Whom God Favors

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to separate himself and stand before God to serve Him and minister to Him and to know God, walking justly as God made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many calculations which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies. God will be His portion and heritage forever and He will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5], "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot." (Maimonides; Laws of Shmitta and the Jubilee 13:13)

Let’s understand this level of human perfection and all that contributes to earning God’s providence.

One whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom

This refers to the personality that can sacrifice the security of the typical working life of. A generous spirit and knowledge are internal factors; walking upright is his external interactions with people (Rashi, Get. 12:28). Thus, he is perfected internally and externally. His value of God’s wisdom does not permit him to remove himself from Torah study and Torah education. His level is one of totally immersion in God's wisdom, so detaching from all else is essential. Such detachment is also essential as God's wisdom’s depth and breadth cannot be perceived by one who is only partially involved. To “

To stand before God and minister to Him

This means one is not standing before anything else. This precisely was the lifestyle of the tribe of the Levites who were not engaged in inheritance of land, war spoils or the work of their own hands as the previous law states. They were fully dedicated to Torah study and educating the nation. This personality sacrifices the security that all others seek, as his true value is wisdom, not transient unnecessary materialism. This personality has the conviction that God is the true source of his security, like King David said. He is able to place his trust in God and relinquish self trust and not worry about his income.

He walks upright as God created him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many calculations which people seek

This refers to Adam before the sin (Koheles 7:29) where he breaks off his neck the yoke of calculations, avoiding the preoccupation with the physical. Targum explained that after Adam’s sin cost him his immortality, he preoccupied himself with the physical as a means to attach to his earthly stay; attachment to physicality is the denial of mortality. But the perfected personality Maimonides discusses disengages from pursuing wealth and physical security beyond his basic needs. That is the meaning of being upright. 

He is sanctified as holy of holies

He has attained the height of human perfection, as his mind sees reality clearly, and his emotions follow suit. He acts in accordance with his knowledge and can abandon work efforts to a high degree, with the security that…

God will be His portion and heritage forever and He will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites. And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5], "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."

As God wishes this perfection for man, God takes care of this person’s needs to enable his life continued in dedicated to wisdom, as opposed to unnecessary physical possessions and pleasures. This personality does not want or need more than his basic needs, they are distractions. So in truth, God supplies this person with literally all his needs.