Casting Down and Lifting High Boker Ohr, Korach, 5779

(3) They convened concerning Moshe and Aharon and said to them, “It is too much for you! Is not the entire community holy, all of them? And in their midst, ha-Shem? Why do you lift yourselves above ha-Shem's congregation?”

(10) Ha-Shem has brought close you and all your fellow Levites with you. Do you seek the priesthood too? (11) Truly, it is against ha-Shem that you and all your company have banded together.

(13) Is it not enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, that you would also lord it over us? (14) Even if you had brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and given us possession of fields and vineyards, should you gouge out those men’s eyes? We will not come!”

(15) Moshe was very angry and said to ha-Shem, “Pay no regard to their offering. I have not taken the donkey of any one of them, nor have I wronged any one of them.”

(Bam 16:1:) “Now Korah […] took.” What is written just before? “Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them to make zizit for themselves’ (Bam 15:38).” Korach quickly said to Moshe, “In the case of a tallit which is all blue, is it exempt from [having blue] zizit?” Moshe said to him, “It is required to have zizit.” Korah said to him, “Would not a tallit which is all blue exempt itself, when four [blue] zizit exempt it?

"In the case of a house which is full of holy scrolls, is it exempt from mezuzah?” [Moshe] said to him, “[Such a house] is required to have a mezuzah.” [Korah] said to him, “Since the whole Torah has two hundred and seventy-five parashiot and they do not exempt the house, would the two parashiot which are in the mezuzah exempt the house? These are things about which you have not been commanded. Rather you are inventing them from your own heart.”

(28) Moshe said, “By this you shall know that ha-Shem sent me to do all these things; that they are not from my own heart: (29) if these die as all people do, if their lot be the common fate of all humanity, ha-Shem did not send me. (30) But if ha-Shem creates a new creation, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows up them and all that is theirs, and they go down alive into Sheol, you shall know that these men have scorned ha-Shem.”

(Bam 16:5:) “In the morning ha-Shem will make known [what belongs to God and what is holy].”

Moshe said, “The Holy One of Blessing, has distinguished boundaries for those in ha-Shem's world. Can you confuse morning with evening? And that is what is written in the beginning (in Gen. 1:5), ‘There was evening and there was morning.’ And (in v. 4) ‘ha-Shem separated the light and the darkness,’ for its use in the world. And just as God made a separation between the light and the darkness, so did God separate Israel from the nations (Lev. 20:26), ‘I have separated you from the [other] peoples to be Mine.’ So also did God separate Aharon, as stated (in I Chron. 23:13), ‘Aharon was separated to consecrate the most holy things.’ If you can confuse those distinctions in which ha-Shem made a separation between the day and the night, then you may be able to nullify this.”

A) Apropos the conflict between Moses and Korah, the Gemara cites an additional verse that Rava interpreted homiletically, and some say that it was Rabbi Yitzḥak who said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The sun and moon stood still in their habitation [zevula], at the light of Your arrows as they go, at the shining of Your glittering spear” (Habakkuk 3:11)? What do the sun and moon seek in zevul, which is the fourth heaven; aren’t they fixed in rakia, the second heaven?

B) Rather, this teaches that the sun and moon ascended from rakia to zevul and said before ha-Shem: Master of the Universe! If You do justice for the son of Amram, i.e., Moshe, in his dispute with Korah, we will continue to illuminate the world, and if not, we will not illuminate the world. At that moment, the Holy One of Blesing shot arrows, and threw spears at them, and said to them: Each and every day idolaters bow to you and you continue to illuminate the world and do not protest. In My honor, you did not protest, but in honor of flesh and blood, you protested? And ever since, each and every day ha-Shem shoot arrows and throw spears at the sun and the moon, and only then do they emerge and illuminate the world, as it says: “At the light of Your arrows as they go, at the shining of Your glittering spear” (Habakkuk 3:11).

When Moshe said, 'in the morning, ha-Shem will make known', he meant a morning when the sun would refuse to come out and shine [upon the world], and thus, 'ha-Shem will make known.' For Moshe reasoned that ha-Shem would agree with [the sun and the moon], and would refuse to illuminate [the world] for the sake of [Moshe's] honor.

But afterwards, Moshe saw that ha-Shem didn't agree with them [and was shooting arrows at them to force them to come out], because ha-Shem said, 'in My honor, you did not protest...'.

§ The mishna teaches: Who, to us, had a greater burial than Moshe, as no one was involved in his burial other than the Omnipresent. The Gemara teaches: When Moshe relates how God responded to him when denying his request to enter Eretz Yisrael, he states: “And ha-Shem said to me: It is enough for you [rav lakh]; speak no more to Me of this matter” (Deuteronomy 3:26). Rabbi Levi says: Moshe proclaimed to the Jewish people when rebuking them with the term “rav,” and therefore it was proclaimed to him with the term “rav” that he would not enter Eretz Yisrael. The Gemara explains: He proclaimed with the term “rav” when speaking with the congregation of Korah: “Too much is yours [rav lakhem], you sons of Levi” (Numbers 16:7), and it was proclaimed to him with the term “rav,” as God denied his request and said: “It is enough for you [rav lakh].”

(44) Yet defiantly they [the Israelites, after receiving the sentence of 40 years in teh desert] marched toward the crest of the hill country [to enter the Land of Israel], though neither the Ark of the Covenant of ha-Shem nor Moshe stirred from the camp.

That Arab said to me [R. bar bar Hana, also known as Abba]: Come, I will show you the dead of the wilderness [i.e., from the generation who left Egypt and died trying to enter Israel, see Bam 14.44]. I went and saw them; and they had the appearance of one who is intoxicated, and they were lying on their backs. And the knee of one of them was elevated, and he was so enormous that the Arab entered under his knee while riding a camel and with his spear upright, and he did not touch him. I cut one corner of the sky-blue garment that contains ritual fringes [i.e. tzitzit] of one of them, and we were unable to walk. The Arab said to me: Perhaps you took something from them? Return it, as we know by tradition that one who takes something from them cannot walk. I then returned the corner of the garment, and then we were able to walk.

When I came before the Sages, they said to me in rebuke: Every Abba is a donkey, and every bar bar Ḥana is an idiot. For the purpose of clarifying what halakha did you do that? If you wanted to know whether the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Shammai or in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel, as to whether there are four or three threads and joints in ritual fringes, in that case there was no need to take anything with you, as you should have simply counted the threads and counted the joints.

(17) Now when Pharaoh let the people go, ha-Shem did not lead them by way of the land of the Phillistines, although it was nearer; for ha-Shem said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”

A) When Pharoh had released the people, ha-Shem did not conduct them by the way of the land of the Phillistines though that was the near one; for ha-Shem said, Lest the people be frightened in seeing their brethren who were killed in war, two hundred thousand mighty men of the tribe of Efrayim, who took shields, and lances, and weapons of war, and went down to Gath to carry off the flocks of the Phillistines.

B) Because they transgressed against the statute of the Word of ha-Shem, and went forth from Mizraim three years before the (appointed) end of their servitude, they were delivered into the hand of the Phillistines, who slew them. These are the dry bones which the Word of ha-Shem restored to life by the ministry (hand) of Yechezekel the prophet, in the valley of Dura (Ez. 37:1); but which, if they (now) saw them, they would be afraid, and return into Mizraim.

A) "Let not the rich person glorify themselves with their wealth (Yirm 9:22)." This [refers to] Korach the Levite, who had three hundred mules just to carry the load of the keys to his hidden storehouses. His wealth was so much the more so, wondrous and vast. Where did he get all this money? From the money that Yosef the Righteous had collected in Egypt [in return for distributing the stored grain during the seven years of famine], which had filled three towers. Each tower was a hundred amot [about 180 feet] deep, a hundred amot wide, and one hundred amot inside. Yosef gave them all to the house of Pharaoh, and did not give his children even five silver [coins]. For what reason? Because he proceeded faithfully, as it says (Ber 47:14), "Yosef brought the silver into Pharaoh's house." When Korach found one of these towers, he became proud of his wealth. Another one was found by Antoninus, and the third is hidden for the World to Come.

B) What was the origin of Korach's dispute with Moshe and with Aharon? It was for the sake of a particular widow who had a single ewe. When she came to shear it [for the first time], Aharon heard and took the wool. She went to Korach and cried out and wept, telling him, "This and this has Aharon done to me." Korach came by Aharon and said to him, "What is it with you and this widow, that poor woman? Return to her her wool!" Aharon said to him, "It is mine according to the Torah, for as it says, 'the premier-part of the shearing of your sheep you are to give him' (Dev 18:4)." What did Korach do? He took four silver [coins] and gave [them] to her. She went off, and Korach went full of anger. The days [passed] and the ewe gave birth to a [first-born] male. Aharon heard and took the lamb. She went before Korach, crying out and weeping. Korach said to Aharon, "What is it with you and the poor woman, this widow?" He said to him, "It is mine according to the Torah, for as it says, 'every firstling that is born in your flock and in your herd, the male-one, you are to hallow to ha-Shem your God' (Dev 15:19)." Korach went on his way, full of anger. When the widow saw this, she went and slaughtered the ewe. Aharon heard, and came and took the shankbone, the jawbone, and the rough-stomach. Korach said to him, "What is it with you and this widow?" He said to him, "They are mine according to the Torah, for as it says, 'the priest is to be given the shankbone, the jawbone, and the rough-stomach' (Dev 18:3)." And Korach went, full of anger. When the widow saw this, she stood and made an oath, saying the meat of this ewe is set-aside for me. Aharon heard and took all the meat, as it says, 'everything specially-devoted in Israel -- it is for you' (Bam 18:14, Parshat Korach)."

C) He [Korach] said to him [Moshe], "Why should you, son of Amram, establish authority over us?" [not in ed. Jellinek: 'Should you pluck out the eyes of these men, we will not come up.' They said this verse specifically against Moshe and Aharon.] Moshe said to him, "To the morrow, judgement." In the morning, Korach had gathered to him 250 men (and alongside Moshe and Aharon, all the prophets), these with their fire pans, these offering sacrifices and these burning incense. Immediately Moshe Rabbeinu stood in prayer before ha-Shem and said, "Multiplier of Universes, is this prophecy you have sent us true?" Ha-Shem replied to him, "It is true. And you will see what I will do to Korach." This is why he was named Korach -- for in his days, 'a void was created in Israel' (Sanhedrin 109b).

D) Moshe said further before the Holy One of Blessing, "If these die as all people do, if their lot be the common fate of all humanity, ha-Shem did not send me (Bam 16:29)." The Holy One of Blessing said to Moshe, "You have rejected a major principle of faith" (Passover Haggadah, Maggid, Four Children; and Yer. Sanhedrin 10:1, 50a). Moshe said before the Holy One of Blessing, "Multiplier of Universes, 'if ha-Shem creates a new creation...' (Bam 16:30). The Holy One of Blessing said to him, "I will do according to your will."

E) Immediately the Holy One of Blessing hinted to the ground and it swallowed them [Korach and his followers] up to their navels. Korach and all his household cried out and said, "Moshe! Moshe! Have mercy on us!" Moshe said to them, "'Too much is yours, Sons of Levi!' (Bam 16:7)." Immediately they were swallowed up [by the earth], and the rest were burned up [by fire], as it says, 'so they went down, they and all theirs, alive, into Sheol; the earth covered them (Bam 16:33).' And it is written, 'fire went out from before the presence of ha-Shem and consumed the fifty and two hundred men, those who had brought-near the incense.'

F) Those that descended below the earth remained there. And they reasoned that they would never rise up [again]. Until Hannah came and prophesied for them, as it [the song of Hannah] says, 'ha-Shem brings death and gives life, lowers to Sheol and raises up' (Shmuel I 2:6). But with all this, they didn't believe that they would rise again, until the Beit ha-Mikdash was destroyed and the gates of the Beit ha-Mikdash were swallowed up, as it says, 'her gates have sunk into the ground' (Eichah 2:9). They [the gates] came by Korach and he grabbed hold of them. Immediately they believed and said, "When these gates rise up, so too will we rise up with them." And they were appointed the guardians [or, those who carried out the observances] over those gates until they rise up.

G) Thus was Korach and his wealth obliterated from among the community. Therefore it says, 'Do not praise the wealthy for their wealth,' for all wealth belongs to the Holy One of Blessing. As it says, 'Mine is the silver and mine is the gold -- the word of ha-Shem, Master of Legions' (Hag 2:8). [ed. Jellinek: And it says, 'One who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor' (Mish 21:21).]

(13) Another explanation of “happy is the man.” These are the sons of Korah that did not walk in the counsel of their father, as it says ““Move away from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing that belongs to them, [lest you be wiped out for all their sins.]” And “on the path of sins”: “the firepans of [these] sinners.” And “the company of scorners” this is Korah that was scorning Moses and Aaron. What did he do? He assembled all the community as it says “and he gathered against them the whole community.” He [Korah] began to speak scornfully. And he said to them, “There is a certain widow in my neighborhood and with her are two orphaned girls and she has one field. She came to plow and Moses said to her, ‘You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.’ She went to sow, and Moses said to her, ‘you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed.’ She went to harvest and to make heaps and he said to her ‘Leave me the droppings and the leavings and the corners.’ She went to do the threshing and he said to her, ‘Give me terumah and maaser terumah (tithes) and maaser rishon (the first tithe) and maaser sheni (the second tithe).’ She accepted the law upon herself and gave to him. What did she do? She sold the field and acquired two ewes to wear their fleece and to sell their offspring. When they gave birth, Aaron came along and said to her: “Give me the first borns as this is what HKBH said to me, ‘You shall consecrate to the LORD your God all male firstlings that are born in your herd and in your flock:’” She accepted the law upon herself and gave to him. The time came for shearing [the sheep] and she sheared them. He said to her, “Give me the best fleece as thus said the Holy One, Blessed be He to me, ‘and the first shearing of your sheep you shall give him.’” She said, “I do not have the strength to withstand this man, therefore I am slaughtering them and eating them [the ewes]. When she slaughtered them, he said to her, “Give me the foreleg, the cheeks, and the maw.” She said to him, “even though I have slaughtered them I have not been spared from his hand. She put them under a prohibition [cherem]. He said to her, “give it to me because it is written, ‘Everything that has been proscribed in Israel shall be yours.’” He took it and went. He left her weeping, she and her two daughters. Is such a law right that has contempt for the unfortunate?!All this they do and hang it upon the Holy One, Blessed be He! From this we learn he was a scorner.

The interpretation of the verse in Tehillim (79:1), "A song of Asaf: ha-Shem, nations have entered into your inheritance" cannot be understood without first addressing why it is a "song" of Asaf instead of a dirge...[Even though it describes the destruction of the Beit ha-Mikdash, it really addresses the coming reversal of fortune.] Thus as we have in the midrash, that Asaf composed this song upon seeing (Eichah 2:9), "the gates [of the Beit ha-Mikdash] being swalloed up by the earth." It can be compared to a parable, where the daughter of a poor person goes out to draw water from the well, and her pail fell into it. She was distressed and wept -- the the daughter of royalty came to the well, with a pail of gold in her hand, and this pail [also] fell. The first one said, until now I had no reason to think that anyone would retrieve my pail of clay, which no one would consider important. But now, whoever will retrieve that pail of gold will retrieve my pail with it. Thus the sons of Korach, that were swallowed up, when they saw "the gates covered up by the earth," they recited songs, saying "the one that will bring forth [these] gates will also brin gus forth." So sang Asaf, since he was o the family of Korach.