the election of the Leviim

Rashi comments on 8:19  וָאֶתְּנָ֨ה אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֜ם נְתֻנִ֣ים׀ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן וּלְבָנָ֗יו מִתּוֹךְ֮ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ לַעֲבֹ֞ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֤ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וּלְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֨א יִהְיֶ֜ה בִּבְנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נֶ֔גֶף בְּגֶ֥שֶׁת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶל־הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ that the 5 times Bnei Yisrael are mentioned in this pasuk correspond to the 5 books of chumash and indicate how praiseworthy Bnei Yisrael are.  

Meforshei Rashi all ask: this parsha is speaking about the election of the Leviim.  Why stick praises of Bnei Yisrael davka here, in this context?    

Sifsei Chachamim points out that Rashi interestingly learns that the words "lakachti osam li" a few pesukim earlier כִּי֩ נְתֻנִ֨ים נְתֻנִ֥ים הֵ֙מָּה֙ לִ֔י מִתּ֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תַּ֩חַת֩ פִּטְרַ֨ת כׇּל־רֶ֜חֶם בְּכ֥וֹר כֹּל֙ מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לָקַ֥חְתִּי אֹתָ֖ם לִֽי׃ is referring to the bechorim, not the Leviim.  Rashi writes כי לי כל בכור – שלי היו הבכורות בקיוא הדין, שהגנתי עליהם בין בכורי מצרים, ולקחתי אותם לי עד שטעו בעגל, ועכשיו: ואקח את הלוים וגו׳.  One might think mai d'hava hava and who cares about what the role of the bechorim had once been, but apparently rather than focus on the fact that the bechoim had lost their position, the Torah wants to stress the positive, the fact that they too had once been chosen and were special. 

There are two types of selection. Sometimes when we select something it's like borer ochel mtoch psoles, we take the good out and reject everything else as not valuable.  But there is also selection when we pick a yotzei min ha'klal that is melamed al ha'klal.  The choice of one prat, one item, one individual, is meant to be representative of the whole, not a rejection of the whole.   

The Sefas Emes and Gur Aryeh write that the selection of the Leviim is like the yotzei min ha'klal that is melamed al ha'klal.  Their role is  לַעֲבֹ֞ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַ֤ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וּלְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל -- they are in effect the representatives of Klal Yisrael.  The representative of a bunch of losers is a loser; the representative of a bunch of nobodys is a nobody.  Therefore, the Torah davka here builds up the bechorim, builds up the rest of Klal Yisrael.  The message to the Leviim is that they better take their job seriously and appreciate who they represent, because it takes a winner to represent winners (see Gur Aryeh).  

The Sefas Emes looks at the other side of the coin and writes that the Torah praises Klal Yisrael to give them the message that they should not feel rejected, that they too are valuable and special even though it is the Leviim who are doing the work.  Chazal are critical of Yaakov Avinu for singling out Yosef and giving him special attention, causing the other brothers to feel rejected and hurt.  It is this type of division that ultimately let to churban ha'bayis.  Here, the Mishkan is being setup, it is a time of chanukas ha'bayis and chanukas ha'avodah, so it has to be done right, so that if one group is given a privilige, it does not come at the pain and expense of another.   קַ֚ח אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם מִתּ֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל means that whatever special quality the Leviim have, it is just an expression of what is found מִתּ֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, within the nation as a whole.   

At age 50 the time the Leviim serve carrying things draws to a close.

וּמִבֶּן֙ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב מִצְּבָ֣א הָעֲבֹדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲבֹ֖ד עֽוֹד׃ (8:25)

Rashi comments  לא יעבד עוד – עבודת משא בכתף, אבל חוזר הוא לנעילת שערים ולשיר ולטעון עגלות

Why does Rashi say that the levi returns to the job of נעילת שערים, locking the gates?  The gates had to be opened in the morning too, so why not say that the levi returned to the job of opening the gates?  

I think once before I posted that the idea of neilas ha'chag means to lock up (like in parshas Zos haBracha,  בַּרְזֶ֥ל וּנְחֹ֖שֶׁת מִנְעָלֶ֑ךָ, miNAALecha = a lock) the gains made over the chag and not let them go to waste as we return to normal day to day life.  So too, explains the Sefas Emes, when the levi has reached the ripe old age where he retires from having to shlep things, he needs to take more time to reflect on what he accomplished over his lifetime and lock in some of the spiritual gains he has made over the years.

We read in Shir haShirim (7:2) מַה־יָּפ֧וּ פְעָמַ֛יִךְ בַּנְּעָלִ֖ים בַּת־נָדִ֑יב.  Simple pshat in the pasuk is that it is speaking about the beauty of the feet of the beloved, with their perfectly fitted shoes, but you remember how the Torah describes (Braishis 33:8) Pharoah's state of excitement when he woke up from his dreams -- תִּפָּ֣עֶם רוּח֔וֹ.  Here too, the Ch haRI"M explained מַה־יָּפ֧וּ פְעָמַ֛יִךְ, how wonderful it is when a Jew gets excited by his avodas Hashem, by his learning, when there is a תִּפָּ֣עֶם רוּח֔וֹ for ruchniyus!  But as great as that is, a Jew also has to have בַּנְּעָלִ֖ים, there has to be a lock on the door.  You have to know how to channel and contain that enthusiasm and emotion into the right things and not let it escape and lead you elsewhere.

On a totally different note, turning to the end of the parsha, the Torah tells us that Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe.  Rashi comments: ותדבר מרים ואהרן – היא פתחה בדבר תחילה, לפיכך הקדימה הכתוב.  It sounds like Rashi is coming to explain why Miriam is mentioned before Aharon in the pasuk.  I don't understand what's bothering Rashi here.  Shouldn't Miriam be mentioned first because she is the eldest of the three siblings?  (see Tosfos Bechoros 4a)  

I don't have an answer yet.