יחזקאל, פרק מ״ד, פסוק י״א

In the future Temple, those who once held sacred responsibilities but strayed from the right path will experience a process of return and repair. Instead of being completely rejected, these individuals are reintegrated into holy service, though their past actions permanently alter their standing. They are assigned a reduced status, limited to support and administrative roles, and kept away from the central duties of the altar.

The primary approach among commentators is that these individuals are Levites who previously led the people into sin [אברבנאל]. However, another perspective suggests that they are actually priests who were disqualified from service due to their wrongdoings. In this view, they are referred to simply as Levites to emphasize the loss of their priestly rank and their subsequent demotion [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

Their new responsibilities involve specific appointments and organized tasks, largely relating to the treasury or administrative duties [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, their role is understood as being subordinate to the officials who oversee the Temple gates [מלבי״ם]. In this capacity, they serve as guards at the entrances and handle the general maintenance and upkeep of the Temple grounds. These are basic acts of service that, strictly speaking, any ordinary person is permitted to perform [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Despite being barred from the inner, more sacred work, these servants are allowed to slaughter the animal offerings. This permission stems from the established law that the act of slaughtering a sacrifice is entirely valid even when performed by someone who is not a priest, including ordinary citizens, women, and slaves. Therefore, these demoted servants may carry out the slaughter. However, they are strictly forbidden from performing any of the subsequent steps of the offering process, such as receiving the blood and splashing it on the altar, as these actions remain exclusively reserved for valid priests.

Ultimately, their purpose is to stand before the people who bring the sacrifices. They function as public assistants, helping the nation with the practical needs of bringing offerings and managing the auxiliary work of the Temple [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].