Korach and Revolution

Numbers 16:1 Now there betook-himself Korah son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levi, and Datan and Aviram the sons of Eliav and On son of Pelet, the sons of Re'uven

Numbers 16:2 to rise up before Moshe with men-of-stature from the Children of Israel, fifty and two hundred, leaders of the community, those Called in the Appointed-council, men of name.

Numbers 16:3 They assembled against Moshe and against Aharon and said to them: Too much (is) yours!

Indeed, the entire community, the entirety-of-them, are holy, and in their midst is YHVH! Why then do you exalt yourselves over the assembly of YHVH?

Numbers 16:4 Now when Moshe heard, he flung himself on his face.

Numbers 16:5 Then he spoke to Korah and to his entire community, saying: At daybreak YHVH will make-known who is his and who is holy and he will declare-him-near to him; the one that he chooses, he will declare-near to him.

Numbers 16:6 This, do: Take yourselves (fire) pans, Korah and his entire community,

Numbers 16:7 and put fire in them, placing incense on them, before the presence of YHVH, tomorrow. And it shall be: the man whom YHVH chooses, he is the holy-one. Too much (is) yours, Sons of Levi!

Numbers 16:8 And Moshe said to Korah: Pray hearken, Sons of Levi:

Numbers 16:9 Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel to bring you near to him, to serve the serving-tasks of the Dwelling of YHVH, to stand before the community, to attend on them?

Numbers 16:10 He has brought-near you and all your brothers, the Sons of Levi, with you- would you seek the priesthood as well?

Numbers 16:11 Truly, (it is) you and your entire community that come-together against YHVH- as for Aharon, what is (wrong) with him that you should grumble against him!

Numbers 16:12 Moshe sent to call Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, but they said: We will not go up!

Numbers 16:13 Is it too little that you have brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to cause-our-death in the wilderness? that you should play-the-prince over us, even the prince?

Numbers 16:14 Then too, not to a land flowing with milk and honey have you brought us, (nor) have you given us an inheritance of field and vineyard. The eyes of these men, would you gouge out? We will not go up!

Numbers 16:15 Then Moshe became exceedingly upset, he said to YHVH: Do not turn your face toward their grain-gift- not (even) one donkey of theirs have I carried off, I have not done ill to (even) one of them!

Numbers 16:16 Moshe said to Korah: You and your entire community, be (there) before the presence of YHVH, you and they and Aharon, tomorrow.

Numbers 16:17 And take, each-man, his pan, place on them smoking-incense, and bring-it-near, before the presence of YHVH, each-man his pan, fifty and two hundred pans, and (also) you and Aharon, each-man his pan.

Numbers 16:18 So they took each-man his pan, placing on them fire, putting on them smoking-incense, and stood at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment, as (did) Moshe and Aharon.

Numbers 16:19 And Korah and his entire community assembled against them, at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment. Now the Glory of YHVH was seen by the entire community;

Numbers 16:20 and YHVH said to Moshe and to Aharon, saying:

Numbers 16:21 Separate (yourselves) from the midst of this community, that I may finish them off in an instant!

Numbers 16:22 They flung themselves on their faces and said: O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, at the entire community will you be furious?

Numbers 16:23 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:

Numbers 16:24 Speak to the community, saying: Go up from around the dwelling-place of Korah, Datan and Aviram!

Numbers 16:25 Moshe arose and went to Datan and Aviram, and there went after him the elders of Israel.

Numbers 16:26 And he spoke to the community, saying: Pray turn away from the tents of these wicked men, do not touch anything that is theirs, lest you be swept away for all their sins!

Numbers 16:27 They went up from the dwellings of Korah, Datan and Aviram, all around. Now Datan and Aviram had come out, stationed at the entrance to their tents, with their wives, their children, and their little-ones.

Numbers 16:28 Moshe said: By this you shall know that (it is) YHVH (who) sent me to do all these deeds, that (it was) not from my (own) heart:

Numbers 16:29 if like the death of all humans these-men die, and the calling-to-account of all humans is accounted upon them, (it is) not YHVH (who) has sent me.

Numbers 16:30 But if YHVH 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, then you will know that these men have scorned YHVH.

Numbers 16:31 Now it was, just as he finished speaking all these words, there split the ground that was beneath them;

Numbers 16:32 the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up them and their households, all the human beings that belonged to Korah and all the property.

Numbers 16:33 So they went down, they and all theirs, alive, into Sheol; the earth covered them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

(1) ויקח קרח — This section is beautifully expounded in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma. (2) ויקח קרח lit., AND KORAH TOOK — He betook himself on one side with the view of separating himself from out of the community so that he might raise a protest regarding the priesthood to which Moses had appointed his brother. This is what Onkelos means when he renders it by ואתפלג — “he separated himself” from the rest of the community in order to maintain dissension.

(17) Every argument that is for [the sake of] heaven's name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not for [the sake of] heaven's name -- it is not destined to endure. What is [an example of an argument] for [the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Hillel and Shammai. What is [an example of an argument] not for [the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Korach and all of his congregation.

For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha is like us,' and the other said, 'The halakha is like us.' A heavenly voice spoke: "These and these are the words of the living God, and the halakha is like the House of Hillel." A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halacha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? It is because the students of Hillel were kind and gracious. They taught their own ideas as well as the ideas from the students of Shammai.

The Sages taught in the Tosefta: There was an incident involving a certain Sadducee who was appointed as High Priest, who prepared the incense outside and then brought it into the Holy of Holies. Upon his emergence he was overjoyed that he had succeeded. The father of that Sadducee met him and said to him: My son, although we are Sadducees and you performed the service in accordance with our opinion, we fear the Pharisees and do not actually implement that procedure in practice.