StandUp: Korach

3. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You took too much for yourselves, the entire nation is holy, every single one of them, G-d is among them, so why did you elevate youselves above the entire nation of G-d?

• ג וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל משֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֲלֵהֶם רַב לָכֶם כִּי כָל הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם ה וּמַדּוּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ עַל קְהַל ה:

You take too much upon yourselves: You took by far too much greatness for yourselves.

רב לכם: הרבה יותר מדאי לקחתם לעצמכם גדולה:

So why do you elevate yourselves: If you have taken kingship for yourself, you should not have chosen the kehunah for your brother. You weren’t the only people that heard at Sinai, “I am the Lord, your God” ; the entire congregation heard it, aka the entire nation is holy and deserving of the kehuna.

ומדוע תתנשאו: אם לקחת אתה מלכות לא היה לך לברר לאחיך כהונה, לא אתם לבדכם שמעתם בסיני אנכי ה' אלהיך (שמות כ ב), כל העדה שמעו:

1. He took himself to one side to dissociate himself from the congregation, to contest the [appointment of Aaron to the] kehunah... He separated himself from the congregation to persist in a dispute. Similarly, מה יקחך לבך, “Why does your heart take you away?” (Job 15:12) meaning, it removes you, to isolate you from others

2. He took people with his words. Aka, he convinced people to join his cause.

1. ויקח קרח: לקח את עצמו לצד אחד להיות נחלק מתוך העדה לעורר על הכהונה..,נחלק משאר העדה להחזיק במחלוקת, וכן (איוב טו, יב) מה יקחך לבך, לוקח אותך להפליגך משאר בני אדם.

2. ויקח קרח: דבר אחר ויקח קרח משך ראשי סנהדראות שבהם בדברים,.. קחו עמכם דברים:

(32) And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that was related to Korach, and all of his their goods.

(לב) וַתִּפְתַּ֤ח הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֶת־פִּ֔יהָ וַתִּבְלַ֥ע אֹתָ֖ם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיהֶ֑ם וְאֵ֤ת כָּל־הָאָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְקֹ֔רַח וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הָרֲכֽוּשׁ׃

6. Then an Israelite man came and brought the Midianite woman to his brethren, before the eyes of Moshe and the entire congregation of Israel, while they were crying at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

7. Phineas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Kohen saw this, got up from the congregation and took a spear in his hand.

8. He went after the Israelite in the chamber and drove through them with the sword..

ו וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא, וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל אֶחָיו אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִית, לְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה וּלְעֵינֵי כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהֵמָּה בֹכִים פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד.

ז וַיַּרְא פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן, וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה, וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ.

ח וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל הַקֻּבָּה וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם...

13It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of kehunah, because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the children of Israel."

יג וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו, בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם--תַּחַת, אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לה', וַיְכַפֵּר, עַל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

And did not keep his commandments of God

ולא שמר מצותיו של ה'