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The Rank of the Firstborn
Translation and commentary by Eliyahu Munk from Shnei Luchot HaBrit
G-d's original plan, we must remember, was to give the
Torah to Adam. This is why Adam was created.... Adam had been the "firstborn" of
all humanity, since he was the first human being ever. We also find that Israel
is called "Adam". This, in turn, means that Israel is called "firstborn", as we
know from the verse "My firstborn son Israel" (Ex. 4:22). The rank of the
Levites, as firstborn, however, outranks that of Israel as a whole, since the
Levites represent the Ruach Adam, "spirit of man", whereas the remainder
of the tribes of Israel only represents Nefesh Adam, "soul of
man."  | | " The spiritual Torah preceded the universe by 2000 years..." | | |
To make certain that we appreciate this point, the
Torah writes concerning the tribe of Levi, "They will teach Your laws to Jacob,
and Your instructions to Israel" (Deut. 33:10). This refers to the revealed
Torah, the practical Torah, the commandments that have to be fulfilled and the
transgressions that have to be avoided. However, the spiritual Torah is the true
"firstborn", having preceded the universe by two thousand years; this is the
Torah alluded to on the tablets that the clan of Kehot carried in the Holy Ark.
The tablets after all, "were the handiwork of the Almighty" (Ex. 32:16), just
like the "spiritual Torah", which had preceded the written Torah.
This Torah then must be viewed as the real firstborn,
having preceded the Torah that was given to humankind to observe. Accordingly,
the Kehotites are mentioned first because they carried the Holy Ark containing
the tablets, i.e. the spiritual essence of the Torah. From this perspective, the
Kehotites deserved to be considered the firstborn.
Now it is clear why the clan of Kehot was counted
first. In matters that must be performed in this material world, we view Gershon
as the "firstborn", but in matters that are exclusively the domain of the
spiritual world, we consider Kehot as the "firstborn".
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