Parashat Bemidbar discusses the responsibilities of the Levites, and it appears that they are divided into a number of different tasks, including: transporting the Mishkan and its vessels, dismantling the Mishkan in preparation for travel and reassembling it when encamped, and general responsibility for guarding and preserving the Mishkan, as we find, “the Levites shall stand guard around the Tabernacle of the Pact” (Bemidbar 1:53). An examination of these different tasks reveals that, in some respects, they are contradictory. On the one hand, the Levites must dismantle the Mishkan and assemble it. On the other hand, they must guard and preserve the Mishkan as they carried it.
Dismantling and assembling
The work of dismantling and assembly symbolizes an essential need for renewal, the need to dismantle and reassemble basic elements on a daily basis. This act of taking apart and putting back together is familiar to us as the work of watchmakers, plumbers and so forth, who are called upon to dismantle an entire mechanism – they remove pieces, replace them, disconnect and reconnect – until the whole thing is reassembled like new. This is also the work of chemists, physicists and engineers toiling in laboratories. They must identify basic materials and isolate variables in an attempt to uncover the foundations of a natural process, and, using that knowledge, to synthesize and build on it.
Those who study in the beit midrash are also familiar with the act of dismantling and assembly. Many issues tackled in the beit midrash require study and clarification. The student must take apart the text component by component until the core of the issue is understood. From there the student begins the process of “rebuilding,” brick by brick, until a new, magnificent structure of Torah has been erected, polished and shining, clearer than it had never been before.
This task is not incumbent only on students in the beit midrash; it is also the duty of halakhic authorities. Contemporary issues bring people to their door with questions of Jewish law, and they have the responsibility of dismantling prior assumptions in order to study and reexamine fundamental issues of halakhah, and to reassemble them so that they respond to the needs of the community in today’s world. This sacred work requires a deep understanding of the component parts that make up the halakhah, as well as the reality on which concrete halakhic conclusions are based. The task of the Levites to dismantle and reassemble also required them to be constantly attentive to the changes taking place around them.
Guarding and carrying
The Levites’ additional responsibility was to guard and preserve Mishkan haEdut – the “Tabernacle of the Pact” – and to carry the holy vessels. After all the dismantling and reassembly, it was the Levites who were entrusted to guard the sacred space. The subject of conservation – of guarding and preserving – is, today, a world-wide concern that occupies and distinguishes the current generation. We find this in mundane realities like canned goods – “preserves” – and the presence or absence of preservatives in our foods, to laws in Israel and around the world that protect rare plants, limit the hunting of endangered animals, and more. Awareness of the necessity of wolves or turtles in our region, and world celebrations of the birth of a young panda bear, serve as testimony to the general concern with preserving our past.
The power of preservation, as strong as it is, also provokes a counter-reaction, as has been evidenced by the destruction of the ancient ruins of Mosul, the Temple in Palmyra, etc. There was good reason for the world to be horrified by the destruction of these remnants of the past, and as a precautionary measure, archaeologists set out to photograph important sites in 3D files, out of concern that they are also likely to disappear. There are parallel efforts to preserve genetic codes of extinct species and to save them as digital files, out of concern over the danger of extinction of various flora and fauna. These preservation efforts may indicate that at the moment when there is concern that the world is dying, we are obligated to guard the past and hold onto it to the best of our ability.
Preservation is an important tool in the beit midrash, as well. Identifying the values on which a given topic is based, is like searching for a gemstone; it is an inseparable part of beit midrash study. Perhaps this is most evident in the area of Jewish law, inasmuch as the value of preserving tradition is a given in halakhah. Maimonides referred to the sages as “the copyists of the oral traditions,” even as he was fully aware of his many innovations in Jewish law. Preservation and guarding are an essential part of the Levites’ work.
The dangers of dismantling and assembly is well known, for a Frankenstein-like monster can be created. On the other hand, preservation also has its drawbacks, as it is also a process whereby memory can become frozen. Over-reliance on the past can convert a vibrant contemporary reality into a set of digital files.
In truth, these apparently contradictory responsibilities are actually two sides of the same coin. Both aspire to respond to the essential need of evoking meaning. It is the individual who dismantles and assembles properly who is the one who truly fulfills the challenge of preservation. For conservation is not mere restoration, nor does it fix the existing situation in place. Rather it is an attempt to express age-old ideas while making use of new tools. This is the role of the Levites. This combination is the source of inspiration.
In his commentary, the Netziv suggests that this idea is found in the Torah, when it speaks of “standing guard around the Tabernacle of the Pact” –
…We can further explain, that it is a further clarification of what follows, that is, another type of superficial guarding, for the Tabernacle of the Pact represents the strength of the Torah, which protects the Jewish people…
And now, God commands that the Levites stand guard around the Tabernacle of the Pact, meaning that they should engage in the study of Torah, and by that merit, the people of Israel will be protected, just like the power of guarding the Pact.
(Ha’amek Davar, Bemidbar, 1:53)
In these words, the Netziv adds to the deep significance of Torah study. This complicated responsibility – the task of sitting among those devoted to the study of Torah and those who rule on matters of Jewish law – is a fulfillment of the verse: “Were not Your teaching my delight I would have perished in my affliction” (Tehillim 119:92). Ultimately, it is the study of the genetic code of the Jewish people. The beit midrash serves as our laboratory, where we assemble and dismantle, serving to guard and preserve the nation. In the words of Rav Sa’adiah Ga’on: “Our nation is a nation only by virtue of its Torah.”