Earned Torah versus bestowed priesthood

במד' יקרה היא מפנינים ממי שנכנס לפני ולפנים ומבכור כו'.

In the Midrash: "She is more precious than pearls (peninim)" — than one who enters the innermost chamber (lifnai velifnim), and than the firstborn (bechor).

The Midrash reads "peninim" as a hint to those of highest rank — the Kohen Gadol who enters the Holy of Holies and the firstborn — yet declares the Torah more precious than all of them.

דיש להבין כיון דת"ח קודם לכה"ג למה לא יכנוס לפני ולפנים.

For one must understand: since a talmid chacham takes precedence over a Kohen Gadol, why does he not enter the innermost chamber?

If a Torah scholar outranks the Kohen Gadol, why is it specifically the Kohen Gadol, and not the talmid chacham, who enters the Kodesh HaKodashim?

אכן ב' מדריגות הם כי התורה יורדת למקום נמוך וזה עיקר כח התורה להמשיך מהנסתר להנגלה וכל מה שחסר יותר לאדם ומייגע בתורה וימלא החסרון שלו כל כך מתגלית לו יותר ויותר.

Indeed, there are two distinct levels, for the Torah descends to a lowly place, and this is the essential power of the Torah — to draw from the hidden to the revealed; and the more a person is lacking and toils in Torah and fills his deficiency, so much the more does it reveal itself to him, more and more.

Torah and the priesthood are two different levels. Torah's unique strength is precisely to come down into the lowly, drawing the concealed into the revealed; the more a person feels his lack and labors to fill it, the more the Torah unveils itself to him.

וגדלה הרבה יותר מעלת העוסק בתורה לשמה יותר מכל המדריגות.

And the virtue of one who engages in Torah for its own sake (lishmah) is far greater than all other levels.

Toiling in Torah lishmah surpasses every other spiritual rank, including that of the Kohen Gadol.

והתורה היא שלימות האדם כמ"ש אורייתא דילי' משעמל בה נק' תורתו.

And the Torah is the very completion of the person, as it is said, "the Torah is his own" — once he has toiled in it, it is called "his Torah."

Through his own toil, a person makes the Torah his very own and thereby completes himself; it becomes "his Torah."

אבל מדריגת לוים וכהנים הכל מתנה מהשי"ת כי אין לאדם להתקרב מצד עצמו רק מצד בחירת ה' בכהנים ולוים.

But the level of the Leviim and Kohanim is entirely a gift from Hashem, for a person has no way to draw near on his own, only by virtue of Hashem's choice of the Kohanim and Leviim.

The priestly rank is not earned but bestowed; the Kohanim and Leviim draw near solely because Hashem chose them, not through their own effort.

אבל העוסק בתורה מתקן נפשו ויקרה היא מכל המדריגות.

But one who engages in Torah rectifies his own soul, and she is more precious than all the levels.

Because the Torah scholar perfects himself through his own labor, his attainment is more precious than even the bestowed levels of priesthood.

ועל הכהנים ולוים נאמר אשרי תבחר ותקרב כו'.

And about the Kohanim and Leviim it is said, "Fortunate is the one whom You choose and draw near."

The pasuk describing the Kohanim and Leviim stresses Hashem's choosing and bringing near — their closeness comes from Above.

ועל העוסקים בתורה נאמר אשרי אדם עוז לו בך בכ"ב אתוון דאורייתא.

And about those who engage in Torah it is said, "Fortunate is the man whose strength is in You" — in the twenty-two letters of the Torah.

The Torah scholar's verse emphasizes his own strength and effort, expressed through the twenty-two letters of the Torah he toils in.

והרי בני ישראל נמנין קודם הלוים להגיד כי העיקר הם ישראלים ועליהם יש ראשים שהם כהנים ולוים כנ"ל.

And indeed Bnei Yisrael are counted before the Leviim, to tell that the essential ones are the Yisraelim, and over them there are heads, who are the Kohanim and Leviim, as above.

The ordinary Yisraelim are counted first because they are the core of the nation; the Kohanim and Leviim serve as their "heads," chosen to draw down to them from Above.

וזה ענין ברכת כהנים כי העובד ה' יש לו להכיר מעלת בנ"י הפשוטים כי הם ראוים לברכה דכ' כה תברכו משמע שיודע ה' כי כל רצון הכהן צדק לברך את בנ"י ומורה לו דרך איך לברכם כאשר ראינו באהרן וישא כו' ידיו כו'.

And this is the matter of Birkas Kohanim: for the servant of Hashem must recognize the virtue of the simple Bnei Yisrael, for they are worthy of blessing, as it is written, "Thus shall you bless" — implying that Hashem knows that the entire desire of the Kohen is righteous, to bless Bnei Yisrael, and He shows him the way how to bless them, as we saw with Aharon, "and he lifted up his hands."

The Kohen who blesses must recognize the worthiness of the plain Jews; "thus shall you bless" shows that Hashem affirms the Kohen's sincere desire to bless and instructs him how, just as Aharon lifted his hands toward the people.

ובאמת הברכה נמצאת בבנ"י כמ"ש והי' ברכה.

And in truth, the blessing is found within Bnei Yisrael, as it is said, "and you shall be a blessing."

The source of the blessing actually resides in Bnei Yisrael themselves — they are the wellspring of berachah.

רק אהרן שהוא למעלה בבחירת השי"ת הוא יברך.

Only that Aharon, who is above by Hashem's choice, is the one to pronounce the blessing.

Though the blessing lies in the people, it is Aharon, elevated by Hashem's choice, who actually conveys it.

כיון שאיננו נוגע מתקיימת ברכתו.

Since he has no personal stake (eino noge'a), his blessing is fulfilled.

Because the Kohen has no self-interest in the matter, his blessing is pure and therefore takes effect.

וכן יש תמיד מדריגות וכל אחד צריך לברך למי שלמטה ממנו עד שנדבקים כולם בשורש העליון.

And so there are always levels, and each one must bless the one below him, until all of them are bound to the supernal root.

Reality is structured in tiers, each level channeling blessing down to the one beneath it, so that ultimately all are connected back to their shoresh Above.

ובאמת עבודת כהנים תלוי בהכנת בני ישראל ולכן לפי עבודה שלו צריך לברך את בנ"י שהם גרמו לו עבודה זו כנ"ל:

And in truth, the avodah of the Kohanim depends on the preparation of Bnei Yisrael, and therefore, according to his avodah, he must bless Bnei Yisrael, for they are the ones who brought about this avodah, as above.

The Kohen's whole service rests on the readiness of Bnei Yisrael; since they enable his avodah, he in turn must bless them — the giving and receiving are mutual.

Summary: There are two distinct paths of closeness to Hashem. The priesthood is a bestowed gift — the Kohanim and Leviim draw near only because Hashem chose them — whereas Torah is acquired through one's own toil: it descends into the lowly and reveals itself ever more to one who labors to fill his lack, so that one who learns lishmah perfects himself and is "more precious than pearls," even above the Kohen Gadol who enters the Holy of Holies. Yet the simple Yisraelim are the essential core, counted first, with the Kohanim as their "heads." This is the meaning of Birkas Kohanim: the blessing truly resides within Bnei Yisrael, but the disinterested Kohen, chosen from Above, conveys it — and since his very avodah depends on the people's preparation, he in turn must bless them, all the tiers binding back to the supernal root.