Literary Devices – Bemidbar 16/0

Literary Devices – Bemidbar 16

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Key Words

עלה וירד (Ascending and Descending)

• Appearances –Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the root “עלה” appears five times in this chapter, and the opposite root “ירד” appears two times.  Moreover, other words associated with vertical movement appear in the chapter, including the roots קום, נשא, and נפל, each of which appears twice.
• Primary Sources – RashiBemidbar 16:12About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki notes the irony of Datan and Aviram’s refusal to “go up” in light of their subsequent punishment of descending into the earth.
• Articles – See The Symbolic Significance of the Earth “Opening its Mouth,” by Prof. Yonatan Grossman, for analysis of the use of these two opposing words.  Datan and Aviram’s refusal to “go up” refers not only to their refusal of Moshe’s instructions to go to the Tabernacle, but their rejection of the project of ascending to the Land of Israel.¹  For analysis of the general phenomenon of contrasting pairs of key words in Biblical narratives, see also Prof. Grossman's Leitwort (VI).

עדה (Congregation)

• Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word “עדה” is the most frequently appearing word in this chapter, coming up 14 times.  Of the 149 times that this word appears in Tanakh, 83 are in Sefer Bemidbar. The struggles of Israel as a community poised to enter their land are primary in Sefer Bemidbar, perhaps explaining why the word “עדה” is so prominent in the book.²
• Articles: See The First Populist, by R. Jonathan Sacks, for analysis of the political philosophy of Korach, which offers one lens through which to understand the repeated use of the word “עדה”. He suggests that Korach was one of the first populists, who managed to gather the ordinary masses who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups into a congregation of rebels.

Repetition as Rhetoric

• Robert Alter, in his commentary on the Torah, points out the extensive repetition in verses 9-10, which serves to emphasize the privilege which has already been bestowed upon Korach’s tribe:הַמְעַט מִכֶּם כִּי הִבְדִּיל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַקְרִיב אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו לַעֲבֹד אֶת עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן י״י וְלַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי הָעֵדָה לְשָׁרְתָם. (י) וַיַּקְרֵב .אֹתְךָ וְאֶת כׇּל אַחֶיךָ בְנֵי לֵוִי אִתָּךְ וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם גַּם כְּהֻנָּה
• Datan and Aviram’s challenge to Moshe in verses 13-14 is also marked by repetition: וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא נַעֲלֶה. (יג) הַמְעַט כִּי הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ לַהֲמִיתֵנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי תִשְׂתָּרֵר עָלֵינוּ גַּם הִשְׂתָּרֵר. (יד) אַף לֹא אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הֲבִיאֹתָנוּ וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ נַחֲלַת שָׂדֶה וָכָרֶם הַעֵינֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵם תְּנַקֵּר לֹא נַעֲלֶה.
• The parallel structures of repetition, the identical use of the phrase “is it a small thing to you”, and the sarcastic reference to Egypt (rather than Israel) as a “land flowing with milk and honey” make clear that Datan and Aviram intend to throw Moshe’s words back in his face, perhaps explaining his angry or hurt reaction in verse 15.

Character Titles

Hashem

• Hashem – Throughout most of the chapter Hashem is referred to by His proper name, י״י.
• אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – Once, in Moshe's speech to Korach in verse 9, Hashem is referred to as the "God of Israel".
• אֵל אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכׇל בָּשָׂר – This name occurs only once, in verse 22, in Moshe's prayer after Hashem states that He wants to kill the entire congregation. The title "אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכׇל בָּשָׂר" appears only one other time in Tanakh, in the context of Yehoshua’s appointment as leader in Bemidbar 27:16. Several commentators³ suggest that the name highlights Hashem's ability to discern the true nature of men.  Thus, here, Moshe and Aharon use it to hint to Hashem that He is uniquely able to punish only those who deserve it and need not punish all.  In Bemidbar 27, Moshe addresses Hashem with the title to imply that with His knowledge  of men's spirits, Hashem will know whom to appoint as Moshe's successor.

¹ Similarly, the image of the earth “opening its mouth” refers back to the spies’ rejection of the land in calling it a “land that eats its inhabitants.”

² While the concordance demonstrates that the word is often used in neutral contexts, it has negative connotations in others, including the stories of the spies and of Korach. Interestingly, Bavli Megillah 23b uses the word “edah” from the stories of the spies and Korach to derive the halakhic requirement of a minyan (quorum), which represents a congregation that is equipped to serve Hashem in a holy manner.

³ See Midrash Rabbah, Rashi, Rashbam, and R. Yosef Bekhor Shor. Cf. Ibn Ezra who interprets it to mean that Hashem has the power to destroy any person because all souls (רוחות) are in His hand.