“The Levite Kohanim, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or territory with Israel; the fire offerings of Hashem and His portion shall they eat.” (Devarim 18:1)
Despite the fact that the Kohanim served a very important spiritual role in the nation, they were not supported by the government. There was no special tax created by the king or even the Sanhedrin to support these valuable Torah scholars. They received no land in Israel (save for the Levite cities, which were also cities of refuge, but not individually-owned) and did not take part in the spoils of war.
However, they did receive a financial stipend. They received the priestly gifts such as challah, Terumah, bechor (first-born animals), and the foreleg, jaw, and stomach of slaughtered animals. The Levi’im received maaser tithes. Though they came from the Jews, these were considered to be directly from Hashem, as though the people of Shevet Levi were eating at Hashem’s table.
Why was it so important for the Kohanim to live with financial uncertainty? Why could they not have a portion in the land and share the wealth with the rest of the Jewish people? What was the message of excluding them from living like everyone else?
Perhaps we can infer some guidance from the phrase, “hakohanim halevi’im,” which implies a single group of people, not the two groups called priests and Levites. When Leah named her son, Levi, she said, “This time my husband will accompany me (yelaveh.)” The people we’re speaking about here are religious teachers intended to accompany the Jews on their life’s journeys. They are not meant to mingle or become a single unit with the other tribes, because they need to maintain their autonomy in order to properly guide.
If the Kohanim were to have their own land and share spoils like everyone else, they might forget their real mission. They were intended to teach the people and be an extension of Hashem, Himself, who is called the Teacher of Torah to His People Israel. Therefore, their sustenance had to be G-dly, to remind them of their place.
The Ohr HaChaim points out that this portion comes after that of the king, to say that even the king must give the priestly gifts as the rest of the populace do. This is so his heart shouldn’t soar and he feel himself above the mitzvos of Hashem. That may be why, when the king is commanded to write a copy of the Torah for himself, it must be made from a Torah which is, “before the kohanim halevi’im.” By maintaining their independence, they ensure the Torah does not become sullied or influenced by material considerations, both in a literal and figurative way.
The way to ensure the integrity of Torah is to recognize where it, and everything in our lives, comes from – from the loving, beneficent hand of Hashem. Then we will not try to change it or manipulate it as we see fit. Instead, we will work to change ourselves, as Hashem sees fit.
