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.

Incense Throughout Tanakh

The bringing of incense is mentioned in both several legal and narrative sections of Torah , including Shemot 30, Vayikra 10, Vayikra 16, Bemidbar 7, and Bemidbar 16-17.

Tools

• Use the concordance to find all occurrences of the noun קְטֹרֶת.

Articles

• See משמעות הקטרות, by R. Yehuda Rock, for an attempt to identify a unifying theme of "קְטֹרֶת": that applies equally to all of the instances in which it is mentioned in Torah.  The incense represents Hashem’s presence, and the various sections that refer to it impart certain messages about how Hashem’s presence is drawn upon the nation. 

The Spies and Korach

The sin of the spies and the rebellion of Korach are the two major debacles of Sefer Bemidbar and are contiguous to each other in the text. The following resources analyze the differences and common ground between them.

Articles

• Listen to The Rebellion of Korach, by R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, for contrast of these two sins. Whereas the sin of the spies represents a popular revolt of the mob, the rebellion of Korach represents a movement of the elite.
• See מה משותף ומה מבדיל בין פרשת מרגלים לפרשת קרח, by R. Menachem Bronfman, for comparison and contrast of the many differences in circumstances and motivation between the two sins,³ as well as the underlying similarity of an extreme lack of faith in Hashem.
• See Korach: The Incense Challenge, by R. Chanoch Waxman, for a comparison and contrast of the two sins. Whereas the spies were plagued by underestimating their own worthiness, Korach’s rebellion was motivated by a grandiose sense of self.

Kayin and Korach

In each of the stories of Kayin's killing of Hevel and the rebellion of Korach, the "earth opens its mouth", in one case to swallow the blood of Hevel, in the other, to swallow the rebel leaders.

Sources

• Bavli Sanhedrin 37b notes that these are the only two times that the earth opened its mouth, in one case for constructive purposes and in one case for evil.

Articles

• In From Kayin to Korah: The Fellow Founders of Foment, R. Shlomo Zuckier compares the acts of Kayin and Korach.  Kayin seeks to kill his brother and thereby destroy his family, while Korach seeks to destroy the nationhood of Israel.  Both of these represent such a fundamental tearing of the social fabric that the earth itself splits open.⁴

Overturning Leadership: Korach and Shemuel

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.

³ The two rebellions differ with regards to both the participants (the whole nation vs. the elite) and the motivation (fear vs. jealousy).

⁴ R. Zuckier further notes that Kayin and Korach both demonstrate lack of clarity about how to achieve their aims, with Kayin (in the telling of the Sages) inflicting many wounds on Hevel in a confused attempt to kill him, and Korach bringing together many disparate claims and groups in his rebellion against Moshe. The natural order itself reflects the gravity of these actions.