Parshat Ki Tisa

From a cursory reading of the פסוקים it is unclear when שבט לוי and the כהנים were chosen to serve in their unique roles in the משכן and בית המקדש. The options vary from, יעקב choosing them back when he blessed the שבטים before he died, them being chosen before the חטא העגל and them being chosen after חטא העגל. To complicate the matter further it is unclear if both שבט לוי and the כהנים received their unique status at the same time or if it occurred at two separate events, perhaps as a reward to them or as a punishment to the firstborns who may have otherwise been chosen to work in the משכן.

Today we will focus on the position of the בכור שור.

Very little is known of רבי יוסף בכור שור. He lived sometime in the 12^th century in Orleans (in Northern France). He was one of the בעלי תוספות and his רבי was רבינו תם and a contemporary of the Ibn Ezra. He wrote a פירוש על החומש and has some פיוטים. His work was only survived in one 16^th century manuscript.

He argues that prior to the concept of centralized worship in the משכן the firstborns of each family were responsible for religious sacrifices. However, once worship became codified into law as part of service in the משכן, there was a need to guarantee that sacrifice would occur properly. As such it was prudent that a specific family be chosen to conduct religious rituals to ensure that they are done properly. Containing laws within a family allows for father to teach children from a young age the exact proper protocol to ensure the ritual remains intact.

The elitism then of שבט לוי as opposed to the other שבטים is one of higher education. In a time when education was primarily a familial responsibility it was necessary to ensure one family retained the task of ensuring proper technical and detailed instructions were taught to future generations. However, the elitist position is not limited to one family. The רמב”ם at the end of הלכות מתנות כהונה argues that all members of the Jewish people can attain at least some of the elitism of שבט לוי. All it requires is devoting oneself to an intellectual elitism that is otherwise exclusive of שבט לוי.

Tom Nichols, a staff writer at the Atlantic recently wrote, “When I wrote a book in 2018 titled The Death of Expertise, a study of how people have become so narcissistic and so addled by cable and the internet that they believe themselves to be smarter than doctors and diplomats, I was regularly tagged as an “elitist.” And the truth is: I am an elitist, insofar as I believe that some people are better at things than others.”

To a certain extent, the בכור שור would agree. Not that some people are better at things than others, but that some people have more education and are therefore better at things than others. Educational elitism does exist however it is not limited to a certain population. All are welcome to come join the ranks of the (to make up a word) “elitely” educated.

I am proud to say that we here at Fleetwood Synagogue offer just that opportunity. Over the last few months we have introduced a Sunday morning shiur discussing הלכות שבת, a Tuesday night shiur analyzing medical halacha topics and Thursday night shiur discussing philosophical topics as described in פרקי אבות. We have started youth groups for our children so they do not only come to shul to play but also learn and we have begun a ספר החינוך shiur before Mincha for our older children. We have a chabura before Mincha and a shiur during סעודת שלישית. We have even managed to double our rabbinic staff. Just two weeks ago I walked into shul before Mincha and every corner had a different learning program taking place. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.

So, come join us. We offer ample opportunity to join שבט לוי and that of the “elitely” educated. Come learn Torah with us. Let us all continue learning more and continue our journey as the elite Fleetwood Synagogue.