Parshat Bamidbar
In this week's Torah portion, the tribe of Levi is chosen by G-d to perform the service in the Mishkan (Sanctuary) and later, in the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple). "Bring the tribe of Levi near," G-d said to Moses. The Levites were chosen to represent the entire Jewish people, and it was through them that G-d's blessing was brought down to the nation as a whole.
The reason for their selection may be better understood in light of the Baal Shem Tov's explanation on the verse in Psalms, "The righteous shall flourish like the date palm; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon":
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