במדבר, פרק ג׳, פסוק מ״ט

The process of replacing the Israelite firstborns with the Levites reaches its final, practical stage, presenting a unique challenge: there are more firstborns than Levites available to take their place. To release these surplus firstborns from their sacred status, Moses must collect a redemption payment. Gathering these funds is merely a preparatory step; the actual release from their holy status only takes effect once the silver is physically handed over to Aaron the Priest [הכתב והקבלה].

The financial burden of this redemption is not shared equally across the nation. Instead of dividing the total cost proportionally among all the firstborns, the payment is extracted exclusively from the two hundred and seventy-three individuals who make up the surplus. Any firstborn successfully matched with a Levite is completely exempt from paying [העמק דבר]. To determine fairly who is exempt and who must pay the fee, Moses conducts a lottery. There are different perspectives on how he manages this. One approach suggests Moses simply prepares slips of paper marked with the required amount of five shekels, and those who draw them are obligated to pay. Another perspective describes a more complex system involving slips marked either "Levite" or "five shekels." This latter method would have required a miraculous intervention to ensure that exactly two hundred and seventy-three firstborns draw the slips demanding payment [רא״ש].

The primary approach among commentators is that this surplus simply consists of the Israelite firstborns left over after the rest are successfully redeemed by the physical presence of the available Levites [רש״י]. However, another viewpoint traces this surplus back to three hundred firstborns existing within the tribe of Levi itself. A fundamental rule dictates that one firstborn cannot release another. Therefore, these Levite firstborns can only remove their own sacred status and are ineligible to replace the Israelite firstborns. Because these three hundred Levites are occupied with their own status, two hundred and seventy-three Israelite firstborns are left without a match. For these Levites, their personal redemption does not involve money, but rather their release from the burden of holy service, which is transferred to the priests [הכתב והקבלה, רשב״ם].

Beyond the practical logistics of lotteries and silver, the very act of collecting money from the firstborns carries a deeper historical echo. It serves as a subtle reminder of the sale of Joseph, an event where brothers exchanged a prominent son for silver [שפתי כהן].