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 Monday, June 11TH, 2018 / 28, Sivan 5778
Parashat Korach / פרשת קורח
Numbers 16:14-19 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
14 What’s more, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you now gouge out the eyes of those men? We won’t come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to Adonai, “Do not accept their offering. I haven’t taken from them a single donkey, nor have I wronged one of them!”
16 So Moses said to Korah, “You and your whole following are to appear before Adonai—you, they and Aaron—tomorrow! 17 Each man will take his censer and you are to put incense into them—250 censers total. You are to present it before Adonai, you and Aaron each presenting his censer.”
18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense into it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Korah and all his following had assembled in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, then the glory of Adonai appeared to the entire assembly.
14 אַ֡ף לֹ֣א אֶל־אֶרֶץ֩ זָבַ֨ת חָלָ֤ב וּדְבַשׁ֙ הֲבִ֣יאֹתָ֔נוּ וַתִּ֨תֶּן־לָ֔נוּ נַחֲלַ֖ת שָׂדֶ֣ה וָכָ֑רֶם הַעֵינֵ֞י הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים הָהֵ֛ם תְּנַקֵּ֖ר לֹ֥א נַעֲלֶֽה׃
15 וַיִּ֤חַר לְמֹשֶׁה֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה אַל־תֵּ֖פֶן אֶל־מִנְחָתָ֑ם לֹ֠א חֲמ֨וֹר אֶחָ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ נָשָׂ֔אתִי וְלֹ֥א הֲרֵעֹ֖תִי אֶת־אַחַ֥ד מֵהֶֽם׃
16 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־קֹ֔רַח אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־עֲדָ֣תְךָ֔ הֱי֖וּ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה אַתָּ֥ה וָהֵ֛ם וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן מָחָֽר׃
17 וּקְח֣וּ׀ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וּנְתַתֶּ֤ם עֲלֵיהֶם֙ קְטֹ֔רֶת וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֞ם לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֔וֹ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמָאתַ֖יִם מַחְתֹּ֑ת וְאַתָּ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן אִ֥ישׁ מַחְתָּתֽוֹ׃
18 וַיִּקְח֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם קְטֹ֑רֶת וַֽיַּעַמְד֗וּ פֶּ֛תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃
19 וַיַּקְהֵ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֥ם קֹ֙רַח֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיֵּרָ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃ פ
These short pesukim for today, the 2nd day of the week, give us a little insight into the human nature of rebellion.
In some sense, what Dathan, and Abiram was saying in vs. 14 is factually true. "You have not brought us to the land flowing with milk and honey"...Moses had indeed promised to take them up out of Egypt, and that he did. However, after their sin of complaining and slandering the Land, God had already decreed that generation would NOT enter the Land instead they would drop dead in the wilderness.
Now, these Reubenites (who were aligned with Korah), blame Moses for their plight, ignoring the fact that it was they and their rabble who slandered the Land and got themselves into their own mess. They would've been brought into the Land within a three day journey, had they not chose to rebel against Adonai.
The real question here though is what was Moses' intention in calling up these Reubenites? What was it he was attempting to say to them? Interestingly, pesuk 12 leaves out the name On son of Peleth, which supports yesterdays premise that his wife had intervened to protect him. Upon recieving the messengers from Moses these two men respond arrogantly in pesuk 14, making a threat: הַעֵינֵ֞י הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים הָהֵ֛ם תְּנַקֵּ֖ר לֹ֥א נַעֲלֶֽה׃ Rashi translates this verse as: "Even if you gouge out the eyes of these men... we still will not go up."
Their insolence is absolute. They had no idea what exactly Moses would say or offer them. Yet in their wicked arrogance and insolence they show themselves to be fools. Even a smart person would at least hear out someone they opposed. Their contempt and lack of respect for authority was tangible.
Scholars try to explain what Moses intended to do and say to these two. John Gill wrote, "He sent messengers to call them to the house of judgment, as the Targum of Jonathan, to the court of judicature, where the Jews suppose Moses, with the seventy elders, were now sitting: it seems these two men departed either before. Moses rose up from prayer, or however before he had finished his speech to Korah and the Levites; which being particularly directed to them, these men might think they had no concern in it, and went away to their own tents:
which said, we will not come up; this answer they returned to the messengers, and by them to Moses, declaring that they denied his power, despised his authority, and would not obey his orders, and therefore refused to come up to the tabernacle, or to the tent of Moses, or to the court of judicature, wherever it was; perhaps the first is best. Aben Ezra thinks, that as the tabernacle was in the midst of the camp, it was on an eminence, wherefore those that came to it might be said to come up to it.
Whether this be a type of "Court Summons" as Gill, describes or something else; one leadership principle is laid out within Jewish tradition. Rashi describes it differently:
"From here we derive that one should not persist in a dispute, because Moses sought them out to conciliate them with peaceful words. — [Mid. Tanchuma Korach 10, Sanh. 110a]
A wise leader will try to isolate others from the rabble and attempt to make peace with them first before bringing disciplinary charges against the whole group. I believe, only from personal experience with this same problem, that Moses was actually attempting to appeal to Dathan and Abiram's senses. (i.e. 'look you guys are of Reuben, what dispute do you share with this Levite, just because you are neighbors and listen to his gossip, do you really want to join in with his demise?).
When they even refused to come to the Tent of Meeting and even hear what Moshe had to offer or say, it clearly showed him and all Israel where they stood.
In congregational life there are always those who are "disgruntled" about what is going on, and typically it is because, like Korah, they want to be in charge. If allowed, they will poison those around them with their gossip and slander, even the innocent who are in the wrong place at the wrong time and allow their own ears to receive the complaining and kvetching.
On's wife spared her husband this unfortunate encounter, while later we see that Dathan and Abiram go down to hell alive with Korah.
Which side will we chose to be on the next time we hear rumors and complaining against our leaders going on around us?
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