האמר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו. כְּשֶׁחָטְאוּ בָעֵגֶל וְאָמַרְתִּי "מִי לַה' אֵלָי" (שמות ל"ב), נֶאֶסְפוּ אֵלַי כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי וְצִוִּיתִים לַהֲרֹג אֶת אֲבִי אִמּוֹ וְהוּא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל אוֹ אֶת אָחִיו מֵאִמּוֹ אוֹ בֶן בִּתּוֹ, וְכֵן עָשׂוּ. וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ אָבִיו מַמָּשׁ וְאָחִיו מֵאָבִיו וְכֵן בָּנָיו מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהֲרֵי לְוִיִּים הֵם, וּמִשֵּׁבֶט לֵוִי לֹא חָטָא אֶחָד מֵהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) "כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי": האמר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו WHO SAID TO HIS FATHER AND TO HIS MOTHER, I HAVE NOT SEEN HIM — When they sinned in the matter of the golden calf and I said, “Who is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me” (Exodus 32:26), all the sons of Levi gathered themselves unto me, and I ordered them each to kill his mother’s father, he being an ordinary Israelite, or his brother on the mother’s side, or the son of his daughter whose husband was an ordinary Israelite, and thus did they do. — It is impossible to explain the term “his father” literally, and “his brothers” as being those on his father's side, and similarly to understand “his sons” literally, for really all these are Levites, and of the tribe of Levi no one sinned., as it is said, “[And there gathered unto me) all the tribe of Levi” (Sifrei Devarim 350:1, Yoma 66b).
כי שמרו אמרתך. "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אַחֵרִים" (שמות כ, ב): כי שמרו אמרתך BECAUSE THEY KEPT THY WORD, viz., Thou shalt have no other gods,
ובריתך ינצרו. בְּרִית מִילָה, שֶׁאוֹתָם שֶׁנּוֹלְדוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא מָלוּ אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם, וְהֵם הָיוּ מוּלִין וּמָלִין אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם: ובריתך ינצרו AND THEY GUARDED THY COVENANT viz., the covenant of circumcision (Sifrei Bamidbar 67 on בהעלתך); For the [ordinary] Israelites who were born in the desert did not circumcise their sons, whereas the Levites were [not only] circumcised themselves, [but they] also circumcised their sons.