More Orthodox Reform - After the Kohanim, the Levites were Targeted

In the Mishna following the previous post  http://tanakhemet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/orthodoxy-is-reform.html , a very strange thing is said:

Sotah 9:10

"(10) Yohanan the High Priest brought to an end the confession of the tithes (see Deuteronomy 26:13-15) [since Ezra punished the Levites who did not come up from Bavel by enacting that henceforth tithes should be given to the priests, thus one could not declare; I have given to the Levite]. ..."

see https://outorah.org/p/12978

It is claimed by  the Bartenura commentary (based on the Gemara) that Ezra punished the Levites, and that the “High Priest” of the Pharisees abolished the tithes confession commanded in Devarim.

There is a factual problem to all this.  

Ezra 3: 8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of the LORD.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the direction of David king of Israel.

12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, the old men that had seen the first house standing on its foundation, wept with a loud voice, when this house was before their eyes; and many shouted aloud for joy;

Ezra 8:

18 And according to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;

19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;

29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the princes of the fathers' houses of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.'

30 So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.

It is explicitly stated that Ezra succeeded in finding sufficient numbers of Levites for the Temple service. This contradicts the claim of the rabbanite mishnah, which alleges he punished them for not coming to Israel from Babylonia, and took away their duties from the Temple service.

The Book of Nehemiah goes further. Nehemiah and Ezra were partners in reconstruction of the Temple.

Neh 9:  5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: 'Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting; and let them say: Blessed be Thy glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Nech 10:  eg 

10 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
יא  וַאֲחֵיהֶם--שְׁבַנְיָה הוֹדִיָּה קְלִיטָא, פְּלָאיָה חָנָן.	11 and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan;

etc.

Nech 12:  Whole chapter.. up till

 47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, as every day required; and they hallowed for the Levites; and the Levites hallowed for the sons of Aaron.

In Ne ch.13, we see a clear contradiction of the claim of the Mishnah:

10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.

11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said: 'Why is the house of God forsaken?' And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

13 And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren

There was an administrative error in not handing the tithes to the Levites - and this was not done by Ezra, nor was it an alleged punishment. Nehemiah sees to it that the tithes are given by all of Judah to the Levites, who then become treasurers of these resources. This is the exact opposite of what the Mishnah /Talmud is proposing.  There was no punishment by Ezra, and any negligent withholding of the tithes was quickly fixed by Nehemiah.

What actually happened, is that the rabbanite crony, “Yochanan” who was installed as a supposed High Priest, had already been part of the scheme destroy the Priesthood, and then turns his attention to the Levites. In other words, to totally rid the temple of the righteous ministers, the Pharisees also had to dispose of the Levites. So they made up a false account of what Ezra had allegedly done, to “justify” the removal of the Levites, and the annulment of another Torah commandment.