Difference between revisions of "Dialogue with the Divine During Korach's Rebellion/2"
(Original Author: Neima Novetsky, Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
(Original Author: Neima Novetsky, Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
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<point><b>Did the nation sin?</b> | <point><b>Did the nation sin?</b> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
− | <li><b>Yes</b> – According to Tanchuma and Rashi, Korach managed to persuade the nation to join his rebellion. They maintain, though, that some portion of the nation still refused to participate in the sin.<fn>Both sources are somewhat confusing since they assert in their earlier comments that Korach incited the people עד שנתפתו כלם. Later, though, in their explanation of Moshe's | + | <li><b>Yes</b> – According to Tanchuma and Rashi, Korach managed to persuade the nation to join his rebellion. They maintain, though, that some portion of the nation still refused to participate in the sin.<fn>Both sources are somewhat confusing since they assert in their earlier comments that Korach incited the people "עד שנתפתו כלם". Later, though, in their explanation of Moshe's argument with Hashem, it becomes evident that at least part of the nation did not sin.</fn></li> |
<li><b>No</b> – Ralbag and the Akeidat Yitzchak assert that the nation did not sin.<fn>According to the Akeidat Yitzchak, although Korach had attempted to sway the people, the arrival of Hashem's presence instilled a fear of God upon them so that they remained silent. He is hesitant to say that the nation actively sinned, as this would have prevented Moshe from honestly claiming "הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא וְעַל כׇּל הָעֵדָה תִּקְצֹף"?</fn></li> | <li><b>No</b> – Ralbag and the Akeidat Yitzchak assert that the nation did not sin.<fn>According to the Akeidat Yitzchak, although Korach had attempted to sway the people, the arrival of Hashem's presence instilled a fear of God upon them so that they remained silent. He is hesitant to say that the nation actively sinned, as this would have prevented Moshe from honestly claiming "הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא וְעַל כׇּל הָעֵדָה תִּקְצֹף"?</fn></li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
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<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
<multilink><aht source="RambanBemidbar16-21">Ramban</aht><aht source="RambanBemidbar16-21">Bemidbar 16:21</aht><aht parshan="Ramban">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</aht></multilink>,<fn>Ramban's commentary on this verse was augmented significantly upon his arrival in Israel. For further discussion, see <aht page="Commentators:Ramban's Updates">Ramban's Updates</aht>, and specifically <aht page="Commentators:Ramban's Updates/Bemidbar#BEM16-21">Ramban Bemidbar 16:21</aht>.</fn> | <multilink><aht source="RambanBemidbar16-21">Ramban</aht><aht source="RambanBemidbar16-21">Bemidbar 16:21</aht><aht parshan="Ramban">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</aht></multilink>,<fn>Ramban's commentary on this verse was augmented significantly upon his arrival in Israel. For further discussion, see <aht page="Commentators:Ramban's Updates">Ramban's Updates</aht>, and specifically <aht page="Commentators:Ramban's Updates/Bemidbar#BEM16-21">Ramban Bemidbar 16:21</aht>.</fn> | ||
− | <multilink><aht source="AbarbanelBemidbar16">Abarbanel</aht><aht source=" | + | <multilink><aht source="AbarbanelBemidbar16">Abarbanel</aht><aht source="AbarbanelBemidbar16Q13">Bemidbar 16, Question 13</aht><aht source="AbarbanelBemidbar16">Bemidbar 16</aht><aht parshan="Abarbanel">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</aht></multilink>, |
<multilink><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-19">R. S"R Hirsch</aht><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-19">Bemidbar 16:19</aht><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-21">Bemidbar 16:21,22,24</aht><aht parshan="R. S"R Hirsch" /></multilink>, | <multilink><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-19">R. S"R Hirsch</aht><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-19">Bemidbar 16:19</aht><aht source="RHirschBemidbar16-21">Bemidbar 16:21,22,24</aht><aht parshan="R. S"R Hirsch" /></multilink>, | ||
<multilink><aht source="MalbimBemidbar16-20">Malbim</aht><aht source="MalbimBemidbar16-20">Bemidbar 16:20-26</aht><aht parshan="Malbim">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</aht></multilink> | <multilink><aht source="MalbimBemidbar16-20">Malbim</aht><aht source="MalbimBemidbar16-20">Bemidbar 16:20-26</aht><aht parshan="Malbim">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</aht></multilink> | ||
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>"וַיַּקְהֵל עֲלֵיהֶם קֹרַח אֶת כָּל הָעֵדָה" in verse 19</b> – This position asserts that the term "עֵדָה" in this verse refers to the Children of Israel,<fn>Ramban also offers an alternative that it refers specifically to the leaders of Israel or the firstborns who had previously been dedicated to the service of Hashem. Since according to Ramban (16:1), the 250 men were the firstborns, this last option comes very close to maintaining that "הָעֵדָה" refers to Korach's followers (cf. Ralbag above).</fn> and not the 250 men with Korach. Korach assembled the entire nation to convince them to join his rebellion.</point> | <point><b>"וַיַּקְהֵל עֲלֵיהֶם קֹרַח אֶת כָּל הָעֵדָה" in verse 19</b> – This position asserts that the term "עֵדָה" in this verse refers to the Children of Israel,<fn>Ramban also offers an alternative that it refers specifically to the leaders of Israel or the firstborns who had previously been dedicated to the service of Hashem. Since according to Ramban (16:1), the 250 men were the firstborns, this last option comes very close to maintaining that "הָעֵדָה" refers to Korach's followers (cf. Ralbag above).</fn> and not the 250 men with Korach. Korach assembled the entire nation to convince them to join his rebellion.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Did the nation sin?</b> These commentators attribute varying degrees of guilt to the nation, suggesting either that they, too, had begun to question Moshe's authority, or that they were guilty of not protesting against Korach.</point> | + | <point><b>Did the nation sin?</b> These commentators attribute varying degrees of guilt to the nation, suggesting either that they, too, had begun to question Moshe's authority, or that they were guilty of not protesting against Korach.<fn>Cf. Midrash HaGadol Bemidbar 16:21.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Hashem's initial plan ("הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם")</b> – According to all of these exegetes, Hashem is instructing Moshe and Aharon to distance themselves from the entire nation.<fn>Ramban notes that this option is supported by the almost identical formulation in 17:10 "הֵרֹמּוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם כְּרָגַע" which clearly refers to Moshe and Aharon separating from the rest of the nation.</fn> Since the people had all participated in the sin, Hashem desired to punish them as well.</point> | <point><b>Hashem's initial plan ("הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם")</b> – According to all of these exegetes, Hashem is instructing Moshe and Aharon to distance themselves from the entire nation.<fn>Ramban notes that this option is supported by the almost identical formulation in 17:10 "הֵרֹמּוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאֲכַלֶּה אֹתָם כְּרָגַע" which clearly refers to Moshe and Aharon separating from the rest of the nation.</fn> Since the people had all participated in the sin, Hashem desired to punish them as well.</point> | ||
<point><b>Moshe's plea (‏"הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא וְעַל כׇּל הָעֵדָה תִּקְצֹף?"‏)</b> – Moshe's argument is not a philosophical one, as above, but an emotional one. He pleas that Hashem should have mercy on the undeserving nation.<fn>Ramban points to other cases, such as David, in which a leader does similarly.</fn> He attempts to mitigate the people's fault by pointing out that it was a sin of thought and not action. Moreover, he stresses that only Korach was really culpable, since without him the nation would not have been persuaded to sin.</point> | <point><b>Moshe's plea (‏"הָאִישׁ אֶחָד יֶחֱטָא וְעַל כׇּל הָעֵדָה תִּקְצֹף?"‏)</b> – Moshe's argument is not a philosophical one, as above, but an emotional one. He pleas that Hashem should have mercy on the undeserving nation.<fn>Ramban points to other cases, such as David, in which a leader does similarly.</fn> He attempts to mitigate the people's fault by pointing out that it was a sin of thought and not action. Moreover, he stresses that only Korach was really culpable, since without him the nation would not have been persuaded to sin.</point> |
Version as of 12:06, 26 June 2014
Dialogue with the Divine During Korach's Rebellion
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Moshe's brief dialogue with Hashem presents us with the challenge of how to contend with a debate between two sides, both of whom are often viewed as infallible or close to it. How does one "choose sides" in such a case, or can a way be found to understand and justify both? R. Chananel adopts the approach that Hashem never had any intention of wiping out the entire people, but Moshe made a mistake and, due to the ambiguity of the word "הָעֵדָה", simply misunderstood what Hashem had said. Ralbag, in contrast, develops the notion that Hashem, indeed, sometimes applies collective punishment to completely innocent people, but Moshe prevailed upon Hashem to afford the nation the opportunity to distance themselves from Korach and thereby avoid punishment.
Other commentators try to present the exchange as Moshe pleading for Hashem to have mercy even upon sinners. Ramban proposes that the entire conversation revolved around the nation at large which had in fact sinned, but were nonetheless spared because Moshe succeeded in persuading Hashem to have mercy. The Melekhet Machshevet, though, explains that the discussion focused on the fate of Korach's followers, and that Moshe failed in his attempt to invoke Divine mercy upon them.
Hashem Corrected Moshe's Error
Hashem planned to punish only Korach's followers, but Moshe misunderstood and thought that Hashem intended to destroy the entire nation. In response, Hashem clarified his intent and corrected Moshe's mistake.
- 250 men – This approach would work well with the option2 that verse 19 describes Korach assembling only his 250 men ("הָעֵדָה" = עדת קרח).3 The term "הָעֵדָה" throughout verses 19-21 would then consistently refer to the same group.4
- Entire people – R"Y Bekhor Shor, R. Bachya, and the Keli Yakar, however, all assert that the word "הָעֵדָה" refers to the whole nation of Israel,5 and that Korach gathered the various tribes in an attempt to convince them to join his camp.
- If one assumes, like R"Y Bekhor Shor, that the rest of the nation was innocent, Moshe was arguing that only Korach and his followers sinned so it would be unjust if the others were punished.10
- If one asserts, like R. Bachya, that much of the nation did join the rebellion, then one must suggest that Moshe was pleading that only the inciter to rebellion should be punished, not those foolish enough to follow him.11
Hashem Changed His Mind
Hashem's original plan would have led to the entire nation being punished, but Moshe persuaded Hashem to shift course. This position subdivides regarding the motivation for Hashem's change of heart and the substance of Moshe's argument:
Rescinded Decree of Collective Punishment
Moshe argued with Hashem on moral and philosophical grounds, convincing Him not to collectively punish the innocent with the guilty.
- Entire nation – According to most of these commentators, the term "עֵדָה" in this verse refers to the Children of Israel and not the 250 men.16 Korach had gathered all of the various tribes to persuade them to side with him against Moshe.
- 250 men – Ralbag suggests, in contrast, that the word refers to Korach's congregation,17 and not the larger nation. Korach had to actively reassemble his 250 followers, since many were afraid and hesitant to participate in the incense test and had thus dispersed.
- Collective punishment – Hashem is referring to the Congregation of Israel.20 Even though the nation (or, according to Tanchuma and Rashi, a portion of the nation) was innocent and did not play any role in the rebellion, Hashem planned on punishing them collectively along with the rebels.
- Collateral damage – According to the Akeidat Yitzchak, in contrast, Hashem was planning on actively punishing only Korach and his men ("הָעֵדָה" = עדת קרח). Nonetheless, Hashem was not planning on preventing the nation from suffering any collateral damage the punishment might cause.21 Thus, Hashem originally told only Moshe and Aharon to separate from the rebels (and thereby be protected from sharing their fate), but did not instruct the nation as a whole to do the same.
- Preventative – According to Ralbag, since collective punishment is by nature what happens to a united group when one part sins and causes Hashem's providence to depart, Hashem needed to break up the collective. He, thus, commands Moshe to tell the nation, "הֵעָלוּ מִסָּבִיב לְמִשְׁכַּן קֹרַח דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם", to separate themselves, and thus not be caught in the punishment of Korach's followers.
- Corrective – The Akeidat Yitzchak views these latter words of Hashem as modifying His original statement, "הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה". Hashem had originally told only Moshe and Aharon to separate from Korach's congregation, but He now extends this warning to the rest of the nation ("דַּבֵּר אֶל הָעֵדָה") so that they can all distance themselves and be saved.26
Pardoned Even the Undeserving
Moshe made an emotional argument before Hashem, appealing on humanitarian grounds to God's mercy and asking that He forgo punishing the nation even though they had sinned.30
- Correction – Ramban reads Hashem's words as correcting His original statement, "הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה". Hashem was no longer planning on punishing the enitre "עֵדָה", but rather only Korach, Datan, and Aviram.
- Demand for a show of loyalty – Malbim and R. Hirsch,36 in contrast, assert that in verse 24, Hashem is demanding that the nation actively show that they no longer support Korach by distancing themselves from him. Only with such an atoning act will they no longer deserve to share Korach's fate.
Hashem Rejected Moshe's Plea for Mercy
Hashem denied Moshe's request to have mercy even upon the 250 followers of Korach, but the entire dialogue did not relate at all to the fate of the rest of the nation as they were never in danger.
- According to R. Moshe Hefetz, when Hashem tells Moshe, "דַּבֵּר אֶל הָעֵדָה לֵאמֹר הֵעָלוּ מִסָּבִיב לְמִשְׁכַּן קֹרַח דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם", he is directing him to speak to Korach's congregation (and not the nation), to test them if they are really willing to separate themselves from the leaders of the rebellion.46 But while the nation of Israel distanced themselves, the 250 men remained in place, and as a result, rightfully, get punished.
- Alternatively, there words are simply a reiteration of Hashem's original words (הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה); Hashem is telling Moshe that his plea was rejected and that He is continuing with His original plan.