Parsha thought: Re'eh

When the Torah tells us what will happen when we inherit the land it says that we have to destroy all the alters & monuments that were used for idol worship. Then it says when you enter the land Hashem will choose a place where you will bring all your offerings. Then the posuk says ושמחתם לפני ה אלקיכם אתם ובניכם והלוי אשר בשעריכם כי אין לא חלק ונחלה אתכם , you shall rejoice before Hashem, you and your sons and the Levite who is in your cities, for he has no share and inheritance with you.

The Posuk is seemingly strange. It's implying that the reason for the Levi to rejoice is because he has no inheritance & no share in the land. Wouldn't that be a reason for him not to rejoice? Why does the Torah say that that's his reason to rejoice?

The Ohel Yaakov explains that while for the average person getting a share of the land & all its goodness is a reason to rejoice, for the Levi who is on a higher plane, he rejoices that he has no share & no worldly pursuits so he is free to dedicate all his time to the service of Hashem.

Interesting explanation although how does that coincide with the rest of the posuk that says ושמחתם לפני ה אלקיכם אתם ובניכם ובנתיכם ועבדיכם ואמהתיכם והלוי אשר בשעריכם כי אין לא חלק ונחלה אתכם which includes even the children & slaves, implying that everyone is together on the same level? If the Levi's simcha is one of spiritual bliss & everyone else's is on the mundane how does the Torah equate them?

There were two young boys who grew up together through childhood into adulthood & always remained close throughout their yeshiva days. They both got married & joined the kollel. After a few years one of them got a job opportunity & moved away. Years passed & the one who went into business was very successful & became wealthy, while the other one didn't have much money, but became an accomplished Torah scholar. One day they ran into each other & told each other about their lives. The businessman was overcome with envy & thought to himself, " Had I remained in yeshiva I too would be great in Torah.. What a shame that I had to leave it." His friend on the other hand, was thinking " maybe I too should have gone out into the word. Would it be so bad to have some financial security?"

On the surface it might seem like the kollel man is more connected to Torah then the businessman, when in reality it's the business man who really is, since it"s the desire that matters. Perhaps what the Torah is telling us by equating everyone from the slave to your children & then the Levi, is that no matter what your stage in life or what your doing, as long as your heart is in the right place & your connection is with Hashem & His Torah then all are equal. It's not what you do but how you do it & where your heart is.

As the Otzer HaTorah says " True spiritual status is determined not by how one spends his time, but by what one values." The גר"א מולנה explains the reason the posuk starts off saying ראה אנכי נתן , see, I place. Instead of ראה אנכי נתתי , see I placed. Is to teach us that Hashem gives us the choice each & every day to choose good or bad. Let's take the opportunity no matter what we do, to want to choose good that at least our desire should always be to get closer to Hashem & His Torah!