Priestly covenant

This covenant consisted of their exclusive right to serve in the Temple, and to consume sacrificial offerings and receive other priestly gifts.

[12] Pinchas, who was a grandson of Aaron, received a separate "covenant of eternal priesthood" following his act of zealotry.

[15] According to Leviticus Rabbah, God initially intended for the priesthood to permanently remain with Melchizedek's patrilineal descendants.

[17] Chaim ibn Attar stated that the transfer was not a punishment (since Abram was rightfully deemed worthy of precedence for independently coming to recognize God in a pagan world); rather, Melchizedek willingly gave the priesthood to Abraham upon recognizing his outstanding uniqueness and Godly character traits.

[18] According to rabbinic sources, prior to the appointing of Aaron and his sons, the priestly role was filled by the firstborn (bechor) of each household.

[25] However, according to the Targum to Books of Chronicles, individuals from the Tribe of Reuben (the firstborn of Jacob) served as High priest, until Aaron received the role after the golden calf.

[20] According to Ibn Ezra, the firstborns offered sacrifices to the golden calf, leading directly to the loss of their priestly privileges.

According to the biblical narrative, God initially intended to annihilate the entire people as punishment for the sin of the golden calf.

[34] According to Nachmanides and other Torah commentators, the decision to appoint Aaron and his sons to priestly duty was a unilateral act of God, without agreement being asked of the people.

Bekhor Shor explained that it was the desire of God that the priesthood rest with one specific family in order that the father of the household instill in his children the duties of the priesthood, and have his children exposed to those ideas, as a family way of life, from birth and throughout life, in order to be successful at their priestly duties.

[42] The Jerusalem Targum attributes the choosing of Aaron due to the meritorious actions of Jochebed, who saved the male Jewish infants from the infanticide decree laid forth by Pharaoh.

[60] According to Ithamar HaKohen, in the Age to Come the sin of the Golden Calf will be rectified, allowing the firstborn to work alongside the priests.

[63] To reconcile this idea with the standard halakhic texts which presume perpetual Aaronic priesthood, Menachem Schneerson (the seventh Lubavitch Rebbe) argued that the future change as presented in Hasidic Judaism and Kabbalah will appear purely on a spiritual level, with the soul of the Levi (i.e. those souls stemming from the rootsource of Cain) being born into the physical bodies of the sons of Aaron.