Pesukim פסוקים are the "verses" of Scripture divided into Parashaot (Portions) read in the synagogue each week. On Monday's & Thursdays there are 3 divisions of the week's Parasha read and on Shabbat all 6 are read including a Maftir (added), which makes up the final Pesukim (verses) of the Parasha totalling (7) Aliyot each week. Rabbi Eric will give a short d'rash on each of the daily Pesukim that make up the week's Parasha for a good daily dose of Torah. For more explanation on how the Torah is read and divided daily and weekly in the Synagogue see the following links:
The Daily Pesuk for Sunday, June 10TH, 2018 / 27, Sivan 5778
Parashat Korach / פרשת קורח
Numbers 16:1-13 (13 p'sukim)
Numbers 16:1-13 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Parashat Korach
Rebellion of Korah
16 Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, and sons of Reuben—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth— 2 rose up against Moses and took 250 men from Bnei-Yisrael, men of renown who had been appointed to the council. 3 They assembled against Moses and Aaron. They said to them, “You’ve gone too far! All the community is holy—all of them—and Adonai is with them! Then why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of Adonai?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
5 Then he said to Korah and all his following saying, “In the morning Adonai will reveal who is His and who is holy. The one whom He will let come near to Him will be the one He chooses to come near to Him. 6 Do this, Korah and your whole following! Take for yourselves censers. 7 Put fire and incense into them in the presence of Adonai. Tomorrow the man that Adonai chooses will be the holy one! You sons of Levi are the ones who have gone too far!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Listen now, sons of Levi! 9 Isn’t it enough that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel to bring you near to Him to do the work of the Tabernacle of Adonai and to stand before the community to minister to them? 10 So He brought you close, along with all your fellow sons of Levi. But you are seeking the priesthood, too! 11 Therefore you and all your following are banding together against Adonai! Who then is Aaron—that you are grumbling against him?”
12 Then Moses sent word to call Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey, only to kill us in the wilderness? And now you would lord it over us?
16 וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃
2 וַיָּקֻ֙מוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים מִבְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם נְשִׂיאֵ֥י עֵדָ֛ה קְרִאֵ֥י מוֹעֵ֖ד אַנְשֵׁי־שֵֽׁם׃
3 וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהוָ֑ה וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהוָֽה׃
4 וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיִּפֹּ֖ל עַל־פָּנָֽיו׃
5 וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר אֶל־קֹ֜רַח וְאֶֽל־כָּל־עֲדָתוֹ֮ לֵאמֹר֒ בֹּ֠קֶר וְיֹדַ֨ע יְהוָ֧ה אֶת־אֲשֶׁר־ל֛וֹ וְאֶת־הַקָּד֖וֹשׁ וְהִקְרִ֣יב אֵלָ֑יו וְאֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַר־בּ֖וֹ יַקְרִ֥יב אֵלָֽיו׃
6 זֹ֖את עֲשׂ֑וּ קְחוּ־לָכֶ֣ם מַחְתּ֔וֹת קֹ֖רַח וְכָל־עֲדָתֽוֹ׃
7 וּתְנ֣וּ בָהֵ֣ן׀ אֵ֡שׁ וְשִׂימוּ֩ עֲלֵיהֶ֨ן קְטֹ֜רֶת לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ מָחָ֔ר וְהָיָ֗ה הָאִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה ה֣וּא הַקָּד֑וֹשׁ רַב־לָכֶ֖ם בְּנֵ֥י לֵוִֽי׃
8 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־קֹ֑רַח שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א בְּנֵ֥י לֵוִֽי׃
9 הַמְעַ֣ט מִכֶּ֗ם כִּֽי־הִבְדִּיל֩ אֱלֹהֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵעֲדַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְהַקְרִ֥יב אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָ֑יו לַעֲבֹ֗ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַת֙ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן יְהוָ֔ה וְלַעֲמֹ֛ד לִפְנֵ֥י הָעֵדָ֖ה לְשָׁרְתָֽם׃
10 וַיַּקְרֵב֙ אֹֽתְךָ֔ וְאֶת־כָּל־אַחֶ֥יךָ בְנֵי־לֵוִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֖ם גַּם־כְּהֻנָּֽה׃
11 לָכֵ֗ן אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־עֲדָ֣תְךָ֔ הַנֹּעָדִ֖ים עַל־יְהוָ֑ה וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן מַה־ה֔וּא כִּ֥י ׳תִלּוֹנוּ׳ ״תַלִּ֖ינוּ״ עָלָֽיו׃
12 וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִקְרֹ֛א לְדָתָ֥ן וְלַאֲבִירָ֖ם בְּנֵ֣י אֱלִיאָ֑ב וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹ֥א נַעֲלֶֽה׃
13 הַמְעַ֗ט כִּ֤י הֶֽעֱלִיתָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ לַהֲמִיתֵ֖נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּֽי־תִשְׂתָּרֵ֥ר עָלֵ֖ינוּ גַּם־הִשְׂתָּרֵֽר׃
In last week's Parasha Hashuvah (Shelach), we found complainers and "kvetchers" who grumbled against Adonai and slandered the land Eretz Yisrael. Naturally, what follows is a full scaled rebellion, and a "mutiny" against the leadership of Moses. What is interesting about our Pesukim for today, is that the identity of the rabble rousers is revealed to us, and it is quite eye-opening.
Korah was the grandson of Kohath, one of the three families of the Levitical tribe. Back in Bamidbar chapter 3 we find the divisions of the sons of Levi, three families and a listing of their duties. The three families were: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Korah was of the Kohath family, and their duties were to care for the furniture of the Sanctuary, setting it up, carrying it whenever the B'nei Yisrael moved and camped. Merari was responsible for the tent pegs, poles ropes etc... for setting up the entire Tabernacle itself, and Gershon was the ancestor of Moses and Aaron, who were the actual priests (Cohanim).
The dispute we find here is that Korah was jealous against Moses/Aaron, and he wanted Priesthood, not being satisified with what Adonai had chosen for him and his family to do within the Tabernacle.
How many times do we see disputes rise up like this within faith based communities? Are there not always "power struggles". This should not be among the true household of God.
In the Brit Chadasha, one of the Igrot (letters), of the brother of the Messiah, Judah. He wrote to the Messianic community:
Jude: 3 Loved ones, though very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I felt it necessary to write to you urging you to continue to contend for the faith that was once for all handed down to the kedoshim. 4 For certain people have secretly slipped in—those who from long ago have been marked out for this judgment. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into indecency and deny our only Master and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
5 Now I wish to remind you—though you have come to know all things—that the Lord, once having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels—who did not keep their own position of authority but deserted their proper place—He has kept in everlasting shackles under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great Day. 7 In the same way as these angels, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them—having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after a different sort of flesh—are displayed as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these people also, by their visionary dreaming, defile the flesh, reject the Lord’s authority, and defame glorious beings. 9 But when Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, was arguing about the body of Moses, he did not dare to render a judgment against him for slander, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people slander whatever they do not understand. And whatever they do understand instinctively—like animals without reason—by these things they are destroyed.
11 Woe to them! For they went the way of Cain; they were consumed for pay in Balaam’s error; and in Korah’s rebellion they have been destroyed. 12 These people are hidden rocky reefs at your love feasts—shamelessly feasting with you, tending only to themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
Interestingly, Judah quotes mostly from Jewish apocryphal literature as historical fact, and since this letter has been canonized as Scripture, it must be accepted as Authoritative, hence he uses Korah as an example of how even in the First Century, the Messianic community struggled with the very same issues we do as well today.
Since Judah saw fit to quote from Midrash and Aggadah literature, may I also take the liberty here as well? We find an interesting story in Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 110a of the following:
"Korah’s wife said to him: See what Moses is doing. He is the king, he appointed his brother High Priest, and he appointed his brother’s sons deputy priests. If teruma comes, he says: Let it be for the priest; if the first tithe comes, which you as Levites take, he says: Give one tenth to the priest. And furthermore, he shears your hair and waves you as if you are as insignificant as excrement (see Numbers 8:5–11), as though he set his sights on your hair and wishes you to be shaven and unsightly. Korah said to her: But didn’t he also do so; he shaved his hair like the rest of the Levites? She said to him: Since it is all done for his own prominence, he also said metaphorically: “Let me die with the Philistines” (Judges 16:30); he was willing to humiliate himself in order to humiliate you."
The oral tradition is that it was Korah's wife who influenced him to rebel against Moses. Later however we are told of the story of On son of Peleth, who was possibly one of the 250 that were among Korah's rebellion who was saved by his righteous wife... in Sanhedrin 11
"On, who sat in the mourning [repented upon his sin and withdrew from Korah]. Peleth, for whom wonders were made; ben Reuben, who [carefuly] observed it and understood [that it was wrong]. Rab said: "On ben Peleth was saved by his wife [from being among the congregation of Korah]. She said to him: 'What is the difference to you? If Moses will be master, you are only a disciple, and you will be in the same position if Korah will be the master.' And to his answer: 'What shall I do, I was with them in consultation, and swore to take part with them?' she said, 'I know that the whole congregation is holy, as it is written (Num. 16, 3) For the whole of the congregation are all of them holy, remain in your house and I will save thee.' She made him drink wine to intoxication, and she made him sleep in the house, and she herself sat outside at the entrance of the house, (Fol. 110) uncovered her head, loosened her hair, and whoever came to his house, to call upon On, when he saw the uncovered head of the woman, returned. Meantime, the congregation was swallowed. On the other hand, the wife of Korah said to him: 'See what Moses did. He proclaimed himself as a king, his brother he made highpriest, the sons of his brother for adjuncts of the high-priests. Heave-offering he commanded to give to the priests, and even from tithes, which are for the Levites, he commands to give again one-tenth to the priest. And not only this, he made of you fools by commanding all the Levites to shave off all their hair, so that you should look like prisoners.' And to his answer: 'He himself also did so,' she said, 'Since all the glory belongs to him, he does not care, etc.' And this is meant by the passage (Pr. 14, 1) The wise among women buildeth her house, — referring to the wife of On ben Peleth. But the foolish pulleth it down with her own hands, — referring to the wife of Korah."
Regardless if this midrash happened literally or not is not really the point. The point of it all is that it is spiritual suicide to come against the chosen leadership that is appointed by God Himself.
Rebellion against the Messianic authority that God has placed within the community is akin to Korah's rebellion against Moses. We must do all that we can, even if we have to take drastic measures sometimes when we see our own loved ones going astray, and getting themselves into power struggles that we know they will not possibly survive.
It is no small thing to put yourself into this position. May we all learn from this Parasha this week and remain faithful to the Son of David, our Messiah, Yeshua.
Amen,
R' Eric
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