Gershon and Kohath

Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon according to their fathers’ house, by their families. From thirty years old upward until fifty years old shall you number them …                                                Numbers 4:22-23

In the census of Levites from the age of thirty days, the sons of Gershon, the eldest son of Levi, were counted before the sons of Kohath [Numbers 3:14ff], while in the census of adults between the ages of thirty and fifty, Kohath preceded Gershon.

Because the count from thirty days expresses potential, at that age each member of the Tribe of Levi has an equal opportunity to develop and advance in the study of Torah. Therefore, Gershon, the first born, is given precedence in this enumeration. However, at the age of thirty years, in adulthood, the sons of Kohath are given primacy, since they are the ones whose job it is to carry the ark, to carry the Torah on their shoulders.

“Take also”: only after the sons of Kohath, who carry the ark, have been counted, is it time to also count the remaining families of the Tribe of Levi, who support Torah by transporting and building the Tabernacle. Though the functions of the families of Gershon and Merari are essentially support for the job of the sons of Kohath, the Torah teaches that they are vital and equally important, since Torah cannot exist in a vacuum. Those who provide shelter and a place for the study of Torah share with those who pursue the study of Torah. Yet it is those who directly carry the Torah who have primacy.