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Why does the Levi get more tithes of a field than the Kohen? Or in other words, why is Maaser Rishon so much larger than Trumah Gedolah?

Even if the Levi gave his Terumas Maaser to the Kohen that got the Terumah,
The Levi winds up with almost 9%,
While the Kohen usually only gets 3%

(Note: I know these aren't necessarily the exact figures, trying to simplify the case)

Is there a reason the Levi gets almost 3 times as much as the Kohen?

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    In theory there are much more Levites than kohanim. (I say "in theory" meaning that more branches of the family are Levites: I don't know actual population numbers.)
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Apr 5 at 4:19
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    @JoelK My question is more why specifically in fields, does the Levi receive more?
    – user907a
    Commented Apr 5 at 4:32
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    @user907a this could be a bit fluffy but maybe because the Leviim didn’t inherit any land so their added bonus was food from the fields, but the kohanim inherited in a sense the Beit Hamikdash basically as their land so their primary bonus would be korbanot and the like
    – Curious Yid
    Commented Apr 5 at 4:56
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    The כהנים were also לויים, so they actually got both.
    – Eliyahu
    Commented Apr 5 at 12:19
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    Also see judaism.stackexchange.com/a/64439/871
    – Eliyahu
    Commented Apr 5 at 16:34

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In a word it is because maaser reflects Shevet Levi's portion in the land whereas terumah is just one of the many matnos kehunah.

@CuriousYid Not fluffy at all. Bamidbar 18 says that.

First it details all the matnos kehunah (through verse 20) that the kohanim receive and that God is their portion and inheritance.

Then it explains that really Shevet Levi is entitled to land but that they were given over on behalf of klal yisroel to assist in the Mikdash and are therefore entitled to tithes which represent their rightful inheritance in the land (till verse 25).

It then closes out with that being the case the leviyim too—like all of Israel that works the land—are required to give terumah from the maaser given them as it is akin to their portion in the land. It is also permissible to eat maaser anywhere as it does not have kedusha like terumah but represents their portion in the land.

After all 24 matnos kehunah are factored in it may very well be the case that the kohanim come out ahead of the leviyim.

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  • Also the proportion of population of kohanim among the leviim is much less than the fraction (truma+maaser) that they receive from all Jewish people.
    – Y DJ
    Commented Sep 2 at 22:33

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