ספרי דברים 350

(דברים לג ט) הָאוֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ לֹא רְאִיתִיו, עָלַת עַל לֵב שֶׁלֵּוִי עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה? וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (שמות לב כו): ״וַיַּעֲמֹד מֹשֶׁה בְּשַׁעַר הַמַּחֲנֶה״! אֶלָּא זֶה אֲבִי אִמּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. וְאֶת אֶחָיו לֹא הִכִּיר, זֶה אֲחִי אִמּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֹא יָדָע, זֶה בֶּן בִּתּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.

Pisqa’ 350⁶⁸H:363; JN2:427
1. “Who says of his father and his mother—I don’t see him” (Dt.33:9).
Can you even imagine that
Levi would serve a foreign cult?
For hasn’t it been clearly stated:
“And Moses stood at the gate of
the encampment, saying :
All who are with HASHEM—come to me! . . .
Now, the Levites did according
to the Utterance of HASHEM” (Ex.32:26-28).
Actually, the verse [has no bearing on idolatry].
It refers to rejection of
one’s Israelite father and mother.
[As it says:]
“And of his brother—I don’t recognize him” (Dt.33:9)—
this refers to his Israelite maternal brother.
“And of his sons—I don’t know him” (Dt.33:9)—
this is his Israelite daughter’s son.

כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ, בְּמִצְרַיִם. וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ, בַּמִּדְבָּר.

“For they observed Your Utterance” (Dt.33:9)—
even in Egypt.
“And guarded Your covenant” (Dt.33:9)—
in the wasteland.

דָּבָר אַחֵר: כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ – בְּמִצְרַיִם, וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ – בַּמְרַגְּלִים.

Another word:
“For they observed Your Utterance” (Dt.33:9)—
even in Egypt.
“And guarded Your covenant”—
in the incident of the scouts (Nu.13:1ff.).