~ Our triennial cycle picks up from the counting of the Levites.
~ Why are first-born important? What other moments do we have in the Torah that being born first is important? [hint hint: Shavuot is coming]
~ What is the relationship between the first-born and the Levites?
~ When were we called "first-born" by God? Has that changed? When?
(ו) וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(1) ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים AND Y'ALL SHALL BE UNTO ME A KINGDOM OF כהנים — i. e. princes, just as you say, (II Samuel 8:18) “And the sons of David were princes (כהנים)”, which cannot denote priests since his sons were of the tribe of Judah and not of Levi, the priestly tribe.
In place of every firstborn of the Children of Israel - look, the firstborn were separated [made holy] to be God's from the moment that it was commanded (Ex. 13:2) "consacrate for Me every firstborn among the Children of Israel, people and etc." And there were many firstborn in Israel, and they were not redeemed until now, since until now it was not stated by whom they'd be redeemed, that now, when the Kohanim were separated [made holy], and the gifts for the Kohanim were not commanded, they [the firstborn] continue to be in their state of holiness, and it makes sense that they had the worship of the sacrifices, as our rabbis state (Talmud, Zevachim 112, "until the Tabernacle was built, the high places were permitted, and the firstborn did the worshiping, since the Tabernacle was built the high places were forbidden and so was the worshiping by the firstborn") And it appears to me that all the firstborn were not born in at the same year in the desert, since the people had not multiplied so much there, rather, all the Israelite firstborn were counted because all were separated/made holy, as I explained (see commentary in Shemot 13:11). And now they were exchanged by the Levites, and redeemed, and [God] commanded that the extra ones should be redeemed, and so the redemption was given to Aharon and his sons, as a commandment for all generations.
(א) את נערי. הַבְּכוֹרוֹת:
A kingdom of priests and a holy nation: Because the other peoples believe that their priests are closer and more beloved to their gods, and that their gods do all that the priests desire - [the Holy One] said that all the nation will be close to God, that God will be close to them in all their calling out, and is invested in all their issues, as if the entire congregation is composed of holy individuals and priests, and this only happens through observing the mitzvot.