Korach Answers

Korach 5731
Alef.

1. By using the same expression that Moshe used in his response to their initial challenge, i.e.,    "המעט מכם" they reflect a mocking tone, rather than striving to provide a substantive answer to Moshe’s adjuration.

2.  Other manifestations of the disrespectful attitude of the rebels can be found in:

במדבר פרק טז

(יב) וישלח משה לקרא לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב ויאמרו .a לא נעלה:

(יג) המעט כי העליתנו .b מארץ זבת חלב ודבש .c להמיתנו במדבר .d כי תשתרר עלינו גם השתרר:

(יד) אף .e לא אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש הביאתנו ותתן לנו נחלת שדה וכרם העיני האנשים ההם תנקר

.aלא נעלה:

a. (v. 12, 14) Datan and Aviram’s refusal to accept Moshe’s invitation to discuss the matter in the area of the encampment where Moshe resided.

b.  Moshe promised to bring the people to a land flowing with milk and honey (Shemot 33:3), but they charge that he took them out of such a land, i.e., Egypt.

c.  They accuse Moshe of leading them into the desert in order to kill them. (Ironically, as a result of the sin of the spies, the people bring that fate onto themselves.)

d.  As opposed to understanding that it was God Who Appointed Moshe to be in charge of the Jewish people, they claim that Moshe took charge on his own, seeking power and authority.

e.  Currently, we are in the desert rather than a land flowing with milk and honey and filled with fertile fields and vineyards. So Moshe has not made good on the promise that had convinced the people to leave Egypt.

f.   Everyone sees how the promises have not been fulfilled and Moshe has advanced himself. Moshe can’t blind them from observing the truth of his failure.

     3.  Disgruntled spies use the same terminology that Kalev uses to try to quell the   people’s concerns:

במדבר פרק יג

(ל) ויהס כלב את העם אל משה ויאמר עלה נעלה וירשנו אתה כי יכול נוכל לה:

(לא) והאנשים אשר עלו עמו אמרו לא נוכל לעלות אל העם כי חזק הוא ממנו:

Beit.

1.  The Midrash is bothered by the fact that Moshe does not respond to the accusation that Korach and his followers initially make:

במדבר פרק טז

(ג) ויקהלו על משה ועל אהרן ויאמרו אלהם: a. רב לכם b. כי כל העדה כלם קדשים ובתוכם יקוק ומדוע תתנשאו על קהל יקוק:...

(ח) ויאמר משה אל קרח שמעו נא בני לוי:

(ט) c. המעט מכם כי הבדיל אלקי ישראל אתכם מעדת ישראל להקריב אתכם אליו לעבד את עבדת משכן יקוק ולעמד לפני העדה לשרתם:

(י) ויקרב אתך ואת כל אחיך בני לוי אתך .d ובקשתם גם כהנה:

(יא) לכן אתה וכל עדתך הנעדים על יקוק, .e ואהרן מה הוא כי תלונו תלינו עליו:

Korach’s accusation contains two points: a) Moshe and his circle have assigned themselves too much power, and b) all the people are equal in terms of their holiness and closeness to God, leading to the conclusion that no one should lord it over the others.

Moshe ignores both points, and instead raises the facts that c) the Levites have been given special status by HaShem, d) to ask for more status is unreasonable, and e) why are you attacking Aharon?

2.  There is an ambiguity regarding the identity of the “עדה” that Korach is fulminating to revolt.

במדבר פרק טז

(טז) ויאמר משה אל קרח אתה וכל עדתך היו לפני יקוק אתה והם ואהרן מחר:

(יז) וקחו איש מחתתו ונתתם עליהם קטרת והקרבתם לפני יקוק איש מחתתו חמשים ומאתים מחתת ואתה ואהרן איש מחתתו:

(יח) ויקחו איש מחתתו ויתנו עליהם אש וישימו עליהם קטרת ויעמדו פתח אהל מועד ומשה ואהרן:

(יט) ויקהל עליהם קרח את כל העדה אל פתח אהל מועד וירא כבוד יקוק אל כל העדה: פ

א.  Korach did not wish to appear guilty of the same thing that he was accusing Moshe of having perpetrated, i.e., a power grab for himself. Consequently he tried to convince others that the was doing this for the good of the entire people rather than for a small group. It was to be perceived as a populist revolt even if Korach had in mind installing an oligarchy.

ב. Initially, Moshe tells Korach to prepare his group of 250 followers, as per BaMidbar 16:2 as well as the implication of 16:17—if there are 250 firepans, then we are talking about Korach’s 250 followers. But when the time for the showdown arrives, the text states that Korach gathered כל העדה as opposed to כל עדתו, suggesting that he had convinced others from the general community to if not join, then at least be sympathetic to his rebellion.

3.  א.  The Midrash wishes to illustrate that as long as there is a possibility that peace could be achieved, no one should stand on ceremony that he was too important to humble himself and pursue peace. Consequently, although Moshe, in light of his status, did not have to extend himself in order to try to defuse the confrontation, nevertheless he made the overture by going to the rebels, before giving up.

ב.  It appears that Moshe and the elders do not immediately follow HaShem’s Instructions in v. 24, i.e., to at once remove themselves from the area of the Korach encampment.

במדבר פרק טז

(כג) וידבר יקוק אל משה לאמר:

(כד) דבר אל העדה לאמר העלו מסביב למשכן קרח דתן ואבירם:

(כה) ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם וילכו אחריו זקני ישראל:

(כו) וידבר אל העדה לאמר סורו נא מעל אהלי האנשים הרשעים האלה ואל תגעו בכל אשר להם פן תספו בכל חטאתם:

(כז) ויעלו מעל משכן קרח דתן ואבירם מסביב ודתן ואבירם יצאו נצבים פתח אהליהם ונשיהם ובניהם וטפם:

This order is only given in v. 26, creating a chronology that Moshe made one last-ditch effort to reason with the rebels before resigning himself to their having  to be devastatingly punished in order to preserve order in the encampment.

Gimel.

1. א. When Korach and his followers use “רב” to attack Moshe, they intend to say that he has taken too much power for himself. Moshe responds that it is they who have appropriated for themselves “רב”, i.e., not that they have taken too much of something that is legitimately within their purview, but they have engaged in something that is entirely beyond them, in the sense that they are not arguing with Moshe, but with God Himself Who is the Source of the assignments of responsibilities.

ב. With respect to Korach’s complaint, the status that Moshe has “obtained” is something external to himself, and is merely a role, hence “to himself”. However Moshe responds that Korach’s actions go far beyond a role and constitute a self-image, i.e., “by himself” whereby he is presumptuous enough to challenge God Himself.

2. א. Perhaps Korach had to concede that Moshe had special standing with respect to the Sinai Revelation, given that he goes alone to the top of the mountain for forty days of being taught the Tora by the Divine. Consequently, even if Moshe is due a special position, Aharon did not have a special experience—if anything Aharon had a failed experience in terms of the sin of the Golden Calf  that it could be said he aided and abetted—and therefore it is Aharon’s position as Kohen Gadol that could be more easily challenged.

ב. With respect to the Ten Commandments as they appear both in Shemot and Devarim, the first two are stated in the first person whereas the others in the third person, leading to the Rabbinic comment (Makot 23b) that the entire people heard the first two Commandments directly, but had to listen to Moshe repeating the rest in order to understand them. Consequently, were Korach to reference the Commandments other than those that immediately lead off the Ten Commandments, he would be ceding to Moshe a victory in the argument regarding whether everyone was on equal footing when it came to the Divine Revelation.

3. א.  In both the verse in BaMidbar as well as that of Divrei HaYamim, there is an apparent lacuna for the sake of brevity and/or literary style, and a word that appears in the verse is understood as being repeated in another role in order to lend clarity.  Therefore, “הנבואה” is a noun that can stand alone , but is to be understood as repeated as the introduction of a phrase that relies on the construct form, “נבואת”. In the instance of BaMidbar, "הנועדים" is used as describing an association between Korach and his followers, but the word is understood to serve a second purpose, as defining that this entire group is standing in confrontation with God, rather than with Moshe and Aharon.

במדבר פרק טז

(יא) לכן אתה וכל עדתך, הנעדים על יקוק, ואהרן מה הוא, כי תלינו עליו:

ב. RaShI is accounting for the phrase, “ואהרן מה הוא”, i.e., if you are standing  in opposition to HaShem, Aharon is really irrelevant to the entire issue, and if so, why are you focusing upon him?