“Behold! I have taken the Levites from among Bnei Yisroel instead of all the first born who have opened the womb among Bnei Yisroel and [therefore] the Levites shall be Mine.” (Bamidbar 3:12) 

In parsha Bamidbar, Hashem reveals that people who will serve in the Mishkan and the Temple will be the tribe of Levi, instead of the first born sons of every family. Why have the first borns been so unceremoniously discharged? According to Rashi on the verse above, “Because the sacred service was originally to be performed by the firstborn but when they sinned with the golden calf they were disqualified.”

During the sin of the golden calf when Moshe asked “who is with me?” the entire tribe of Levi stood up but not the first borns. For that they were rejected and are now just like the rest of us, right? Well, above when I said they were “unceremoniously discharged” I was wrong. The first borns still have to go through a process known as a Pidyan HaBen, which is actually quite a ceremony (in fact, a seudas mitzvah.) After the boy’s first 30 days, the parents must redeem him from a Kohen, literally buying their child back. But it’s not really about who “owns” the child, and more about making sure any holy obligations the first born would have they are officially exempt from. 

But why do they need to do this? Hashem chose the Levites over the first borns. That should be the end of it. Why the Pidyan HaBen? It turns out that once something becomes holy, getting out of that designation isn’t so simple. 

Last week’s parsha, Bechukosai, explained that once a person designates an animal as a sacrifice, that can’t be undone. “Whatever part of [the animal] the person donates to the Lord, shall become holy. He shall not exchange it or offer a substitute for it… But if he does substitute one animal for another animal, [both] that one and its replacement shall be holy.” (Vayikra 27: 9-10) So during the times when the Temple stood, if Joe chose an animal to offer, once he makes that decision, even if he changes his mind, that animal is designated as “hekdesh” and is consecrated for a holy purpose. He can’t sell it, he can’t work it, he can’t slaughter it to eat it. Unless that animal ends up with a permanent blemish which would disqualify it from being sacrificed, it can’t be redeemed. That cow is holy. Holy cow. 

So why is it that an animal can’t be redeemed and released from its holiness, but a first born can? Unlike a cow, which is designated for a specific physical act (sacrifice), a person’s holiness is tied to their essence. You can’t “un-sanctify” a soul.

According to the Arizal, the Ohr HaChaim, the Ramchal and many others, after the moshiach comes, the service of the Temple will be returned to the first born as their status will be restored. This means their holiness never really went away. And the Pidyan HaBen doesn’t remove their obligation or their holiness, but is more of a security deposit until the time comes for them to be drafted back.

We think about holiness as if it is some status to achieve. If I’m disciplined enough, if I pray enough, if I abstain enough, if I give charity enough, then I can reach a higher level of holiness. But that’s not what holiness is at all. The Hebrew word for holiness is kadosh. But that really means to be separated. Saying Kadish is actually about separating the different sections of the prayer service. Making Kiddish is about declaring that Shabbat is separate from the rest of the week. Things that are kadosh are special things that are set aside for special purposes. 

Sometimes the thing that is holy is merely the monetary value. So the first crops that have a sanctified status can be redeemed with money and then you can use the crops however you like. Sometimes the thing that is holy is the thing itself. That’s the case with the animal. Once that animal is designated as holy, it has been given a special purpose and that can’t be rescinded. Then there are people. There’s nothing a Jew can do to stop being a Jew. Our kedusha is permanent. A kohen will always be a kohen. Even if they have a blemish and can’t actually serve in the Temple, they will always be a kohen. And so with a first born, they will always have a designated status for the potential to serve in the Temple. 

This is so important to understand because we have so many value judgments that are completely backwards. Maybe we think our value is connected to our earning potential or the number of followers we have on social media or our clothing size. Sooner or later those things are going to stop mattering or our ability to achieve them may disappear. Our failure to accomplish those objectives isn’t what makes us great. The holiness was already designated. We already have it. The trick is living the potential we know we have within us. 

Our purpose is to make the world a better place and Judaism believes that is best done through a connection with Hashem with His mitzvot. It may seem like living your purpose is so far away from what you can do right now. That’s okay. Neither the first borns nor the Levites can do the service of the Temple right now, either.  But we can always make the choices that are good and right. Doing so reveals Hashem’s presence in our world, takes us back to our true purpose, and brings the blessings that unleash our true potential.