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Why does Rashi (רש"י) list the Levi'im's duties in the strange order of "carry, put down, put up"? The shiur demonstrates that Rashi is revealing when the Levi'im's role actually began—not after the Mishkan was assembled, but immediately after the vessels were crafted, during the inventory itself. Their responsibility to carry the holy vessels started the moment those vessels existed.
This shiur explores a perplexing Rashi (רש"י) at the beginning of Parshas Pekudei that seems to list the Levi'im's responsibilities in an illogical order. When describing the service of the Levi'im, Rashi states: "to carry, to put down, and to put up" (lasa'eis, lehoriid ul'hakim). This sequence appears backwards—logically, one would expect "to put down, to carry, and to put up," since the Mishkan had to be taken down before it could be carried, and carried before being reassembled. Rabbi Zweig argues that Rashi's unusual formulation is intentional and reveals a fundamental insight about the timing of when the Levi'im's avodah began. The passage in Pekudei presents a puzzle: it discusses "eileh pekudei HaMishkan"—the accounting and inventory of the Mishkan materials—and immediately follows with a description of the Levi'im's service. This juxtaposition seems out of place. At this stage in the narrative, the vessels have just been crafted and an inventory is being conducted to ensure there was no pilferage. The Mishkan itself has not yet been erected. Why, then, does the Torah (תורה) discuss the Levi'im's duties of carrying and assembling the Mishkan at this juncture?
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Pekudei - Shemos 38:21
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