture therefore] mentioned Levi’s elder brothers, [i.e., Reuben and Simeon], and that Levi is counted third.
Now Scripture mentioned the sons of Levi according to their generations⁸⁰Verse 16. because in the case of Reuben and Simeon, it mentioned only those who went down to Egypt with them, but in the case of Levi it mentioned his children, the number of years of his life, the birth of the fathers of the prophets — [namely, Kohath the grandfather, and Amram the father of Moses and Aaron] — and the number of years of their lives,⁸¹Verses 18 and 20. all in honor of the prophets. Besides, they themselves — [Kohath and Amram] — were the pious ones of the Most High, worthy to be spoken of as the fathers of the world.

אלה ראשי בית אבותם, this is explained in the Mechilta as a reference to the three (potential) tribes Reuven, Shimon, and Levi, whom Yaakov had chastised on his deathbed. At this point the Torah enumerates their genealogy to demonstrate their importance in the fabric of Jewish nationhood. According to the plain meaning of the text, the Torah had to provide details of the tribes’ genealogy as far as Moses and Aaron, whereas it also had to provide details as far down the line as Korach, and the sons of Uziel; as well as Pinchas all of whom are mentioned by name and deed in the Torah later on. If we had not heard about their roots in this chapter we would not have known who these people had been.