(יד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי:
(14) He [Rabbi Hillel] used to say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?
(א) וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃ (ב) וַיָּקֻ֙מוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים מִבְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם נְשִׂיאֵ֥י עֵדָ֛ה קְרִאֵ֥י מוֹעֵ֖ד אַנְשֵׁי־שֵֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהוָ֑ה וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהוָֽה׃ (ד) וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיִּפֹּ֖ל עַל־פָּנָֽיו׃
(1) Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and the On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben
(2) to rise up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty Israelites, chieftains of the community, chosen in the assembly, with fine reputations.
(3) They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and יהוה is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above יהוה's congregation?”
(4) When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
The rebels state that the entire congregation is holy because God dwells within it...Korah challenges the need for a priestly heirarchy if all are holy.
(The Torah: A Women's Commentary, 896.)
Consider the greatest figure of Judaism, Moshe: Nowhere does the Torah refer to Moses as courageous, a defender of justice, or compassionate, although it is clear from various incidents in the Torah that he is all these things. Rather the only description of Moses is this : “Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth.” (Num 12:3). Astonishingly this is the only virtue attributed to Moses in the entire Torah. (Telushkin)
(Rabbi Dov Gartenberg)
Raba said: [A disciple of the Sages] who possesses [haughtiness of spirit] deserves excommunication, and if he does not possess it he deserves excommunication.
(Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 5a-b)
(יט) וַיַּקְהֵ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֥ם קֹ֙רַח֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיֵּרָ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃ (פ) (כ) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (כא) הִבָּ֣דְל֔וּ מִתּ֖וֹךְ הָעֵדָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את וַאַכַלֶּ֥ה אֹתָ֖ם כְּרָֽגַע׃ (כב) וַיִּפְּל֤וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֕ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָרוּחֹ֖ת לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר הָאִ֤ישׁ אֶחָד֙ יֶחֱטָ֔א וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה תִּקְצֹֽף׃ (פ)
(19) Korach gathered the whole community against them at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
Then the Presence of יהוה appeared to the whole community,
(20) and יהוה spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
(21) “Stand back from this community that I may annihilate them in an instant!”
(22) But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, Source of the breath of all flesh! When one man sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?”
22. But they fell on their faces. Moses had the same reaction in v. 4 when he first heard the rebels' complaint. Earlier, it was an act of grief...here, Moses and Aaron are bowing before divine authority, appealing to God for assistance, and attempting to appease God's wrath against the innocent members of the community.
(The Torah: A Women's Commentary, 899.)
22. "When one member sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?" Korah has included the entire community in his challenge (v. 19), and God has threatened to destroy all of them (v. 21); but Moses and Aaron ask that only the sinners be punished. This key question about theodicy, that is, God's justice, recurs throughout the Bible. Abraham appeals to God's justice when he asks God to not destroy the righteous along with the wicked (Gen. 18:23-25). Ezekiel articulates this concept most strongly when he asserts, "The person who commits an offense - he shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
(The Torah: A Women's Commentary, 899.)
Innocent bystander: a guiltless witness of a wrongdoing