Before Klal Yisroel came down to Egypt, Yehudah is sent ahead to set up the yeshvah infrastructure and have it ready for Klal Yisroel to come. If Yaakov Ovinu is going to transplant the refined atmosphere of kedushoh and taharoh from Cana’an to Egypt, he needs to settle in a separate place—Goshen. But that wasn’t enough. In order to recreate that atmosphere, a yeshivah had to be built and waiting for them right when they got off the donkeys.

Nevertheless, despite all these precautions, the last posuk in Parshas Vayigash says Klal Yisroel took a deep hold in Egypt. The society on Egypt was the most advanced culture in the ancient world. The Jews became seized by it. They were captivated and impressed by it. The Canaanites were more primitive.

The Midrash on the first posuk of Parshas Vayechi explains why this parsha is uncharacteristically a parsha stumoh. One explanation is that because Yaakov Ovinu dies in this parsha, it is the time when the problems of golus commence. Another pshat given is that Yaakov Ovinu wanted to reveal all the mysteries of Jewish history and show them what it will take to bring the geulo sheleimoh at the end of his life, but it was sealed from him.

The Zohar says that Yaakov actually did reveal it to them. But after being in Egypt for these years, the shevatim lost their level of purity and they didn’t understand it. The influence of Egyptian culture had already begun to infiltrate and they couldn’t understand Hashem’s plan in this world. To appreciate how Hashem runs the world through Torah requires a certain level of taharas hanefesh. By the time Yaakov wanted to reveal it to them, it was too late for them to absorb it. Their level had gone down.

This is why the Shevatim said Shema Yisroel to Yaakvo Ovinu at the end of his life. It was because they needed to reassure Yaakov that all his sons where still completely committed to the mission of Yaakov Ovinu to be Hashem’s chosen nation in this world. But there is a difference between being committed internally –which they were--and being protected from foreign influence which they were not.

As long that the shevatim were alive, they kept the image of Yaakov Ovinu alive and Klal Yisroel remained separate. The persecutions of shibbud Egypt were not necessary. In the beginning of Parshas Shemos we read that Yosef and his brothers and that whole generation died, and as a result, there was no-one left to remind them of Yaakov Ovinu’s hashpo’oh to keep them separate. As a result, the Jews spread out to live outside the ghetto of Goshen and started to assimilate. And the more they wanted to be like the Egyptians, the more the Egyptians persecuted them and reminded them of their differences. They didn’t accommodate the Jews’ desire to assimilate. They didn’t treat the Jews like equals. They enslaved them in the most cruel and inhumane way imaginable. We will talk about this theme in the coming weeks.

The Shevatim represent 12 different derachim of avodas Hashem. In this week’s parsha, Yaakov Ovinu gives each shevet their unique brocho which is designed to reflect their unique personalities and derachim. Yosef Hatzadik was an incredible personality with his unique talents and attributes as we discussed previously. Shimon and Levy were brothers who had a tendency to act on their extreme passions. Sometimes this passionate nature can be used for good and sometimes for bad. Their anger is too strong and they have to be scattered among Klal Yisroel in order to temper them.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the brochos here by Yaakov in Parshas Vayechi and the brochos of Moshe at the beginning of Ve’zos Ha’brocho. At the end of the Torah, Levi is described in glowing terms. Shimon is completely left out. Levi took his powerful passion and directed it totally for Torah and ruchniyus. This is why Shevet Levi were not enslaved in Egypt—they devoted themselves exclusively to limud HaTorah and did not immerse themselves in Egyptian society like the rest of Klal Yisroel.

This is why when Klal Yisroel sinned with the Eigel Hazohov, the only shevet that was completely untainted by it was Shevet Levi. Only they responded to Moshe Rabbeinu’s call of Mi LaShem Elai. They dedicated their passion to be passionate about avodas Hashem.

Hashem gives people different sets of gifts and abilities. They can be used for good or for evil. Shimon and Levi had great passions. Levi focused it in a complete and total way to Hashem. Shimon, less so.

We read that Yissochor was a chamor gorem. Chazal explain that he personified ameilus in Torah. There are two shevatim who distinguish themselves in limmud haTorah and perhaps took different approaches to limud HaTorah. Levi channeled his passion for Torah in a total manner and was zoche to give rise to people who reached the highest madregoh of Torah and avodas Hashem. Yissochor on the other hand, has the capacity for hard work—working day and night and takes short breaks in between. Hashem gave Yissochor a very fertile land in Eretz Yisroel, and he could have devoted his talent for hard work to invest in agriculture and become rich. Hashem gave him a nisayon and Yissochor chose the yoke of Torah instead of using the plow and the hoe to become rich.

Different people are given different capacities and we see that gadlus in Torah didn’t come automatically. These two shevatim weren’t born with a tendency to dedicate their lives to Torah. They were born with raw passion and raw desire to work hard. These in-born traits could have gone in many different directions. All of us are born with traits and abilities that can go to vastly different uses—for good and for bad. They can be used to further Hashem’s goals and values, and they can be used for selfish reasons to further one’s ego and personal desires for comfort and luxury.

Yissochor could have amply supported himself through his own work and his own material resources. But he chose to become financially dependent of Zevuluun and devote his time and energy to limud HaTorah instead. Zevuluun was happy to help him and enable Yissochor to realize this decision. People misunderstand what a Yissochor-Zevuluun relationship really entails.

Yissochor and even Zevuluun decided that is will be a part of their avodoh in making this partnership. Here is the difference between Yissochor and Shevet Levi. Yissochor applied all his efforts to devote himself exclusively to learning while being assured that Zevuluun was committed to guarding his back. Levi had a much harder nisayon. Hashem gave the Levi’im a few cities scattered around Eretz Yisroel and told Klal Yisroel to donate terumos and ma’aseros and other matnas kehunoh to support them. There was no steady, reliable support. It was risky. Only someone with the passion and drive of Shevet Levi, who could not imagine any life other than one of Torah and avodas Hashem could put himself entirely in Hashem’s hands and abandon all the cheshbonos of the world. Levi had a passion for Hashem and for His Torah. He was committed to do whatever it took, and Hashem provided.

The shevatim camped in the midbor in a specific formation. All the other shevatim were positioned equidistant around the Mishkan at a distance. Only Shevet Levi was in the immediate proximity of the Schechinoh at all times. They were in the inner circle. The Rambam at the end of Hilchos Shemitoh Ve’Yovel writes that if you want to move out of the periphery and into that inner-circle which Shevet Levi occupies, if you want that closeness, then you have to be willing to give up any aspirations of achieving anything else in the world. You can’t be simultaneously devoted 100% to avodas Hashem and still expect to be wealthy or powerful or successful in any material pursuit. There can be nothing left in your mind and your heart for the mundane calculations of the pragmatic world - nothing other than striving to reach closer and closer to the Schechinoh. That is the only cheshbon and Hashem takes care of the rest.

Shevet Levi used all their kochos hanefesh in the service of Hashem in all the various capacities that it requires. This is why they weren’t given a portion in Eretz Yisroel and Hashem told Klal Yisroel to support them. Why? Because only through Shevet Levi’s devotion and passion coming into contact with the rest of Klal Yisroel was Klal Yisroel able to be inspired and survive.

Yissochor had a different path. They had the ability to become independently wealthy, and they gave it up. But then Zevuluun picked up the responsibility for parnossoh and Yissochor was able to devote all of their energies to becoming the poskim for Klal Yisroel. But they too, remained on the periphery along with Shevet Zevuluun and the rest of the shevatim. With all their hard work and effort to toil in Torah, they did not merit to move into the inner-circle alongside Shevet Levi. Shevet Levi remained the closest.

Yaakov Ovinu enumerated all the kochos hanefesh of the shevatim. And he identified each one’s unique derecho avodah which was passed on and developed by their descendants. No shevet can be a clone of any other shevet, but each individual can decide that he can throw away all his cheshbonos and devote his life to avodas Hashem like shevet Levi.

This is not to put down any of the other sons of Yaakov. Binyomin has the distinction of being one of only four people in the history of humanity to not have done any aveiros in his life. But that ultimate tzidkus was a personal achievement. He did not pass on that level of tzidkus to his entire shevet. He passed on other kochos hanefesh and these defined the path of shevet Binyomin.

Levi was uniquely able to make that inspiration and that single-minded devotion to avodas Hashem the defining element of his entire being and became an integral part of his offspring’s identity as well. So even though the Beis Hamikdosh is in the portion of Binyomin, it does not mean that they are the kohanim.

There is tremendous meritocracy in this system. Anyone who stops that thinks what life is all about and what life is worth living for, and becomes inspired to ignore all other worldly pursuits and only pursue deveikus, he can enter the inner-circle. Hashem says He will take care of that person’s basic physical needs just like he takes care of Shevet Levi.

Shimon and Levi both began with an unbridled passion and drive. They used it for destruction and zealotry to wipe out Schechem and threatened to kill Yosef. Yaakov understood the danger of such powerful emotions and tried to channel it properly. By the time the Shevatim came down to Egypt, Levi had decided to harness his passions and drives successfully and was already appointed the Rosh Yeshivah over Klal Yisroel in Egypt! When Levi had realized what his passions had led to, he made a decision to channel his drive and kana’us for Torah. This ability to focus his passion allowed Shevet Levi to defy the lure to assimilate into Egyptian society and stay with the mesorah from Yaakov Ovinu no matter what.

In the beginning, Levi was violent and reckless, he was a party to selling Yosef. But then he caught himself and he became Klal Yisroel’s Rosh Yeshivah and became a role-model for raising the banner of Torah that inspires us to resist assimilation for the rest of Jewish history. This is a tremendous lesson for us to learn how we can take our kochos hanefesh that can be used in any direction and channel them correctly to be dovuk in Hashem.