Sefer Bamidbar opens - in our Parasha - with a count of the numbers of each of the tribes, except for the tribe of Levi, which is counted separately, later in our Parasha, as we read: (3:39)’Every male from one month of age and up, were twenty-two thousand’.
The Chatam Sofer comments on the significance of the number twenty-two thousand:’The leviim numbered twenty-two thousand, like the chariot of Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu, as it says:(Ps’ 68:18)’ G-d’s entourage is רבתים אלפי שנאן :’twice ten-thousand, thousands of angels’- as our Sages expounded (Yev’ 64.): ‘The shechina does not reside on less than two ten-thousands and two thousand of Israel’, as it says:( Beha’alotcha 30:36)’Reside tranquilly, O Hashem, among רבבות אלפי ישראל: among the myriad thousands of Israel’: רבבות ואלפי: tens of thousands, and thousands: twenty-thousand, like the number of the leviim.’
Our Sages, in a Midrash, also note the significance of this number:’So too’ - this number - ‘we also find when Hashem was revealed at Har Sinai..and with Him twenty-two thousand of the ministering angels, in their hands twenty-two thousand crowns, and they placed one on the head of each one from the tribe of Levi, who were twenty-two thousand’ in number.
The Netziv proffers an intriguing explanation for the small number of the Tribe of Levi, related to the allusion we brought as to their number being the same as the number of the ministering angels who accompanied the chariot of the Shechina, saying:
It appears that, in Egypt as well, the leviim were the chariot of the Shechina, removed from the others, and devoted to Hashem’s service, and were therefore less in number for two reasons : First, דסביביו נשערה מאד: the nearness to Hashem was very demanding, and brought instant punishment for any transgression, and, further, they knew before the giving of the Torah - presumably from their service of Hashem- what was a transgression, and that it was not to Hashem’s Will, and they accepted upon themselves the yoke of Torah and mitzvot, as had the Avot.
‘This differentiated them from the rest of the people, who knew nought until the Torah was given, and did not accept upon themselves this commitment.
Second: all that is precious, its growth is expensive, and difficult to raise to completion - just as a fruit-bearing tree’s growth is slower than a non-fruit bearing tree.
Man, too, is called עץֶ שדה: ‘a tree of the field’, and whoever’s form is loftier than that of his fellow, his growth is more difficult and slower.
Therefore, Bnei Israel, though descended from Avraham Avinu, until they descended to Egypt, were not fruitful and multiplying, until they came to Egypt, where there their growth concluded - and the tribe of Levi, the completion of their growth concluded even later: when they entered the Land of Israel - all of this is found in the Midrash (Breishit Rabba 45:4), if you should wish to check.
The Ramban, wonders at this small number of the tribe, commenting:
Behold, the tribe of Levi were not like the other tribes, as ‘from a month and up’, they were only twenty-two thousand - and from ‘thirty years and up’, they were altogether but eight thousand (4:48), and counted from twenty years and up, they did not reach in number even half of the number of the smallest of the other tribes; and this, even before they bore the ark, whose holiness took a toll of them.
This is a wonder, how the faithful righteous servants of Hashem, were less in this regard, than the rest of the people.
I think, that this reinforces that which our Sages (Tanchuma) said, that the tribe of Levi were not in the servitude and in the heavy work of Egypt, whereas the rest of the people, whose lives the Egyptian afflicted with heavy labor, so as to reduce their numbers, Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu increased their numbers, against the decree of the Egyptians - as we read:(Shemot 1:12)’But as much as they would afflict them, so did they multiply.
Further, when the Egyptians decreed that every male child born, be killed, (1:20):’G-d benefitted the midwives, and the people multiplied’.
This, because Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu said:’Let us see: whose word will be fulfilled- theirs or Mine’.
The tribe of Levi did not increase in the way of the other tribes.
Perhaps, also, their lesser number was due to the anger of Yaakov against them, as we find that Shimon’ - who also incurred the wrath of Yaakov - ‘though now great in numbers, was reduced on entry into the Land, and numbered then twenty-two thousand, whereas Levi, the tribe of Hashem’s adherents, was not reduced in the plague.
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh brings the wonderment of the Ramban, as to the small number of the leviim, compared to the other tribes, and comments:
I saw that the Ramban expounded, in two ways: First: that the increase in numbers of the other tribes, came because of their affliction, as the Torah states:(Shemot 1:12)’But as much as they would afflict them, so they would multiply’.
The second: because of the wrath of Yaakov Avinu, against them.
In my eyes, this second reason is very remote, as we do not find an impression of their issue being lessened because of Yaakov’s ire, as we find later in the Torah, that their number increased.
The first reason - the response to the affliction - would seem to be a correct reason, but cannot stand, in the light of the saying of our Sages, that Yaakov Avinu did not die until they came to number of Bnei Israel reached six hundred thousand.
To accord with the sayings of our Sages, we have to say:’So will they increase’, that, despite their affliction - even killing them - Bnei Israel still had the strength to increase and multiply, to cover any lessening in numbers.
As to the Torah saying(1:12):’And they’ - the Egyptians -‘were disgusted because of the children of Israel’, this was in the lifetime of Yaakov, when they were very young, and did not have much of an effect - but as they grew older, they made an impression, so that the increase in number was before the affliction.
Why, then, was this not the case with the tribe of Levi?
The answer in my eyes, is that the the whole tribe of Levi followed the example of Amram, who sent his wife away, as the gemara (Sotah 12.) relates, because of the decree, that every male born, be killed.
This, in their eyes, was unbearable, as they - since they were not enslaved or afflicted - could not bear the thought of their offspring being lost in this manner - this unlike the other tribes, who hardened by their affliction and enslavement, has become more hardened, and placed less value on life, so that the thought of the fate of the new born male, made less of an impression ר'ל on them- so much so, that they lowered themselves and their children were born in the fields, and abandoned there - something which no member of the tribe of Levi would even contemplate.
This is the reason for the lesser number of the leviim - and though we find that Amram reunited with his spouse, we cannot assume that the rest of the tribe did likewise, as he acted because of a prophetic vision, of his daughter.
Should you say: How could a ben Torah act in direct contravention of the command:’Be fruitful and multiply’, perhaps they justified their abstinence that the injunction did not apply when the results would be as nought.
We find support for this, in the gemara (Taanit 11.), which states that it is forbidden to engage in conjugal relations, in times of famine, even though this meant abstinence from procreating.
So, too, the leviim adjudged in the light of the fate that had been decreed by the Egyptians for any males born, and therefore abstained.
We can perceive that Hashem wrought a miracle for the leviites, that they reached the number of twenty-two thousand.
The Kli Yakar notes the act of Amram, and adds:
He remained a long time without engaging in procreation, since Yocheved was one hundred and thirty years, when he took her back, the second time.
Whilst our Sages said that ‘all stood and divorced their wives’, likely not all of the people did as Amram did, as how would they be able to last so long without conjugal relations ? - further, our Sages also said:’In the merit of righteous women, our ancestors were redeemed.’
They expounded all the good deeds that the women did for their menfolk, whilst they toiled in hard labor - from which we can deduce that the husbands would have been unable to survive, were it not for the women.
We learn from this, that even during the time of the decree, the men did not divorce their wives.
Therefore, when our Sages said:’All stood and divorced their wives’, they referred to the tribe of Levi, alone, who were not subject to the decree of enslavement, yet were fearful of the decree:’Every make child born, cast into the river’, as Pharoah on one day, extended the decree even to Egyptian children.
They were therefore fearful that they, too, would be subject to such a decree - so they separated from their wives for a lengthy period, as had Amram.
For this reason, the tribe of Levi was small in numbers, and this reason stands above all others that have been advanced.
Hashem chose them by reason of being few, as we find in several places in the Torah, that it says:’Not from your great numbers..’, ‘but because you are the least’ (Vaetchanan 7:7), and similarly, of their three families - Gershon, Kehat and Merari - Merari was the most numerous, and therefore was distanced from bearing the holy ark, and this was given to the smallest in numbers -proving this in itself.
Rav Yosef Salant refers to the expositions of Ramban, the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh and the Kli Yakar, and adds:
It appears that another reason can be given for the small number of the tribe of Levi, as our Sages say:’Why did Hashem bring the plague of blood on the Egyptians? Measure-for-measure, as they prevented the daughters of Israel from immersing against their impurity, so that they should not be engaged in procreating - therefore, they were afflicted by their rivers turning to blood.
Further, our Sages say, that out of their fear of the Egyptians, whilst in Egypt, the women did not see blood.
Therefore, they were not impure, and the men were not limited at any time from conjugal relations with their womenfolk - and it was for this reason that they were fruitful and childbearing, and the decree that the women not immerse, was irrelevant, as they did not see blood, and so had no need to immerse.
This was not the case with the tribe of Levi, who, as they were not subjugated and afflicted, the dread of the Egyptians was not upon them - as it was on the women of all the other tribes.
However, the decree against immersion also applied to them, and as they saw blood, their inability to immerse against their impurity, meant that they did not engage in conjugal relations.
This was the reason for their numbers being so much smaller, compared to the rest of the tribes.
In the natural order, a woman who does not see blood, is termed one one who is unable to bear children, and, as they women in Egypt did not see blood, they would not have merited to bear children, by nature - certainly not to bear many children.
In this too, Hashem performed miracles for them, and ‘they were fruitful and multiplied, and filled the land.’
A parting gem, from Rav Moshe Sternbuch:
It would appear, additionally, that Hashem caused the number of the tribe of Levi to be the least of all the tribes, to teach us that it is not the quantity that determines, but that quality also is important.
As they offered up their souls, and did not worship the calf, they were chosen to serve.
This is equally true, not just for the tribe of Levi, but of any assemblage of the righteous, their spiritual level - though they be small in number - bears great weight, as we learned from the tribe of Levi, who merited to come close to Hashem, because of their mesirut nefesh.
לרפואת כל חיילי צהל וכן לרפואת נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.