[Avodah] Exchange of the Levi'im for the bechorim inlastweek's parsha.

[hankman]

RMB wrote:
...3 men couldn't produce in 2 generations enough men to offer 90,000 lambs
in one afternoon for the Pesach in Gilgal, either.

CM responds:
Again I agree. You are right. The same problem exists for the korban Pesach
at Gilal at the end of the 40 years. I made a point of the korban Pesach at
the start of the 40 years because here the problem is in spades - just 3
kohanim, not 3 generations of kohanim.

CM reconsiders:
Actually upon reconsideration of what I wrote in my previous post, I now see 
that the Pesach at Gilgal actually could have been possible without a nes. 
While this may or may not be what actually happened, but it is possible to 
imagine even if not likely. So pushing the limits of the likely, if we 
imagine that both Elazar and Isamar married at least four wives (clearly the 
more wives, the less need for nes - so if you want to assume 10 wives then 
the calculation becomes still easier), if we further assume that the wives 
produced children every year, and assume generations of 19-20 years each 
(without the need to push harder to 13-14 years per generation), If each of 
these children  marry at age 18 and also have 4 wives each, and so on ... 
then by about year 20 (over 18 years from year 2) they will have produced 
about (2 X 4 X 18 = ) 144 Kohanim who will all be over 20 years old by the 
time of Gilgal 20 years later plus 2 for Elazar and Isamar in addition to 
the childen of the next generation (who were born in that second year = 8 
plus E & I =10) X 4 = 40 more born in year 20 who will also be 20 at Gilgal. 
Thus at a minimum we have 2 + 144 + 40 = 186 kohanim who will have reached 
the age of 20 by Pesach Gilgal. If we assume 40 people per chabura then 
3,000,000 / 40 = 75,000 KP (ignoring chagigos for now) / 3 for three kitos = 
25,000 KP per kito and / 186 = 135 KP per kohain over the age of 20. This is 
manageable I would think al pi derech hateva (except for space requirements 
which was a nes discussed by Chazal). This assumes that they followed the 
custom (probably not yet in force) that kohanim between the ages of 13 to 19 
did not do the avodah.  So if we double the number of Korbanos for the 
chagigos we get 270 korbanos - still I think within the realm of the 
possible al pi derech hateva.

Kol tuv

Chaim Manaster