AND SCATTER THOU THE FIRE YONDER. From the altar.

FOR THEY ARE BECOME HOLY. The fire-pans are holy because they [Korah and his company] offered them before the Lord.

EVEN THE FIRE-PANS OF THESE MEN WHO HAVE SINNED. This explains the fire-pans (v. 2).¹ in verse 2 refers to the fire-pans of these men who have sinned.

footnotes: ¹ The fire-pans

AND LET THEM BE MADE.² (literally, and they shall make them). The reference is to the workers.³

footnotes: ² Hebrew, ve-asu otam ³ In other words, and they shall make them means and the workers shall make them.

BEATEN PLATES. Compare, And they did beat (ve-yerakke’u) the gold into thin plates (Ex. 39:3).⁴ (beaten) in our verse is similar in meaning to va-yerakke’u (and they did beat).

footnotes: ⁴ In other words, the word reku’e

[FOR THEY ARE BECOME HOLY.] Because they were offered before the Lord explains for they are become holy.⁵ they are become holy. I.E. believes this should be interpreted as if written, for they are become holy because they were offered before the Lord.

footnotes: ⁵ Our verse literally reads, because they were offered before the Lord and

THAT THEY MAY BE A SIGN. A memorial and a mark.⁶

footnotes: ⁶ See Rashi, “For a memorial, that people will always say: These plates were from those who disputed the priesthood and were burnt.”

AND THEY BEAT THEM OUT. The beaters beat them out.⁷

footnotes: ⁷ The subject is omitted. Hence I.E.’s comment. See I.E. on verse 3.

AS THE LORD SPOKE UNTO HIM BY THE HAND OF MOSES. Unto him (lo) refers to Aaron. Others say that unto him refers to Korah.⁸. 110a. However, I believe the latter to be farfetched.

footnotes: ⁸ See San

ON THE MORROW. Of this day, for mochorat (morrow) is always connected to the previous day.⁹ (morrow) can refer to a morrow in the far future.

footnotes: ⁹ In other words, it always refers to the next morrow. I.E. comments thus, for the word machar

YE HAVE KILLED. Its meaning is, what proof is this¹⁰ that the tribe of Levi is the chosen one, and that Aaron was chosen to be kohen gadol?¹¹ It is possible that those who offered the fire-pans were burned because of your prayer¹² or through your knowledge of the sciences.¹³

footnotes: ¹⁰ The fact that the 250 men who offered the incense were burned. ¹¹ High priest. ¹² You prayed that they be burned. ¹³ You may have arranged for some combustible material to be mixed with the incense.

WHEN THE CONGREGATION WAS ASSEMBLED.¹⁴. Whenever the word kehillah (assembly)¹⁵. is followed by the word al (on),¹⁶ (when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron). The word al usually means on, not against. Hence I.E.’s comment. it refers to an assembly for the sake of quarreling.

footnotes: ¹⁴ Hebrew, be-hikkahel ¹⁵ That is, a word from the root kof, heh, lamed ¹⁶ As it does in our verse, which reads, be-hikkahel ha-edah al mosheh ve-al aaron

AND MOSES AND AARON CAME. Because they saw that God’s glory appeared.

GET YOU UP. For they sat in the tabernacle, which was on the high ground in the camp of the Levites, as I explained in my comments on Get you up (Num. 16:24).¹⁷ (Get you up) as, remove yourself from the high place. He cites Num. 16:24, but he actually made his comments on 16:12.

footnotes: ¹⁷ I.E. apparently renders herommu

AND THEY FELL UPON THEIR FACES. To pray.

TAKE THY FIRE-PAN. The reference is to a specific fire-pan.¹⁸ (fire-pan) has the definite article ha prefixed to it. The literal meaning of kach et ha-machtah is, take the fire-pan. According to I.E. the fire-pan in our verse means the specific fire-pan used to offer incense (Krinsky).

footnotes: ¹⁸ Hence the word machtah

AND LAY INCENSE THEREON. Scripture does not say, and lay “the” incense on.¹⁹ (incense), it refers to another incense. The intelligent will understand.²⁰

footnotes: ¹⁹ “The” incense would refer to the incense usually burned in the tabernacle. Since the definite article is not prefaced to ketroret ²⁰ The difference between the two types of incense. Some of the commentators on I.E. believe that he was of the opinion that the incense used by Moses to stop the plague had the power to clean the air of pollutants that caused the plague (Krinsky, Filwarg).

AND CARRY. The word holekh (and carry) is an imperative.²¹ looks like a kal participle. In this case the word would mean goes or walks. However, the context negates such a rendering. Hence I.E.’s comment. It is similar to the word hoshev (make to dwell)²² imperative. in make thy father…to dwell (Gen. 47:6). Holekh comes from the same root as helikhi (take away) (Ex. 2:9).²³. It means bring,²⁴ means: and bring (and carry) the fire-pan quickly to the congregation. the idea being it²⁵ should go with you.

footnotes: ²¹ In the hifil. Holekh ²² A hifil ²³ Its root is yod, lamed, kaf ²⁴ Ve-holekh meherah el ha-edah ²⁵ The incense-bearing fire-pan.

[AND AARON RETURNED.] And Aaron returned is connected to the section that follows,²⁶ even though it is separated.²⁷, verse 16 starts a new section. I have already given you many such examples.²⁸ When Aaron returned and the plague was stayed, God spoke.²⁹

footnotes: ²⁶ Verse 15 is connected to verse 16. ²⁷ According to the masorah ²⁸ Where verses that are in different section are connected. See I.E. on Gen. 1:9. ²⁹ This is the meaning of verses 15 and 16.

RODS. Some say that the rod of Levi is not God’s rod, for God’s rod was already known.³⁰ Why then write Aaron’s name on it.³¹ Others say that the rod³² was like the other rods. There was no difference between them.³³ This interpretation appears correct to me.

footnotes: ³⁰ According to this view the rod of the Lord (the rod employed by Moses to perform miracles in Egypt) was made of different material from that of the other rods. ³¹ If the rod of the tribe of Levi was God’s rod. ³² God’s rod. ³³ According to this view the rod of God was the rod of the tribe of Levi. In this opinion God’s rod was made of the same material as all the other rods. Hence it was necessary to write Aaron’s name on it (Filwarg).

[ONE FOR EACH FATHER’S HOUSE.] Each father’s house means each tribe. Reuben and Simeon are examples.³⁴

footnotes: ³⁴ Of tribes and fathers’ houses.

[FOR THERE SHALL BE ONE ROD.] Scripture tells us that there shall be one rod for the tribe of Levi because this tribe was divided into kohanim and Levites.³⁵

footnotes: ³⁵ Hence one might think that each of these divisions has a separate rod.

WHERE I MEET WITH YOU. Permanently.³⁶).

footnotes: ³⁶ Scripture uses the future form (ivva’ed

I WILL MAKE TO CEASE. The word ve-hashikkoti (I will make to cease) comes from a double root.³⁷. It is similar to the word ve-hatimmoti³⁸. Both words are hifils. (and I will consume) in and I will consume thy filthiness from out of thee (Ezek. 22:15). It is related to the word shakhakhah (assuaged) in then was the king’s wrath assuaged (Esth. 7:10).Ve-hashikkoti (I will make to cease) means I [God] will find rest.³⁹ Scripture employs human language.⁴⁰ The rod of Levi was among the twelve. Behold, the tribe of Joseph was represented by one rod.⁴¹

footnotes: ³⁷ Its root is shin, kaf, kaf ³⁸ From the root tav, mem, mem ³⁹ According to I.E. our clause reads: I will find rest from the murmuring of the children of Israel. ⁴⁰ When a person is greatly bothered he says, I seek rest from those who trouble me. ⁴¹ The tribe of Joseph was divided into Manasseh and Ephraim. These are usually counted as two separate tribes. However, here they are not. Otherwise there would have been thirteen rods.

FOR THE HOUSE OF LEVI. The word matteh (rod of) is to be read as if written twice. Our verse⁴² is to be read as if written: the rod of Aaron, the rod of the house of Levi.

footnotes: ⁴² Which literally reads, the rod of Aaron of the house of Levi.

AND BORE RIPE ALMONDS. The word va-yigmol (and bore ripe) is related to the word va-yigammal (and was weaned) in And the child grew, and was weaned (Gen. 21:8). Many say that the rod⁴³ came from an almond tree because the rod bore almonds. However, this is not proof. The word shekedim (almonds) has midrashically been related to the word shoked (watch) in I watch over My word to perform it (Jer. 1:12).⁴⁴

footnotes: ⁴³ Of the tribe of Levi. ⁴⁴ God (watches) is quick to punish those who oppose the priesthood. See Rashi.

AND THEY LOOKED. At the handwriting of each one.

AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING. It is enough for us that we perished and were undone.⁴⁵ Now, in addition, everyone that comes near the tabernacle will die like those who were burnt. O that we should cease dying.⁴⁶ God then spoke to Aaron, who was the leader of the tribe of Levi, and cautioned him that the Levites not cause the Israelites to stumble.⁴⁷ The meaning of unto Aaron (Num. 18:1) is that God communicated with Aaron through Moses. On the other hand, the clause may be taken at face value,⁴⁸ because Aaron too was a prophet. Also, this section⁴⁹ is proof that the rebellion took place in the desert of Sinai when the tabernacle was erected and the Levites were chosen, and the first-born were disqualified.⁵⁰

footnotes: ⁴⁵ I.E.’s paraphrase of verse 27. ⁴⁶ I.E.’s paraphrase of verse 28. ⁴⁷ I.E.’s paraphrase of Num. 18:1. ⁴⁸ That God spoke directly to Aaron. ⁴⁹ In addition to Num. 16. See I.E. on Num. 16:1. ⁵⁰ For the section tells us that the Israelites were convinced that God chose the tribe of Levi only after their rod miraculously produced almonds.