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The big "losers" (for lack of a better word) in the question of who would have prominence in the family/nation were Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. None of them got a positive individual blessing at the end of their father’s life, and they were actually scolded. Reuven lost the status of leader by virtue of his being the biological firstborn, despite the valiant repentance he did for his sin. Yaakov asked to distance himself from Shimon and Levi because of his great abhorrence for some of their actions (i.e., the slaughter of the people of Shechem and the sale of Yosef).
Yet, in our parasha, the Torah begins the story of Moshe Rabbeinu with "An ish (man) from the House of Levi went and took the daughter of Levi." Throughout Tanach (in the narrative, not the halachic sections) ish is used to describe an important person, who is a leader on some level. Examples include Elkana, the father of Shmuel (Shmuel I, 1:1), and Mordechai (Esther 2:5). In the case of Amram, Chazal tell us that he was the leader of his generation (Shemot Rabba 1). Thus, we see a surprise, that the mantle of leadership did make it to the hands of Levi despite his apparent relegation to the list of the disfavored. Let us see how this happened.
During the end of the story of Bereishit and the emergence of Moshe Rabbeinu, the leadership was in the hands of the Sons of Ephrayim. They continued the connection to Eretz Yisrael, even as they were princes in Egypt (see Divrei Hayamim I, 7:20-24). They also were the ones who tried to return Bnei Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael prematurely (see Mechilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Beshalach). This was based on the legacy they received from Yosef, who was praised as being one who always mentioned his connection to the Land. Because the Sons of Ephrayim tried to force the redemption before the time had come, a new leadership sprang forth.
The zealous Levites grabbed the mantle of leadership. They focused their energies on preserving the uniqueness of the family/nation and preventing assimilation in the foreign land. They did not do this by attacking others, but by internal strengthening. The midrash stresses the connection between the children of Amram and the care not to assimilate. "The three types of olah sacrifices correspond to the three good leaders that Hashem gave the people in Egypt: Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. Others say that it corresponds to the three good characteristics the people had in Egypt, in whose merit they were liberated: that they did not change their names, did not change their language, and were careful in matters of illicit relations (Bamidbar, Naso 13).
Let us pray that we too will merit internal peace between brothers and leaders like Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
