Levites

By Jewish tradition, a Levite was a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan (Joshua 13:33), the Sons of Levi were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners in the same way that the rest of Israel was to own land "because the Lord the God of Israel Himself is their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 18:2).

Most of Israel owned land with a true and actual title to the land itself. They enjoyed the milk and honey of the ownership of land which had to do with the Beneficial interest or use of the land itself. They were not taxed upon the land by the government. Israel at first was a republic which formed a government of the people, for the people by the people. The Levite title to land was more like a legal title today but without an authoritarian central government.

They had a central government formed by a network of congregations. The congregations were formed by the election of the families in congregations of tens or what became known as a Tithing.

The Tribe of Levi served the whole of Israelite society in several ways. They were responsible for the national religious service or duties which included service to the individual families in congregation. Religion meant how you performed your duty to God and your fellow man. A national religion was about a national welfare system and the sacrifices upon the Altars of the priests of society were to provide for that social service through the Perfect law of liberty.

They also had political and judicial responsibilities to the people of the nations of Israel as well. They were the titular leaders of the nation.

Because they had no personal estate in land the landed members of the tribes (I.E. the ones owning land with a true title) were expected to give tithe to the Kohanim, particularly the tithe known as the Maaser Rishon (מעשר ראשון) or First Tithe (Numbers 18:21-26).

To be counted a priest of society and receive this tithe they had to be elected first by the people as a minister to a congregation of ten or [Tithing#The_Peoples_Unit|Tithing]].

The body of priests to the nation grew as those primary priests elected their own priests in congregations or orders of ten priests. This gathering in tens formed a living Network through which a flow of charity, information and ideas flowed

As priests, they performed the duties to the tabernacles in war and peace which include service to the Tabernacle and the tabernacles or tents of the people in congregation. Because the congregations of ten through a system of voir dire could form natural juries for the adjudication of legal matters there was a need for higher courts to prevent injustice This network also formed a series of appeals courts.

Under standing the 48 "cities" of the Levites and their purpose may help us understand the expanded role of the Levites in their mission to keep Israel free.

The Levites were not all priests in service to the national network or camp of the tents of the people. They played roles as heralds or singers in service to the nation to harmonize the people in a single national unite in time of distress or attack. They even served as guards for the whole of society.

They were not only health, education, and welfare, but also the FEMA of society as well as the actual homeland security and central intelligence service of a free society. Because of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer they were also the International Red Cross, Salvation Army and Peace Core all rolled into one.

Because they formed a national network of charity but also the national information service and library of congress. Like a public news service they shared information and knowledge about solutions to local problems that appear in manufacture, agricultural production and health control. This lead them to becoming research and development and product safety information service.

This is born out in Moses extensive work in describing the legal responsibility associated with building codes and occupational health and safety concepts within what we often call the statures of Moses. Clearly his dietary and horticultural ban on swine and water foul was to improve the health of society by eliminating a source of parasite infestation that had decimated the former population of Canaan.

When their were problems that arose in health of the people or their farm produce or livestock they played an essential role as extension agents. Societies often rose and fell because someone discovered something as simple as the stirrup for riding horses. As keepers of the national knowledge database the survival of Israel was often dependent upon the service oriented nature of the Levites.

There are many threats to the life of the nation and the need for foreign intelligence can be vital to any nations to protect them from outside threats. But unlike

They wanted Israel strong and secure. They had a mission and a purpose and a good grasp of the idea and need for people being in a communion of love and service.

There job was the entire welfare of the people. They were to retire from physical labor at 55.

They needed to be a wealthy tribe to make that work. But the Levites only had legal title to their land and flocks as long as they remained Levites. They could not make treaties nor could they sell their land outside the body of the Levites. Any Levite could redeem the land they sold at anytime because a Levite did not own the beneficial interest. That was held in common. This meant they could never loose all the land of Israel to debt. It also meant that the people did

They were joint heirs.

It takes some imagination to see how all this fits together but it is not perfect. I requires virtuous people to make it work,

We know they had land for their flocks and cattle from the Bible. If they were in the sheep business they were in competition with others. We know that at least some of the Levites were rich and wealthy in possession according to the Bible. What they did not have was an inheritance in the land ... As I said they were joint heirs owning things in common. Numbers 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 05159 ^הלחנ^ nachalah \ from 05157 (in its usual sense); n f; AV-inheritance 192, heritage 27, inherit 2, possession 1; 222 1) possession, property, inheritance, heritage 1a) property

We also no that Levite ministers did have money and did produce commodities that they sold amongst themselves from historians of the time.