In Memory of our beloved David Schwartz, who fell in battle sanctifying God’s name, on 27 Tevet, 5784 (8 January 2024).

“Le’David Barchi Nafshi” is a compilation of essays written on the weekly Torah reading by David Schwartz, of blessed memory. First published on the occasion of his marriage to Meital, David’s unique Torah thoughts that delve into the depths of the Torah are shared now to elevate his memory and sanctify his soul.

The Torah excludes the Levites from the counting of the people in this week’s Torah reading (1:49). Rashi explains why the Levites are excluded. “The king’s legion is worthy to be counted by itself,” Rashi writes, “because they are Mine as they did not sin with the golden calf.” (1:49) God then informs Moshe that the job of the Levites would be different from the rest of the children of Israel. We see this in chapter 3. It states: “Bring near the tribe of Levi and have it stand before Aaron the Kohen, and they shall serve him … they are formally assigned to him from the people of Israel” (3:6-12). The entire tribe of Levi was thus chosen to serve as priests in the Beit Hamikdash.

At the end of chapter 1, the Torah detailed a set order for the encampments and banners for the tribes of Israel in the desert. “The children of Israel shall encamp, every man at his camp and every man at his division (1:52). The specifics are provided in chapter two, where they “encamp according to their division; and so they journeyed, every man according to his families, by his fathers’ house” (2:2, 34). The lengthy descriptions of the encampments testifies to the great importance that the Torah attaches to the topic of the assigned divisions of the tribes of Israel.

With God’s help, I will explain below my view on the importance of this topic.

Tradition informs us that each person in every generation has a purpose for which he was created. From the time of the Mishnah until the later generations, our sage saw this as a fundamental value in the service of God. In the Ethics of the Fathers it states: “Do not scorn anyone nor discriminate against anything, for every man has his hour and everything has its place” (4:3). This means that at every moment a person has a unique task to fulfill. As Hillel the Elder declares in Ethics of the Fathers: “If I am not for myself who am I”? This means, if I do not do the job incumbent upon me for which purpose I came to this world, then “Who am I”? In other words, who can do this work in my place? Every person has a job and a mission and a time when he will need to complete it.

The first Rebbe of Ger (1799-1866) explained this as follows in his work, the Chiddushei Harim. “‘And if not now, when?’ Every moment that passes literally disappears, and it is impossible to return it and fix it.”

Rav Aharon Perlov from Karlin-Stolin (1802-1872), writes in his work, the Beit Aharon: “If another Jew were able to fulfill my task, I would not be here. If there were another day on which it would be possible to do what I need to do on this day, today would not have been created. If I am here in this world, it is a sign that I have a task to complete in accord with my specific purpose that God, blessed be He, designated for me. And no one else is able to fill the role for which I am assigned.”

In the Sefat Emet, Reb Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger writes in the name of his grandfather: “Beloved in the eyes of God is the messenger who goes to perform a mitzvah and devotes his entire soul to make sure that his mission succeeds. It was known to my master, my teacher and rebbe of blessed memory, that we all are messengers sent from God to perform a mitzvah in this world and to fulfill His commandments.”

We can also see that Reb Shmuel Bornsztain, the Rebbe of Sochatchov (1855-1926) expounds in a similar manner on this idea in his work the Shem MiShmuel.

The idea that every Jew is a messenger of God in this world to fulfill a unique task was a theme emphasized in modern hasidic thought and in prior generations. As noted, the job of the Levites was to serve and minister in the Temple. I think that we can identify the broad manner in which the Torah identifies the role of the Levites as an example pointing our attention to the need for us all to accept a role and responsibility. Essentially, with the separation of the Levites from among the children of Israel, the Torah is teaching us this idea about individual roles and responsibilities. Just as the Levites had a specific role in the Temple service and that was their way of worshiping God, so too each and every tribe has a task that is its own and everyone in Israel has a unique role to play.

Reb Shalom Noach Berezovsky of Slonim (1911-2000) writes the following in the Netivot Shalom. “Every Jew has a group to which he is assigned. It is upon him to watch over his community’s banner, and not to turn to matters that pertain to him. For the banner of the son of a king is not the same as that of a servant of a king … Each man according to his encampment” - for every Jew there is an area and family to which he belongs. It is upon him to know at every time that he does not violate his mission in matters that are not his responsibility.”

The selection of the tribe of Levi represents an example for the selection of each one of Israel before God. Every Jew has a unique path and special purpose in this world. One person may be destined for Torah study and another person for service, while a third man’s purpose may be to perform kind deeds. However, in order to prevent man from straying from the path, the Torah writes: “Around the Tent of Meeting they shall camp.” On whatever path man may choose to go, he must place God’s Tent of Meeting in the center of his consciousness.

This idea of cohesion around one goal is of great significance. I will conclude with the teachings of the Sefat Emet who reiterates the value of this unity. “On the Shabbat before Shavuot we need to prepare to receive the Torah, because Shabbat was given before the Torah was as it is in a sense preparation for receiving the Torah … and ‘he [Israel] camped there’ the meaning of this being in the singular is that they camped as one person and one heart. This comes from the power of Shabbat, which brings the people of Israel together. The Torah was given with three things: fire, water, and desert. Desert symbolizes nullification, meaning it is necessary to nullify everything like a desert in order to devote oneself to hearing the word of God. There is a little aspect of this on every Shabbat for all of us as we set aside our work. It is for this reason that Shabbat is called a preparation for receiving the Torah.”

In some years, we experience the holiday of Shavuot taking place immediately after the holy Shabbat (such as the year in which this work is completed). May it be God’s will that we merit to receive the Torah, “as one, with one heart.”

“So said the Lord, If not My covenant with the day and the night, that the statues of heaven and earth I did not place: (Jeremiah 33:25).