If one were to examine the outcome of the census that Moshe took in the desert, one would find that the tribe of Levi was far fewer in numbers than the rest of the tribes. When the other tribes were counted, they were counted from age of twenty and up and the smallest of the tribes numbered over thirty thousand. When the tribe of Levi was counted, they were counted from a month old and yet only numbered twenty-two thousand. Why was Shevet Levi so small?
Ramban explains, after the Egyptians enslaved the Jewish people, the posuk states וכאשר יענו אותו כן ירבה וכן יפרוץ, “but as much as they would afflict it so it would increase and so it would burst forth.” The increase in numbers that the Jewish people had in Egypt was supernatural. If one were to calculate based on the number of people they started with, and the number of years that they were there, the number should be much smaller. As the medrash explains, when the Egyptians started the enslavement, one of their reasons was that MAYBE the Jews would outnumber them and join up with their enemies; then Hashem said, “you, the Egyptians, say MAYBE they will increase, I say they SHALL increase”. However, our posuk states that the expansion will be contingent on the hardship, וכאשר יענו אותו כן ירבה וכן יפרוץ, “but as much as they would afflict it so it would increase”, the more that they were afflicted, the more they would increase. Now, as we know, Shevet Levi was not subjugated to the hard work in Egypt. They had the clergy exemption. Since they weren't included in the affliction, they also weren't included in the miraculous expansion. Therefore, their numbers were so much fewer than all the other tribes.
In a similar vein, the Ben Ish Chai explains with a parable.
There was a wealthy man who had a son who was getting into a lot of trouble; he wouldn't listen to anyone and was heading toward a life of crime. He didn't know what to do with his son to get him to turn his life around. One day, when the slave market was in full swing, the wealthy man took his rebellious son with him to the market. To the son’s shock, his father put him up on the slave block to sell him as a slave.
The father had to choose between two men who gave the highest bid. One was a kind, wealthy man and the other was a coarse, wicked man. Imagine everyone's surprise when the father sold his son to the wicked man. He was asked how he could do that; even if he felt he had to sell him to get him off the dangerous path in which he was heading, he should sell him to someone who would at least take care of him nicely, rather than to one who is going to torment him.
He answered, “my friends, what you are saying is true. However, had I wanted to just get rid of him, I should have sold him to the nice man where he would have been taken care of. However, then he probably wouldn't have changed much. My intention, though, was to get him back. I just sold him so that he would mend his ways. I sold him to that wicked man, so my son would have a hard time there and think about where his life was headed, recognize the error of his ways and come back to me. As hard as this was for me to do, it was the only way that he will learn.
Sometimes we need the hardships in our lives to bring out the most good. The tribe of Levi, which wasn't subjugated to all the hardships in Egypt, didn't merit the blessings that came from it. Had the boy in our story not suffered at the hands of the wicked man, he wouldn't have mended his ways. We have to look at all our hardships as a means to grow, to get blessings. The more difficult our challenge, the more we can gain. We have to recognize this and use our own personal hardships as a means to grow and merit all the Divine blessings that come with it
Ramban explains, after the Egyptians enslaved the Jewish people, the posuk states וכאשר יענו אותו כן ירבה וכן יפרוץ, “but as much as they would afflict it so it would increase and so it would burst forth.” The increase in numbers that the Jewish people had in Egypt was supernatural. If one were to calculate based on the number of people they started with, and the number of years that they were there, the number should be much smaller. As the medrash explains, when the Egyptians started the enslavement, one of their reasons was that MAYBE the Jews would outnumber them and join up with their enemies; then Hashem said, “you, the Egyptians, say MAYBE they will increase, I say they SHALL increase”. However, our posuk states that the expansion will be contingent on the hardship, וכאשר יענו אותו כן ירבה וכן יפרוץ, “but as much as they would afflict it so it would increase”, the more that they were afflicted, the more they would increase. Now, as we know, Shevet Levi was not subjugated to the hard work in Egypt. They had the clergy exemption. Since they weren't included in the affliction, they also weren't included in the miraculous expansion. Therefore, their numbers were so much fewer than all the other tribes.
In a similar vein, the Ben Ish Chai explains with a parable.
There was a wealthy man who had a son who was getting into a lot of trouble; he wouldn't listen to anyone and was heading toward a life of crime. He didn't know what to do with his son to get him to turn his life around. One day, when the slave market was in full swing, the wealthy man took his rebellious son with him to the market. To the son’s shock, his father put him up on the slave block to sell him as a slave.
The father had to choose between two men who gave the highest bid. One was a kind, wealthy man and the other was a coarse, wicked man. Imagine everyone's surprise when the father sold his son to the wicked man. He was asked how he could do that; even if he felt he had to sell him to get him off the dangerous path in which he was heading, he should sell him to someone who would at least take care of him nicely, rather than to one who is going to torment him.
He answered, “my friends, what you are saying is true. However, had I wanted to just get rid of him, I should have sold him to the nice man where he would have been taken care of. However, then he probably wouldn't have changed much. My intention, though, was to get him back. I just sold him so that he would mend his ways. I sold him to that wicked man, so my son would have a hard time there and think about where his life was headed, recognize the error of his ways and come back to me. As hard as this was for me to do, it was the only way that he will learn.
Sometimes we need the hardships in our lives to bring out the most good. The tribe of Levi, which wasn't subjugated to all the hardships in Egypt, didn't merit the blessings that came from it. Had the boy in our story not suffered at the hands of the wicked man, he wouldn't have mended his ways. We have to look at all our hardships as a means to grow, to get blessings. The more difficult our challenge, the more we can gain. We have to recognize this and use our own personal hardships as a means to grow and merit all the Divine blessings that come with it
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