>From Boaz Michael
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: FFOZ Torah Portion
>From Eddie:
**************
Dear Misphachah (family):
I am sorry that when I sent this article
yesterday, the last
couple paragraphs got "cut off". So, I am resending the complete
article this time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Torah Club Volume One
Korach
Torah Reading: Numbers 16:1-18:32
Haftarah Reading: I Samuel 11:14-12:22
Scripture does not say, 'Now Korach contented,' or 'assembled,' or
'spoke,' or 'commanded,' but Korach 'took.' What did he take? He took
nothing! It was his heart that carried him away! Bemidbar Rabbah
18.16.
How justified was the Lord's death sentence to the generation of
people who rejected the land in Bemidbar 16:31-35? Was it too
sweeping? After all, not everyone 20 years old or older accepted the
spies' report did they? They could not all have been as rebellious as
it seemed. Or were they?
This week's parasha begins to illustrate just how far the seeds of
rebellion had spread in the camp of the Israelites. The problem was
more serious than many would imagine. In this parasha, we will see how
just one incident of mutiny multiplied itself and resulted in the
deaths of nearly 15,000 Israelites-and the 40 years of wandering had
only just begun! Let us, therefore, examine Parashat Korach and learn
what we can from this rebellion. We will use this outline:
- The Challengers
- Their Contention
- Moshe's Counter
- God's Choice
- God's Confirmations
The Challengers
There are three sets of people who set out to challenge the leadership
of Moshe and Aaron according to 16:1-3. First, we have Korach, the
leader of the rebellion. Being a Levite, he was a close relative of
Moshe and Aaron. This fact comes into play when we examine his
challenge.
Next, there were people from the tribe of Reuven. What is significant
in this? Reuven was the first-born of the sons of Jacob. As such, he
was normally entitled to the inheritance and family leadership. But,
according to Genesis 49, he was by-passed in favor of Joseph and
Judah. This detail also will have significance in their challenge.
The problem of these malcontents is magnified when we remember that
Korach was from the Kohatites. According to the camp arrangements,
they encamped and journeyed very close to the Reuvenites-both were
located next to each other on the south side of the Mishkan. Let the
Midrash make the point:
With Dathan and Abiram (16:1)... From this text the saying is derived:
'Woe to the wicked and to his neighbor!' It applies to Dathan and to
Abiram, neighbors of Korach?Dathan and Abiram, however, were neighbors
to a contentious man, were punished with him and were swept from the
world. (Bamidbar Rabbah 17.5).
The third set of people is the 250 who stood with Korach, Dathan, and
Abiram. We are told that the 250 people were "men from the children of
Israel, leaders of the assembly, those summoned for meeting, men of
renown" (16:2). In some respects this is the same description for that
of the spies. Both were some sort of leaders, ohabt anashim.
Furthermore, they all had a name for themselves. The Hebrew text says
literally, "men of a name." This means that many knew of them, they
were popular in Israel. Finally, being men (anashim), they fell into
the category of men whom Rashi in the last parasha defined as "worthy
men." >From this description, it seems that some of these 250 were of
the Sanhedrin-chosen rulers of Israel whose purpose, according to
Bamidbar 11:16, was to assist Moshe in ruling Israel. Accordingly,
Rashi describes them as "fitted to be heads of the Sanhedrin."
Indeed, "The presence of such a respected delegation naturally lent
credence to Korach's grievances." These then, are the leaders of this
latest mutiny among the children of Israel. What was their problem?
Their Contention
These challengers complained to Moshe and Aaron in 16:3 that Moshe and
Aaron took too much power upon themselves. Here were two brothers, one
was the spiritual leader, and the other was the prophet or
lawgiver-the two highest positions in the nation. Our challengers
accused them of "selfishly taking power and prestige for themselves at
the expense of the rest of the nation which was just as qualified as
they," (?for the entire assembly-all of them-are holy).
What a Deal!
Let us state this challenge a little differently to try to get a grip
on what seems to be the gripe of these challengers. From their
perspective, it seemed like Moshe and Aaron had a real racket going
on. One brother provided the laws, which enabled the other and his
family to really rake it in! What a deal! There is also a Midrash that
describes the contention in this light. For its fullest impact, I will
quote it at length:
There was once a widow in my neighborhood who had two daughters and
one field. When she came to plow, Moshe said to her, "Thou shalt not
plow with an ox and an ass together" (Deuteronomy 22:10). When she
came to sow, he said to her, "Thou shalt not sow thy field with divers
seeds" (Leviticus 19:19). When she came to reap and stack the corn, he
said to her, "Leave gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, and the corner of
the field for the poor." When she came to thresh, he said to her,
"Give tithes, priestly dues, the first and second tithes." She
justified heaven's pronouncement and gave him.
What did this poor woman do? She went and sold her field and purchased
with the proceeds two lambs, to clothe herself from its shearing and
enjoy its products. As soon as they gave birth, Aaron came and said to
her, "Give me the first-born since the Holy One blessed be He said,
'Every first-born that shall be born of thy herd and flock, the male
one, thou shalt consecrate to the Lord thy God'." She justified
heaven's pronouncement and gave him the offspring. The time came for
the shearing and she sheared them-came Aaron and said to her, "Give me
the first of the shearing since the Holy One blessed be He said, 'And
this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer a
sacrifice'?" (Deuteronomy 18:3). Thereupon she said, "Since I have no
more strength to withstand the man, I shall slaughter them and eat
them." As soon as she had slaughtered them, Aaron came and said to
her, 'Give me the shoulder, two cheeks and maw,' (Deuteronomy 18:3).
Whereupon she said, "Even!
after I have slaughtered them I am not delivered from his hand. Let
them
be forbidden my use." Said Aaron to her, "In that case it is all mine
since the Holy One said, 'Every devoted thing?in Israel shall be
Mine'" (Numbers 18:14). He took them, departed, and left her weeping
with her two daughters. Such was the lot that befell this unfortunate
woman! So much they do in the name of the Holy One blessed be He!
This is quite possibly how Korach and his conspirators may have felt
and thought regarding the leadership of Moshe and Aaron. They posed a
challenge to what was perceived to be, by the rebels, a monopoly in
the national leadership.
Green With Envy?
There is another possible aspect to their challenge. The text was very
careful to point out the family names of the leaders of this
rebellion. If these people wanted to rebel, the fires of jealousy and
envy could very easily have spurred them on. Remember that some were
from Reuven. They may have thought that their tribe should have been
the national leaders instead of Judah, or especially Moshe, who was
from Levi. It seems reasonable that when the Reuvenites saw the
honored position of Judah in the camp formation, jealousy could easily
have taken root. But this jealousy would naturally have been against
Judah, not against the descendants of Levi. How did this envy toward
Moshe and Aaron get a foothold among the conspirators?
It came in through Korach, who himself was a Levite. Also remember,
that Korach's family encamped in very close proximity to the
Reuvenites. This undoubtedly helped to spread the fires of contention.
Accordingly Korach may have been thinking, "Why was Aaron chosen to be
the spiritual leader when others may also qualify..Thus Korach was
jealous of his cousin Aaron who had received the position of Kohen
Gadol, and of his other cousin, Elizafan, son of Uziel, who had been
chosen to lead the family of Kehat" (3:30). Moreover, please note that
the text tells us in 16:1, "Korach took?" (16:1), but the direct
object for the verb 'took' is missing. Munk offers this insight for
us, "The interpretation given by Rashi is that he 'took' himself, that
is, he separated himself from the community. Other commentators
explain that he took on feelings of envy and took it upon himself to
change his path in life."
Same Tune, Different Words
Korach's cronies had more to say. It was not enough that Korach would
inspire them to challenge the right of Moshe and Aaron to lead Israel.
They also had to revert to the same tune that the rebellious have sung
since leaving Egypt. Only this tune has a slightly different
variation.
Dathan and Abiram had two problems with Moshe. They felt that he
"dominated" them, making himself the ruler over them. They stated the
second problem like this, "You did not bring us to a land flowing with
milk and honey nor give us heritage or vineyard." (16:13-14) Instead,
"You brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to die in
the wilderness." (16:13) Notice the change in wording in all of
Israel's rebellions so far. The first rebellions were from fear of
hunger or starvation. Then their perception of the reality of their
freedom and seemingly insecure life in the wilderness gradually
worsened, as the children of Israel made pleas to go back to Egypt,
lest they die in the wilderness. Getting worse yet, in Bamidbar 11,
they cried out for the "free" Egyptian fish. Now, in this parasha, the
complainers take their obstinacy even further by referring to Egypt in
the same way the Lord referred to the Promised Land. It is a complete
reversal. It represents the new depth into which the mutiny had sunk.
Leibowitz draws a sobering application from this. She compares this
attitude to the contemporary descendants of Jacob who find complacency
in the Diaspora equivalent to being in their "Jerusalem." She remarks,
"But here is something new and unprecedented-a complete reversal of
values, calling black white and white black. What was slavery is
termed freedom, the land of uncleanness is given the title exclusively
applied to the holy land. It is a symbol for all time to those who in
the lands of their dispersion proclaim: 'Here is our Jerusalem'!"
Please Discard the Label
Let us take it even a step further, for this lesson is critical for
life in the body of Messiah. Just as Dathan and Abiram distorted
reality and made false judgment calls regarding the Promised Land, so
also do some in the body of Messiah. Only, our judgments and labeling
are not concerning the Land, necessarily, but concerning people-other
brothers and sisters in Messiah. We need to avoid making judgments and
perjuriously labeling people. This distorts the truth of who they are
in Messiah. We need to look at that other believer whom some may call
"irksome" and know him after the Spirit instead of the flesh. We need
to call him "God's new creation" instead of Mr. Slob or Miss Selfish.
In short, we need to discard the distorted label and refer to him the
way God does, according to who he really is in Messiah.
This is what Paul was describing in II Corinthians 5:16 when he said,
"So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view, though
we once regarded Messiah in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore,
if anyone is in Messiah he is a new creation?" It may be true that
some may walk in their flesh much of the time, but we need to remember
that their flesh is not their real identity. They-like you and me-are
truly new people. We are saints and not sinners! Judging and labeling
someone falsely may actually contribute to that believer walking in
the flesh. For, he may be walking in the flesh because of his
perception of himself based on the feedback he gets from other
brothers and sisters. But we can really help him/her, and give due
glory to God, by treating him and referring to him in truthful terms,
using God's description of him such as "child of God," "justified,"
"forgiven," or "saint." In other words, we must not describe a
believer according to his flesh, because t! hat is his flesh-it is not
the real him! Moshe's Counter
The Fire-Pans
Moshe's response to Korach and his group was two-fold. His first
action was to propose a test. This test suggested by Moshe was very
shrewd. He told them to gather fire-pans for the burning of incense,
an important act of worship within the Mishkan. By doing so, in
essence, Moshe offered the challengers to play priest for a moment and
see if their service in the Mishkan would be acceptable to the Holy
One. "He challenges them to test their claims to equality with Aaron
by undergoing a species of ordeal." This was a life or death test. If
their incense was acceptable, they would live. If, not, then they
would follow the fate of some previous fellow countrymen who also
attempted to burn incense which was unacceptable to HaShem, Nadav and
Avihu. By putting the test off to the next morning, Moshe was granting
them time to contemplate seriously the consequences of their
rebellion. Would they be willing to stake their life on their claims?
Moreover, this test also put the burden of proof on the Lord Himself
and not upon Moshe, Aaron, or Korach. Moshe was completely trusting
God to either vindicate him or show that Korach was correct.
An Angry Moshe
Nevertheless, Moshe also had another response. After he had formally
declared the "test," Moshe then appealed to Korach and his followers
to reason with him and talk things out. This, of course was a failure,
only because he was attempting to reason with people who were
completely bent on impeaching him. It was in this appeal that the
other leaders, Dathan and Abiram, were afforded an opportunity to vent
their sentiments about the present situation of the nation in the
wilderness and irrationally plead to be taken back to Egypt.
This was enough for Moshe. At first, he humbled himself (16:4), but
this time, totally frustrated with trying to communicate rationally
with his detractors, Moshe became "distressed." The Hebrew word here
in 16:15 would be better translated as "angry." Indeed, the verse
tells us that Moshe got "very angry!" God's Choice
It now became time for the Holy One to intervene. God would show
everyone, without a doubt, who His choice was for leading the nation.
There were several steps in God's plan. Separate Yourselves
The first step, in 16:20-23, was to command everyone to stand clear of
the dwelling places of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. Interestingly
enough, this command came even before the fire-pan test. Apparently,
the situation was getting too critical to wait until the incense
started burning. Every time such rebellion breaks out in the camp of
God, the instructions are always the same-stand clear of the rebels!
The Terrible Sound
The second step was to create an unmistakable scene. In 16:31-34 God
caused the earth to open and swallow the three leaders along with
their households.burying them alive in the pit. This naturally had a
terrorizing effect on the Israelites. The text states that, "All
Israel that was around them fled at their sound, for they said, 'Lest
the earth swallow us'!" (16:34). The Hebrew for "sound" could also be
translated "voice." If so, then the whole camp heard the gruesome
sound of their shrieking voices as they plummeted into the earth's
opening. The ArtScroll adds to the drama by citing the Targum Yonatan
for this verse, "They screamed from the deep, 'God is righteous. His
verdict is true, and the words of His servant Moshe are true. We are
evil because we rebelled against him'."
It is unfortunate that many Jewish commentators make a mistake at this
point. Basing their ideas on the Talmud (Sanhedrin 110a), many suggest
that Korach's death is not accounted for in this story. For example,
Munk flatly states, "Korach's punishment is not explicitly mentioned."
However, all they need to do is to read Bamidbar 26:10-11 that
specifically tells us that Korach was swallowed up by the earth with
Dathan and Abiram.
The Consuming Fire
Are you ready for the next part of God's reaction? It is in 16:35.
God's fire came and consumed the 250 who were holding the fire-pans in
the Mishkan. The event was quick and startling. To comment further
would only take away from its full impact. Plating the Altar
God's last step was to instruct Elazar to throw away the remaining
incense flame, but save the 250 copper fire-pans. With them, the
Israelites were to make a hammered-out plate covering for the altar.
There is a valuable lesson here. How could something, which was used
to effectuate God's judgment, be used for such a holy object as the
altar? I suggest that the Lord is painting another of His brilliant
spiritual pictures. The altar was the place where the horrors of sin
were vividly portrayed through the bloody sacrifices that were
continually offered there. By having the altar covered with the metal
of the fire-pans, God was demonstrating how horrible the sin of
rebellion is. In fact, a case could be made to assert that rebellion
against God is at the root of all sin. Hence, no matter which sin was
being atoned for at the altar, the blood was also "covering" the
copper covers. In other words, the atoning blood also covered the
rebellion that was at the core of that sin.
The Aftermath
We would think that upon witnessing all of this supernatural
phenomena, each and every child of Jacob would have walked closely
with the Lord for the rest of their lives. However, as Leibowitz
suggests, "A miracle cannot serve either to accredit the emissary or
his mission. Whoever is consumed by doubts and skepticism will always
find an explanation of the miracles. Just the same as he does not
acknowledge the Almighty as the guiding power behind his servants and
prophets, so he will not detect the workings of providence behind the
wonders of the creation, both in its natural and supernatural
aspects."
Having this in mind, we can now begin to understand what happened in
17:6-15 where the children of Israel complained on the next day,
accusing Moshe and Aaron saying, "You have killed the people of the
Lord." They were simply not moved by the miracles!
We need to remember this fact when we are working with those who do
not follow the Lord. There seems to be a craze in today's believing
world for the miraculous. We need to remember that if the Lord is
already softening the soil of their soul, then perhaps they might be
prodded along to belief through a miracle. But if God has not been
preparing that person, then we should listen to Yeshua's advice. He
said that even if someone is resurrected, they will not believe! Our
task is to share the message and let God do whatever miracles He
chooses to perform.
Instantly, the Lord sent a supernatural plague throughout the camp
because of their unconfessed and unrepented sin. So it happened that a
rebellion begun by three men, spread to 250, and was now responsible
for contributing to the deaths of nearly 15,000 people of Israel.
As was the case with other disciplinary plagues sent by the Lord, this
one, being supernatural, would take a supernatural cure! Rashi
provides an insightful explanation concerning the cure that the Lord
provided as Aaron anointed the sinners with incense. He comments,
"Wherefore was the plague stayed by means of the incense? Because the
Israelites were traducing and speaking ill of the incense, saying 'It
is a deadly poison: through it Nadav and Avihu died; through it the
250 men were burnt!' Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said,
'You will see that it is also a means for restraining the plague and
it is only sin that brings death.' "
God's Confirmation
The rest of the parasha centers on God confirming and re-affirming
Aaron and the Levites to the ministry.
The Buds
First, HaShem confirms Aaron as the high priest. To do this, He
initiates another test, (17:17-26). Each tribe was to put its rod with
the leader's name written on it into the Mishkan before the Ark. The
staff that blossomed was the one whom HaShem had chosen to be the
leader. Hertz suggests that these rods were those which were
"ordinarily carried by the princes as the symbol of tribal authority."
We all know the results. The next day, not only had Aaron's rod
budded, but it even had almonds on it! It is difficult to determine
exactly why Aaron's rod was of almond wood. Understanding the nature
of the Hebrew word may shed some more light on the question. The
Hebrew word for almond is "sha-ked" sea. The verbal root of this noun
could mean "to watch" or "to be awake," as well as "almond."
These
translations may have been derived from the fact that in Israel, the
almond tree is one of the firsts to blossom in late winter. To many,
its fragrant white blossoms are an encouragement that the cold rainy
winter will soon pass. Its blossoms would "awaken" them to watch for
the coming of spring. It would appear from all of this that the Lord
might have been demonstrating to all Israel that Aaron and the Levites
were the spiritual watchmen over Israel. Perhaps in this manner, this
test confirmed God's choice.
A Permanent Reminder
But whatever the full nature of this test, it seems clear that some
sort of a "spiritual hierarchy was now being introduced to the Jewish
nation, and there was a need to have it take root in the hearts and
minds of the people. The division of the people into categories of
kohanim, Levites, and Israelites would now become fixed for all time,
as a part of the everyday life of the Jew." To emphasize this, the
Lord instructed that Aaron's budded rod be placed in the Ark "as a
sign for rebellious ones, let their complaints cease from me that they
not die" (17:25).
There is a slight problem about this rod functioning as a permanent
sign to Israel. The problem is that no one today knows where it is!
The location of the Ark and its contents is one of the greatest of the
world's unsolved mysteries and the subject of many a fable, legend-and
movie! The best we can do is to point you to Yoma 52b. Here we read,
"Surely it has been taught: When the Ark was hidden, there was hidden
with it the bottle containing the manna, and that containing the
sprinkling water, the staff of Aaron with its almonds and blossoms,
and the chest which the Philistines had sent as a gift to the God of
Israel??" Then we are told, "Who hid it? Josiah hid it."
There you have it! Here is the information you needed to begin your
search for Aaron's blossomed rod and the lost Ark! When you find it,
we will let you write an article about your adventure in FFOZ!
As for the rest of the Torah portion, chapter 18 is merely a
recapitulation of the duties, responsibilities, and calling of the
Levites. The significance of this chapter lies in its context. It
follows the Korach incident and serves as a reaffirmation of God's
choice for the service of the Mishkan.
Excursus-"Spiritual Rebellion"
This parasha has often been used to provide a biblical basis to defend
a certain kind of authority assumed by spiritual leaders, especially
in local congregations. The defense usually goes something like this:
"Do not speak against God's anointed, do not act against God's
anointed. For just like Korach rebelled against Moshe and was judged
by God for doing so, so will anyone who questions, challenges, or does
something contrary to their spiritual leader." I feel compelled to say
a few remarks about this issue.
First, I would like to share my experience in the body of Messiah. I
became a believer in Yeshua in 1970. As a young believer, I was active
as a budding leader in a well-known organization for believers on my
college campus. Eventually I graduated from both a Bible college and
an excellent seminary. From graduation in 1978 until our aliyah to
Israel in 1992, I pastored three congregations, including a Messianic
Jewish one. I have varied experience in the believing world, thus I
know what many spiritual leaders think on this issue. I also know what
it is like to be a "sheep" under the "authority" of a pastor, as that
is our present case here in Israel. In short, I am trying to
communicate to you that my experience in the body of Messiah is
extenuating enough to justify a few critical, as well as helpful
remarks.
There is a definite problem in the body of Messiah concerning the area
of spiritual rebellion. Part of the problem is that I do not think
that the body of Messiah has succeeded well enough in defining its
authority structure. Oftentimes it patterns itself after the authority
structure of ancient Israel. The pastor is usually perceived to be
like Moshe or Aaron. He is given absolute authority, even over his
"under shepherds," whether they are called deacons, elders, or just
"the board."
This arrangement is totally unsatisfactory for several reasons. First,
there is an immense cultural, vocational, and theological gap between
ancient Israel and the body of Messiah. To be sure, there are many
similarities. In fact, in the case of Jewish believers in Yeshua, one
can make a good argument that the two situations are, indeed, one! But
for the most part, the local expression of the body of Messiah does
not possess the exact specific calling of ancient Israel, and
therefore cannot share the same leadership structure.
A second reason is the usual result of such an unbiblical analogy.
When a spiritual leader perceives himself as a Moshe or Aaron, too
often, those who disagree with him are considered rebels like Korach
or, in the case of women, "Jezebels." When this type of leadership
structure is in force, it provides a fertile breeding ground for one
of the most serious "unspoken" problems facing the body of Messiah
today-spiritual abuse.
We have met with scores of people who have submitted themselves at one
time or another to such leadership. We ourselves also have first-hand
experience with such leadership. (Not in our current fellowship!) I
call it "unspoken" because of the chemistry between the "Moses" and
the sheep. Armed with a mandate from on high, the leader pronounces
dictate after dictate to manipulate and shame the sheep into blind
obedience. When the sheep question such authority, they are blasted as
rebellious, shamed, labeled and embarrassed into compliance. If
trouble or disunity occurs resulting from their challenging the
leader's teaching or other authority, the questioning sheep are
usually silenced as the cause of the problem rather than considered
the victim of the autocratic and insecure leader's problems.
My point is, that we cannot use parashat Korach as a biblical guide to
defend the dictates of a power-hungry leader who claims to be God's
anointed. If we are in such a situation, we need not fear the earth
opening up when we challenge or even oppose such a leader. In truth,
many such leaders need to be called into question and should be at the
scrutiny of all of the sheep who depend upon them for food, water,
comfort, encouragement, and direction. Let us not use this precious
Torah as an aid to propagate any more spiritual abuse in the body of
Messiah.
Yet, there is a proper biblical leadership and authority structure
that all believers need to follow. Yeshua, the Chief Shepherd, teaches
some of the basic guidelines for authority and submission in His Body
in John 10. He says that the sheep "follow the real shepherd because
they know his voice?I am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep" (John 10:1-21). From this passage, we
learn that a leader's authority comes from his servant-hood. It is
empowered by his willingness to know the sheep personally enough to
lay his life down for them. This kind of leader the sheep will gladly
follow. But when a leader thinks that he has to exhort the sheep to
follow him, to submit to him as God's anointed, he has already shown
that he no longer has that anointing, assuming he had it at the start.
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SHABBAT SHALOM FROM JERUSALEM! May the Lord bless your coming week!
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