(1) GOD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.”

(1) בהעלתך WHEN THOU LIGHTEST [THE LAMPS] — Why is the section treating of the candelabrum put in juxtaposition with the section dealing with the offerings of the princes? Because when Aaron saw the dedication offerings of the princes, he felt distressed because neither he nor his tribe was with them in the dedication, whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “By your life! Your part is of greater importance than theirs, for you will kindle and set in order the lamps” (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha 5; see also Nachmanides).

(14) Thus you shall set the Levites apart from the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine. (15) Thereafter the Levites shall be qualified for the service of the Tent of Meeting, once you have purified them and designated them as an elevation offering. (16) For they are formally assigned to Me from among the Israelites: I have taken them for Myself in place of all the first issue of the womb, of all the male first-born of the Israelites. (17) For every male first-born among the Israelites, human as well as animal, is Mine; I consecrated them to Myself at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt. (18) Now I take the Levites instead of every first-born of the Israelites; (19) and from among the Israelites I formally assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons, to perform the service for the Israelites in the Tent of Meeting and to make expiation for the Israelites, so that no plague may afflict the Israelites for coming too near the sanctuary.

(2) ולא יהיה בבני ישראל נגף [AND I HAVE GIVEN THE LEVITES … TO DO THE SERVICE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] THAT THERE BE NO PLAGUE AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL COME NIGH UNTO THE SANCTUARY] — The meaning is: I have given them etc. so that it should be unnecessary for them to come near to the Sanctuary, because [having sinned by worshipping the Calf], if they came near there would be a plague among them.

(29) In the middle of the night GOD struck down all the [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle.

(12) you shall set apart for GOD every first issue of the womb: every male firstling that your cattle drop shall be GOD’s. (13) But every firstling donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.

(14) And when, in time to come, a child of yours asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall reply, ‘It was with a mighty hand that GOD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage. (15) When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, GOD slew every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both human and animal. Therefore I sacrifice to GOD every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every male first-born among my children.’

(12) I hereby take the Levites from among the Israelites in place of all the male first-born, the first issue of the womb among the Israelites: the Levites shall be Mine. (13) For every such first-born is Mine: at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every first-born in Israel, human and animal, to Myself, to be Mine, GOD’s.

(1) ואני הנה לקחתי AND I, BEHOLD I HAVE TAKEN [THE LEVITES FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — This means: And I — whence do “I” claim the right on them from among the children of Israel, that the Israelites should have to hire them (cf. Rashi on v. 8) for My service? It is through the firstborn — to whom I surely have a title — that I have a claim on them (the Levites) and so I take them in their (the firstborns’) stead.

Fo

r originally the service (the priestly functions) was performed by the firstborn, but when they (the Israelites and among them their firstborn too) sinned by worshipping the golden calf they became disqualified, and the Levites who had not worshipped the idol were chosen in their stead (cf. Zevachim 112b).

(39)All the Levites who were recorded, whom at GOD’s command Moses and Aaron recorded by their clans, all the males from the age of one month up, came to 22,000. (40) GOD said to Moses: Record every first-born male of the Israelite people from the age of one month up, and make a list of their names; (41) and take the Levites for Me, GOD, in place of every such first-born among the Israelite people, and the cattle of the Levites in place of every male first-born among the cattle of the Israelites. (42) So Moses recorded all the first-born among the Israelites, as GOD had commanded him. (43)All the first-born males as listed by name, recorded from the age of one month up, came to 22,273.(44) GOD spoke to Moses, saying: (45) Take the Levites in place of all the male first-born among the Israelite people, and the cattle of the Levites in place of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine, GOD’s. (46)And as the redemption price of the 273 Israelite first-born over and above the number of the Levites, (47) take five shekels per head—take this by the sanctuary weight, twenty gerahs to the shekel— (48) and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are in excess. (49) So Moses took the redemption money from those over and above the ones redeemed by the Levites; (50) he took the money from the male first-born of the Israelites, 1,365 sanctuary shekels. (51) And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons at GOD’s bidding, as GOD had commanded Moses.

(18) You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you went forth from Egypt. (19) Every first issue of the womb is Mine, from all your livestock that drop a male as firstling, whether cattle or sheep. (20) But the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.
None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

(19) You shall consecrate to the ETERNAL your God all male firstlings that are born in your herd and in your flock: you must not work your firstling ox or shear your firstling sheep. (20) You and your household shall eat it annually before the ETERNAL your God in the place that GOD will choose.

MISHNA:A priest precedes a Levite. A Levite precedes an Israelite. An Israelite precedes a son born from an incestuous or adulterous relationship [mamzer], and a mamzer precedes a Gibeonite, and a Gibeonite precedes a convert, and a convert precedes an emancipated slave. When do these halakhot of precedence take effect? In circumstances when they are all equal in terms of wisdom. But if there were a mamzer who is a Torah scholar and a High Priest who is an ignoramus, a mamzer who is a Torah scholar precedes a High Priest who is an ignoramus, as Torah wisdom surpasses all else.

(13) Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.

(13) Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before God to serve Him and minister to Him and to know God, proceeding justly as God made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5]: "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."
Blessed be the Merciful One who provides assistance.

(5)Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.

The mishna cites another reason Adam the first man was created alone: And this was done due to the importance of maintaining peace among people, so that one person will not say to another: My father, i.e., progenitor, is greater than your father. ....

Therefore, since all humanity descends from one person, each and every person is obligated to say: The world was created for me, as one person can be the source of all humanity, and recognize the significance of his actions.