With Brotherly Affection

Parashat Bamidbar, Number 1:1–4:20

Matt Absolon, Beth T’filah, Miramar, FL

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.” Numbers 3:5–9

In this week’s portion, we see the emergence of a symbiotic relationship between the house of Aaron and the rest of the tribe of Levi. With Aaron and his sons appointed to lead the priesthood as High Priests, the rest of the tribe of Levi is assigned the task of ministering to Aaron and his sons.

The translation of the Hebrew v’shertu / “they may minister” (3:6) is a good interpretation and, like so much in our native language, it evokes multiple layers in the mind’s eye. In particular, this reading suggests a subservient “to wait upon,” like that of a servant waiting upon his master, and in parallel “to serve” by way of strengthening or nourishment, as a nurse or doctor might strengthen and nourish their patients.

In one form, the server is subservient; in the other form, the server is ascendant.

One of the pitfalls common to leadership is the pride of self-reliance. While it is good for God’s people to be confident and self-assertive, it is just as critical that we remember that we need each other to fulfill the destiny of national salvation.

Returning to the passage, we see how this symbiotic relationship displayed Aaron’s responsibility as leader and as a consequence, his need to be ministered to by those around him. Likewise, also the priesthood had the right to expect leadership from Aaron and the corresponding responsibility for them to minister to Aaron and his sons.

To receive ministry is to encourage spiritual humility; it is a buffer against the spiritual pride of self-reliance. It encourages spiritual humility when we embrace the truth that even the strongest amongst us need to be ministered to. We must not lose sight that those who minister unto us, also need to be ministered unto.

There is a symbiotic relationship between the leader and their followers. As much as the followers look to the leader for strength, the leader must learn to find strength from those who are following him or her. Together in harmony and mutual submission, we strengthen each other.

We see this exemplified in the life of our Lord. Though Yeshua was the embodiment of the divine, yet he too needed to be ministered to in order to be strengthened and encouraged.

Then Yeshua said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Matt 4:10–11 )

Our Lord demonstrates to us that he is not immune to human frailty. He too needed to be ministered to. Although in this passage he received strength from angels, in later stories he will be ministered to by his many friends. Mary, Martha and Lazarus come to mind. We see as a matter of regular spiritual discipline that the Lord received ministry from both angels and those who followed him. Much as God resting on the Shabbat serves as an example to us to receive the Shabbat rest, so also Yeshua’s receiving of ministry serves as an example to us to receive ministry from our family of faith.

This is a word of encouragement to both our leaders and lay folk in our communities. To our leaders, do not fall into the trap of self-reliance. While we need our leaders to be strong, understand that in your times of frailty the strength of the community is imperative for your spiritual walk.

To our lay members, do not underestimate the power of a word of encouragement, or a kind mitzvah towards your leadership. As much as you need your leaders to show the way forward, the leaders also need you for moments of respite and recovery.

Our forefather Paul the apostle encourages us to behave towards one another in this way:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Rom 12:9–10)

May the bonds of brotherly affection fill our communities as we learn to lean on one another. Shabbat shalom!

Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV), adapted.

Our apologies: an audio version is not available this week.