Timeless Torah

Most writers eventually develop a style that they are comfortable with. One that is suited to their particular genre, interest, and expertise…If I’ve fallen into a similar trap after…today represents a radical departure. First of all, this week’s TIMELESS TORAH does not end with an answer but with a question (as I a have no answer myself and I am hoping someone else will). Secondly, it discusses math (and this is from someone who still can’t balance his checkbook).

The fourth book of the Torah is called “NUMBERS” and it appropriately begins with a census of all the Israelite men ages 20 thru 60 and tallies up 605,550 men eligible to be drafted into the Jewish army. A separate count of the Levites whose mandate excludes them from military service reveals that there are 23,300 males older than one month.

The commentaries point out an apparent inconsistency in the number of persons in the other tribes vis-à-vis the camp of the Levites. The average total of the 12 tribes is 50,295, more than double than the number of Levites.

In truth, the incongruity is even more marked when we compare apples to apples. The other tribes, we must remember, are only taking into account men who were being conscripted. What is in fact required for a more accurate comparison is to study the first census.

If there are 600,000 soldiers between the ages of 20 thru 60, it follows that there are 150,000 individuals between 20 to 30, another 150,000 between the ages of 30 to 40, and so on. Assuming that the life expectancy at that time could reach 80 (in this week’s portion Moses was already 81, Aaron was 84), then add 150,000 more Israelites from one month to 10, a second 150,000 till 20, and another 300,000 more between the ages of 60 to 80.

This calculation now renders the total of Israelite men at 1.2 million and raises the individual tribal average to 100,590 or four and one half times greater than the Levitical group. This further anomaly between the Levites and their fellow Jews suggests hidden forces at work, but what were they?

Of all the answers, the one most quoted is the Ramban’s (leading Spanish scholar). As is well known, that fact that Jacob’s family of only 70 souls suffering in Egypt from enslavement and infanticide emerged a mighty throng of several million people is nothing short of miraculous. Yet the more the Israelites were persecuted, with the assurance of G-d, the more numerous they became. This Divine blessing however only worked for the tribes who had felt the lash of the whip and the mire of the mud pits. The Levites, on the other hand, who had historically escaped the harshest elements of the bondage, were not privy to the unique and potent gift of fertility that G-d had bestowed on the other tribes.

All of the above-mentioned is common knowledge for any youngster that has spent several seasons at a competent Jewish day school. But we are going to take the math one grade higher.

It is also recorded in the Parsha that of the 22,300 Levites mentioned previously, 300 were first born. This compares to 22,273 first born Israelites. Now comes the interesting part. Take out your calculator and discover the amazing size of the ancient Hebrew mishpocha. Figuring that every Israelite family had one first born gives you 1.2 million divided by 22,273 or an average of 53children in each family. You obviously must admit that G-d’s blessing was pretty powerful.

Of course, one would expect to see considerably smaller families amongst the Levites who did not enjoy such heavenly powers of reproduction. Guess again. If one divides the Levitical group of 22,300 by 300 first born, the new average for Mr. & Mrs. Levy is 74 children in each mishpocha!

If you think I must have left out any pertinent information that would affect the numbers, you are right. Until now we only considered the boys. Add an equal amount of girls and you now have family sizes that are astounding; 106 kinderlech for the Israelites, 148 for the Levites. (True, there also must have been an appropriate amount of first born girls, but that figure would not affect the total size of the families.)

If your head is not spinning with the logistics of catering to these kinds of families, and a caterer is what you would need, then we must reiterate our question: How did the Levite families end up being so much larger than their tribal counterparts?

I am searching for an explanation for several years and am willing to entertain all theories.