No Levites by the River of Love
Ezra 8:15
Ezra’s entourage consists of thousands of people, some distinguished, including priestly leaders and even one descendant of the House of David. No women are listed of course, but it’s assumed that along with them, as well as children, the group that returns to Zion, now known as Yehud or the Province Across the River, is close to 10,000 people.
They assemble by a river that leads into a larger river called Ahava. It is not spelled this way but one can translate this river’s name, poetically, as ‘Love’. And it is there, as he examines who’s with him, that Ezra realized who’s missing:
וָֽאֶקְבְּצֵ֗ם אֶל־הַנָּהָר֙ הַבָּ֣א אֶֽל־אַהֲוָ֔א וַנַּחֲנֶ֥ה שָׁ֖ם יָמִ֣ים שְׁלֹשָׁ֑ה וָאָבִ֤ינָה בָעָם֙ וּבַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים וּמִבְּנֵ֥י לֵוִ֖י לֹא־מָצָ֥אתִי שָֽׁם׃
These I assembled by the river that enters Ahava, and we encamped there for three days. I reviewed the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites there.
Ezra 8:15
Faithful to the king’s command, Ezra left Persia with a dream: restore Torah, rebuild community, relight the sacred fire. But as the names rolled in, the absence of the Levites, those born to carry the sacred vessels, sing the song, and support the spiritual memory of Israel, is puzzling. He can’t continue without them.
Why did they not join?
The Talmud cites a painful if far-fetched possibility. When they were exiled in Babylon and ordered to sing the songs of exile by the rivers of Babylon, many of them chose to cut off their thumbs rather than play for their captors. The older Levites, maimed, would not be able to function in the temple and thus refused to join Ezra’s campaign.
In his commentary on this chapter, my brother and teacher Rabbi Benny Lau sees this moment as a mirror into a religious identity crisis. Since the prophet Ezekiel’s prophetic reforms, the Levites—once central—had been demoted, with full priestly authority granted only to the sons of Zadok, Ezra being one of them. (see Ezekiel 44).
“The Levites may have felt sidelined. Once exiled in Babylon, their roles were gone and with it their honor and purpose. Perhaps they didn’t believe they had a future in Jerusalem’s spiritual leadership.”
In a system now dominated by a narrower priestly elite, Levites may have lacked both motivation and status. The tensions between the different factions of the priestly/levitical families will continue well into the next phase of his work and the rebuilding of the society in Jerusalem.
Another possibility comes from Prof. Joseph Blenkinsopp, a leading scholar of Second Temple Judaism. In his analysis of Ezra-Nehemiah, he argues that the return from exile was not only physical, but ideological. Ezra’s return marked a renewal of strict Torah observance and community purification. Not everyone shared that zeal. The Levites in Babylon may have grown comfortable, embedded in local religious life, or simply unconvinced by Ezra’s vision of a new Israel. “Religion in diaspora had adapted,” he notes. “Why return to rebuild a past that might never rise again?”
Whatever the reasons, Ezra doesn’t give up. He sends messengers and asks—begs—for Levites to come. And about 30 households arrive to join the caravan. Not many, but enough to carry the spark.
Ezra declares a three day fast to prepare for their four months long journey. He prays a prayer that will be the basis of what will become the Traveler's Prayer, and admits that he was too ashamed to ask for the king for armed guards although the caravan is carrying priceless gold and silver, royal gifts to the temple. Why shame? Ezra claims that he didn’t want the king to think less of the Judean returnees whose faith should sustain them instead of weapons.
Armed with prayers, Levites, and an entourage big enough to make a difference in the small province far-away, Ezra’s entourage sets off to Jerusalem. They leave Persian on the 12th day of the month of Nissan - just before Passover, and arrive in Yehud on the 1st day of the month of Av, mid-summer heat. There are no records of what happened on the way nor of the reception they received once in Jerusalem.
But the next chapter brings us what happens next - and the drama about to unfold will be heartbreaking, lasting with us until these days, less about love, more about fear, and a source of major discord, divides and contention.
Who’s in? Who’s out? Ezra seems to set the stage for societal distinctions not seen before in our history, with what separates not just priests from levites but also breaks households apart. The River of Love flows on, but loyalty may be taking the people in a different direction.
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