Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

 

 

Korach  – 5767

 

 

 

 

במדבר פרק טז: ח-יא

 

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל קֹרַח שִׁמְעוּ נָא בְּנֵי לֵוִי:

 

הַמְעַט מִכֶּם כִּי הִבְדִּיל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַקְרִיב אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן יְקֹוָק וְלַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי הָעֵדָה לְשָׁרְתָם:

 

וַיַּקְרֵב אֹתְךָ וְאֶת כָּל אַחֶיךָ בְנֵי לֵוִי אִתָּךְ וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם גַּם כְּהֻנָּה:

 

לָכֵן אַתָּה וְכָל עֲדָתְךָ הַנֹּעָדִים עַל ה' וְאַהֲרֹן מַה הוּא כִּי <תלונו> תַלִּינוּ עָלָיו:

 

 

Numbers 16:8-11 

 

Moses said further to Korah, "Hear me, sons of Levi.

 

Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel and given you access to Him, to perform the duties of the LORD's Tabernacle and to minister to the community and serve them? 

 

Now that He has advanced you and all your fellow Levites with you, do you seek the priesthood too? 

 

Truly, it is against the LORD that you and all your company have banded together. For who is Aaron that you should rail against him?"

 

 

 


 

Midrash Tanchuma

 

Moses said all these things to convince Korach, yet Korach did not respond! For Korach was as wise as he was evil.

 

He thought: I know that Moses is a wise person, and if I answer him, he will catch me on my word and will make me change my mind. it is best if I have nothing to do with him

 

 

 

 

 

Question:

 

What problem in the verse is the Midrash based on?

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS:

 

1. What difficulty in the verse is the Midrash based upon?

 

The wording at the beginning of the verse - They came and they went - is awkward and has needless repetition. The Midrash reads into this awkward language that the Torah wants to compare the way they came with the way that they went.

 

 

2. What is the idea behind this Midrash?

 

 

The Midrash wants to say that your attitude when you engage in a task will determine its outcome. The fact that the spies went out with ill-intent is the reason that they found fault in the Land of Israel.

 

 

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Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

 

 

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