The Torah portion of Shoftim contains the verse: "And if a Levite comes...with all his desire to the place which the L-rd shall choose, then he shall serve in the name of the L-rd his G-d, as all his brothers the Levites do."
As Rashi explains, in the times of the Holy Temple, the kohanim (priests, from the tribe of Levi) were divided into 24 groups, each of which was assigned a specific time to come to Jerusalem and perform the holy service. However, as the above verse teaches, even if a kohen were to come to the Temple out of turn, he is permitted to offer his own sacrifice and perform the specific service associated with it.
Moreover, if it happens to be one of the three major Festivals, he is allowed to participate in the communal sacrifices together with the rest of his brethren.
The reason: If a kohen is willing to abandon all his other affairs and travel to Jerusalem for the specific purpose of serving G-d, the Torah grants him this merit regardless of whether he is actually obligated to do so, or it is officially his "turn."
As Maimonides explains, in our times every Jew has the ability to serve G-d as a "Levite." When a Jew resolves to turn aside from worldly matters and dedicate himself to serving G-d, it is similar to the service of the Levites, who were distinguished from other Jews in that they did not receive a portion of land and served G-d exclusively.
The name Levi alludes to this special level of connection to G-dliness, as our Matriarch Leah declared after giving birth to him, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me [y'laveh, from the same Hebrew root as Levi]."
Maimonides further explains that when a Jew genuinely resolves to serve G-d, he becomes sanctified with the very highest level of holiness, i.e., that of the High Priest. "G-d becomes his portion and inheritance forever," Maimonides writes. In the same way that the Levites were not permitted to work for a living and were provided with all their needs by others, so too will a person who makes up his mind to serve G-d be given Divine assistance, enabling him to carry out his resolution for good. In other words, the very act of resolving to attain the level of kohen gives the Jew the potential strength and ability to do so.
When a Jew demonstrates this willingness for self-sacrifice, it doesn't matter whether it is his "turn" or not. G-d will grant him the ability and merit to perform his holy service joyfully and with gladness of heart.
Reprinted from the Parashat Shoftim 5761/2001 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Brooklyn. Adapted from the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Rosh Chodesh Elul 5747 and 3 Elul 5748.
