Parshat Korach
by Rabbi Avi Billet
Reading through the narrative portion of Parshat Korach, one finds a number of groups complaining against Moshe and Aharon. The first is Korach, the second is Datan and Aviram’s group, the third is the 250 presumed followers of Korach, and the fourth are those upset at the beginning of chapter 17 (17:6).
All of that is followed by the story of Aharon’s staff blossoming – to the exclusion of the staffs of all tribe leaders – to achieve God’s goal of “removing from Me all the complaints of the children of Israel that they complain against you [Moshe and Aharon]” (17:20)
The last of the four groups, in a sense, is most confusing. Who are they? What is their agenda? They are called “kol adat yisrael” and “ha’edah” – both of which refer to a gathered group, and their complaint, quite legitimately, is “you caused the deaths of the nation of God!”
Rashbam rightly notes that the people took no issue with the demise of Datan and Aviram. In fact, the way Moshe warned them publicly, over and over, and told everyone who doesn’t want to be associated with them to get away, because a supernatural event will take place, proved that Datan and Aviram’s complaint about Moshe was an unconscionable complaint against God!
But the 250 people! They were bringing k’toret! They were just trying to demonstrate their ability to serve God too, and Moshe, knowing the price k’toret could exact, set the 250 up to die!
Rabbi Yitzchak Caro (Toldot Yitzchak) addressed the confusion that emerges from this story. In addition to wondering about the complainers, he also wondered how the deaths of the 250 firepan bringers wouldn’t teach a lesson to the people regarding Moshe’s and Aharon’s chosenness, while the test of the sticks of the tribe leaders would teach this lesson.
Rabbi Caro divides the original groups into four: Korach, Datan and Aviram, Levites, First Borns. All of them wanted to be Kohanim (I take issue with this claim regarding Datan and Aviram, because it is most clear to me that their specific complaints were about Moshe’s failed leadership which has doomed them to all die in the wilderness and never to make it to the Promised Land – and they do not seek the Priesthood. However, I admit that the text is vague enough to allow for Datan and Aviram to seek the Priesthood as well).
In fact, first borns had brought offerings prior to the Golden Calf (see Shmot 24:5 and Zevachim 115b), and the 250 were seeking to reverse what they deemed an injustice in their all losing the right to serve, simply because some people, who had already been punished with death, had worshiped the Golden Calf.
The accusation of the first borns against Moshe was that he took first born rights away and gave them to his own tribe. The accusation of the Levites was that as their tribe was chosen, they should all be Kohanim, not just Moshe’s brother’s family (super nepotism). Datan and Aviram took issue because they were from the tribe of Reuven, the first born of Yaakov, and they perceived Yehoshua taking over for Moshe, and he was from the tribe of Efraim (Yosef). They felt, Yaakov may have had a personal affinity for Yosef and minor vendetta against Reuven, but that doesn’t mean that for all time Yosef gets the double portion and Reuven is no longer the first born! Moshe should have righted that wrong! We can lead in his place!
Korach sought the kehunah for two reasons: he was a Levite, and he was personally a first born to Yizhar. His 250 followers were all first-borns, and some of them were also Levites. (see 16:8-10). [Rabbi Caro argues that it is impossible that they are all Levites as the Levites in general conducted themselves with holiness, and there is no way they’d have 250 of them gather in a mini-revolt against Moshe or Aharon.]
Datan and Aviram being consumed by the earth proved that Reuven was not to be the Kohen of the tribes. The 250 being consumed by fire proved that the first borns of all the tribes, as well as all of the tribe of Levi (except Aharon’s family) were not Kohanim. Korach’s death proved both of his arguments – being a Levi and personally a first-born – wrong. He was undeserving of being the Kohen.
One problem remains: It has been proven that first borns cannot be Kohanim. But why can they not be Levites? They should be able to assist the Kohanim in the manner in which the Levites provide such assistance! The K’toret test was an unfair one, because all it proved was they could not be Kohanim.
As Rabbi Caro put it, were they to perform Levitical work, they were confident they would not die. So, Moshe, put it to the test! Have them perform Levitical work and see if they die!
Those leading the complaint against Moshe for his unfair test of the first borns were the fathers of these first borns (Kol adat yisrael). (Rabbi Caro does not address why 14,700 people died on account of complaining about the deaths of 250)
In this sense, Aharon bringing out the k’toret to stop the ensuing plague demonstrated that it is not k’toret which is dangerous; it is k’toret in the wrong person’s hands which is dangerous.
Which leads us to the final point, regarding the test of the tribal leaders’ staffs.
When only Aharon’s staff blossomed, it demonstrated that no first borns could serve simply on account of their being a first born, not even those of the tribe of Levi. The Levites could serve as Levites in their capacity of coming from Aharon’s tribe (his staff representing the tribe of Levi), and Aharon’s heroics with the k’toret and the fire pan demonstrated that only he was worthy of being a Kohen.
Were the 250 people all Levites, the entire “adat bnei Yisrael” would not have complained against Moshe – it must have been that representatives from the entire nation (firsborns) were all in the group of 250.
It is clear to me from all this that if all of the groups had come to Moshe to say “We want a place in the service of God” without challenging Moshe’s and Aharon’s divine appointments, that Moshe could have directed them differently.
They did not say “We want to learn Torah. We want direction in how we can personally serve God.” They wanted positions which were unavailable to them because of God’s rules!
The job of the Jewish people is to embrace and educate all Jews who want to learn Torah and personally serve God, without pre-conditions. Not everyone can be a Kohen. Not everyone can be a Levite. But every Jew should be allowed to have a portion in the study of Torah and in personally getting close to God.
The only ones excluded from a particular space are non-Kohanim entering places they are forbidden by God to enter.
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