## Tur HaArokh, Numbers

###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:1:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:1:1)

**ויקח קרח.**פי' הרמב"ן שלקח עצה בלבו לעשות מה שאמר אח"כ כי לשון לקיחה נופל על העצה ועל המחשבה כמו מה יקחך לבך מה מחשבה יקח לך לבך שתחשוב פלסתר לית דין ולית דיין וכן במחשבה טובה קחו מוסרי ואל כסף. ור' אברהם פי' ויקח קרח אנשים ואמר דרך קצרה. וי"מ ויקח קרח חוזר על דתן שלקח דתן ואבירם והוא"ו של ודתן היא יתירה כמו ואיה וענה ופי' ויקח לדתן ולאבירם. כתב ר' אברהם כי זה קרה במדבר סיני כאשר נתחלפו הבכורים ונבדלו הלויים שחשבו שמשה עשה כל זה מדעתו לתת גדולה לאחיו גם לבני קהת שהם קרובים אליו ולכל בני לוי שהם ממשפחתו והלויים קשרו עליו בעבור שהיו נתונים לאהרן ולבניו וקשר דתן ואבירם בעבור שהסיר הבכורה מראובן ונתנה ליוסף ואולי חשדוהו בעבור יהושע משרתו גם קרח בכור היה ואלה נשיאי העדה היו בכורים ועל כן לקחו מחתות. וכתב הרמב"ן זה מדעתו של ר' אברהם שהוא אומר במקומות רבים אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה לרצונו ועל דעתי כל התורה כולה כסדר וכו' עד בהם או בכהנים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויקח קרח, “Korach took, etc.” According to Nachmanides the word ויקח, -seeing that the Torah does not spell out what it was that Korach took- refers to Korach “consulting” with his heart to embark on a certain course of action, the details of which the Torah will reveal shortly. The root לקח may be employed when speaking of “taking” advice, etc. It also occurs in Scripture in the context of embarking on a good and wholesome plan, as in Job 15,12 מה יקחך לבך, “How your heart has carried you away!” Another example of the use of that word in such a context is Proverbs 8,10 קחו מוסרי ואל כסף, “accept my discipline instead of silver!”
 Ibn Ezra explains the word ויקח as an abbreviated version of “Korach took for himself a number of men, etc.”
 Some commentators believe that the predicate of the words ויקח קרח is Datan and Aviram and that the letter ו in ודתן , is extraneous. We encounter something analogous in Genesis 36,24 ואיה וענה where there also appears no need for the letter ו in the word ואיה. The meaning of the phrase in our verse then would be ויקח קרח דתן ואבירם, “Korach took Datan and Aviram.”
 Ibn Ezra, in trying to fix the point in time when Korach’s rebellion took place, claims that it occurred in the desert of Sinai [way before the debacle with the spies and the resultant lack of a future for his generation. Ed.] The flashpoint for the rebellion was the exchange of the privileges formerly accorded to the firstborn for the Levites. The rebels believed that Moses had acted high-handedly and that G’d had not initiated this switch. They believed that what had occurred was an act of nepotism on the part of Moses who wanted to fill the most coveted positions in the nation with members of his immediate family. They included not only his brother and nephews, but even the sons of Kehat, and the Levites in general as they were members of his tribe. Datan and Aviram used this as a pretext for rebelling, seeing that they, as members of the tribe of Reuven, had both already been deprived of their status as “firstborns,” and the tribe of Joseph had i.e. members of that tribe, had been given this preferred status. Perhaps they thought that Joshua, who was Moses’ personal valet and a member of the tribe of Ephrayim, whose own status within the tribe of Joseph had already been amended through his being nominated as the senior of Joseph’s sons by his grandfather Yaakov, although he was chronologically the junior, had been promoted as an arbitrary act by Moses. The Levites, generally, resented that only Moses’ immediate family had been accorded the status of priests, not the whole tribe. 
 Nachmanides accuses Ibn Ezra of speculating, seeing that he cited no sources to support his theory. He does not accept the theory that the Torah reports events other than in chronological order, unless, of course the Torah itself, by giving a date for a happening, draws our attention to the fact that it was not recorded in chronological order, such as the events in Numbers 9,1 which clearly occurred earlier than the count described in Numbers chapter 1-2.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:4:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:4:1)

**וישמע משה ויפול על פניו.**ולא אמר ויפלו על פניהם כי אהרן במוסרו לא ענה דבר בכל המחלוקת ויהי כמחריש וכמודה שמעלת קרח גדולה ממעלתו אלא שהוא היה עושה כדבר משה ומקיים מצות המלך:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
וישמע משה ויפול על פניו, “When Moses heard these accusations he fell on his face.” The Torah, in this instance does not describe both Moses and Aaron as falling on their faces, as it had done in Numbers 14,5 seeing that Aaron, whose position had been challenged kept silent throughout so as not to provide further fuel for Korach’s claims by insisting that he was entitled to this high office. [Incidentally, Aaron’s own silence could be interpreted by disinterested bystanders as support for Korach, i.e. as an admission that he had not come by this office on the basis of personal merit. Ed.] The fact is that Aaron’s silence was due to his honouring the instructions he had received from Moses.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:5:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:5:1)

**בקר ויודע ה' את אשר לו.**לעבודת לוייה כענין שנאמר והיו לי הלויים או עדיין הבכורות שלו כענין שנא' כי לי כל בכור שלא יחליפם בלויים ואת הקדוש הם הכהנים המקודשים לעבודה כענין שנא' ויבדל אהרן בין הקודש וקדש הקדשים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
בוקר ויודע ה' את אשר לו, “in the morning *Hashem* will make known the one who is His own, etc.” Moses referred to the fact that clear proof would be forthcoming if the Levites were performing their service with G’d’s consent or if the firstborn were still acceptable to Him as the ones chosen to represent the people as His servants in the Tabernacle. He would prove by the rejection of the 250 people offering incense that when G’d had said in Numbers 3,12 and 8,14 that the Levites had been chosen by Him, that it was not Moses who had chosen to replace the firstborn. In adding the words: ואת הקדוש והקריב אליו, “and who is holy, and He will draw him close to Himself,” Moses referred to Aaron’s position as High Priest.
 It is also possible that Moses meant that the firstborn must not consider themselves as having been rejected by G’d as we know from Numbers 3,13 and 8,17 כי לי כל בכור בבני ישראל, “for every firstborn among the Children of Israel has a special relationship to Me, etc.” On the other hand, the קדוש, “the priests,” would be confirmed as such by an act of *Hashem* on the morrow. It is their task to perform service in the Tabernacle/Temple as we read in Chronicles I 23,13 ויבדל אהרן להקדיש קודש קדשים הוא ובניו עד עולם, “Aaron and his sons were sanctified for the Holy of Holies, he and his sons throughout the generations.”


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:5:2
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:5:2)

**ואת אשר יבחר בו יקריב אליו.**כתב הרמב"ן כתב פעם שנית ואת אשר יבחר בו יקריב אליו תחלה אמר ואת הקדוש והקריב אליו למחר שיפן אל מנחתו ולא אל מנחת האחרים ואת אשר יבחר בו לדורות לעמוד לפניו לשרת הוא וזרעו כל הימים יבחר לו ג"כ ומחר לומר שיהיה להם הנסיון הזה אות לדורות עולם שלא יחלקו לא על הנבחר ולא על זרעו לעולם. ור' אברהם פי' ויודע ה' את אשר לו השבט הנבחר וזאת תשובה לעדה ואת הקדוש בשבטו להיות כהן גדול יקריב אליו. וכתב ר' אברהם שאלה הנקהלים היו כולם משבט לוי לכך אמר רב לכם בני לוי שמעו נא בני לוי. וכתב הרמב"ן אילו היו כולם משבט לוי לא היו כל מטות ישראל מתלוננים למחר אתם המתם את עם ה' וגם באות המטה ראייה כי המחלוקת מכל שבטי ישראל אבל טעם רב לכם בני לוי כי קרח היו מפתה כל השבטים כי לכבודם רוצה להחזיר העבודה לבכוריהם כאשר אמר כי כל העדה כולם קדושים ומשה בחכמתו גלה מצפון רשעו לכל העם שעיקר מחלוקתו לא היתה אלא על הכהונה ואמר לו שדי לו בכבוד שבטו רב לכם בני לוי וחזר ואמר שמעו נא בני לוי לקרח גדולם. וזה טעם ויאמר משה אל קרח אבל כולל דבריו עם בני לוי כי דברי משה בחכמתו פייס לו ולכל השבט שלא ימשוך אדם מהם אחריו. והנה משה חשב בעצמו זו המחשבה ורצה בקטרת יותר משאר קרבנות מפני שראה כבר בנדב ואביהוא שמתו בהקריבם קטרת זרה והתיר לאהרן להקטירה לצורך השעה או שהיתה קטרת הבקר בהטיבו הנרות כמשפט ובטח משה כי יקים ה' דבר עבדו. ונ"ל שאי אפשר לומר שהיה קטרת הבקר שאותו הוא על מזבח הזהב ואהרן במחתה הקטיר. וי"מ ויפול משה על פניו לדעת מה יעשה ואז אמר לו הקב"ה בקר ויודע ה' את אשר לו כמו שבכמה מקומות הכתוב מקצר שפעמים מזכיר הדיבור השם למשה ויקצר בסיפור משה לעם ופעמים בהיפך. וראיתי לאונקלוס שתרגם כל קטרת הנזכרת בפרשה קטרת כלשונו ולא אמר קטרת בוסמין כמנהגו נראה שסובר שלא היה קטרת סמים של הקדש אלא לבונה וכיוצא בה שהקטירו לנסיון וכן עשה בבני אהרן ודעת רבותינו שהיה קטרת הקדש והוא הנכון ואולי לא ירצה אונקלוס לשבח הקטרת להוסיף בו סמים רק בהעשות עניינו למצוה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ואת אשר יבחר בו יקריב אליו, “and the one whom He will choose, He will draw near to Him.” Nachmanides, pointing out that Moses said twice in the same verse that G’d would bring near to Him the one He had chosen, draws our attention to the fact that whereas the first time he added ואת הקדוש, “and the one who is holy,” sees in this a hint that the former refers to G’d’s accepting the incense offering of Aaron on the morrow while rejecting that of the 250 men The second time the words אשר יבחר בו refers to the status of the priests, descendants of Aaron, throughout the ages. The addition of the word מחר, “tomorrow,” in verse 7 means that this demonstration would occur only once and would settle the dispute once and for all. No other challenge would arise against the validity of the priests’ position.
 Ibn Ezra explains the words ויודע ה' את אשר לו as referring to the tribe that G’d had selected, i.e. the tribe of Levi. This was the answer to Datan and Aviram as well as to the dignitaries who also happened to be firstborns. He feels that all the people who had assembled in this rebellious demonstration were from the tribe of Levi hence the word הקדוש was meant to single out who amongst all these Levites was the one chosen to be the High Priest. Ibn Ezra uses the fact that Moses specifically addressed the members of the tribe of Levi, asking them if they had not already been honoured sufficiently that they now demanded even greater honours to support his explanation.
 Nachmanides writes that if, as Ibn Ezra claims, all the people ganging up on Moses and Aaron had been members of the tribe of Levi, how can we explain that on the day after Korach and supporters went down into the earth that all the tribes accused Moses of killing G’d’s people, and all of them presented their staffs to the test which staff would produce blossoms, etc.?
 As to Moses having said to the Levites רב לכם בני לוי, “it is much for you, offspring of Levi,” this reflects that Moses was aware that Korach was trying to fool the people into believing that he was a champion of the firstborns of each tribe who had been deprived of the privilege to perform service in the Tabernacle through the Levites having replaced them. This is why he had prefaced his incitement with the words כי כל העדה כולם קדושים, “for the entire Jewish community are holy.”
 Moses was intelligent enough to realize that Korach’s target was the priesthood, and Aaron, Moses’ brother being the High Priest, He hinted that if that were not so, it was strange that Korach, a member of the tribe of Levi, had not objected at the time when all the members of his tribe had been elevated to a privileged status. Korach had gladly accepted his elevation to a superior status, thereby contradicting his claim that all the Israelites were equally holy, seeing that *Hashem* had revealed Himself to all of them at Mount Sinai. This is why the Torah reports in verse 8 that now, instead of speaking to Korach and his rabble, he spoke to Korach in his capacity as their leader, when the latter did not have to posture in front of his cohorts. Moses, in his attempt to calm the situation and to bring about a פיוס, reconciliation, made his remarks to Korach part of his general remarks to the assembled rebels, instead of taking Korach aside, so that these people would become aware of Korach’s duping them into believing that he was championing their cause, and would not follow in his footsteps.
 Moses, personally, believed that his approach would work, and that is why he chose the offering of incense by lay Israelites as the litmus test rather than the offering of some other sacrifice. He thought that the fact that if even Aaron’s son Nadav and Avihu had died when offering unauthorized incense, surely that reminder would act as a brake on the eagerness of these 250 men when called upon to present incense in grounds not consecrated for such an offering.
 He permitted Aaron to participate in this test, basing his ruling on the concept of הוראת שעה, an immediate emergency. [We know that Aaron was specifically called upon to perform during such emergencies in Numbers 17,11-13 when Moses also demonstrated that incense was not necessarily what killed the people, but the reverse. Ed.] It is possible, however, that the time frame chosen by Moses for this test was when Aaron would offer the daily incense offering in the Tabernacle. Moses was confident that *Hashem* would support the initiative of His prophet on this occasion, although he had not yet asked for special permission to deviate from *halachic* norms.
 Personally, I do not think that Aaron’s offering of his morning incense could have played a part in this, seeing that the daily incense offering was presented on the golden altar inside the Sanctuary, a location beyond the view of anyone outside, seeing the Tabernacle did not even have any windows.
 Some commentators believe that the line וישמע משה ויפול על פניו, (verse 4) is the Torah’s way of describing how Moses turned to G’d to receive guidance as to how to deal with this rebellion. In response to Moses’ quest, *Hashem* answered that He would demonstrate on the following morning who were those chosen by Him and who were not. This would not be the only instance in which the Torah is very succinct, saving the details for another occasion. Sometimes we are told what G’d told Moses to tell the people, and the Torah hardly mentions that Moses conveyed the whole message. On other occasions we become aware of all that G’d had told Moses only when the Torah reports Moses as delivering G’d’s message to them. I have noticed that Onkelos who has translated the word קטורת in other places in the Torah as קטורת בוסמין, i.e. as קטורת הסמים, omits the word בוסמין, fagrances, when translating the word קטורת in our portion. [Our versions of Onkelos do not bear this out; maybe Nachmanides had a different version of Onkelos. Ed.] According to that version of Onkelos, he may have felt that the incense these 250 men were asked to offer in the test consisted only of לבונה, frankincense, and thus did not constitute the kind of affront with probably lethal consequences that the arrogant rebels subjected themselves to. Onkelos, according to that version, also understood the “incense” offered by Nadav and Avihu to have been of this variety. [Note that according to the Torah their capital sin was to bring אש זרה, man-made fire, on their censers. Nowhere does the Torah mention that the incense was what caused their death. Ed.]


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:10:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:10:1)

**ויקרב אותך.**שגרשון בכור והי' לו לקרבו ולתת לו עבודת הקדש ורחקו וקרב בני קהת לתת הארון וכלי הקדש בכתף:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויקרב אותך, “he drew you near, etc.” Although Gershon was Levi’s firstborn, and had a claim to be given precedence over Kehat his brother in being given the privilege of transporting the Holy Aark, etc., *Hashem* demoted him in a manner of speaking in favour of your grandfather, and, as a result, in your favour. You are privileged to carry the Holy Ark on your shoulders.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:12:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:12:1)

**וישלח משה לקרוא לדתן ולאבירם.**כי הם היו עיקר המחלוקת עם קרח ועד כאן דבר משה עם קרח לבדו ופייסו וכשלא נתפייס שלח לדתן ולאבירם. ולא שלח לאון בן פלת כתב הרמב"ן אפשר שהי' הוא נגרר אחר עצת דתן ואבירם כי היו גדולים ממנו ואם היו מתרצים הי' גם הוא מתרצה. והנה לא בא ולא היה עמהם ולא עם עדת קרח שכבר חזר בו בעצת אשתו כדברי רבותינו כי לא הזכירו הכתוב שנבלע עם דתן ואבירם ולא היה ג"כ בכלל העדה הנועדים על ה' במקריבי הקטרת כי היו ר"ן מלבד אלו הד' הנזכרים. וטעם וישלח כי הלכו מלפניו בדברו עם קרח ואחרי כן ויאמר משה לקרח אשר היה לפניו עומד שם. או מפני שהיה קרח עומד במחנה לוייה סמוך לאהל משה כי כל זה היה ביום הראשון כדכתיב בקר ויודע ה' את אשר לו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
וישלח משה לקרוא לדתן ואבירם, “Moses sent a messenger to summon Datan and Aviram, etc.” They were at the core of the entire dispute together with Korach, and up until now Moses had carried on a dialogue only with Korach. He had attempted to placate Korach, and was now ready to attempt to placate Datan and Aviram also. He did not summon Aun, son of Pelet, 
 Nachmanides speculates that the reason that Moses did not invite Aun son of Pelet to a dialogue may have been that as a member of the tribe of Reuven, he presumed that Aun would automatically follow the lead of Datan and Aviram who were members of his tribe. If such illustrious men as Datan and Aviram would be reconciled with Moses, he, Aun, would of course follow suit. As it turned out, Aun was no longer with Datan and Aviram, neither did he come to debate with Moses as he had listened to the advice of his wife who had told him not to become a pawn in the hands of such demagogues as Datan and Aviram. Our sages derived this from the fact that when the death of Korach and Datan and Aviram is reported, the Torah never mentioned another word about Aun son of Pelet. Had he persisted in his opposition, surely he would have been enumerated as one of the victims of this rebellion. He clearly did not even belong to the 250 men who presented their incense or he would have died as a result of that. The reason that Moses had to send a messenger to summon Datan and Aviram was that they had gone away during the argument that Moses carried on with Korach. It is also possible that whereas Korach had been positioned in the camp of the Levites, not far from Moses’ own tent, Datan and Aviram being members of the tribe of Reuven, had remained within the confines of their own camp. This entire dialogue occurred on the first day, as the Torah said that G’d had said that on the following morning the issue would be put to the test.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:12:2
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:12:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:12:2)

**לא נעלה.**כתב ר' אברהם אפשר שהי' אהל מועד במקום גבוה בתוך המחנה או מי שילך לעבודת השם או למקום נבחר יקרא עולה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
לא נעלה, “we will not go up.” Ibn Ezra writes that it is possible that the Tabernacle was located on a slight elevation outside the general encampment, or that the word “going up” is used in a spiritual sense, i.e. that anyone invited to meet with Moses at the entrance to the Tabernacle was automatically viewed as “ascending.”


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:13:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:13:1)

**כי תשתרר עלינו גם השתרר.**כתב הרמב"ן גם כמו אפילו פי' המעט ממך כי עשית עמנו רעה גדולה להמיתנו במדבר כי תשתרר עלינו אפילו שררה מועטת לשלוח לנו לעמוד לפניך וכ"ש שתתנשא ותמלוך עלינו. וי"מ לא דייך שתשתרר עלינו אתה אלא שגם אחיך השתרר עלינו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
כי תשתרר עלינו גם השתרר, “yet you want to lord it over us, yea, dominate us even further?” According to Nachmanides the word גם, normally translated as “also,” needs to be understood as אפילו, “even,” in the sense of “even more so,” in our context here.
 Others understand the phrase to mean: “is it not enough that you lord it over us, that now you want to impose even your brother over us also?”


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:14:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:14:1)

**העיני האנשים ההם.**על יוצאי מצרים פי' כאלו אמר וכי תרצה לנקר עיניהם שלא תראנה כי זה שעשית לנו נראה הוא לעינים ודרך משל לאמר סגורות הן עיני פלוני ע"כ לא יראה וע"כ לא נעלה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
העיני האנשים ההם תנקר, “even if you were to gouge out the eyes of these men, etc.,” Datan and Aviram referred to the men who had come out of Egypt. The phrase is a sarcastic remark suggesting that even if all are as blind as if their eyes had been gouged out, they, Datan and Aviram, could not be blinded by Moses’ pretensions. If we were to accept Moses’ summons or invitation it would appear as if we too were unable to “see” how he had bamboozled the whole nation.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:15:1)

**אל תפן אה מנחתם.**פירש"י לפי פשוטו על הקטרת שהם מקריבים למחר. וכתב הרמב"ן ואינו נכון לפי שעל דתן ואבירם אמר כן שחרה לו על דבריהם והם לא היו בתוך העדה הנועדים על ה' להקטיר קטרת. אבל פשוטו לפי שהיו רוצים בכהונה להקריב קרבן אמר משה אל תפן אל מנחתם אל קרבן שיקריבו לפניך ואל תפלה שיתפללו לך כי כל הקרבנות גם תפלה יקראו מנחה בכתובים וכן אמר אונקלוס קרבנהון איזה דבר שיקריבו לפניך:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
אל תפן אל מנחתם, “Do not turn to their gift-offering.” *Rashi* explains that according to the plain meaning the gift offering referred to was the incense that the rebels were to offer on the following morning.
 Nachmanides writes that this is not correct, as the words were said concerning Datan and Aviram, and Moses was especially angry at what they had said. Their reason for dissatisfaction had nothing to do with who would be privileged to offer incense at all. They had had their own axe to grind. The plain meaning of the verse is that Moses said to G’d concerning the people who had demanded the right to perform the priestly duties, that He should not accept their incense in order to demonstrate that they had not been chosen to do so. Moses meant that G’d should neither accept their incense offering nor accept their prayer with goodwill. Prayer is also referred to as מנחה in Scripture. Onkelos also supports this explanation when he writes קורבנהון, without specifying, i.e. any offering including prayer.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:2
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:15:2)

**לא חמור אחר מהם נשאתי.**בשביל שאמרו כי תשתרר עלינו אמר שלא השתרר עליהם שלא לקחתי אפילו חמור אחד מהם לעשות בו צורכי כדרך המלכים שזה משפט המלוכה וזה שתרגם אונקלוס שחרית שכך נקראת אנגריא של מלך שחוור:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
לא חמור אחד מהם נשאתי, “I have not taken a single donkey of theirs, etc.” Moses said this in response to the accusation that he had lorded it over the people. He had not levied any taxes on any of the people as is customary and willingly accepted by the subjects of any rulers. He had not even borrowed an animal to carry a load for him. When Onkelos translates this as שחרית, he refers to אנגריא, forced labour owed to the king, or even lesser dignitaries such as town-captains, known as שחוור.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:3
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:15:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:15:3)

**ולא הרעותי את אחד מהם.**לשומו במלאכתי במרכבתי כאשר יאות למלך:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ולא הרעותי את אחד מהם, “neither have I wronged a single one among them.” [This, if taken at face value, would be nothing to brag about. Ed.] The meaning is that Moses never requested from anyone that he perform some menial task for him that he considered it as beneath his dignity to perform himself.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:16:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:16:1)

**ויאמר משה אל קרח אתה וכל עדתך היו לפני ה' וגו' מחר.**כתב ר' אברהם כבר נאמר לו כן ופירשו כאשר אמר משה לקרח היו לפני ה' וקחו איש מחתתו. ורמב"ן כתב והנכון כי מתחלה אמר להם זאת עשו קחו לכם מחתות וגו' והיה האיש מכם אשר יבחר ה' הוא הקדוש ולא אמר שיהי' אהרן עמהם והם שתקו ואולי לא נתרצו ולא הודו בכך כי חשבו אם יהי' אהרן עמנו תרד האש לכולנו או לא תרד בכלל ונהיה כולנו שוים ואם לא יהי' אהרן עמנו ולא תרד האש יאמרו כי לא בחר בנו שלא ירד לנו האש כאשר ירד בקרבנותיו ביום השמיני למילואים ומ"מ יש לנו טענה שלא נבחר בו בשביל שירד לו ביום ח' למילואים כי לא בשבילו לבד ירד אלא בזכות ישראל שעשו המשכן כי הוא הי' שליח לכל הצבור וע"כ לא רצה קרח לנסות דבר בלא אהרן והיו שם דתן ואבירם כאשר דבר להם משה כן והיו בכלל מה שאמר קרח וכל עדתו וכאשר שלח להם ואמרו לא נעלה ויחר למשה רצה לגזור עליהם שלא ימותו כמות כל האדם אז חזר ואמר אל קרח קחו איש מחתתו ר"ן מחתות ואתה ואהרן איש מחתתו והנה הוציא דתן ואבירם מכללם וזה טעם ר"ן מחתות כי מה היה צריך להזכיר עתה המנין וכשהכניס אהרן עמהם אז נתרצה קרח:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויאמר משה אל קרח אתה וכל עדתך היו לפני ה'....מחר, “Moses said to Korach: ‘you and your whole assembly make an appearance in the presence of *Hashem* tomorrow!” Ibn Ezra points out that Moses had already made the same request in verses 6-7 when he had instructed them to appear with their censers filled with incense. We therefore need to understand this as a reference to what Moses had said before the Torah gave details of the altercation.
 Nachmanides feels that the difference between verse 6-7 and the present verse is that here Aaron is included as participating in this competition. Perhaps Moses hoped that this fact might get some rebels to withdraw, seeing that they knew that on previous occasions *Hashem* had up to now always accepted Aaron’s incense offering. Alternately, the rebels felt that the participation of Aaron would ensure that heavenly fire as a sign of acceptance would materialize, as it always did. [After all, Moses’ challenge the first time had not been accepted by the rebels, it seems. Ed.] 
 There had been a previous occasion on the eighth day of the consecration rites, the day when heavenly fire had materialized for Aaron’s incense offering, but that could be explained as G’d accepting Aaron as the people’s chosen representative. At that time the firstborn had not yet been deprived of their status. Now that Aaron’s position as representative of the people had been challenged, there was a good chance that his incense offering would not attract heavenly fire as a sign of acceptance.
 Datan and Aviram were present when Moses had issued the challenge for the first time. Now, after they had refused to debate the issue with him and had gratuitously insulted him, he excluded them from this test by saying: “only קרח וכל עדתו, “Korach and his entire congregation.” This is why the number 250 again is mentioned in verse 17, i.e. there would be 252 censers, one for Korach and one for Aaron. Once Korach heard that Aaron would also compete in this test he was willing to participate.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:19:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:19:1)

**ויקהל עליהם קרח את כל העדה.**פי' הרמב"ן לא הקהיל עליהם כל העדה כולה שאלו היה שם כל ישראל והי' אומר עליהם ואכלה אותם כרגע הי' מסיים לומר ואעשה אותך לגוי גדול אלא פי' כל העדה גדולי השבטים הנועדים תמיד אצל פתח אהל מועד או בכורי כל ישראל הראויים לעבודה ולכך לא כתב העם כמו שכתוב בעגל ובמרגלים. וכל זה שהזכרתי על הבכורים הוא על דרך רבותינו שאומרים כי העבודה היתה בבכורים אבל על דרך הפשט היו מתחלה כל ישראל כשירים לעבודת הקרבנות כי כן הדין לעולם בבמת יחיד ונבחר אהרן לעבודת המשכן והמקדש והי' קרח טוען על הבחירה הזאת להחזיר העבודה לכל ישראל כי כל העדה קדושה:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויקהל עליהם קרח את כל העדה, “Korach assembled (on the following morning) the whole congregation (all the people)” Nachmanides claims that this phrase cannot be understood at face value, as if indeed Korach had succeeded in rousing the entire people into this confrontation we are faced with a dilemma. How could Moses respond to G’d’s threat to wipe out all the people instantly by saying “if one man sins should the whole people pay the penalty” unless the people had been innocent bystanders? (Verse 22) If G’d had indeed meant to wipe out the whole people, He would have concluded as He had at the time of the golden calf, by saying to Moses that He would found a new Jewish people whose patriarch Moses would become. The words כל העדה in our verse therefore must refer to all of the people’s dignitaries, i.e. they represented the people as a whole.
 Whatever I have mentioned about the subject of the firstborn, is based on the approach to our portion by our sages of old, who were convinced that the Temple service was the domain of the firstborn prior to the sin of the golden calf
 If we were to follow the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, originally any Israelite was acceptable for performing sacrificial service in the Tabernacle, something that was the practice during all the many years that private altars were acceptable for presenting offerings to G’d. Aaron’s special privileges extended only to his performing the sacrificial service within the area of the Tabernacle. Korach’s objection concerned this special privilege accorded Aaron, and he wanted that every Israelite would share in that privilege seeing that he claimed that they were all holy.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:20:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:20:1)

**הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת.**הקשה הרמב"ן אם ישראל לא חטאו בדבר קרח למה היה הקצף עליהם לאמר אכלה אותם כרגע ואם גם הם חטאו היאך אמר משה האיש אחד יחטא. וכתב ר"ח מתוך העדה עדת קרח בלבד ולא עדת ישראל ואמר אל אלקי הרוחות לכל בשר האיש אחד יחטא מיד הודיע הקב"ה כי לכל בני ישראל לא בקש לכלות אלא עדת קרח בלבד לפיכך פירש לו זה שאמרתי הבדלו העלו מסביבי למשכן קרח דתן ואבירם הוא שאמרתי לך והזכיר להם העלו מסביב אולי כשיראו קרח ועדתו ישובו ע"כ. וכתב הרמב"ן ואין דבריו נכונים כי לא הי' (ישראל) בתוכם ואהרן הי' עם עדת מקריבי הקטרת ועוד הבדלו לא קאי אלא על משה ואהרן לבד כמו הרומו וכן ואכלה אותם כרגע רמז למגיפה שתכלה עם רב ועצום כרגע ועוד חלילה שלא יבין משה נבואתו ויטעה בה. אבל הטעם כי מתחלה הי' לב העם אחרי משה ואהרן וכאשר לקחו (קרח ועדתו) המחתות ועמדו לפני אהל מועד והקהיל עליהם כל העדה ואמר להם כי בכבודם הוא מתקנא וייטב הדבר ונקהלו שם אולי תשוב העבודה לבכוריהם וזה טעם ויקהל עליהם קרח את כל העדה והנה נתחייבו כלייה שמהרהרים אחרי רבם ומוותרים על נבואתו של נביאם בלבם וחייבים מיתה בידי שמים ומשה ואהרן למדו עליהם זכות שלא חטא במעשה אלא קרח והוא הגורם ומפתה אותם וראוי שימות הוא וזה דרך מבקשי רחמים להקל החטא מעל העם ולתת אותו על היחיד הגורם שהוא חייב על כל פנים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת, “Separate yourselves from amidst this congregation!” Nachmanides raises the question that if the people were not guilty in the matter of Korach’s rebellion, why was G’d so angry also at them, that He threatened to kill them forthwith? On the other hand, if they were guilty, how could Moses ask G’d why He would kill the whole people on account of one man’s sin?
 Rabbeinu Chananel answers this question by writing that the words העדה הזאת, “this congregation” refers to the congregation of Korach only. [I find it strange that Nachmanides raises the question seeing that Rabbeinu Chananel lived several centuries earlier, and Nachmanides must have known his answer before he raised the question. Ed.] He adds further that G’d’s response to Moses’ question indicates that Moses had misunderstood Him, hence he was told to remove himself only from around the tents of Korach and Datan and Aviram (verse 24) He adds that it was G’d’s hope that when Korach and Datan and Aviram saw that Moses distanced himself from them they would still decide to repent and avoid disaster.
 Nachmanides goes on to write that he disagrees with the interpretation of Rabbeinu Chananel, seeing that the Israelites were not among the group with Korach in the first place, so that they had no reason to separate themselves from a group which stood apart. Moreover, Aaron was not with Korach and Datan and Aviram at that time but with the 250 men who readied themselves to offer their incense. Moreover, the term עדה never applies to a group of fewer than 10 adults, and Korach, Datan, and Aviram did not constitute a עדה, a congregation. If Rabbeinu Chananel were correct, the Torah should have omitted the words מתוך העדה הזאת, “from the midst of this congregation.” Besides, the very assumption that Moses the greatest prophet of all times should have so grossly misunderstood G’d’s instruction is quite beyond our imagination! 
 The reason for all this is that originally the hearts of the Israelites sympathized strongly with the arguments of Korach, and when Korach and the 250 men lined up with the censers and the incense, Korach reminded the people that what he was about to do was all on their behalf. When the people heard that, they were persuaded by Korach’s arguments and they drew near to watch what would happen. They were actually hoping that the privilege of performing service in the Tabernacle would be restored to the respective firstborns in each family. Thereby they had become guilty of the death penalty, for if someone doubts and suspects his teacher, and especially a teacher and prophet of the caliber of Moses, of acts such as Korach accused him of, he has made himself guilty of death at the hand of heaven. Moses and Aaron tried to find excuses for them by saying to G’d that the people had not translated their doubts and suspicions into punishable acts, and that therefore they did not deserve to die. This is a standard practice when one appeals to G’d’s attribute of mercy, to portray the sin of the accused as being less severe than it might appear at first glance. In doing so, the person pleading the case allows that there are individuals who deserve the full punishment, as it is they who are the instigators.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:26:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:26:1)

**ואל תגעו בכל אשר להם פן תספו בכל חטאתם.**פי' הכתוב סורו נא מעל אהלי האנשים הרשעים האלה פן תספו וגו' שאם לא יסורו יבלעם הארץ ואל תגעו להציל מממונם דבר כי חרם הוא. ור' אברהם כתב שפן תספו חוזר ג"כ על ואל תגעו שאם יבואו להציל ירדו כמוהם שאול חיים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ואל תגעו בכל אשר להם פן תספו בכל חטאתם, “and do not even touch any of their belongings lest you will also perish on account of their sin.” The plain meaning of the verse is that the Israelites are to distance themselves sufficiently far from the guilty people to escape the gaping hole in the earth that would swallow Korach and company, and to on no account try and grab some of their belongings as loot which the sinners had forfeited. All their belongings were totally taboo, חרם as of that moment.
 Ibn Ezra writes that the words פן תספו refer back to not touching any of these men in order to save them, as instead of saving them they too would become victims.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:29:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:29:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:29:1)

**אם כמות כל האדם ימותון אלה.**כתב הרמב"ן רבים היו בעם שאמרו למשה פעמים רבים למה העליתנו ממצרים ולמה נענשו אלו יותר מאותם אלא ענשם של אלו יותר מן האחרים הי' על שאמרו לא נעלה וכי תשתרר עלינו שעשו שתים רעות שבזו כבוד רבם וכפרו בכל מעשה ה' שעשה במצרים ובמדבר וגם במעמד הר סיני שנאמר וגם בך יאמינו לעולם והם לא האמינו בו ומפני זה אמר ויחר למשה מאד וגם קרח אמר ומדוע תתנשא ועל כן נבלע עמהם וזה שאמר כי ה' שלחני לעשות כל המעשים האלה על תחלת השליחות ששלחו במצרים אמר שהיו הם כופרים בו ולא על חליפת הבכורים בלויים לבד אלא היו כופרים בעיקר ואומרים שאין לשם השגחה בנבראים כלל ע"כ פרע להם באותה מדה וחידש עליהם דבר שלא נעשה מעולם להודיע שהשגחתו בנבראים:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
אם כמות כל אדם ימותון אלה, “if these die like the death of all other people, etc.” Nachmanides writes that there had been many people who on different occasions had expressed the wish to return to Egypt, expressing their dissatisfaction with Moses’ leadership, in particular his taking them into the desert. Why then should Korach and Datan and Aviram be singled out for a special kind of punishment? The sin of these men was twofold. First they had refused to meet Moses in dialogue and accused him of being high handed. In doing what they did they had denied everything that G’d had done for the Jewish people commencing with appointing Moses as their Saviour. They had also violated the specific commandment issued at Mount Sinai to have absolute faith in the person and mission of Moses, i.e. וגם בך יאמינו לעולם, (Exodus 19,9)
 The people, at this juncture, had demonstrated that they did not believe in Moses’ divine mission, not when he had come to take them out of Egypt, nor when he led them on the way to the Holy Land after the Egyptian pursuers had drowned in the sea. This is why Moses stressed in verse 28 that the key to their survival lay in their demonstrating that they did believe that all Moses had done he had done at the command of *Hashem*. The people had not only protested the exchange of the firstborns’ privileges in favour of the Levites, but they had staged a far more serious ideological rebellion, something known as כפירה בעיקר, a denial of basic tenets of Judaism. 
 The swallowing of the 250 men by the earth was unlike any other earthquake where the fissures in the earth remain open, but here the earth swallowed the men and their belongings and closed again immediately leaving no trace of what had occurred.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:30:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:30:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:30:1)

**ואם בריאה יברא.**כתב ר' אברהם רבים אומרים כי מלת בריאה על מציאות יש מאין וכבר נבקעו מדינות רבות וירדו הרים רבים בהם שאולה אבל פירושה כטעם גזירה מן וברא אותם בחרבותם. והרמב"ן כתב ודאי מלה זו היא מורה על מציאות יש מאין וודאי בקיעת האדמה אינו דבר חדש אבל פתיחת הארץ לבלוע הוא דבר חדש כי כאשר תבקע האדמה כאשר נעשה פעמים רבים תשאר פתוחה וגם ימלא הבקע מים ונעשה כאגמים אבל שתפתח ותסגר מיד כאדם הפותח פיו לבלוע ויסגור אותו אחרי בלעו זה נתחדש ביום ההוא כאלו נברא מאין:


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:32:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:32:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:32:1)

**ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח.**פי' הרמב"ן הם עבדים ושפחות שהי' לו קנין כספו או אולי גם מישראל היו בביתו תושבים וגרים ונמשכו אחר עצתו ולקו עמו כי אין לפרש כל האדם אשר לקרח על בניו כי בניו הגדולים לא מתו ובנים קטנים לא היו לו שלא הזכיר בו הכתוב טף:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח, “and all the people who had joined Korach.” According to Nachmanides this included the servants and maids in Korach’s household who were bodily owned by him. Perhaps he had Jewish helpers in his household also, as well as some proselytes. They could have suffered the same fate as they supported him. It is not possible to understand the words “and every person belonging to him,” as referring to members of his immediate family, seeing that his grown up sons did not die, as the Torah has spelled out elsewhere. (Numbers 26,11) His younger children surely were included in the wordsותבלע אותם ואת בתיהם “it swallowed them and their households.” Or, he had no children that were minors, as the Torah would have mentioned them under the heading of טף.


###### Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:33:1
[Tur HaArokh, Numbers 16:33:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tur%20HaArokh/s/Numbers/r/16:33:1)

**ויאבדו מתוך הקהל.**כתב הרמב"ן שאבדו לעיניהם בהיותם עומדים עמהם כי כרגע פתחה הארץ את פיה וסגרה אותה עליהם ולא נודע מקומם איה. ור' אברהם אמר בעבור מות בניהם העומדים תחתם. כתב ר' אברהם י"א כי קרח מהבלועים כדכתיב ותבלע אותם ואת קרח. וי"א מהשרופים כדכתיב ואת קרח במות העדה ותאכל האש. וקדמונינו אמרו כי נשרף ונבלע. ולפי דעתי שלא נבקע רק מקום דתן ואבירם וקרח היה עם אהרן ונשיאי העדה מקריבי הקטרת ומה שכתוב ואת קרח איננו דבוק עם ותבלע רק אם במות העדה ומה שלא הזכירו עם השרופים מפני שלא היה צריך כי כיון שהזכיר שנשרפה עדתו שבאה לעזרתו קל וחומר לבא בעצמו:

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
ויאבדו מתוך הקהל, “they were lost from amongst the congregation.” This is a graphic description of how this spectacle affected the onlookers who saw these people one moment and when they looked again they had disappeared from sight within seconds. There was no visible trace of where they once had been.
 Ibn Ezra writes that the Torah selected the expression ויאבדו to illustrate that seeing that they did not leave any children behind them who would have replaced them, they could be considered as if “lost.” [I have not found this comment of Ibn Ezra in my editions. Ed.]
 Ibn Ezra adds that there are different opinions as to what happened to Korach himself. Some say that Korach himself was also swallowed up by the earth, what else could the meaning of the words ותבלע אותם be if afterwards the Torah adds: “not only they but all those who belonged to them?” Compare also Numbers 26,10, which is even more specific. Other commentators hold that Korach was burned to death, based on the second half of the same verse that speaks about the fire that consumed the two hundred and fifty men who presented their incense.
 Some of our most ancient sources believe that Korach was both burned and then his body was swallowed. 
 Personally, (Ibn Ezra speaking) I believe the earth only opened beneath the feet of Datan and Aviram. Korach, at that time stood alongside Aaron and the 250 men offering their incense. Concerning the words ואת קרח “as well as Korach” in Numbers 26,10, these words do not belong with the word ותבלע, “it swallowed,” but belong to the words following, i.e. במות העדה, “when the congregation died.” The reason why the Torah does not mention Korach specifically in the same context as the people who were burned when offering the incense, is simply that once we had heard that the people making common cause with Korach had been burned, their instigator surely did not escape that fate?