Musar sobre Números 16:26

As we find with the sons of Korach, that because they were not drawn after their father, even though this caused him great shame, they escaped his fate. As we find in Yalkut Parshath Korach: "This is as Scripture writes (Psalms 1:1): 'Happy is the man' — the sons of Korach; 'who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked' — who did not walk in the counsel of their father, as it is written (Numbers 16:26): 'Depart now from the tents of these wicked men'; 'and in the way of sinners they did not stand,' as it is written (Numbers 17:3): 'the censers of these sinners.'" And, in Yalkut: "What merit was there 'in the hands' of the sons of Korach that they were rescued [from his punishment]? When they were sitting with Korach, their father, they saw Moses and lowered their faces to the ground, saying: "If we stand up for Moses our teacher, we will be spurning our father, whom we have been commanded to honor. And if we do not stand, it is written (Vayikra 19:32): 'Before the hoary head shall you rise' — Better that we stand before Moses our teacher, even though we are thereby spurning our father.'" At that time, they moved their hearts to repentance. About them David said (Psalms 45:2): 'My heart has stirred with a good thing.'" From this we learn that if one is not drawn after his father's counsel in his machloketh, he will not be ensnared in his net.

The Yalkut Shimoni quotes a Midrash Tehillim 1,15, on Psalms 1,1, that the person who is praised there as not following in the footsteps of the wicked, refers to the sons of Korach who did not follow in the footsteps of their father, since the Torah said: סורו נא מעל אהלי אנשים הרשעים, "Please stand clear of the tents of these wicked people" (16,26). The next statement in that same Psalm, i.e. ובדרך חטאים לא עמד, "and he did not stand in the path of the sinners," is a reference to the מחתות החטאים האלה בנפשותם, "the censers of those sinners who had forfeited their souls" (17,3). The third statement in that verse in Psalms is supposed to refer to Korach himself, i.e. ובמושב לצים לא ישב, "he did not sit amongst the scoffers," i.e. he who did not sit amongst those scoffers is to be congratulated. The latter had been scoffing at Moses and Aaron. The Midrash here quotes an example of the apparently oppressive nature of Torah legislation which Korach is supposed to have used to show that Moses and Aaron were insensitive to the plight of widows and orphans. Verse two of that same Psalm in which it says such a praisewothy person took delight in the teaching of the Lord, is applied to the sons of Korach, who sang the praises of G–d, refusing to quarrel with Moses, etc. The remainder of that verse extolling people who study Torah day and night is also applied to the sons of Korach. Verse three, which describes such people as comparable to trees planted near an abundant supply of water, is applied to the sons of Korach who after they saw what had happened to Korach, Datan and Aviram were found standing tall like the mast of a ship, since the Torah says ויהיו לנס, "and the became like a flag." [another meaning of that word could be "mast", at any rate something compelling one's attention. Ed.] Verse 4 in that same Psalm continues: "not so the wicked," which is again applied by the Midrash to Korach and his companions. The statement following in the Psalm in verse 6: "for G–d knows the way of the righteous," is applied to the sons of Korach also, and finally the end of that verse "the path of the wicked is doomed," is another reference to Korach and his congregation. So far the Midrash.

Let us now explain our Parshah. There were three distinct groups of people involved in the quarrel. The central contender was Korach. He was the scoffer about whom the Psalmist had said that one should not sit in the company of scoffers, as we have explained earlier. Datan and Aviram were wicked people, as we know from Moses saying in Numbers 16,25/26: "Moses went to Datan and Aviram followed by the elders of Israel. He said to the congregation: "Please depart from around the tents of these wicked people, etc." Concerning Datan and Aviram, the Psalmist had said in the same verse: "Hail to whoever has not followed the counsel of the wicked people." The third group were the two hundred and fifty men who sinned against their souls, as we know from 17,3: "and take the censers of these people who have sinned against their souls, etc." Concerning those people our Psalm said "hail to whoever did not stand on the path of the sinful ones." The scoffer Korach, used matters connected with the soil as his subjects. Later, he made fun of Torah legislation involving sheep, etc., as mentioned in the Midrash quoted earlier. In all this he paralleled the behaviour of Cain, who had first brought a gift of פרי האדמה, the fruit of the earth. Abel, on the other hand, had brought an offering from the firstborn of his sheep. Cain had brought flax, Abel had brought wool. We know that there was a great deal of difference between the offering of Cain and the offering of Abel; G–d refused to accept the offering of Cain. This is why a mixture of wool and flax (linen), is considered כלאים, and is forbidden to be worn together in Jewish law (Leviticus 19,19). I have elaborated on this elsewhere.