[Index of all Weekly Divrei Torah pages]
Much of last week’s Torah portion (Emor) and this week’s portion (Behar) have something in common. Both deal with the tribe of Levi. Parshat Emor begins with commands to the Cohanim, or priests, who are part of the tribe of Levi. And in parshat Behar we find the subject of buying and selling Levite dwellings. To most Jews living within a walled city, the Torah grants a one year period to redeem (re-purchase) their house. After that year, the house becomes the permanent property of the new owner. However, the houses of the tribe of Levi never become the permanent property of a new purchaser. The Levites always had the option to re-purchase their ancestral home. (The Levites did not inherit a specific part of the land of Israel, as did the other tribes. Instead, as teachers and spiritual mentors, the Levites were required to live in their own cities scattered throughout Israel. That is why they needed to always be able to buy back their homes). Because specific laws apply to the Cohanim and the Levites, it is logical to assume that they play a special spiritual role as well, among the Jewish people.
Indeed, we find that the Chasidic master, the Ilana deChaya touches upon that very subject. In both Torah portions, he hints at the special role of the Levites in general and the Cohanim in particular. Let us begin with first verse of parshat Emor, “God said to Moshe, say to the CohanimŔ The Ilana deChaya first mentions the simple meaning of the verse, as explicated by Rashi. Rashi tells us that the purpose of this command is to warn the priestly parents regarding their children. That is, not only must the adult Cohanim take care to observe the laws of the priests, they must also make sure that their children observe those laws.
However, there are three key words here that allow the Ilana deChaya to take Rashi’s explanation to a higher level of abstraction. First, Rashi uses the word lehazhir – which means “to warn” (as in “warn” the parents regarding the children) – but which also means “to shine.” And then he mentions gedolim (“adults” but also “great people”) and ketanim (“children,” but also people of lesser spiritual attainments). The Ilana deChaya borrows from the words of his mentor, R’ Moshe Teitelbaum (the Yismach Moshe) and explains: When King David would praise God, his praises would create a spiritual arousal in all of the Jews. Similarly in our parsha, although Rashi appears to merely warn the priestly parents regarding their children, a deeper reading of his commentary indicates that, “those who are on a higher spiritual level (i.e. the priests and Levites) must shine from their spiritual level upon those who are below them.” That is, their own spiritual level must provide inspiration and illumination for others.
The Ilana deChaya applies a similar explanation to our parsha (Behar). It is here (Lev. 25.32) that the Torah tells us that the Levites have a permanent right of redemption of their homes. A Levite who sold his home within a Levite city, may redeem it at any time. The word for “city” – ir – also indicates “arousal” – hitorerut. The Levites, who experience a conscious connection with the One above, and who are eternally in touch with their spiritual source – have a responsibility. They lived amonst the rest of the Jews, without their own territory, because they were required to provide spiritual arousal for other Jews, and especially for those who lived in their city. Those who lived in the same cities as the Levites were especially connected to them. And because they shared the same spiritual as well as physical space, the Levites possessed an “eternal right of redemption.” That is, they are able to illuminate and inspire the Jews of their city and arouse them from a state of spiritual stupor. All this occured because the Jews as a whole are like a “body,” attached to the “head,” who are the righteous people of the generation. The tribe of Levi represents the righteous. However, as the Rambam says, “not only the Levites but all Jews can strive to attain the spiritual status of the Levites.” And from there, the righteous shine and illuminate to all the other Jews of the world…