In Parshat Behaalotecha, God tells Moses to appoint the tribe of Levi to a leadership role within the nation. But even within the Levites there was a hierarchy, and the priestly family, led by Aaron, took on the role as ‘first among equals” in terms of the Levite leadership role.

Rabbi Dunner looks at the original elevation of the Levite tribe to leadership, the tensions this created within the family and beyond, and the abuses of power that later erupted among the priests during the time of Samuel.

And finally, Rabbi Dunner deftly folds in a remarkable article by US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who addressed this very topic in a 1788 missive to “the People of the State of New York.”