Netvort Bamidbar 5773:                      Keeping the Peace

By Rabbi Joshua (peaceably known as The Hoffer) Hoffman

 

            After assigning the family of Kehas with its task of carrying the holy vessels of the Mishkan, such as the aron, menorah, and shulchan, when the camp traveled, the Torah says “Do not let the tribe of the Kehas families be cut off from among the Levites. Thus shall you do for them, so that they shall live and not die, when they approach the Holy of Holies, Aharon and his sons shall come, and assign them, every man to his work and burden. But they shall not come and look as the holy is inserted, lest they die.” (Bamidbar 18:20). The Ohr HaChaim explains, that since the task of carrying the aron, which encases the Torah, is of such importance, the Kehasim might all run to be the first to do it, and would perhaps inadvertently overstep their boundaries, viewing the aron before it was covered for traveling, and thus being liable in a capital way. Therefore, their service had to be arranged in an orderly fashion in order to avoid such a possibility. The Meshech Chochma and Rav Yechezkel Abramsky point out, on the other hand, that the family of Kehas, unique among all the other families, is referred to here as a tribe. This is significant because, as the Talmud teaches (Bava Basra, 116a) there is a tradition that a tribe will never be totally destroyed. Thus, despite the danger that the Torah warns the Kehasim about in connection with their service, they are assured that their family will perpetually exist. This, says Rav Abramsky, is because of the supreme importance of carrying the aron, which contains the tablets of the Torah. Perhaps we can observe that as an educational strategy, these verses present a balance between warning the Kehasim of the danger involved in their task, and encouraging them concerning their status as a tribe, as a means of achieving the desired result. 

            Rav Mordechai Giftter, in his Pirkei Torah, and, at much greater length, Rav Aharon Kotler in his Mishnas Rav Aharon, point to another aspect of the warning to the Kehasim. The Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah (3:11), as well as the Seforno, say that the Kehasim were so eager to carry the aron that they would rush in and touch it directly, which is forbidden and can generate a severe punishment. The aron, in fact, says the Midrash, consumed many of the Levites. What we learn here, says Rav Gifter and Rav Aharon Kotler, is the importance of order. Rav Gifter applies this to Torah, especially Torah study, as represented by the aron and the luchos it contained, while Rav Aharon Kotler applies it to life in general, as represented by the ordering of the tribes in their journey, each man assigned to his banner and his camp, which constitutes the major theme of Parshas Bamidbar. Only by knowing one’s place in the wider scenario can someone accomplish what he is placed in the world to do. While this has particular application to the service of God, Rav Aharon says that it applies to the physical universe, as well. The Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah (2:12) says that if one star, for example, would be slightly out of place, the entire universe would be incinerated. On a human level, when each person knows his proper place and acts accordingly, everyone works together, and peace, the greatest blessing, abides in the world. 

            The Chasam Sofer adds a further dimension to the warning issued to the Kehasim, by understanding the verses metaphorically. The Talmud in Tamid (2a) says that if a person wants to live, he should kill or deaden himself. What this means, says the Chasam Sofer, is that if a person wises to live in the next world, he should deaden his attachment to the pleasures of this world. However, this does not mean that a person should completely withdraw from the physical aspects of this world. Otherwise, he would never be able to perform the mitzvos properly.  Rather, he must take care of all his physical needs to the extent that this enables him to observe the mitzvos properly. This is what the Torah alludes to when it says, regarding the Kehasim, that they shall live and not die when they approach the Holy of Holies. This allusion, we may add, takes on added meaning by appearing in the parsha that is usually read before Shavu’os, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah. The Torah is a Torah of life, and that this is why the Talmud tells us that everyone agrees that on Shavu’os, part of the day should be spent on having festive meals, although, on other festivals, the matter is a subject of dispute. The service of the Kehasim of carrying the aron is then taken by the Chasam Sofer as emblemizing the observance of the entire Torah, in a manner through which a person can truly live in this world as well.

 

The entire Netvort network wishes a joyous Shavu’os to the Netvort community.