B'midbar- Leading from Within: An Open Door Policy

Ach et hamatei Levi lo tifkod v’et rosham lo tisa b’toch B’nei Yisrael.

However, the tribe of Levi- do not number, and do not count them among the Children of Israel.

The tribe of Levi, and from within Levi the Kohanim, are excluded from the general census of the Israelites. There are many reasons for this: the Levi’im do not go to war.  Their duties are to protect and care for the Mikdash. They are not rewarded with land in Israel, but are given cities in which to live and supported through the tithes and sacrifices offered by the Israelites.

The Levi’im are set apart as the protectors and caretakers of the Israelites’ spirituality. They are in no way the only spiritual leaders. In parashat B’ha’alo’techa seventy elders go with Moshe into the Ohel Moed where Moshe places the spirit of God upon them, but it is not limited to the. Remaining outside the tent are Eldad and Medad. When Ruach Ehlohim, God’s spirit, descends, they too are touched by God’s imminence, a fact witnessed by the People. Still the Levi’im are set apart. They live in a spiritual time and place coexisting with God and the Israelites and yet separate from both. 

Over time this model of leadership, separate even while within, began to fade.  It is hard to always live separate, neither with God nor the community. With the development of rabbinic leadership a new model emerged. Students lived with their rav. They shared meals and holidays, learning and jokes. They married and became part of the family. As the Diaspora spread far-flung communities were in need of constant answers, and a professional rabbinate developed.  No longer were the rabbis also the community’s farmers and doctors, but still the rabbis lived as an intimate part of the community.

However, over time Jews were influenced by the cultures in which they lived, for better and for worse. The model of rabbi began to imitate the priest or minister, living separate, uncounted in the general census, in the archetype of the Levi’im. Rabbis spoke from on high. They held their congregants, and were held by congregants, at arm’s length.

The past few decades have seen a return to the original rabbinic model. Influenced by the Jewish camping movement, youth groups, and the chavurah movement, rabbis began to descend the bima, both physically and intellectually. The doors to the rabbis’ homes were opened, meals were shared, holidays, s’machot, and difficulties. Instead of being divided between congregants and clergy, synagogues created communities. It is a model of warmth and belonging, and one we hope to share with Pride for many years to come. Our door is always open.