Biblical Parallels Index – Bemidbar 16-17/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bemidbar 16-17

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event or law, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Nadav, Avihu, Korach, and Uziyahu

The 250 followers of Korach, Nadav and Avihu (Vayikra 10), and King Uziyahu (Divrei HaYamim II 26) are all punished in connection to the bringing of unauthorized incense.

Tools

• The Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the chapter most linguistically similar to the story of the death of Nadav and Avihu is Bemidbar 16.¹ Compare the two here.

Primary Sources

• See RambanBemidbar 16:5About R. Moshe b. Nachman, who suggests that Moshe chose the test of incense because he was modeling it on the punishment of Nadav and Avihu.
• See Midrash Aggadah (Buber)Bemidbar 17:23About Midrash Aggadah (Buber) which draws a connection between the punishment of the 250 princes and of Uziyahu.  
• See TanchumaTzav 13About the Tanchuma which connects the sin and punishment of Uziyahu with that of Korach and his followers.

Articles

• See הקטורת ומחלוקת קרח, by Rabbanit Sharon Rimon, for analysis of the significance and symbolism of incense in light of these three narratives.  All of these indicate the importance and centrality of the service of bringing incense. ² Rabbanit Rimon suggests that the incense represents the holiness of man’s soul.  As such, it refutes Korach’s argument that if everyone is holy, all should be equally able to serve by demonstrating that notwithstanding this fundamental holiness within all human beings, not all people are chosen for the same service.  Those who are not worthy of bringing incense die.
• See Korach: The Incense Challenge, by R. Chanoch Waxman, which points out the numerous parallels between the stories of Korach and of Nadav and Avihu, and seeks to understand why Korach’s congregation would go down such a ruinous path after knowing what happened to Nadav and Avihu. 
• See The Plague and the Incense, by R. Yaakov Medan, who reads the story of Uziyahu's bringing of incense and his ensuing punishment in light of the story of Korach's rebellion. He notes that the Bemidbar story teaches that unauthorized incense can cause death by fire, but that incense can also be used, even outside the Sanctum, as an emergency measure to save the nation. These two points might explain Uziyahu's punishment of tzara'at. R. Medan suggests that Uziyahu too was hit by fire from his firepan, and the burn itself is what caused his tzara'at. Uziyahu was only saved from death since there were extenuating circumstances; his intentions were perhaps positive, a desire to use the incense as an emergency measure to allow him to pray for the people in the Inner Sanctum.

¹ In the lab, click on the Torah icon for a list of the chapters most linguistically similar to the text being shown.

² See Purpose and Placement of the Incense Altar for a range of views on the purpose of the incense, with some, like Rabbanit Rimon suggesting that it is one of the most important vessels, and others, notably the Rambam, suggesting that it is of only minimal  importance.