“And God spoke to Moses saying, also count the number of the sons of Gershon according to their father’s house and their family, from age thirty and upwards, all who are eligible to serve in the army, to perform the service in the tent of appointed meeting ….” (Bamidbar, 4:21–23) This Sedra explains the completion of the place of the paramount concentration of God’s will. From the first time building the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) is mentioned in Parshat Truma until now, there are seventeen parshiot, seventeen being the numerical equivalent of the word for good (Tov), hinting at the primary goodness of place. This relates to the verse (in Shmuel 2, 7:10), “I have made a place for my people Israel, and planted them, and they will dwell there, and will no longer be disturbed” etc. So we find that when the Mishkan was completed and the Tribes camped around it, God’s Kedusha (holiness) was fixed in the heart of Israel that they would be drawn after His will. Earlier, with the Exodus from Egypt, though there was a visual apprehension of the Illumination of God, we could still not be drawn after His will, as it is said (Mehilta B’Shelach), “a maidservant saw [at the splitting of the Red Sea more than the prophet Yehezkiel].” At this time Israel was still subject to the mentality of slavery, hence the Mechilta says, “a maidservant,” and we did not yet have the power to choose whether or not to follow the Illumination of God. And with the giving of the Torah, though words of Torah were fixed in our hearts, they were not fixed with the strength to last the length of eternity. However, with the completion of the Mishkan, the words of Torah were fixed in our hearts to last for all time. For this reason we did not enter the land of Israel immediately after leaving Egypt, because when we left the Kedusha of God was not yet permanently installed in our hearts. At that time the land was still under the power of the seven nations, called the refuse of God’s seven attributes (from Hesed to Malchut). Therefore, before the giving of the Torah and the completion of the Mishkan, since Kedusha was not yet fixed in the hearts of Israel, we could not at this time overpower the seven nations (inhabiting the Promised Land). So before entering the land, God commanded that words of Torah and Kedusha be fixed in our hearts in order that we could later emerge victorious over the seven nations. In this way, we are obliged to fix the Torah in our hearts before turning to the affairs of this world in order that we may later overpower whatever comes against us. The families of Gershon, Kehat, Merrari, Moshe, and Aharon constructed and carried the Mishkan. The sons of Kehat were the “masters of the Torah,” since they bore the Ark of the Covenant, and they knew the law of the Torah for any situation they would encounter. The sons of Gershon were the “masters of the fear [or awe of God].” They bore the curtains covering the Mishkan likened to the heavens, and the boards seen in the Mishkan like the stars, two thing the contemplation of which arouses us to fear or awe. The sons of Merrari were the “masters of mitzvot and good deeds,” for they carried the planks of the Mishkan, which represent practical mitzvot, which all in Israel have an understanding. And Moshe and Aharon and his sons are the “masters of the Love of God,” who constantly saw to it that the Torah was dispersed among the people, and this is called Love. Actually all those mentioned had within them all these good attributes, yet in each, one attribute was more apparent than the rest.
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר, נָשֹׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן גַּם הֵם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם מִבֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כָּל הַבָּא לִצְבֹא צָבָא לַעֲבֹד עֲבֹדָה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד כוּ'. הִנֵּה בְּזֶה הַסִּדְרָה נִתְבָּאֵר גְּמַר הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁהָיָה עָלָיו רְצוֹן ה', וּמִפָּרָשַׁת תְּרוּמָה שֶׁהוּא הַתְחָלַת הַבִּנְיָן עַד הַפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת נִמְצָא י"ז סְדָרוֹת בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא טוֹב לִרְמֹז עַל מָקוֹם טוֹב, וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל ב' ז',י') "וְשַׂמְתִּי מָקוֹם לְעַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְטַעְתִּיו וְשָׁכַן תַּחְתָּיו וְלֹא יִרְגַּז עוֹד", כִּי בַּהֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּבַחֲנִיּוֹת הַדְּגָלִים נִקְבַּע בְּלֵב יִשְׂרָאֵל קְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהִמָּשֵׁךְ אַחַר רְצוֹן הַש"י, כִּי בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם לֹא הָיָה רַק שֶׁהִשִּׂיגוּ הֶאָרַת הַש"י בִּרְאִיָּה וְלֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לְהִמָּשֵׁךְ אַחֲרֵי רְצוֹנוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (מכילתא בשלח פרשה ג') "רָאֲתָה שִׁפְחָה בַּיָּם", לְפִי שֶׁאָז הָיוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תַּחַת שִׁעְבּוּד שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה לָהֶם בְּחִירָה לֵילֵךְ כְּפִי הֶאָרַת הַש"י. וְגַם בְּמַתַּן תּוֹרָה אַף שֶׁנִּקְבַּע בְּלִבָּם דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה לֹא הָיָה נִקְבָּע בְּחֹזֶק לְעוֹלְמֵי עַד, וּבַהֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן נִקְבַּע בְּלִבָּם לְעוֹלְמֵי עַד, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה לֹא נִכְנְסוּ תֵּכֶף מִמִּצְרַיִם לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי עוֹד לֹא הָיָה נִקְבָּע בְּלִבָּם קְדֻשַּׁת ה' וְאָז גָּבַר עַל הָאָרֶץ כֹּחַ מִשִּׁבְעָה עַמִּים שֶׁנִּקְרָאִים פְּסֹלֶת מִשִּׁבְעָה מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְלָכֵן קֹדֶם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה וַהֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא נִקְבַּע הַקְּדֻשָּׁה בְּלִבָּם לֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל שִׁבְעָה אֻמּוֹת, וְקֹדֶם שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ צִוָּה הַש"י שֶׁיִּקָּבְעוּ דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וּקְדֻשָּׁה בְּלִבָּם לְמַעַן יוּכְלוּ לְהִתְגַּבֵּר אַחַר כָּךְ עַל הַשִּׁבְעָה אֻמּוֹת. וּכְמוֹ כֵן מְחֻיָּב כָּל אָדָם בְּעוֹד שֶׁלֹּא יַתְחִיל לִפְנוֹת לְעִסְקֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה צָרִיךְ לִקְבֹּעַ בְּלִבּוֹ דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה, בִּכְדֵי שֶׁיִּשָּׁאֵר בְּלִבּוֹ קְדֻשָּׁה וְיוּכַל לְהִתְגַּבֵּר אַחַר כָּךְ עַל כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁיָּבֹא נֶגְדּוֹ. וּמַעֲמִידֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן הָיוּ גֵּרְשׁוֹן קְהָת וּמְרָרִי מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו, בְּנֵי קְהָת הֵם בַּעֲלֵי תּוֹרָה לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ נוֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן, שֶׁהָיוּ יוֹדְעִים מִשְׁפַּט הַתּוֹרָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבָּא נֶגְדָּם, וּבְנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן הֵם בַּעֲלֵי יִרְאָה לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ נוֹשְׂאִים הַיְרִיעוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ כִּסּוּי לַמִּשְׁכָּן כַּשָּׁמַיִם, וְהַקְּרָסִים שֶׁהָיָה נִרְאִים בַּמִּשְׁכָּן כַּכּוֹכָבִים וְזֶה מְרַמֵּז עַל יִרְאָה, וּבְנֵי מְרָרִי הֵם בַּעֲלֵי מִצְוֹת וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים לְפִי שֶׁנָּשְׂאוּ קַרְשֵׁי הַמִּשְׁכָּן שֶׁמּוֹרִים עַל מִצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְכָל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל הַשָּׂגָה בָּהֶם, וּמֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו הֵם אוֹהֲבֵי ה' שֶׁהָיוּ מַשְׁגִּיחִים תָּמִיד לְנוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה וְזֶה נִקְרָא אַהֲבָה, וְאַף בְּכָל אֶחָד הָיָה נִכְלָל כָּל הַמִּדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת. אַךְ חֵלֶק כָּל אֶחָד הָיָה בּוֹלֵט בּוֹ יוֹתֵר מֵחֲבֵרוֹ.
“And God spoke to Moses saying, also count the number of the sons of Gershon according to their father’s house and their family, from age thirty and upwards, all who are eligible to serve in the army, to perform the service in the tent of appointed meeting ….” (Bamidbar, 4:21–23)
This Sedra explains the completion of the place of the paramount concentration of God’s will. From the first time building the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) is mentioned in Parshat Truma until now, there are seventeen parshiot, seventeen being the numerical equivalent of the word for good (Tov), hinting at the primary goodness of place. This relates to the verse (in Shmuel 2, 7:10), “I have made a place for my people Israel, and planted them, and they will dwell there, and will no longer be disturbed” etc.
So we find that when the Mishkan was completed and the Tribes camped around it, God’s Kedusha (holiness) was fixed in the heart of Israel that they would be drawn after His will. Earlier, with the Exodus from Egypt, though there was a visual apprehension of the Illumination of God, we could still not be drawn after His will, as it is said (Mehilta B’Shelach), “a maidservant saw [at the splitting of the Red Sea more than the prophet Yehezkiel].” At this time Israel was still subject to the mentality of slavery, hence the Mechilta says, “a maidservant,” and we did not yet have the power to choose whether or not to follow the Illumination of God. And with the giving of the Torah, though words of Torah were fixed in our hearts, they were not fixed with the strength to last the length of eternity.
However, with the completion of the Mishkan, the words of Torah were fixed in our hearts to last for all time. For this reason we did not enter the land of Israel immediately after leaving Egypt, because when we left the Kedusha of God was not yet permanently installed in our hearts. At that time the land was still under the power of the seven nations, called the refuse of God’s seven attributes (from Hesed to Malchut). Therefore, before the giving of the Torah and the completion of the Mishkan, since Kedusha was not yet fixed in the hearts of Israel, we could not at this time overpower the seven nations (inhabiting the Promised Land). So before entering the land, God commanded that words of Torah and Kedusha be fixed in our hearts in order that we could later emerge victorious over the seven nations.
In this way, we are obliged to fix the Torah in our hearts before turning to the affairs of this world in order that we may later overpower whatever comes against us. The families of Gershon, Kehat, Merrari, Moshe, and Aharon constructed and carried the Mishkan. The sons of Kehat were the “masters of the Torah,” since they bore the Ark of the Covenant, and they knew the law of the Torah for any situation they would encounter. The sons of Gershon were the “masters of the fear [or awe of God].” They bore the curtains covering the Mishkan likened to the heavens, and the boards seen in the Mishkan like the stars, two thing the contemplation of which arouses us to fear or awe. The sons of Merrari were the “masters of mitzvot and good deeds,” for they carried the planks of the Mishkan, which represent practical mitzvot, which all in Israel have an understanding. And Moshe and Aharon and his sons are the “masters of the Love of God,” who constantly saw to it that the Torah was dispersed among the people, and this is called Love. Actually all those mentioned had within them all these good attributes, yet in each, one attribute was more apparent than the rest.