Levi as "this bumbling, klutzy, really earnest guy who [is] just trying to learn and prove himself in this new job." Vernoff describes Levi as "sort of a clumsy, fumfering type who would trip over his own feet and stutter" while Borelli said "he doesn’t have the best track record in terms of having things work perfectly for him" to explain his constant mishaps and misfortunes over the course of the show. Paulette Cohn of Parade Magazine called Levi a "comic relief" character after he dropped his glasses inside a patient during a surgery, earning him the nickname "Glasses". Levi is also known for being the show's first Jewish main character since the departure of Cristina Yang at the end of the tenth season. However, unlike Cristina, who was an atheist, Levi is still in touch with some qualities of his faith. For instance, in the episode "Jump into the Fog", Levi sings the Jewish prayer "Shalom Rav" in order to calm a woman who suffers from severe agoraphobia, mentioning that his mother sang it to him as a lullaby. The melody used on the show is a well-known cover in the Jewish community by cantor and contemporary musician Jeff Klepper. Levi's background is further explored in the episode "The Last Supper" when he visits his ailing uncle on the brink of death; he then refuses to leave his uncle after his death due to the cultural tradition of Shemira. Later in the episode, Levi's uncle's lover helps him prepare his uncle's body for the Chevra Kaddisha; Levi then recites Psalm 23 before leaving. By the fifteenth season, Levi's role had expanded and became more prominent with the shows main storylines. Borelli states that Vernoff approached him for a "big storyline" involving his character and she later revealed Levi would be part of the show's first gay male romance that would focus on him coming to terms with sexuality and eventually coming out. Levi officially came out in the fifteenth mid-season finale episode "Blowin' in the Wind" which in turn inspired Borelli himself to come out as gay alongside his character. Borelli posted on his personal Instagram after the episode aired "As a gay guy myself, tonight's episode was so special to me. This is exactly the kind of story I craved as a young gay kid growing up." In regards to his decision to come out at the same