Midrash for Numbers 16:1

(Numb. 16:1:) NOW KORAH <BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI> BETOOK HIMSELF. This text is related (to Prov. 18:19): A BROTHER OFFENDED (rt.: PSh') IS MORE FORMIDABLE THAN A FORTIFIED CITY; <SUCH> CONTENTIONS ARE LIKE A CASTLE BAR. The BROTHER OFFENDED is Korah, in that he sided against Moses.¹Tanh., Numb.5:1; Numb. R. 18:1, 14. So he rebelled and sank from whatever glory that he possessed. Now OFFENDED (rt: PSh') can only imply rebellion, since it is stated (in II Kings 3:7): THE KING OF MOAB HAS REBELLED (PSh') AGAINST ME. It also says (in II Kings 8:22): THEN DID LIBNAH REBEL (rt.: PSh'). (Prov. 18:19:) <SUCH> CONTENTIONS ARE LIKE A CASTLE BAR. <These words also refer to Korah,> who sided (PSh') against the Holy One and against Moses.²See the commentary of Enoch Zundel on the parallel text in Tanh., Numb.5:1. He would have the text read: “The earth raised its bars against him as <if it were> a castle.” This explanation is also given by Issachar Berman Ashkenazi in his commentary, Mattenot Kehunnah, on Numb. R. 18:1.

(Numb. 16:1:)¹This supplement comes from Codex Vaticanus, Ebr. 34. It is found neither in Buber’s primary Oxford manuscript nor in the traditional version of the Tanhuma. NOW KORAH BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI BETOOK HIMSELF (literally: TOOK)…. Let our master instruct us: Is it legitimate to save the Holy Scriptures on the Sabbath? Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 16:1): IN THE CASE OF ALL HOLY SCRIPTURES,²I.e., Torah, Prophets, and Writings, all three. ONE SHOULD SAVE THEM FROM THE FIRE WHETHER ONE READS FROM THEM OR DOES NOT READ FROM THEM.³According to Sanh. 115a, the Prophets are what one reads from and the Writings are what one does not read from. As for the books of the minim, however, one does not save them from the fire on the Sabbath.⁴TShab. 13(14):5 mentions gilyonim in this context. While gilyonim properly refers to the unwritten portions of a scroll, it became a term for the Christian Gospels and seems to have this meaning here and in Shab. 116a. R. Jose the Galilean says: If I find the books of the minim, I cut out their Divine Names and burn the rest.⁵See yShab. 16:1 (15c); Sifre to Numb. 5:23 (16); Numb. R. 9:36; also Sanh. 110b. R. Tarfon said to him: May I bury my children, if the books of the minim should fall into my hands, I should burn them together with their Divine Names. Moreover, if someone were pursuing me, I should flee into an idolatrous temple, but I should not flee to a house of the minim. <The reason is> that idolaters do not know the Holy One when they deny him, [while these do know him when they deny him]; and it is concerning them that David said (in Ps. 139:21): DO I NOT HATE THOSE WHO HATE YOU O LORD? AND LOATHE THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST YOU …? What caused Korah to disappear from the world? It could only be that he withdrew into heresy (minut) and sided against Moses and Aaron. Where is it shown? From what they read on the matter (in Numb. 16:1): NOW KORAH <BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI> TOOK (heretical texts)….

And on the twentieth day of the month the cloud was removed from over the ‎tabernacle, and at the same time the children of Israel continued their journey from the ‎wilderness of Sinai, and after they had gone a three days’ journey the cloud rested over the ‎wilderness of Paran. There the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, for they provoked ‎the Lord in their asking of him flesh for food; and the Lord hearkened unto their voice and he ‎gave them flesh and they ate it for a full month. But soon after the anger of the Lord was ‎kindled against them, and he smote them terribly, and great many of them were buried in that ‎place. And the children of Israel called the name of the place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there ‎they buried the people that lusted after flesh. And they journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah, ‎and encamped in Hazeroth, which is in the wilderness of Paran, and whilst the children of ‎Israel abode in Hazeroth, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Miriam on account of ‎Moses, and she became leprous, white as snow, and Miriam was shut out from the camp ‎seven days, until her leprosy subsided, and then the children of Israel journeyed from ‎Hazeroth and they encamped in the end of the wilderness of Paran. Then the Lord spoke unto ‎Moses to send twelve men from the children of Israel, one man for each tribe, to go and ‎search the land of Canaan, and Moses sent the twelve men and they came into the land of ‎Canaan to search it and to spy it out, and they explored the whole land from the wilder ness of ‎Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they returned unto Moses at the end of forty ‎days, and they brought them word as it was in their hearts, and ten of the men brought forth ‎an evil report concerning the land they had searched, saying: It is better for us to return unto ‎Egypt than to go unto this land, a land that eateth up its inhabitants. But Joshua, the son of ‎Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, said: The ‎land is exceedingly good. If the Lord delight in us then he will bring us into this land, and give it ‎unto us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. But the children of Israel hearkened not ‎unto them, and they listened unto the ten men that brought an evil report concerning the ‎land.‎