כלי יקר — נשא את ראש בני גרשון גם הם

Q — The midrash says Kehat is counted before Gershon (his older brother) because Kehat carried the Aron. But why didn't Hashem simply give the Aron to Gershon the bechor and count him first as is normal?

A — Kli Yakar's answer: Hashem deliberately *broke* the bechor order to teach a lesson. Had the firstborn Gershon carried the Aron, people would have credited his precedence to his bechor status, not to the Aron — and the principle 'כבוד חכמים ינחלו' would have stayed invisible. By assigning the Aron specifically to the younger Kehat and counting him first, Hashem ensured no one could mistake the cause. The reversal is pedagogy: 'ידעו הכל ליתן כבוד לתורה וללומדיה.' Honor for Torah outranks even firstborn rights.