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In this week’s parsha (Korach), we find a group of people who disagree with Moshe, and attempt to challenge his authority. At first, it appeared that their disagreement was based upon theology; they believed that not only Moshe and Aharon, but also they could perform the priestly service. However, it soon became clear that their differences with Moshe had a deeper source and origin – they wished to completely supplant and remove Moshe from his task. This is not immediately clear from the text, but it is discernable upon close examination of Rashi’s commentary. Our examination starts with the verse in which Moshe implores G-d not to turn to the incense offering of the dissenting members of the community. “And Moshe became very angry and said to G-d, ‘Do not turn to their offeringŔ (Num. 16:15). Rashi brings two explanations; “On the simple textual level, the text means that the incense that they will offer to You tomorrow, do not turn to them. And the Midrash says, ‘I know that they have a portion in the public offerings that are sacrificed every day, but do not accept their portion…do not consume them.”
As always, it is important to understand why Rashi brings two explanations of a single verse. In general, he does so when his first explanation presents a significant difficulty. Rashi always first mentions the explanation that is closest to the pshat, or simple meaning, but when that interpretation presents a significant problem, Rashi may bring another explanation based upon Midrash (even then, in order to explain the simple level, or pshat). And that is what he does here. In our case, the difficulty with the first explanation is, why is it at all necessary for Moshe to place this request with G-d? Since the two hundred and fifty men were obviously in the wrong, and they sought to rebel not only against Moshe Rabeinu but also against G-d Himself, there doesn’t seem to be any reason for G-d to accept their offering. At first glance, this needs no explanation. And that is why Rashi brings a second explanation, based upon Midrash. The Midrash suggests that Moshe was not concerned about whether G-d accepted their incense offering. He was concerned with another offering. Every Jew, including the two hundred and fifty rebels, gave a half-shekel contribution to a fund to buy the public sacrifices that are offered every day in the Temple. But in this case, Moshe requested G-d not to accept this portion that the rebels had donated toward the public sacrifices.
This answers why Rashi brought two explanations on this verse (Num. 16:15). However, it does not answer why any request of G-d was necessary whatsoever. What needed to be explained was why this verse (Num. 16:15) was stated at all. Since the two hundred and fifty men were all sinners, there was no reason for Moshe to request from G-d not to respond to them. It could have been assumed that He would not respond positively, even without Moshe’s request. And Rashi’s explanation does not seem to answer this question, so why does Rashi bring it at all?
However, when we look closer at Rashi’s words, we begin to get a clue. Although he mentions the incense that the rebels will bring, Moshe (according to Rashi) asks G-d not to turn to ‘them’ – to the people. He says, Ӆthe incense that they will bring tomorrow to You, do not turn to them.” If Rashi meant that Moshe asked G-d not to respond to the incense, he should have requested that He not turn to “it.” By using the word “them,” Rashi wanted to point out that Moshe beseeched G-d not to respond to them – to the rebels – at all. Not only to reject their incense offering, but to reject them as well.
In the beginning of the disagreement, Moshe sought to persuade the rebels to back down because he thought they were making a philosophical mistake. When they issued their challenge, he said to them (Num. 16:6-7), ӅTake for yourselves pans…and put fire in them and place incense upon them before G-d tomorrow and the person that G-d chooses, he is the holy one.” Since only one person could offer incense, this test was meant to clarify who that person was. One person would emerge alive and the rest would pass away. When that person would turn out to be Aharon, it would be clear that all the others sought to offer a “foreign” substance, similar to Nadav and Avihu (two sons of Aharon) and were therefore obligated to die.
That was Moshe’s initial approach. But, when after much further effort on the part of Moshe to persuade the rebels proved to be futile, Moshe realized that some other motive was at work here. He began with soft, persuasive words, but he soon moved on to speak more decisively; “Is it a small thing for you that G-d separated youŔ He then proceeded to call Datan and Aviram (two of the main protagonists of the rebellion) to come to him. Only when they refused to come did Moshe find it necessary to “pull out all the stops.” That is when he petitioned G-d, “The incense that these people are offering tomorrow, do not turn to them.” That is, Moshe beseeched that they should not die a death similar to that of Nadav and Avihu, who sought to offer a foreign incense. Rather, he requested from G-d not to turn to them at all, since their entire interest was just to rebel against Moshe and G-d.
Possibly, that is why Moshe uses the phrase, “Do not turn to themŔ rather than, “Do not accept,” or “Do not take.” He meant to imply that the problem here was not only their incense or their desire to offer. Rather, the problem was their rebellion against Moshe and G-d, and therefore, according to Rashi, Moshe requested G-d not to turn to “them” at all.
Moshe’s request was understandable. For, if he thought at the beginning that the source of the rebellion was their desire to offer the incense just as did the High Priest, it soon became apparent that the problem was much deeper. So, instead of requesting G-d not to accept their incense, Moshe requested G-d not to accept them – the rebels themselves. Since the problem was not the detail of incense but rather their refusal to accept Moshe and Aharon, so it was necessary for Moshe to quash the entire rebellion by eliminating them. And this is what we see takes place; the verse that narrates the punishment (Num. 16:18) reads, “And fire went out from G-d and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered the incense.” This verse is not a follow-up to the incense offering. It is a follow-up to the punishment that took place later when they were “swallowed” in the earth. The verse indicates that their death was not similar to Nadav and Avihu, who died when the fire entered their nostrils. Rather, the fire consumed the rebels only after they were already swallowed in the earth. That is why Rashi emphasizes that ultimately, Moshe beseeched G-d to punish them not over the incense, but over their rebellion.
However, after all is said and done, Rashi’s explication still remains problematical. We understand why Moshe petitioned G-d; he wanted not only a clarification regarding the priesthood, but also to eradicate the rebellion. Therefore, he requested G-d not to turn to the rebels at all. But, whether the rebellion was about the incense or about the rebels, it should not have been necessary for Moshe to make any request whatsoever. It is understood that if these two hundred and fifty men persisted in rebelling against Moshe and against G-d, it was necessary for G-d to eliminate them, even without a request from Moshe. So, why is there a verse telling us that Moshe requested G-d not to turn to them? Therefore, Rashi brings a second explanation from the Midrash; Moshe’s request was not about the incense offering whatsoever. Rather, when he asked G-d not to turn to their “offering,” Moshe was referring to their portion in the public olah offerings that the Jews contributed toward every year with their “half-shekel” donation. This offering had no connection to the incense offering or to the rebellion against Aharon at all. Furthermore, it was “positive” in the sense that every Jew had a portion in the public sacrifices. And this is what Moshe sought to nullify – that the portion of the rebels should not be accepted by G-d. By so doing, Moshe did not seek merely a punishment for the two hundred and fifty rebels. Rather he sought a further eradication of their rebellion, by cutting them off completely from the rest of the Jewish people. If they had no portion in the public offerings that the rest of the Jews were partners in, then they were disassociated from the Jews in general.
However, this second explanation is not part of the simple meaning of the text. Rather it comes from the Midrash, since neither the text nor any other part of the parsha refers to the public offerings. And that is why Rashi brings it as his second explanation, because the first is closer to the pshat, or simple meaning of the text.
Parshat Korach often occurs during the week of gimmel Tammuz (the third day of Tammuz, commemorating the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson, ztz’l, in 1994). There were other events that occurred on this day. The Rebbe’s father in law, R’ Yoseph Yitzhak Schneerson was miraculously freed from Bolshevik prison on this day in 1927, and much further back in Jewish history, Joshua told the sun in Gibon, “Hold still” (domb) while he fought the enemy, giving the Jews time to defeat them while conquering the land of Israel. In other words, it is a day on which miracles occur, especially miracles that involve the leaders of the Jewish world. Just as Moshe held Korach and his rebels at bay while he guided the Jews through the desert, so the tzadikim and leaders of every generation use whatever means are necessary to ensure Jewish unity and continuity. The challenge now is for us, the Jews, to recognize their authority and leadership, and allow them to take us into the promised Land where we will build the third and final Temple, may it happen quickly!
From Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, vol. 33, Pp. 105-112 Rabbi David Sterne, Jerusalem Connection in the old city of Jerusalem