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 totaling (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 Wednesday, June 13th, 2018 / 29, Sivan 5778
Parashat Korach / פרשת קורח
Numbers 17:9-15 (7 p'sukim)
Numbers 17:9-13 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
9 Moses then brought all the staffs from Adonai’s Presence to all Bnei-Yisrael. They looked and each man took his staff.
10 Adonai said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony to keep as a sign to the sons of rebellion, so that it may put an end to their grumblings against Me, and so they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as Adonai had commanded him.
12 But Bnei-Yisrael said to Moses saying, “Look! We will die! We are all lost! We are lost! 13 Anyone approaching the Tabernacle of Adonai will die! Must all of us die?”
9 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
10 הֵרֹ֗מּוּ מִתּוֹךְ֙ הָעֵדָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את וַאֲכַלֶּ֥ה אֹתָ֖ם כְּרָ֑גַע וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃
11 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן קַ֣ח אֶת־הַ֠מַּחְתָּה וְתֶן־עָלֶ֨יהָ אֵ֜שׁ מֵעַ֤ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ וְשִׂ֣ים קְטֹ֔רֶת וְהוֹלֵ֧ךְ מְהֵרָ֛ה אֶל־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְכַפֵּ֣ר עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־יָצָ֥א הַקֶּ֛צֶף מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה הֵחֵ֥ל הַנָּֽגֶף׃
12 וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַהֲרֹ֜ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר׀ דִּבֶּ֣ר מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיָּ֙רָץ֙ אֶל־תּ֣וֹך הַקָּהָ֔ל וְהִנֵּ֛ה הֵחֵ֥ל הַנֶּ֖גֶף בָּעָ֑ם וַיִּתֵּן֙ אֶֽת־הַקְּטֹ֔רֶת וַיְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־הָעָֽם׃
13 וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד בֵּֽין־הַמֵּתִ֖ים וּבֵ֣ין הַֽחַיִּ֑ים וַתֵּעָצַ֖ר הַמַּגֵּפָֽה׃
14 וַיִּהְי֗וּ הַמֵּתִים֙ בַּמַּגֵּפָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר אֶ֖לֶף וּשְׁבַ֣ע מֵא֑וֹת מִלְּבַ֥ד הַמֵּתִ֖ים עַל־דְּבַר־קֹֽרַח׃
15 וַיָּ֤שָׁב אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וְהַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה נֶעֱצָֽרָה׃ פ
THE STAFF FOR A REBELLIOUS PEOPLE
Today's pesukim speak of Aaron's staff that budded was put into the Ark to remain as a permanent testimony to Israel who were acting rebellious against Adonai, to put an end to their grumblings, in order to save our ancestors from certain demise. We know that this staff was not the only item put into the Ark as a "testimony" to Israel, in fact the Ark itself is called the "Ark of Testimony" in the Torah.
The writer of Igret ha Ivrim (Letter to the Hebrews) spoke about the articles within the Ark:
Hebrews 9:4 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
It held a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, completely covered with gold. In the ark was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant
On this pesuk, Dr. David Stern says, "The Holiest Place had associated with itself the golden altar for burning incense. Critics have been quick to conclude that the author did not know what he was talking about, since the Torah clearly states that the golden altar was outside the curtain (Exodus 30:6, Leviticus 16:18, 1 Kings 6:22). Actually, the author knew his subject well. Although the incense altar was used daily for other purposes, it was used in a special way by the cohen hagadol on Yom-Kippur, when he would take from it a golden censer of coals and bring them into the Holiest Place (Exodus 30:10, Leviticus 16:12, 15). See paragraph after next.
Inside the Holiest Place was the Ark of the Covenant (described first at Exodus 25:10-22), the box in which were the gold jar containing a sample of the manna on which the Israelites lived for forty years in the Wilderness (Exodus 16:33); Aharon's rod, the dry almond branch that sprouted overnight as a sign to Korach and his rebels that Moses and Aaron were God's authorized representatives (Numbers 17:25); and the second set of stone Tablets of the Covenant that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:1-4, 28-29; Deuteronomy 10:1-5), which were in Solomon's Temple (2 Chronicles 5:10) but disappeared later, perhaps at the time of the Babylonian Exile (587 C.E.; see Rv 11:19 N).
Earlier, in v. 2, the Greek text says that the table with showbread and the menorah were "in" the Holy Place. And in the latter part of the present verse, the Greek says that the manna, rod and tablets were "in" the ark. But the Greek expression for the relationship between the Holiest Place and the incense altar is not "in which" but "having," i.e., "having associated with itself." Like the ark the incense altar was associated with the Holiest Place. But the author did not make the mistake of locating the incense altar in the Holiest Place, which would have been an error; on the contrary, choosing his words carefully, he associated the incense altar with the Holiest Place even though it was outside. A diagram of the actual locations makes this even clearer; the figure shows that the incense altar was close to the Holiest Place, while the menorah, showbread and table were farther away."
Stern accurately defends the writer of Hebrews, and also states the fact that the Ark with all of it's contents were lost (i.e. buried) around 587 BC/CE. According to Jewish tradition, it is Josiah Melech Yisrael, (the last righteous Davidic King of Judah) who sequestered the Ark just prior to the Babylonian Exile by burying it; and that it will once again be revealed in the days of his descendant, King Messiah.
It is important to know that not only was Aaron's staff used to remind Israel of their rebelliousness, but it was this same staff that was used to demonstrate to Egypt their rebelliousness as well. Remember, it was this staff that God had commanded Moses to have his brother Aaron through down in front of Pharaoh and his magicians and who's staff became a serpent and ate the staffs of the magicians. (see Exodus 7). Of this incident a group of medieval rabbis commented in a book known as: Chizkuni. Composed in Middle-Age France (1240 CE). Very little is known about the author, Rabbi Hezekiya ben Manoah. Some believe that he wrote his commentary of the Torah in the middle of the 13th century and that he was from Northern France. Chizkuni is a compilation of the work of many commentators with a strong emphasis on Rashi. On this issue it says the following:
קח את המטה זה המטה של אהרן דהא כתיב כאן ויקח משה את המטה מלפני ה׳ וזהו מקלו של אהרן כדכתיב בפרשת קרח השב את מטה אהרן לפני העדות למשמרת לאות לבני מרי, ועוד דמקלו של אהרן היה אות לבני מרי והיינו דאמר משה שמעו נא המורים וכבר טעה משה שאמר לו הקב״ה קח את המטה סבר משה להכות בסלע והקב״ה לא אמר קח את המטה אלא לפי שלא היה לאות לבני מרי.
קח את המטה, “take the staff!” G-d referred to Aaron’s staff. This is clear from what the Torah writes: Moses took the staff that had been in the presence of the Lord, i.e. in the Tabernacle, the staff that had produced almonds in Numbers 17,23. Compare also Numbers 17,25, where Moses had been told to return his staff to the Tabernacle as an ongoing reminder to the obstinate community of Israel that a member of his family had been chosen to be High Priest. It was appropriate for this staff to be used again when dealing with a people that were in a rebellious mood. In this episode Moses committed his first error when he took the wrong staff, seeing that he thought he was supposed to strike the rock. The only reason that G-d had told Moses to take this staff, was that it had been used in conjunction with the rebelliousness of the Jewish people, as opposed to the obstinacy of Pharaoh.
Not only do these rabbis agree that the very same staff used to humble Pharaoh, was later used to humble Israel from their grumbling, but it should also be noted that their comment above that it is appropriate for this staff to be used yet again... when dealing with people who are rebellious... what does this mean for us in the New Covenant?
Revelation 11:19 Then the Temple of God in heaven was opened, and the Ark of His Covenant appeared in His Temple. And there were flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder and an earthquake and heavy hail.
Shaliach Yochanan gave us the vision of the Revelation of this very Ark of the Covenant, and in this will be the reminder of Aaron's Rod/Staff that will bring judgement to all those who are rebellious, but to those who remain faithful we find the opposite...
Revelation 2:16 Repent then! If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone—and written on the stone a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
May we all receive a new name, a new heart, and some of the Hidden Manna that is waiting for us at the Revelation of our Messiah, Yeshua. Amen.
R' Eric
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