Levi Before the Altar

Sifrei Devarim 303:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

(Devarim 26:12) "then you shall give to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow": Give each one his (specific) share.

Themes

Elijah Temple Tzedakah

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Bamidbar RabbahLevi in the Days of MosesBamidbar Rabbah (5) dives deep into this, using the verse "Do not rob the impoverished as he is impoverished..." (Proverbs 22:22) as a springboard for profound Bamidbar RabbahElijah and Creation of KingsBamidbar Rabbah 12, a section of the classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, wrestles with this very question, using the construction of the Kohelet RabbahFear God Instead of Chasing Vain Dreams and Empty WordsIt all starts with the verse from (Ecclesiastes 5:6): "So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God.” The verse seems to be Kohelet RabbahElisha — Rabbi Meir at the Dawn of CreationThe verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 7:8): "The end of a matter is better than its beginning; one of patient spirit is better than one of proud spirit." The r Kohelet RabbahThere Is One Fate for the Righteous and the WickedThe book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly does. And the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, wrestled wi Vayikra RabbahEverything Is Equal for the Righteous and the WickedVayikra Rabbah turns to Everything Is Equal for the Righteous and the Wicked. Our entry point is the Book of Leviticus, specifically chapter 16, verse 1: “The L