Parsha Bamidbar / Shavuos 5785

You're Not a Kid Anymore

You're Not a Kid Anymore

The Torah says (Bamidbar 3:15) “Count the sons of Levi… from one month of age and up you shall count them.” Rav Moshe Feintstein ZT”L explains that as the guardians of the Sanctuary, the Levites were assumed from the very beginning of life to be destined for service in holiness. All the Levites were raised with an innate sanctity and therefore could be counted starting at the age of 30 days, when the child would halachically be considered viable (see Rashi).

We see a similar result earlier in the Torah with Yocheved. As a daughter of Levi, she was counted among the seventy Jews who entered Egypt even though she was born at the gates of Egypt. This reflects the unique sanctity imbued within the tribe of Levi from birth.

However, the Torah mandated that the Levites should be counted again starting at the age of thirty years, when they would be eligible for service in the Temple (See Bamidbar 4:29). Why did the Levites need to be counted again, and why at the age of thirty?

Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L clarifies that even though a child needs to be educated in Torah from birth, that education is insufficient. As an adult, one cannot rely solely on one’s Torah learning from the perspective of a child. One must engage in Torah learning with the deeper understanding of an adult.

R’Bachya ibn Pekuda, in Chovos Halvavos (Sha’ar Cheshbon Hanefesh 3:24), expands on this idea. He explains that the subtle words of the Torah and the Sages are not understood in the same way as a child as they are as an adult. With maturity and the benefit of greater life experiences, one should not be satisfied with an understanding of Torah that was learned when one was younger. It is necessary to take a fresh look at the Torah, the Prophets and the words of the Sages.

When one examines more carefully these texts from an adult perspective, one can discover deeper meaning in their words. Thus, the same stories and lessons that one learned as a child take on even greater significance when relearned as an adult.

The dual counting of the Levites at the age of a young child and then again at the age of thirty mirrors this idea. Our Torah learning counts differently as an adult than as a child.

As we approach Shavous, the anniversary of Kaballas Hatorah (the receiving of the Torah), we are reminded to not be satisfied with superficial knowledge or past learning.  Instead, we should delve in depth into the Torah and the words of Chazal, and struggle to comprehend the profundity and depth in every phrase. By doing so, we can be worthy to inculcate the wisdom of the Torah, and to truly become a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Shemos 19:6), bringing Hashem’s light and morality to the whole world.