The Jewish elite of our days fell victim to great weakness. Even once-brave leaders are collapsing. A fresh perspective on the phenomenon may be gleaned from an apparent incompleteness of the first Pesach.
Parshat BaMidbar relates that there were 22,000 firstborn of all ages, in a population that had 600,000 men between ages twenty and sixty. This number is very low. Only about one in thirty was a firstborn. This could be explained by assuming that the average family had thirty children, and that consideration seems to be the background for the midrashic claim that children were born in multiples of six (Shemot Rabba 1:8; Tanchuma, Shemot 5; Mechilta, Parshat Beshalach).
The big-family theory does not explain all data. The number 22,000 also appears in Parshat Bamidbar as the number of Levi'im that redeemed the firstborn. The numbers for the various Levite families are also stated, and these numbers add up to 22,300. Rashi explains the difference (at BaMidbar 3:39): The 300 were the firstborn of Levi, who redeemed themselves, as it were. It follows that only one out of every seventy Leviyim was a firstborn. The problem is that the big-family theory fails for the Leviyim, as they were a small tribe and the Midrash acknowledges that they did not have big families.
There seems to be only one explanation of the low number of Levite firstborn: many of them died because their families failed to bring the Pesach sacrifice. Bringing the Pesach sacrifice was a difficult test of faith, because the sheep was an idol in Egypt. It seems that many of the Levi'im, the leaders of the nation, failed the test.
Maybe they did not dare to stand up against their former masters. Or, steeped into its worship, they could not bring themselves to slaughter Egypt's idol. Alternatively, they were perhaps afraid to lose the Egyptian respect for their priestly position. Who knows, maybe they were trying to moderate the Egyptian reaction against Israel. Who will tell, some of the very pious might even have felt that it is wrong for a Jew to provoke the gentiles.
While most of the leaders collapsed, the nation threw out its fears and stood up for the truth of the Torah. May Israel so raise itself again.
Parshat BaMidbar relates that there were 22,000 firstborn of all ages, in a population that had 600,000 men between ages twenty and sixty. This number is very low. Only about one in thirty was a firstborn. This could be explained by assuming that the average family had thirty children, and that consideration seems to be the background for the midrashic claim that children were born in multiples of six (Shemot Rabba 1:8; Tanchuma, Shemot 5; Mechilta, Parshat Beshalach).
The big-family theory does not explain all data. The number 22,000 also appears in Parshat Bamidbar as the number of Levi'im that redeemed the firstborn. The numbers for the various Levite families are also stated, and these numbers add up to 22,300. Rashi explains the difference (at BaMidbar 3:39): The 300 were the firstborn of Levi, who redeemed themselves, as it were. It follows that only one out of every seventy Leviyim was a firstborn. The problem is that the big-family theory fails for the Leviyim, as they were a small tribe and the Midrash acknowledges that they did not have big families.
There seems to be only one explanation of the low number of Levite firstborn: many of them died because their families failed to bring the Pesach sacrifice. Bringing the Pesach sacrifice was a difficult test of faith, because the sheep was an idol in Egypt. It seems that many of the Levi'im, the leaders of the nation, failed the test.
Maybe they did not dare to stand up against their former masters. Or, steeped into its worship, they could not bring themselves to slaughter Egypt's idol. Alternatively, they were perhaps afraid to lose the Egyptian respect for their priestly position. Who knows, maybe they were trying to moderate the Egyptian reaction against Israel. Who will tell, some of the very pious might even have felt that it is wrong for a Jew to provoke the gentiles.
While most of the leaders collapsed, the nation threw out its fears and stood up for the truth of the Torah. May Israel so raise itself again.