The following are the heads of their respective clans.
But then it does not mention most of the tribes – only Reuven, Shimon, and Levi have anyone named!
Might this be connected to the idea that the enslaved Jewish people were earlier compared to sheratzim, swarming animals? That only these three tribes managed to produce true individuals, people worthy of being named?
Can we extend this idea? After all, Reuven and Shimon only name one generation (and the meaning of the names are all uninspiring at best) – while Levi names several generations, including down to Moshe and Aharon, the great-grandsons of Levi, who were the most accomplished individuals of their generation.
Is the Torah telling us that there were no people in Moshe’s generation who were even worthy of being named in the text who were not Leviim?
Isn’t that peculiar? After all, the actions of the Leviim that stood out at the Golden Calf had yet to occur. G-d had not yet chosen Levi to serve Him especially! What made Levi exceptional?
Is it Levi’s Job That Makes Levi Special?
How can we explain why Levi was special that they – and they alone – are named down several generations from the original son of Jacob?
Is it because Levi’s name became Levi’s Calling?
What does “Levi” mean, anyway?
Levi was named by Leah “so that my husband will escort/Laveh me” (Gen. 29:34). An escort’s task is quite distinct: just as a bodyguard accompanies and guard his charge, an escort walks alongside, shadowing those they protect or support.
Is this right? We have other verses using the word:
You shall also associate with yourself your kinsmen the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, to be attached to you and to laveh to you, while you and your sons under your charge are before the Tent of the Pact. (Num. 18:2) … They shall be laveh to you and discharge the duties of the Tent of Meeting. (Num. 18:4)
We learn from this that the job of Levi is to be Levi. The name describes their task, their raison d’etre. Levi is because Levi does laveh. Levi is named to help Leah and Jacob, just as his descendants exist to facilitate and guide the Jewish people in their relationships to G-d.
Is the Torah telling us that the highest calling of a person is to invest in others? After all, a person who assists or escorts or mentors others is a person who is invested in other people.
Does this explain why Levi are named more than any other tribe? That the tribe benefits from this, because the act of investing in others rebounds to benefit the investors, making them more capable and distinct and valued in G-d’s eyes?
It certainly seems that way.
Which then explains why it is Levi who save the people at the Golden Calf! When they acted during the episode of the calf, Levi were not acting out of character! On the contrary – escorting and interfacing between G-d and man had been Levi’s job throughout their time in Egypt! All of that investment made Levi capable of independent thinking, of teaching others, of seeing the bigger picture above and beyond the mindlessness of a mob.
Fewer Children?
Levi helped other people with their relationships. Levi were the teachers, the guides, and counselors. And when the Mishkan is built, Levi is there to help the people connect with G-d, facilitating and guiding the connection.
The problem with helping other people is that it always comes at a cost. Investing in other peoples’ relationships reduces the time and energy available for your own. And so it proves in Egypt. The tribe of Levi acted in accordance with their name, so they helped other people, but at the cost of their own marriages. Might this explain why they had fewer children, while helping other people to have more? Wouldn’t focusing your efforts on helping other people necessarily come with the cost of not being able to invest as much in your own marriages, or prioritize your own procreation?