How Pleasant It Is When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A paean to solidarity

Subsequent to davening in one of the local shuls today, I went to another room to learn for a few minutes. The room was in disarray, with the tables randomly placed and packages and boxes haphazardly strewn all over the place. “What is going on here?”, I wondered. Then I saw what those packages were, supplies, both medical and weapon-related, to be shipped to our brothers in צה”ל (the IDF). Wow. מי כעמך ישראל גויאחד בארץ (“Oh, Who is like Israel, one nation on the Earth?”). As I am fond of saying homiletically, the Jewish people are unique because although they are scattered, they are as one nation. And as I sat down to learn in an empty spot next to the supplies, I contemplated how different this scene must appear to somebody depending on their worldview.

With one sort of glasses, this could be seen as a travesty. Look at this guy, sitting and learning in his comfortable chair, while the soldiers are putting their lives on the line marching from house to house, tunnel to tunnel, in the booby-trapped warrens of Gaza. And even worse, he is learning in leisure surrounded by supplies for these soldiers, as if mocking them (never mind I am in the US and probably too old for combat sevice, and have contributed plenty financially to such supplies). From another perspective, this could be viewed as the most beautiful scene in the world. Look at how this person is engaging in the greatest mitzvah of all, תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם, bringing Torah continuity to our nation, and establishing the merit whereby our soldiers succeed. And whilst sitting amongst the military supplies, a veritable fulfillment of הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחד.

And what did I happen to be learning this morning the time? I happened to be up to the Book of Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles), unfortunately, probably the most neglected Book of Tanach. And going through that sefer on this round, I noticed something very relevant. A good part of Divrei Hayamim is occupied with military troops fielded by the various tribes, along with their conquests. Which tribe is, in general, conspicuously missing from these narratives? The Tribe of Levi.

Divrei Hayamim goes into great detail discussing the functions of the Cohanim and the Leviim, their various duties, whether it was singing, playing music, opening and closing the Temple doors, sacrificing the daily or special offerings, generally sanctifying themselves, and teaching Torah. But in contradistinction to the other tribes, their is almost nothing about their military conquests (I say “almost”, because there were individuals, such as Benayhu ben Yohyada among David’s warriors). Why is this? The Rambam writes at the end of the Laws of Shemitta v’Yovel (13:12)

וְלָמָּה לֹא זָכָה לֵוִי בְּנַחֲלַת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְבִזָּתָהּ עִם אֶחָיו מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֻבְדַּל לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְהוֹרוֹת דְּרָכָיו הַיְשָׁרִים וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו הַצַּדִּיקִים לָרַבִּים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לג י) "יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב וְתוֹרָתְךָ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל". לְפִיכָךְ הֻבְדְּלוּ מִדַּרְכֵי הָעוֹלָם לֹא עוֹרְכִין מִלְחָמָה כִּשְׁאָר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא נוֹחֲלִין וְלֹא זוֹכִין לְעַצְמָן בְּכֹחַ גּוּפָן. אֶלָּא הֵם חֵיל הַשֵּׁם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לג יא) "בָּרֵךְ ה' חֵילוֹ". וְהוּא בָּרוּךְ הוּא זוֹכֶה לָהֶם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יח כ) "אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ וְנַחֲלָתְךָ":

Why did the Levites not receive a portion in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael and in the spoils of war like their brethren? Because they were set aside to serve God and minister unto Him and to instruct people at large in His just paths and righteous judgments, as [Deuteronomy 33:10] states: "They will teach Your judgments to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel." Therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world. They do not wage war like the remainder of the Jewish people, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their physical power. Instead, they are God's legion, as [ibid.:11]: states: "God has blessed His legion" and He provides for them, as [Numbers 18:20] states: "I am your portion and your inheritance."

In the Book of Numbers, Moshe is instructed that the Leviim are not to be counted among the rest of the nation (Numbers 1:46-47).

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֖לֶף וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֑ים וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וַחֲמִשִּֽׁים׃

all who were enrolled came to 603,550.

וְהַלְוִיִּ֖ם לְמַטֵּ֣ה אֲבֹתָ֑ם לֹ֥א הׇתְפָּקְד֖וּ בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ {פ}

The Levites, however, were not recorded among them by their ancestral tribe.

The Rashbam explains

והלוים למטה אבתם לא התפקדו בתוכם - כמו שמפרש והולך: אך את מטה לוי לא תפקוד וגו' ומפרש הטעם, כי לא ילכו בצבא המלחמה, אלא הפקד את הלוים על משכן העדות וגו'.

והלוים למטה אבותם לא התפקדו בתוכם, as will be spelled out in detail later in verse 49 where the command not to count them with the other tribes is reported. The reason why they were counted separately was that they had never been meant to be part of the military, so that they never would have formed part of such a census. Their duties were defined in terms of their ministering to the needs of the Tabernacle.

The Ibn Ezra explains (1:50)

ואתה הפקד את הלוים. באר למה לא התפקדו כי פקודת המשכן עליהם על כן לא יצאו בצבא:

BUT APPOINT THOU THE LEVITES OVER THE TABERNACLE. Scripture explains here why the Levites were not counted. They were not counted because the charge of the tabernacle was upon them. Therefore they did not serve in the army.

This is why the Leviim are not featured with organized militaries in Divrei Hayamim, because they did not participate in this endeavor, by and large, but were an entire community dedicated to Avodas Hashem. Now, although Divrei Hayamim does not record this, it is possible, indeed likely that some members of other tribes resented them for their special status. Why must we fight and risk our lives, while you take it easy with your Temple service and Torah scholarship? But this attitude is a terrible mistake, for the dedicated servants of God are the ones who, more than anybody else, impart the merit whereby our troops succeed. They are the ones, more than anybody else, that make a nation worth fighting for and that can merit God’s special assistance.

What about nowadays, when we tragically lack Bais Hamikdash, and the Leviim don’t play such a role anymore? Is there anybody who is dedicated to Hashem in a similar fashion?

The Rambam continues (13:13)

וְלֹא שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא כָּל אִישׁ וְאִישׁ מִכָּל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אוֹתוֹ וֶהֱבִינוֹ מַדָּעוֹ לְהִבָּדֵל לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְעָבְדוֹ לְדֵעָה אֶת ה' וְהָלַךְ יָשָׁר כְּמוֹ שֶׁעֲשָׂהוּ הָאֱלֹהִים וּפָרַק מֵעַל צַוָּארוֹ עֹל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת הָרַבִּים אֲשֶׁר בִּקְּשׁוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם הֲרֵי זֶה נִתְקַדֵּשׁ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים וְיִהְיֶה ה' חֶלְקוֹ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים וְיִזְכֶּה לוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דָּבָר הַמַּסְפִּיק לוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁזָּכָה לַכֹּהֲנִים לַלְוִיִּם. הֲרֵי דָּוִד עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אוֹמֵר (תהילים טז ה) "ה' מְנָת חֶלְקִי וְכוֹסִי אַתָּה תּוֹמִיךְ גּוֹרָלִי":

Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before God to serve Him and minister to Him and to know God, proceeding justly as God made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5]: "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."

As Rabbi Kanievsky in the Derech Emunah notes, this implies that Talmidei Chachamim are exempt from the army, for the same reason that the Tribe of Levi is, that they dedicate their lives to service of God.

Now, some might object that the Rambam is only referring to exceptional individuals, not entire communities of yeshiva students. But there is nothing in the Rambam that indicates that an entire community of such exceptional individuals cannot exist, and the comparison to the historical Tribe of Levi would indicate otherwise. And there is much less cause for others for the “fairness” complaint here, because unlike the historical Tribe of Levi which was by birthright, anybody with learning capability can join the community of yeshiva students and dedicate his life to Hashem. It is fairer than fair, about as egalitarian as you can get.

There is much more to say about this topic, but I cannot put it better than the Religious Zionist Rabbi Moshe Zvi Nariya זצ”ל, in בני ישיבות וגיוסם

John Adams reportedly said: “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.” But we have something much more consequential to study than mathematics and philosophy. We have the Holy Torah, which is חיינו ואורך ימינו, the life and length of our days. And to the extent that we make this our national character, we are likewise assured success in our military campaigns.