נִדְמ֥וּ עַמִּ֖י מִבְּלִ֣י הַדָּ֑עַת כִּֽי־אַתָּ֞ה הַדַּ֣עַת מָאַ֗סְתָּ וְאֶמְאָֽסְאךָ֙ מִכַּהֵ֣ן לִ֔י וַתִּשְׁכַּח֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח בָּנֶ֖יךָ גַּם־אָֽנִי׃
Mon peuple périt faute d’intelligence. Puisque tu as dédaigné, toi, l’intelligence, mon dédain ne te permettra pas de rester mon pontife; tu as oublié la doctrine de ton Dieu: moi de même, j’oublierai tes enfants.
Kli Yakar
And in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3) they said, “And Korach took” — what did he take? A garment entirely of blue, etc. And it concludes that he also asked about a house full of books, whether it requires a mezuzah, etc. The interpretation about tzitzit is understood as a connection to the adjacent text, since the story of Korach follows the passage about tzitzit, but how was mezuzah even mentioned? It seems to me that this is derived from the verse and Dathan and Abiram came out standing at the entrance of their tents. Why did it need to specify the entrance of their tents? Rather, they stood there to insult and blaspheme regarding the mezuzah at the entrance of their tents.
Behold, Korach disputed the passage about tzitzit, and Dathan and Abiram added further dispute about the commandment of the mezuzah at the entrance of the tent, claiming that Moses had fabricated these two commandments from his own imagination. This was consistent with the nature of their dispute, as Rabbi Bachya explained: they argued that just as a garment entirely of blue logically should be exempt from tzitzit, and a house full of books should be exempt from mezuzah, so too when the entire congregation is holy, they have no need for a leader.
Furthermore, this hints that the main reason for these two commandments is to serve as reminders of God’s commandments, as it is written and you shall see it and remember, etc. Similarly, the mezuzah serves to remind one of God when entering and exiting. And at a time when the entire congregation is holy, they need no reminder, for God and His commandments are constantly before them regardless, and such reminders are only necessary for people who might forget God.
For this reason, they and their children were punished. One should consider: if Korach and his assembly sinned, why should their children be punished? But it is because they disputed tzitzit and mezuzah, and it is concluded (Shabbat 32b) by Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir — one said children die for the sin of neglecting tzitzit, and one said for the sin of neglecting mezuzah, etc.
The reasoning for both is the same, as both exist as reminders: the mezuzah is to keep God before one’s eyes constantly when entering and exiting, and the tzitzit is a reminder of the commandments. And it is written Because you have forgotten the Torah of your God, I too will forget your children (Hosea 4:6). For by forgetting the generation [toledot] of good deeds, I will also forget your offspring [toledot] in general. Additionally, children are a branch of the person, just as tzitzit are branches from the garment.
Behold, Korach disputed the passage about tzitzit, and Dathan and Abiram added further dispute about the commandment of the mezuzah at the entrance of the tent, claiming that Moses had fabricated these two commandments from his own imagination. This was consistent with the nature of their dispute, as Rabbi Bachya explained: they argued that just as a garment entirely of blue logically should be exempt from tzitzit, and a house full of books should be exempt from mezuzah, so too when the entire congregation is holy, they have no need for a leader.
Furthermore, this hints that the main reason for these two commandments is to serve as reminders of God’s commandments, as it is written and you shall see it and remember, etc. Similarly, the mezuzah serves to remind one of God when entering and exiting. And at a time when the entire congregation is holy, they need no reminder, for God and His commandments are constantly before them regardless, and such reminders are only necessary for people who might forget God.
For this reason, they and their children were punished. One should consider: if Korach and his assembly sinned, why should their children be punished? But it is because they disputed tzitzit and mezuzah, and it is concluded (Shabbat 32b) by Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir — one said children die for the sin of neglecting tzitzit, and one said for the sin of neglecting mezuzah, etc.
The reasoning for both is the same, as both exist as reminders: the mezuzah is to keep God before one’s eyes constantly when entering and exiting, and the tzitzit is a reminder of the commandments. And it is written Because you have forgotten the Torah of your God, I too will forget your children (Hosea 4:6). For by forgetting the generation [toledot] of good deeds, I will also forget your offspring [toledot] in general. Additionally, children are a branch of the person, just as tzitzit are branches from the garment.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“Draw me after you” [1:4]. The Yalkut writes: Rabbi Meir said that on Mount Sinai the Holy One said to Israel, bring me a guarantee that you will keep the Torah and then I will give you the Torah. The Israelites answered: we will give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as guarantors. The Holy One answered, I will not accept Abraham, since he said, “How shall I know” [Genesis, 15:8]. This means that he did not believe that the Holy One promised to give him the land of Israel. I also do not want Isaac as a guarantor because he loved Esau. Jacob said, “My way is hidden from the Lord” [Isaiah, 40:27]. This means that my ways are hidden from the Holy One. The Israelites then said, our children will be our guarantors. The Holy One said: I will accept them as guarantors. As soon as Israel does not keep the Torah, the guarantors must suffer for their fathers. He said: not only the guarantors, who are the children, must suffer. Even I, the Holy One, as it were, also have harm from persecuting the guarantors, who are the children. Who will say “borchu” and “amen, yehei shemei Rabbah” that the children said in the synagogue, as the verse says, “Because you have spurned the Torah of your God, I, in turn, will spurn your children” [Hosea, 4:6]. This means, if you Israel forget the Torah, I will forget your children and will punish them. The verse ends “I also.” That is to say, I, the Holy One, am also punished when I punish the children. Who will say “amen, yehei shemei Rabbah” and “Borchu?”5Yalkut Shimoni, Song of Songs, Remez, 981.
Kli Yakar
Lest you forget the things, etc. The Sages of blessed memory (Avot 3:10) learned from here that one who forgets even a single item of his learning is liable with his life, because he causes himself that God will also forget him, as it is written (Hosea 4:6), And you forget the Torah of your God, I will also forget your children. Furthermore, the Sages of blessed memory (Chagigah 9b) expounded from the verse Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves Him not (Malachi 3:18), that one who reviews his learning one hundred times is not comparable to one who reviews his learning one hundred and one times. And I have heard a hint to this matter: “lo avado” [does not serve Him] — its acronym equals one hundred, meaning that one who studies one hundred times is still called one who does not serve Him; “oved Elohim la’asher” [one who serves God to whom] — its acronym equals one hundred and one, because one who reviews his lesson one hundred and one times is called “one who serves God.”