Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parsha # 38: Korach (Korah) B’Midbar (Numbers) 16:1-18:32
Haftarah: Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel ) 11:14-12:22
B’rit Hadashah: 2 Timothy 2:8-21; Y’hudah (Jude) 1-25
In this Sidrah there is an outright rebellion and an attempt to overthrow Moshe and Aharon as the leaders of the nation. A cousin and fellow Levite, Korah tries to discredit Moshe and Aharon. He gathers about himself 250 of the leaders of Israel in his challenge to their authority. This echoes the warning in the Messianic Scriptures that our enemies will be in our own households. This would-be usurper had attracted a popular following and was posing as the champion of the people. Some sages say that Korah rebelled right after the inauguration of the Tabernacle when Aharon and his sons had been appointed to take the place of the first-born and perform the sacrificial services. This angered Korah who himself was a first-born as seen in Exodus 6:21. He was jealous and coveted the position of priest for himself and he had little difficulty in attracting 250 leaders, as they were first-born also. We had also Dathan, Abiram, and On who also had lost their privileged first-born position to Joseph as read in Genesis 48:5. You might also assume that other Levites were upset at having also been relegated to be mere assistants to the Kohanim (Priests). So what we see manifested here is jealousy and pride. Those questioning YHVH's order of things. Is it any different today? I think not. However, I do think we can learn a few things from this portion.
The sages report that Korah resentment was made earlier when Aharon was appointed Cohen Gadol, but he did not dare criticize Moshe at that time because Moshe was then loved by all the people. We see cunning in Korah and a deceptive nature within, waiting patiently for the opportunity to discredit Moshe while seeming a fellow supporter and traveler with him. After the fiasco of the spies and the decree that an entire generation would die in the Wilderness, Korah took advantage of the nation’s dissatisfaction to foment rebellion-accusing Moshe of nepotism for appointing Aharon, Moshe’s brother as Cohen Gadol. It’s interesting to note that they apparently did not acknowledge that their own disbelief of YHVH's Word, regarding the Promised Land, resulted in their predicament and ultimate death in the Wilderness. Aren’t we all ever willing to transfer our own offense and guilt onto our leaders or conveniently onto someone else other than ourselves who are really the guilty parties?
We have to also understand, because the time was right, and Korah found an excuse to challenge Moshe’s legitimacy it is only logical that he would eventually deny the Divine origin of the Torah and hold all of Moshe’s commandments up to ridicule. We should always be aware that a challenge on its face might only be an opening to promote a greater distortion of YHVH's Word and authority. Experience has taught that most unscrupulous people have a hidden agenda that they will promote if they succeed in consolidating their power and position. We should always beware of those who mix what seems reasonable, even perhaps with a little truth to make their suppositions more credible in order to support an outrageous degradation or attack upon YHVH's Torah. An illustration of this is found in a midrash which relates that Korah in chapter 15 had his followers dress in garments of techelles, a turquoise color and confront Moshe publicly asking “Does an all turquoise garment require a single turquoise thread? Moshe replied, "Yes." Korah was questioning the logic of wearing a techelles (turquoise) thread in the Tzitzit if the garment you had on was turquoise. Korah then stated according to the sages that “If a single thread is enough for an entire garment made of a different color of wool, does it not stand to reason that an all-techelles garment should not require one more strand? By this challenge Korah sought to convince the people that such “illogical” laws must have been the product of Moshe’s imagination. Neither did Korah see the significance of the techelles thread. Now we all know that the turquoise thread represents the Messiah and carries with it, deep spiritual significance. What may seem illogical to the human heart is not, because YHVH Elohim commands nothing illogical, it’s just we can’t always see why at the moment. It’s usually on these points that unbelievers and those fallen in grace try to challenge YHVH's authority.
In verse 5, Moshe responds and refers to the two categories of leadership, “Who is His own and the Holy One, that were being disputed by Korah and his followers. His own were the Levites who had replaced the first-born. This was the status coveted by Korah’s followers and The Holy One was the Cohen Gadol, the position Korah wanted for himself.
Moshe instructs them to take for themselves fire-pans, the utensils that were used as censers in the daily incense service in the Tabernacle and see if YHVH accepted their incense. This trial contains the potential of death as we saw when Nadab and Abihu died when they brought unauthorized fire. It is inconceivable that Moshe acted on his own volition in this matter. He had been instructed by divine revelation, a form of revelation lower than prophecy. Many people say G-d spoke to them, which opens them up to the ridicule of unbelievers, when in fact they should be saying by “divine revelation.” But here, Moshe is offering them an opportunity and a challenge. They could prove themselves if their incense was accepted; but if not, they could expect to die. Moshe, it is believed by the sages, was thus offering this threat to give the rebels time to reflect and withdraw from the rebellion. Furthermore, by emphasizing that YHVH would make the choice and YHVH only, Moshe stressed that only YHVH Elohim had the power to choose the Cohen Gadol. In verse 7 Moshe hurls back the same accusation Korah had hurled at him. He says, “It is too much for you,” meaning that they had “bitten off more than they could chew” by rebelling against YHVH Elohim. Despite Korah’s populist references to the people’s holiness he knew the truth and he knew against Whom he was rebelling. He had no fear of YHVH Elohim and that’s why I stress we are to stand in awe and fear of YHVH for he not only has an attributes of Love manifesting itself as Grace, but 2/3rds of the Bible is filled with His Justice. Korah's complaint was not truly against Moshe and Aharon but against YHVH. Moshe also addressed the Levites in Korah’s group who had been won over by accusing Moshe of nepotism, because they did not want to accept their position as assistants to the Priests, but wanted to be priests as well. A lesson to us that whatever gifts are given us by YHVH it is what we are to exercise and be satisfied in.
Since Moshe could not dissuade Korah he appealed to the other leaders of the revolt. He summons Dathan and Abiram in verse 12. Peleth was absence from these confrontations and the sages say his righteous wife persuaded him to withdraw from the revolt, by wisely pointing out to him, “What have you to gain from this folly? Even if Korah wins, he will be Cohen Gadol and you will be subservient to him as you are now to Moshe and Aharon.” How true, for when we see contemporary revolts in nations or against righteous leaders the rebellion usually degenerates into a lowly mob of unfocused and undirected people. No one the better off, and most far worst off than before.
Unwittingly, Dathan and Abiram uttered an unwitting prophecy for they said to Moshe “we will not go up’” and indeed they descended alive to the “pit”, never to go up. They even castigated Moshe as a failed leader who had taken a nation from the prosperity and luxury of Egypt, apparently not recalling they were salves there, into a lingering death in the Wilderness. A result of their own unbelief. But such is the way of the wicked. After the oppression and suffering of Egypt they had the gall to describe the land of their affliction and servitude with the same words YHVH had used to praise the Promised Land.
In verse 15 Moshe states in his outrage, “I have not taken,” any compensation not even for the donkey he used to bring his family from Midian to Egypt in his mission to rescue the nation; even though he surly should have been reimbursed for that. This is a charge regularly thrown at religious leaders. The charge that they are only out to enrich themselves. Of course this does happen with unscrupulous and evil leaders. But generally if we take a close look at the ones making such charges against G-dly and righteous leaders we usually find people who do not want to contribute to YHVH's work, because of their greed or misplaced priorities. Many people who in their liberal zeal for the downtrodden and poor vote conscientiously for increase in governmental largess, but think nothing of allowing their religious leaders to dwell in poverty.
Although this rebellion as all rebellions do, planted in the minds of the people not directly involved, doubts about the veracity of Moshe and his prophecy. Moshe understood that YHVH was ready to punish all the people beside the rebels because they had not stood up against them so he did two things: he interceded with YHVH in defense of the nation and he urged the people to distance themselves from Korah and his followers. YHVH accepted Moshe’s plea and instructed him to command the people to withdraw from Korah and his assembly. I think that at this time, if I were Korah, I would be getting very uneasy. But sin is stubborn.
Now Moshe speaks in his defense and prophesizes the destruction of the rebels in a way that no one could question his authority as being YHVH ordained, and we know that Korah and his company perished. Even so, there was still discontent and doubt within Israel that brought on a plague. There were even those who questioned the method, the necessity of Korah and his assembly’s death, and they even accused Moshe of causing their deaths through his prayer. It took another miracle to quite this people down, the blossoming of Almonds on Aharon’s staff. What is it about people that demand YHVH perform in some human way to their liking? He is YHVH, YHVH Elohim and He can do whatever He pleases, like it or not! When we accept that and trust what He does in all situations then we can truly enjoy the Shalom He promises us! May we all find that peace? Baruch HaShem
B'rit Chadasha: 2 Timothy 2:8-21; Y’hudah (Jude) 1-25
In 2 Timothy Sha'ul is exhorting and encouraging believers to not be ashamed of their testimony of Yahshua. This verse is especially relevant to Messianic Jews as we often find ourselves held in contempt by other professed believers and unbelievers who hold Torah observance as unnecessary. Sha'ul states we should accept our share of ridicule knowing that YHVH Elohim will give us strength to bear it, since he has already given us everything worthwhile.
In verse 9-10 we have the Gospel in miniature: YHVH has delivered us; He has called us to live a life of Holiness, not libertinism, and later in chapter 3: 2-5 Sha'ul explains what this libertinism is. In a preamble in preceding verses he calls it the trap of the Adversary catching alive those who will do his (hasatan's) will. Sha'ul writes that libertinism is the denial of YHVH's Instructions and Sha'ul lists a litany here: People who are self-loving, money loving, proud, arrogant, insulting, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, uncontrolled. Brutal, hateful of good, traitorous, headstrong, swollen with conceit, loving pleasure rather than YHVH, as they retain the outer form of religion, but deny its power. Sha'ul continues warning that "sound teachings" are the great treasure to be kept safe and this requires the Ruach HaKodesh who is in us. As a counter-point he mentions Hymenacus and Philetus whose G-dless "babblings" will eat away at people like gangrene and warns believers to stay away form them and their like. He exhorts believers who claim to belong to YHVH stand apart to be set-apart from wrongdoing. For us to know what wrongdoing is requires us to know what YHVH's instructions (Torah) are.
Y’hudah (Jude) 1-25
Now we come to the shortest book in the Scriptures. Y'hudah (Jude) is understood to be the brother of Ya'akov (James) and therefore the half brother of Yahshua. Jude is addressing a heresy found somewhere in Asia Minor. In verse 4 he writes that not only do unG-dly people pass on erroneous teachings but pervert YHVH's grace into license, which serves to disown our only Lord and Master. In plain language he is speaking about the Torah is dead people that take liberty given by grace and turn it into license for disobedience. They no longer recognize YHVH's and Yahshua's right to command obedience. He claims that they teach a perversion that profession in Yahshua negates any consideration of what kind of "works" they do. He states that such an attitude quickly results in debauchery and well as other kinds of antinomianism (anti-Torah) since it removes the ethical and moral likens such people as waterless clouds. In other words without and redeeming qualities. Y'hudah quotes from a non-canonical book 1 Enoch 1:9 which should serve to show us that we should regard them as instructive if they are not contrary to Scripture. Many antinomian teachers use this quote as disqualifying Jude's book and not to be taken as with any authority. By this same reasoning Sha'ul who is so much misinterpreted by these self-same folks, himself quoted pagan authors at Acts 17: 28-29 and in Timothy 1:12 we then should disqualify what Sha'ul says in these books. Y;hydah closes with one of the great doxologies of Scripture. He warns that
1. Those who are disputing have closed themselves off from the truth
2. Others who have been swept along by the libertine antinomians are in grave danger of being falling away
and we are to try to save them snatching them out of the fire and ground them in the principles of truth
3. Yet, there are others who have fallen into sin but have not yet lost their teachability so that they may be restored, but not to be stained by their sin. From this we get Love the sinner but not the sin.
Halftarah: Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel ) 11:14-12:22
In the Parsha Korah rebels against the authority of Moshe and Aaron. He confronts them in front of the nation and demands they step down. In out Halftarah, B'nai Yisrael (Children of Israel) goes to Samuel, the prophet and leader of the people and asks him for a king. They like Korah feel that a change in leadership is necessary. In this case YHVH sees their request as an affront against His ruler ship, but accedes to their request and Yisrael forever suffers because of it. Lessons are sometimes hard learned. Soon, YHVH will rule again in the form of Yahshua HaMashiach for Yisrael will fall on their knees in repentance and beg for Him to rule over them once again.
Things to think about:
1. Why were Korah’s belongings also swallowed up forever?
2. Why was the test of leadership decided by bringing the incense in front of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting), and not by something else?
3. “The closer to YHVH's presence the more careful you have to be.” How is this understood from this week’s parsha?
Sages Wisdom:
“And the ground opened it mouth…” (16:32)
Rabbi Shalom Rokeah says that Korah and his followers were punished measure for measure. They rebelled by using their mouths to speak insolently to Moshe. Therefore, a mouth swallowing them up punished them.
The Mishna in Pirkay Avot 5:17 says: “Any disagreement that isn’t for the sake of heaven will not last…what case is that? This is the argument of Korah and his followers.”
When we argue, we must do so to defend the truth, not for selfish purposes, as was the case of Korah.
“And he put in the incense and it atoned for the nation.” (17:12)
The Ba’al Ha’turim says that the incense was used here to stop the plague because B’nai Yisrael were not afraid of the incense. By stopping the plague with the incense, Aaron showed the people that it wasn’t the incense that had killed the 250 rebels, but their sins. Used properly, the incense was a vehicle for good, not evil. So is all in life. We can use what we have for good or evil.
Gematria:
Vayigmol Sh’kaydim, “and almonds ripened” (17:23)
Aaron’s staff sprouted almonds. The numeric value of the word Sh’kaydim is 454. That is the same numeric value as the word Hashmonim, the family of Kohanim who revolted against the Greeks and started the war that led to the miracle of Hanukkah. From here we see that Aaron sprouted not only almonds, but also the future survivors and leaders of B’nai Yisrael.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davis