כִּי֩ נְתֻנִ֨ים נְתֻנִ֥ים הֵ֙מָּה֙ לִ֔י מִתּ֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תַּחַת֩ פִּטְרַ֨ת כָּל־רֶ֜חֶם בְּכ֥וֹר כֹּל֙ מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לָקַ֥חְתִּי אֹתָ֖ם לִֽי׃
Sapagkat sila ay lubos na ibinigay sa Akin mula sa gitna ng mga anak ni Israel; sa halip na ang lahat ng nagbubukas ng sinapupunan, ang panganay ng lahat ng anak ni Israel, ay kinuha Ko sila para sa Akin.
Kedushat Levi
Numbers 8,16. “for presented, presented are they to Me from the midst of the Children of Israel;” the repetition of the words נתונים, נתונים cry out for further analysis. Perhaps we best approach this by means of a parable. If one brings a gift to a minor official it is the intrinsic value of the gift that is appreciated or considered as insufficient, whereas when one brings a gift to a highly placed minister or prince, the intrinsic value of the gift is of little account as the prince is not in need of it. What matters to him is the time and effort the donor invested in selecting something that would please him. The highly placed official will accordingly respond with an open heart to the person who went to great length to please him, in recognition of the effort made by the donor.
When looking at the relationship between G’d and the Levites on one hand, and that of mankind or the rest of the Israelites, as well as all the angels in heaven, all of whom are equally duty bound to revere Him, He considers the fact that the Levites had dedicated themselves to Him in a completely selfless manner, knowingly risking their lives, as a much more valuable “gift,” than if they had presented many bulls as offerings on the altar.
When looking at the relationship between G’d and the Levites on one hand, and that of mankind or the rest of the Israelites, as well as all the angels in heaven, all of whom are equally duty bound to revere Him, He considers the fact that the Levites had dedicated themselves to Him in a completely selfless manner, knowingly risking their lives, as a much more valuable “gift,” than if they had presented many bulls as offerings on the altar.