04 Jun NASO: HARMONY, EXPULSION, FRUSTRATION DON’T GET FRUSTRATED BY YOUR FRUSTRATION

The Levi Family
Tree
Levi, one of the 12
sons of Yaakov (the
third of our
forefathers, a
grandson of the first
Jew Avraham), had three
sons – Gershon, Kehas and Merari – as well as
a daughter, Yocheved. While Yocheved
mothered Moshe and Aaron, the teacher and
Kohen Gadol, her three brothers fathered the
Levi tribe who dedicated their lives to the
spiritual service of the Mishkan and at a later
point the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim, an
abode the Jewish people erected for the
manifest presence of G-d.
In this week’s parsha, Naso, the Torah relates
how these three Levi families were charged
with the mission of carrying the Mishkan and
its accessories when the Jewish people
traveled in the Sinai desert for 40 years.
Kehas carried the holiest items of the Mishkan:
the ark, candelabra, table, altars and all their
utensils. Gershon was given the job of
carrying the coverings and curtains of the
Mishkan. The third of the Levi families,
Merari, was responsible to carry the planks,
bars, pillars and sockets of the Mishkan
structure.

Three Personalities
One of the axioms that define traditional
biblical scholarship is the idea that each event
recorded in the Torah may be understood also
from a psychological and spiritual point of
view, granting all biblical events timeless
significance.
This obviously is valid for our subject as well.
While on the surface, the intricate description
of the three Levi families as the movers of the
Mishkan bears no relevance to our lives today,
a deeper look at the spiritual meaning behind
their respective roles allows us to glean
wisdom and inspiration for our daily
challenges and struggles.
Let’s examine for a moment the names of the
three brothers who fathered the Levi families
— since names of people do express something
of their inner soul. The translation of the
Hebrew name Kehas is harmony.
The meaning of the name Gershon is
expulsion. The third name Merari is translated
as frustration. Now, the spiritual Divine soul
existing within each of us is defined in the
Kabbalah as a “microcosmic Tabernacle,” a
sacred and vulnerable place in the depth of our
hearts where G-d is manifestly present.
Gershon, Kehas and Merari personify three
distinct psychological and spiritual states of
man, each of which may become in its own

unique way a carrier and porter of the spiritual
Mishkan existing in the human heart.
Kehas — Harmony
Kehas — the name of the Levi family that
carried the sacred items and utensils of the
Mishkan — represents the human being who
succeeds in integrating all of the facets of his
personality into a cohesive and harmonious
whole. This remarkable individual manages to
transform all of his traits and characteristics
into sacred items and all of his limbs and
organs into sacred utensils, housing the
presence of the Divine reality.
Gershon — Expulsion
Gershon – the name of the Levi family
assigned to carry the coverings and curtains of
the Mishkan – personifies the human being
who constantly needs to expel and drive away
the immoral impulses and sensations that
intrude on his psyche. This individual cannot
define himself as harmonious and complete.
His job in life is ensuring that the sacred
Mishkan existing within his heart remains
protected and shielded from the many physical
and emotional hazards that threaten to
undermine it (expressed by the fact that
Gershon carried the coverings and curtains).
Merari – Frustration
Merari – the name of the family that carried
the pillars and planks of the Mishkan –

personifies that individual who may not even
be expelling the negative patterns of his daily
life. Yet he is not apathetic to his lowly
condition; he is frustrated and disturbed by it.
He longs for wholesomeness and
redemption. One may think that a human
being in this state of mind is not one of the
carriers of the Divine Mishkan. After all, he is
so distant from the spiritual sacredness of his
soul.
Yet, in truth, it is this disaffected and frustrated
human being who carries the very foundations
of the Divine Mishkan. This is because the
beginning of all healing and the foundation of
all change is a feeling of frustration and
yearning. The disappointment and lack of
contentment with one’s present condition is
what propels man to discover new horizons in
his life.
Simply put, if you are truly frustrated by your
present situation, you are in a place far better
than you can imagine. Now get on with the
journey in stride.