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Parshas Shemos 5785

וילך איש מבית לוי ויקח את בת לוי ... (ב-א)

MASHAL:     A man made an appointment to see his rabbi. At the appointment he put forth a request that the rabbi make him a Levi. The rabbi was taken aback but tactfully replied that as much as he would like to accommodate the request, this is one thing he cannot possibly do. The man offered the rabbi a thousand dollars. Again, the rabbi politely explained that there is no such ceremony or ritual, and no way he can help.

This went on for several days and so did the offer. Finally, the persistent individual offered a contribution of a million dollars to the rabbi’s shul. Seeing no real way out, the rabbi figured he’ll just play along and make the guy a Levi ...

“Meet me tomorrow at the mikvah,” the rabbi told him. “I will see what I can do for you.” Sure enough, the next day, the rabbi said that upon further research he found an obscure document indicating that it was possible to fulfill his request. After entering the mikvah, the rabbi incanted some verses in Hebrew, mixed with a little Aramaic, and pronounced the congregant a Levi.

As the grateful man gleefully handed over the generous contribution, with a little something extra for his services, the rabbi inquired why was it so important for him to be a Levi. “Actually, for quite a simple reason,” he replied. “You see my father was a Levi, his father was too, and as far as we know we were all Levis. I’m just glad I got to be one too!”

NIMSHAL:     Being part of the aristocracy of the Jewish Nation, the title Kohen or Levi, is a privilege and a right not everyone is born with. However, says the Rambam, every Jew is entitled to a lofty and aristocratic status. Those who so desire can elevate themselves to be part of the elite through the service of Hashem - even if it wasn’t inherently in him from birth.

 
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