In our Parshah there is a two-pronged attack against the appointment of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, and against Moses as the leader of Israelite nation. This ultimately comes down as a rebellion against God.
Aaron and his sons’ appointment to the priesthood begins in the Book of
Exodus at 28:1, when Hashem makes a declaration to Moses:
וְאַתָּה הַקְרֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת-אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת-בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ, מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--לְכַהֲנוֹ-לִי: אַהֲרֹן--נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר, בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן.
“And you shall bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons”.
Contrary to Hashem’s declaration, Korach, Aaron’s cousin wants to open the Priest’s office to everyone. This was not to be; the Priesthood was, is and will be an exclusionary office. Korach is assisted by 250 tribal leaders, including possibly some Levites. They too wanted the privilege to offer sacrifices on the Altar, the Mizbeach (מזבח). They maintained that offering sacrifices, ie. being Priests, should not rest exclusively with Aaron and his family.
Secondly, Dathan and Abiram are causing a problem for Moses. They are leaders from the Tribe of Reuben. They do not want to wander and die in the dessert for the next 39 years. For better or worse they want to return to Egypt, the home that they had known. After all, they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
However there is no turning back. In comparison to the ten spies who were killed outright, the generation of the dessert were given a life sentence without any hope of parole.
Moses has the full support of Hashem. The ground opens up, as if it is a living being and swallows up Korech, Dathan and Abiram. The 250 co-conspirators who are carrying their fire pans bring down a heavenly fire that consumes them all. It is similar to what happened to Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu.
You play with fire and you get burned.
A PRACTICAL WOMAN SAVES HER HUSBAND'S LIFE
In the Parshah, Korach is assisted by three co-conspirators:
Dathan, Abiram and On son of Peleth. Korach,
Dathan and Abiram perish, but On’s situation is in clouded in mystery.
The Midrash (Numbers Rabbah 18:20) comes out and says that On’s wife saves the day: On’s wife was wise and practical. She sums up for her husband that he is in a lose-lose situation. Then she gets him so drunk that he falls asleep.
When the boys come by to fetch her husband, she stands at the entrance to her tent and loosens her hair. This unseemly act causes the boys to turn tail and run off to their doom.
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MAX’S PARSHAT KORACH QUIZ QUESTIONS
Max has come up with a quiz that relates to Parshat Korach. Here are his questions. Do your best. The answers are found at the end of this post.
1-WHAT IS THE SPECIAL COMPLAINT ABOUT PARASHAS KORACH?
2-WHICH PRESTIGIOUS POSITIONS DID KORACH HOLD?
3-HOW MANY ADDITIONAL JEWS DIED IN ADDITION TO HIS FOLLOWERS?
4-WHICH WIVES GAVE THEIR HUSBANDS BAD ADVICE CAUSING DEATH?
5-WHO IS PERFECT EXAMPLE THAT HONOR & JEALOUSY CAUSES DEATH?
6-WHAT LASHON HARA DID KORACH SPREAD ABOUT MOSHE?
7-WHY WERE THE 250 PANS USED BY KORACH USED IN THE MIZBEIYACH ?
8-WHY WAS KETORES USED TO STOP THE PLAGUE AFTER THE REBELLION?
9-HOW DID KORACH BECOME SO RICH ?
10-WHY DOES DAVID REPEAT IN TEHILIM ""REQUEST & PURSUE PEACE""?
11-WHY DID AHARON'S STICK SPROUT WITH ALMONDS?
12-WHO HID AWAY AHARON'S STICK WITH THE ETERNAL ALMONDS?
13-HOW MANY GIFTS ARE WE REQUIRED TO GIVE SHEVET LEVI?
14-WHO SAVED HER HUSBAND FROM GOING OFF TO JOIN KORACH?
15-WHERE WAS THE BIGGEST VACUUM CLEANER USED?
16-WHICH BAD MIDAH CAUSES HATRED AND FIGHTING
17-HOW MANY TIMES WOULD ONE HAD TO ASK HIS FRIEND FORGIVENESS?
18-WHICH PERSON DOES TORAH SPECIFICALLY WARN NOT TO BE LIKE?
19-WHAT IS HASHEM FAVORITE KORBAN ?
20-WHO WAS THE ORIGINAL PERSON KORACH WAS REALLY JEALOUS OF?
21-HOW MANY KOHANIM GEDOLIM DID KORACH SUGGEST TO HAVE?
22-FROM WHERE DO WE LEARN THAT BAD NEIGHBORS CAN CAUSE HARM?
23-HOW WERE DOEG & ACHTOFEL COMPARED TO NASAN & AVIRAM?
24-HOW MANY LETTERS ARE THERE IN THE 10-COMMANDMENTS?
25-WHAT ARE 3-KINDS OF LIVING FIRST BORN GIVEN TO KOHANIM ?
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I heard a shiur by Rabbi Riskin in which Moses’ punishment not to enter Israel (Parshat Chukat next week) is directly attributed to his encounter with Korach in this week’s Parshah. No one sticks up for Moshe. Not one of shows gratitude for all that he has done. And Moshe is angry. Then next week when Moshe encounters the rock, his misplaced anger comes out. The rock becomes the Jewish people, stiff-necked, hard and implacable. And he strikes it.
Rabbi Riskin concludes that to be a leader of the Jewish people, one must not lose patience, must be forgiving and love us passionately despite our failings.
Korach failed in his rebellion, but in doing so he may have pushed Moshe out of his office
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The Punishment of
Korah (detail from the fresco Punishment of the Rebels by Sandro
Botticelli (1480–1482)
in the Sistine
Chapel)
In a previous Parshah, Behaalotecha, Eldad and Medad were prophesying. Joshua becomes outraged. Moses calms him down, gracefully saying, “If only all of G-d’s people would be prophets!” Yet in Parshat Korach, when Korach challenges Moses’ authority saying, “The whole community is holy, and the Lord is with them, why then do you exalt yourself over the community of G-d?”
And in this instance Moses uses his power to call upon a miracle to
eliminate his opposition.
What’s going on here? How
are the two instances reconciled?
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The Haftarah
portion is from Samuel I, 11:14 - 12:22.
About 400 years before, Joshua, starting out from Gilgal, had conquered the Land. It had taken him 14 years. Then for a period of more than 300 years, from time to time when we were beset by enemies, we were led by Prophets and Judges. Our enemies were the Ammonites or the Moabites or the Philistines and even some remaining Canaanites.
Now we requested a different kind of leadership; we wanted a King. Hashem listened and although not entirely pleased,
granted the request. Saul, the
Benjaminite was anointed King of Israel.
Samuel, who unselfishly administered to us for 40 years, traveling from
village to village on his own dime, begrudgingly went with the program. Listening to his words I hear some regret and
remorse.
"YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT"
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MAX’S PARSHAT KORACH QUIZ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1-WHAT IS THE SPECIAL COMPLAINT ABOUT PARASHAS KORACH?
AN ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW MOSHE & AHARON AS LEADERS OF ISRAEL
> 2-WHICH PRESTIGIOUS POSITIONS DID KORACH HOLD?
MOSHE'S COUSIN, CHOIR LEADER, HIGH SCHOLAR, VERY WEALTHY
> 3-HOW MANY ADDITIONAL JEWS DIED IN ADDITION TO HIS FOLLOWERS?
14,700 JEWS DIED BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED MOSHE CAUSED THEIR DEATH
> 4-WHICH WIVES GAVE THEIR HUSBANDS BAD ADVICE CAUSING DEATH?
KORACH'S WIFE , AND HAMMAN WIFE IN PURIM
> 5-WHO IS PERFECT EXAMPLE THAT HONOR & JEALOUSY CAUSES DEATH?
KORACH INTENSE DESIRE FOR HONOR & JEALOUSY CAUSED HIS DEMISE
> 6-WHAT LASHON HARA DID KORACH SPREAD ABOUT MOSHE?
THAT MOSHE HIMSELF MADE UP MANY COMMANDMENTS
> 7-WHY WERE THE 250 PANS USED BY KORACH USED IN THE MIZBEIYACH ?
A REMINDER FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS NOT TO OPPOSE THE KEHUNAH
> 8-WHY WAS KETORES USED TO STOP THE PLAGUE ?
TO PROVE THAT KETORES CAN CAUSE LIFE OR DEATH, ONLY SIN KILLS
> 9-HOW DID KORACH BECOME SO RICH ?
HE WAS THE ROYAL TREASURER AND HE ALSO FOUND JOSEPF TREASURE
> 10-WHY DOES DAVID REPEAT IN TEHILIM ""REQUEST & PURSUE PEACE""?
PURSUE IT FROM THE ENEMY, REQUEST IT FROM FROM YOUR FRIENDS
> 11-WHY DID AHARON'S STICK SPROUT WITH ALMONDS?
SYMBOLIZE ANY FIGHT AGAINST KEHUNAH WILL BE DEALT WITH SWIFTLY
> 12-WHO HID AWAY AHARON'S STICK WITH THE ETERNAL ALMONDS?
YOSHIYAHU HAMELECH HID IT SO AS NOT TO DESECRATE IT
> 13-HOW MANY GIFTS ARE WE REQUIRED TO GIVE SHEVET LEVI?
LEVITES ARE ENTITLED TO 24 DISTINCTIVE GIFTS
> 14-WHO SAVED HER HUSBAND FROM GOING OFF TO JOIN KORACH?
ON BEN PELES'S WIFE PERSUADED HIM NOT TO FOLLOW KORACH
> 15-WHERE WAS THE BIGGEST VACUUM CLEANER USED?
THE MOUTH OF THE PLANET THAT SWALLOWED KORACH AND HIS GROUP
> 16-WHICH BAD MIDAH CAUSES HATRED AND FIGHTING
JEALOUSY CAUSES ANIMOSITY , HATRED, AND ARGUMENTS
> 17-HOW OFTEN WOULD ONE HAD TO ASK HIS FRIEND FORGIVENESS?
UP TO THREE TIMES
> 18-WHICH PERSON DOES TORAH SPECIFICALLY WARN NOT TO BE LIKE?
KORACH
> 19-WHAT IS HASHEM FAVORITE KORBAN ?
KETORES IS HASHEM FAVORITE BECAUSE IT UNIFIES ALL PROPLE
> 20-WHO WAS THE ORIGINAL PERSON KORACH WAS REALY JEALOUS OF?
JEALOUS OF ELIZAFAN , HIS YOUNGEST COUSIN, HE BECAME HIS LEADER
> 21-HOW MANY KOHANIM GEDOLIM DID KORACH SUGGEST TO HAVE?
12-KOHANIM GEDOLIM , ONE FOR EACH TRIBE, ROTATING EVERY MONTH
> 22-FROM WHERE DO WE LEARN THAT BAD NEIGHBORS CAUSE HARM?
BECAUSE DATAN & AVIRAM LIVED NEXT KORACH'S CAMP
> 23-HOW WERE DOEG & ACHTOFEL COMPARED TO DATAN & AVIRAM?
BOTH GROUPS WERE INSULTING & CURSING THEIR LEADERS
> 24-HOW MANY LETTERS ARE THERE IN THE 10-COMMANDMENTS?
THERE 613 LETTERS , ONE LETTER FOR EACH MITZVAH
> 25-WHAT ARE 3-KINDS OF LIVING FIRSTBORN GIVEN TO KOHANIM ?
FIRSTBORN KOSHER ANIMAL, ISRAELITE., MALE DONKEY
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