Korach & Machloket, 5782

(17) Every argument that is [for the sake of] heaven's name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not [for the sake of] heaven's name -- it is not destined to endure. What [is an example of an argument for the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Hillel and Shammai. What [is an example of an argument not for the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Korach and all of his followers.

(1) Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and 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, men of repute.(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. (5) Then he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Come morning, יהוה will make known who is [God’s] and who is holy by granting direct access; the one whom [God] has chosen will be granted access.(6) Do this: You, Korah and all your band, take fire pans,(7) and tomorrow put fire in them and lay incense on them before יהוה. Then the candidate whom יהוה chooses, he shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”(8) Moses said further to Korah, “Hear me, sons of Levi.(9) Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel and given you direct access, to perform the duties of יהוה’s Tabernacle and to minister to the community and serve them?(10) Now that [God] has advanced you and all your fellow Levites with you, do you seek the priesthood too?(11) Truly, it is against יהוה that you and all your company have banded together. For who is Aaron that you should rail against him?”(12) Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come!(13) Is it not enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, that you would also lord it over us?(14) Even if you had brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and given us possession of fields and vineyards, should you gouge out the eyes of those involved? We will not come!”(15) Moses was much aggrieved and he said to יהוה, “Pay no regard to their oblation. I have not taken the ass of any one of them, nor have I wronged any one of them.”(16) And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company appear before יהוה, you and they and Aaron.(17) Each of you take your fire pan and lay incense on it, and each of you bring that fire pan before יהוה, two hundred and fifty fire pans; you and Aaron also [bring] your fire pans.”(18) They each took their fire pan, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and took a place at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as did Moses and Aaron.(19) Korah 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 member sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?”(23) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying,(24) “Speak to the community and say: Withdraw from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”(25) Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, the elders of Israel following him.(26) He addressed the community, saying, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you be wiped out for all their sins.”(27) So they withdrew from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Now Dathan and Abiram had come out and they stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives, their adult children, and their little ones.(28) And Moses said, “By this you shall know that it was יהוה who sent me to do all these things; that they are not of my own devising:(29) if these people’s death is that of all humankind, if their lot is humankind’s common fate, it was not יהוה who sent me.(30) But if יהוה brings about something unheard-of, so that the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, you shall know that those involved have spurned יהוה.”(31) Scarcely had he finished speaking all these words when the ground under them burst asunder,(32) and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korah’s people and all their possessions.(33) They went down alive into Sheol, with all that belonged to them; the earth closed over them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation.

(16) There was envy of Moses in the camp,
and of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.(17) The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,
closed over the party of Abiram.(18) A fire blazed among their party,
a flame that consumed the wicked.

Rabbi Elazar Ha-kappar said: envy, lust and [the desire for] honor put a man out of the world.

(2) THE DISPUTE OF KORACH AND HIS FOLLOWERS. The mishna does not mention the other party in the dispute [that opposed Korach]—Moses and Aaron—as it does in the first section because in this case the two parties are not comparable, for Moses and Aaron acted for the sake of Heaven and had no other motives at all.

Rabbi Abba said that Shmuel said: For three years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion, and these said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion. Ultimately, a Divine Voice emerged and proclaimed: "Both these and those are the words of the living God. However, the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel."

Since both these and those are the words of the living God, why were Beit Hillel privileged to have the halakha established in accordance with their opinion? The reason is that they were agreeable and forbearing, and they would teach both their own statements and the statements of Beit Shammai. Moreover, they prioritized the statements of Beit Shammai over their own statements.

The question is raised: “What if someone should come to the House of study and see different groups of students studying Torah, and one group says something is permitted while another group says it is forbidden, or the House of Hillel says that a vessel is pure and the House of Shammai says it is impure.” And the person says: “How can I learn Torah this way?” The answer is: All of these words were given by One Shepherd; One God created them: One Leader gave them; the Master of all things, the Holy Blessed One said them. What should you do? You should build many rooms in your heart and you should let in all of these words…

The Sages taught: One who sees multitudes of Israel recites: Blessed…Who knows secrets. Why is this? God sees a whole nation whose minds are unlike each other and whose faces are unlike each other.