Dialogue with the Divine During Korach's Rebellion/1/he

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דיאלוג עם ה' במהלך מרד קרח

הקדמה

דו-משמעות בשפע

After accusing Moshe and Aharon of raising themselves above האומה ("עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל"), קרח והמאתיים וחמשים איש ("קֹרַח וְכׇל עֲדָתוֹ") assemble at the Mishkan to participate in the incense test, designed to establish who has been chosen by Hashem. The Torah then records a series of verses which include a somewhat enigmatic conversation between Hashem and Moshe:

(יט) וַיַּקְהֵל עֲלֵיהֶם קֹרַח אֶת כׇּל הָעֵדָה אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיֵּרָא כְבוֹד ה' אֶל כׇּל הָעֵדָה.
(כ-כא) וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר. הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם כְּרָגַע.
(כב) וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵל אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכׇל בָּשָׂר הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא וְעַל כׇּל הָעֵדָה תִּקְצֹף.
(כג-כד) וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. דַּבֵּר אֶל הָעֵדָה לֵאמֹר הֵעָלוּ מִסָּבִיב לְמִשְׁכַּן קֹרַח דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם.

כל אחד מפסוקים אלו1 נוקט במונח "הָעֵדָה",‎2 אך in all of them it is unclear whether the word refers to the congregation of Korach or the people of Israel at large.3 This results in a series of open questions:

  • פסוק י"ט – Did Korach gather the entire people of Israel אל אהל מועד, or merely his band of 250 followers?4 To which of these groups did Hashem reveal his glory?
  • פסוק כ"א – Did Hashem initially intend to wipe out the entire nation or just Korach's group of rebels?5
  • פסוק כ"ב – Is Moshe requesting that God spare even Korach's adherents or only the rest of the nation?
  • פסוק כ"ד – In response, does Hashem command specifically Korach's assembly to distance themselves from Korach, or are His words directed to the rest of the nation? What is the relationship between Hashem's instructions בפסוקים כ"א וכ"ד?

משמעות תיאולוגית

As a result of the above textual ambiguities, there are multiple possible scenarios which can be reconstructed regarding each of the characters involved.

  • קרח – Did Korach succeed in attaining broadly based popular support, or was he the leader of only a fringe group?
  • בני ישראל – Did the nation at large commit an active or passive sin, or were they completely innocent bystanders?
  • ה' – Was Hashem threatening to impose collective punishment on the entire nation for the crimes of a minority, or was He always planning on punishing only the sinners (or was the entire nation truly guilty)? Did Hashem shift course as a result of Moshe's intercession?
  • משה – Was Moshe challenging God's mode of justice on philosophical grounds or merely begging for mercy? Or did Moshe simply misunderstand Hashem's intentions?

These uncertainties, in turn, leave the reader with some profound theological questions:

  • ענישה קולקטיבית – Is collective punishment legitimate, and (if yes) does Hashem ever impose it?6
  • Prophetic fallibility – Do prophets ever err or misunderstand Divine communication? Would this not pose a danger to the success of their mission, particularly if the prophet is Moshe Rabbeinu?7
  • Divine immutability – Does Hashem ever change His mind and, if so, what would that mean and how is it possible?

בגישות פרשניות, we will examine the widely diverging readings of this story, and how their various proponents struggle with the implications for religious dogma.

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