{"id":18781,"date":"2021-05-10T06:11:38","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T13:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=18781"},"modified":"2021-05-10T06:11:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T13:11:46","slug":"the-role-of-the-levites-and-the-tribal-banners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2021\/05\/10\/the-role-of-the-levites-and-the-tribal-banners\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of the Levites and the Tribal Banners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Numbers 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers 1:50, The Levites. <\/em><\/strong>The role of the Levites was to assist the priests in the tabernacle service (Num 3:6\u20138; 16:9; 1 Chr 23:28\u201332; Ezra 3:8) including caring for the tabernacle (Num 1:53) and its furniture, its setting up, dismantling and transporting (Num 3\u20134). In addition, they assisted the priests by preparing the cereal offering (1 Chr 23:29). They acted as singer and musicians in the temple to offer praise to YHVH (1 Chr 23:30). They were allowed to approach the tabernacle furniture only after the priests had covered and prepared them for transport (Num 4:5\u201315; 18:3) but they could not touch any of the tabernacle\u2019s set-apart instruments lest they die (Num 4:15), nor could they even see them (Num 4:20). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not only were the Levites commissioned to attend to the needs of the priests and the things of the tabernacle, but YHVH instructed them \u201cto attend to the needs\u201d or \u201ckeep charge\u201d (Heb. mishmereth<\/em>) of, presumably, the spiritual needs of the whole congregation or children of Israel (Num 3:7\u20138). Although mishemereth <\/em>is a noun meaning \u201ccharge, function, obligation, service, or watch,\u201d it is often translated into English as a verbs of actionsuch as \u201cto keep, guard, keep charge, or watch\u201d through its root shamar, <\/em>a verb meaning \u201cto keep, guard, observe, give heed.\u201d Mishmereth<\/em> principally refers to the Levites\u2019 obligatory duties relating to the service of the temple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later on, the Levites were involved in teaching and interpreting the Torah (Neh 8:7, 9; 2 Chr 17:7\u20139; 35:3). There is no indication that the Levites were permitted to offer sacrifices, with the notable exception of Samuel, who was a Levite, but not a priest (1 Sam 1:1 cp. 1 Chr 6:28).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YHVH chose the Levites as his set-apart ministers to replace the firstborn of the Israelites that he spared when he smote the firstborn of the Egyptians (Num 3:12\u201313, 41\u201345).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Numbers 1:52, Standard [or banner]. <\/em><\/strong>Each tribe had its own flag or banner. Although the Torah doesn\u2019t tell us what these flags looked like, Jewish oral tradition records this information. According to Numbers Midrash Rabbah<\/em>, the flag of each tribe was the color of its stone in the high priests breastplate and is described as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n