Jewish tradition suggests that success isn't just handed out; it’s earned through trials, through proving ourselves worthy.

Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very idea. It starts with a seemingly simple verse: "Take the Levites" (Numbers 8:14). But the Rabbis, in their wisdom, see much more. They connect it to a powerful verse from Psalms: "The Lord assesses the righteous, but He hates the wicked and the lover of villainy" (Psalms 11:5).

What does it mean to "assess the righteous?" According to the Rabbis, God doesn't just hand out positions of authority. No, no, no. First, He tests us. He examines us. Only when we pass these tests, these ordeals, are we elevated. It's like a spiritual vetting process!

Think about Abraham, our patriarch. The text tells us that God subjected him to ten different trials. Ten! And he passed them all. Only then did God bless him, saying, "The Lord blessed Abraham with everything" (Genesis 24:1).

And what about Isaac? He faced the ordeal of Avimelekh, a king who envied Isaac's success. Isaac persevered, and as the verse tells us, "Isaac sowed in that land and found in that year one hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him" (Genesis 26:12). The blessing followed the trial.

Even Jacob, the trickster turned patriarch, wasn't exempt. His life was a whirlwind of challenges: Esau's hatred, Laban's deception, the troubles with Rachel, Dina's tragedy, the disappearance of Joseph. As Jacob himself lamented, "For with my staff I crossed this Jordan" (Genesis 32:11), a statement showing how little he had when he started. Yet, after all those trials, "God appeared to Jacob again, already upon his arrival from Padan Aram, and He blessed him" (Genesis 35:9).

Joseph, too, endured hardship. Falsely accused and imprisoned for twelve long years, he ultimately rose to become a king in Egypt because he had passed those difficult tests. As the text says, "the Lord assesses the righteous."

So, where do the Levi'im – the Levites – fit into all this? Well, the Rabbis explain that the tribe of Levi proved their devotion to God in remarkable ways. When the Israelites were in Egypt, many rejected the Torah and the covenant of circumcision. Ezekiel rebukes them, saying, "They defied Me and did not want to heed Me…and I said to pour My fury upon them" (Ezekiel 20:8). Tradition teaches that during the plague of darkness, God eliminated the wicked among the Israelites (Ezekiel 20:38).

But the Levites? They remained righteous. They upheld God's covenant, as Deuteronomy states: "For they observed Your saying, and Your covenant they upheld" (Deuteronomy 33:9); referring specifically to circumcision. And, crucially, when the Israelites succumbed to idolatry and created the Golden Calf, the Levites stood apart. As it says in Exodus, "Moses stood at the gate of the camp…and all the sons of Levi gathered to him" (Exodus 32:26). They took up arms against the idolaters, showing unwavering loyalty to God, even against their own kin.

Moses, in his blessing, praises them: "Who said of his father and of his mother: I have not seen him" (Deuteronomy 33:9), meaning they put God above even their own families. Because of their righteousness, God subjected them to an ordeal, the text implies referring to the events at Masah (Exodus 17:1-7), and they passed the ordeal. Only then did He declare, "The Levites shall be Mine" (Numbers 8:14). The Rabbis connect this directly back to that powerful verse: "The Lord assesses the righteous" (Psalms 11:5).

And what of the wicked? The verse continues, "But He hates the wicked and the lover of villainy" (Psalms 11:5). It's a stark contrast.

David, in the Psalms, offers a different path: "Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways" (Psalms 128:1).

So, what's the takeaway here? Life is full of challenges, no doubt. But perhaps these challenges aren't just random obstacles. Perhaps they are opportunities to prove our character, to demonstrate our devotion, and to earn the blessings that await us. It's not about avoiding trials, but about facing them with integrity, with faith, and with a commitment to doing what is right, even when it's hard. What "ordeals" are you facing right now? And how can you embrace them as opportunities for growth and ultimately, for blessing?