Midras Bilangan 16:29: Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Pesikta Rabbati, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Midrash Tanchuma

(Numb. 16:1:) NOW KORAH <BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI> BETOOK HIMSELF…. This text is related (to Prov. 18:19): A BROTHER OFFENDED IS MORE <FORMIDABLE> THAN A FORTIFIED CITY; <SUCH> CONTENTIONS ARE LIKE A CASTLE BAR. This <verse> teaches about Korah.⁶Numb. R. 18:14; cf. below, Numb. 5a:5. A BROTHER OFFENDED IS MORE <FORMIDABLE> THAN A FORTIFIED CITY. This is Korah when he rebelled against the Torah, because that is the fortified city (literally: city of strength ['oz]) of the Holy One, as stated (in Ps. 29:11): THE LORD WILL GRANT STRENGTH ('oz) TO HIS PEOPLE.⁷My student, Jonthan Reich, pointed out that Psalm 29 is traditionally recited when returning the Torah scroll to the ark during the Sabbath liturgy. Moreover, he started a quarrel with Moses, as stated (in Prov. 18:19, cont.): <SUCH> CONTENTIONS ARE LIKE A CASTLE BAR (beriah). What is the meaning of BAR (beriah)? That he removed him (as in Jonah 2:7 [6]) TO THE LAND WHERE ITS BARS (beriheha) CLOSED UPON him. And what caused him to come to all this disgrace? Simply the fact that he sided against Moses and Aaron. But what did he say? See what the son of Amram did! He gave the priesthood to his brother Aaron and took the kingship for himself,⁸Above, Numb. 5:19. while he made him (i.e., Korah) {a porter} a common laborer,⁹Gk.: ergates. as stated (in Numb. 7:9): <BUT TO THE CHILDREN OF KOHATH HE GAVE NO WAGONS>, BECAUSE THEY HAD THE SERVICE OF THE HOLY OBJECTS, WHICH THEY CARRIED ON THEIR SHOULDERS.¹⁰Thus Korah and the Levites carried the Ark. Also one carries the Torah scroll on the shoulder during the liturgy. When he was carrying the Ark, he began to take issue with them and say: Moses is no prophet, Aaron is no high priest, and Torah has not been given from the heavens. When Moses heard that, he began to go to the Holy One. He said to him: I will overlook my own insult and Aaron's insult, but for the insult to Torah I do make a claim, as stated (in Numb. 16:28): BY THIS YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE LORD HAS SENT ME…. <IF THESE DIE A NATURAL DEATH …, THE LORD DID NOT SEND ME.> Now THIS can only refer to Torah, since it is stated (in Deut. 4:44): AND THIS IS THE TORAH WHICH MOSES SET < BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL>. It is comparable¹¹Above, Numb. 5:22; Numb. R. 18:12. to the shoshbin¹²I.e., the bridal agent who guarded her interests at the consummation of the marriage. of a king's daughter, who asked a bene ficium [which should be read <as a single word,> <beneficium>]¹³The word is Latin and means “favor”; cf. Gk.: benepfikion. from the king. He said to the King: If you do not seek my bene ficium [which should be read <as a single word>, beneficium], I also shall say that your daughter did not have virginity. Similarly did Moses say to the Holy One: If those die <natural deaths> on their beds, just as all humans <normally> die, with the physicians coming to visit them according to the custom that all the sick are visited, I also will make a denial and say: Surely no Torah has been given from the heavens. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 16:29): IF THESE DIE A NATURAL DEATH …, <THE LORD DID NOT SEND ME.>

This is one of the three prophets who spoke in this way: Elijah, Micah, and Moses.¹⁴ySahn. 10:1 (28a); Numb. 18:12, cont. Now in the case of Elijah, what did he say? (I Kings 18:36–37): O LORD, GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND ISRAEL, LET IT BE KNOWN TODAY THAT YOU ARE GOD IN ISRAEL, THAT I AM YOUR SERVANT, AND THAT I HAVE DONE ALL THESE THINGS AT YOUR BIDDING. ANSWER ME O LORD, ANSWER ME, SO THAT THIS PEOPLE MAY KNOW THAT YOU, O LORD, ARE GOD. But if you do not answer me, I will say (ibid., cont.): AND YOU HAVE TURNED THEIR HEARTS BACK. So also in the case of Micah (identified here with Micaiah). What did he say to Ahab (in I Kings 22:28)? IF YOU RETURN IN PEACE, then I will say (ibid. cont.): THE LORD HAS NOT SPOKEN THROUGH ME. And Moses also said (in Numb. 16:29): IF THESE DIE A NATURAL DEATH …, then I will say (ibid. cont.): THE LORD DID NOT SEND ME. The Holy One said to him: Moses, what do you want? Moses said to him: Sovereign of the World, (in Numb. 16:30): BUT IF THE LORD CREATES <SOMETHING NEW>…. If you have created a mouth to the earth from the beginning of the creation of the world, well and good; but if not, let the Lord create a mouth now. The Holy One said to him: But you have so spoken (in Job 22:28): WHEN YOU DECREE SOMETHING, IT SHALL COME TO PASS FOR YOU; AND LIGHT SHALL SHINE UPON YOUR WAYS.

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be your name (41:18:31). May our Rabbis teach us that Rosh Chodesh, which began to be in Hanukkah, since there are no Musafin prayers in Hanukkah, whoever prays the Musafin prayer, what should be mentioned about Hanukkah? Our Rabbis taught us that Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua, said that Rosh Chodesh, which began to be in Hanukkah, even though there is no Musafin in Hanukkah, but in the Rabach, should be mentioned about Hanukkah in the Musafin prayer. Shabbat, which began to be in Hanukkah, even though there is no Musafin in Hanukkah, but in the Shabbat, should be mentioned about Hanukkah in the Musafin prayer. And where does he mention in the confession: You have found all the miracles that the Holy One, blessed be He, did for Israel and will do for them through the merit of the tribes, even the Temple will be built through the merit of the tribes, as it is said, Jerusalem is built (Psalms 122:3). What did he write after him that there were tribes there (Ibid. 4) and likewise everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created through the merit of the tribes? The Tribes (Genesis) [Genesis] You find twelve months in the year, twelve constellations in the sky, twelve hours of the day and twelve hours of the night, said the Holy One, blessed be He, even the upper and lower ones, I did not create but by the merit of the tribes, for thus it is written, all these my hands have made (Isaiah 66:2). By the merit of all these, the tribes of Israel are twelve (Genesis 49:28) (hence the twelve constellations, twelve hours). Therefore, when Elijah came to bring Israel under the wings of the Shekhinah, he took twelve stones for the number of the tribes and built them an altar from the number of what he completed with the prophet. And Elijah took twelve stones for the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob: [And Elijah took twelve stones] Thus began Rabbi Tanchuma (Yerushalmi) [in Rabbi Abba] And by the prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt (Hosea 12:14) this is Moses, and by the prophet Nishem (Ibid.) this is Elijah. You find two prophets who stood up for Israel from his tribe. Of Levi, Moses was the first and Elijah the last (redeemed) [and both redeemed] Israel by mission. Moses redeemed them from Egypt by mission. And now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, etc. (Exodus 3:10) and Elijah redeemed them for the future to come by mission. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, etc. (Malachi 3:23) Moses, who redeemed them from Egypt at first, did not yet return and became enslaved in Egypt. And Elijah, when he redeemed them from the fourth generation of Edom, did not yet return and become enslaved, but [it is] eternal salvation. And the origin of Moses and Elijah is similar to each other in every way. Moses is a prophet. Elijah is a prophet. Moses is called a man of God (Deuteronomy 33:1) and Elijah is called a man of God (1 Kings 17:18) Moses went up and Elijah went up, as it is said, And it came to pass in the ascension, that Elijah (Ibid. 2:21) and Moses killed the Egyptian, and Elijah killed Hiel, and blamed Baal and died (Hosea 13:1) Moses (was confused) [We were deceived] by a woman by the daughter of Jethro, they called him and he ate bread (Exodus 2:20) and Elijah (was confused) [We were deceived] by the woman, "Please bring me a loaf of bread" (1 Kings 17:11) Moses fled from Pharaoh and Elijah fled from Jezebel Moses fled and came to a well and Elijah fled and came to a well as it is written and he arose and went etc. and came to Beersheba (Ibid. 19:3) Moses and the cloud covered him six days (Exodus 24:16) and Elijah went up in a whirlwind and was in the ascension etc. (2 Kings 2:1) Of Moses it was said whether these as many as men should die (Numbers 16:29) and of Elijah the Lord God of Israel lives [before whom I have stood] if there will be [these years] dew and rain except according to my word (1 Kings 17:1) in Moses and the Lord passed over him (Exodus 34:6) And in Elijah, and behold, the Lord passed by (1 Kings 19:11) in Moses, and he heard the voice (Numbers 7:59) and in Elijah, and behold, a voice came to him, etc. (1 Kings 13) Moses gathered Israel to Mount Sinai, and Elijah gathered them to Mount Carmel, Moses in the forest of Obadiah, 7:15, "Put every man his sword on his thigh, etc. (Exodus 32:27) and Elijah in the forest, 7:15, and he seized the prophets of Baal and slaughtered them. Moses was jealous, who is for the Lord to me (I Kings 32:26) and Elijah was jealous, and Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me, please" (1 Kings 18:30) Moses was buried in a cave, and I put you in the cleft of the rock (Exodus 33:22) and Elijah was buried in a cave, and he spent the night there, as it is written, and he came to the cave and spent the night there (1 Kings 19:9) in Moses and he came to the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1) and in Elijah and he came to the mountain of God (Kings 32:1) 8) Moses came to the wilderness and Elijah came to the wilderness and he was walking into the wilderness (Isa. 4:11). Moses spoke with him through an angel and the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Exodus 3:2) and Elijah through an angel and behold, it was an angel (Kings 5:11). Moses stayed forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking, and so Elijah walked in the strength of that eating for forty days. Moses set up the sundial on this day, saying, "I will put away your fear," etc. (Deuteronomy 2:30). And Elijah set up the sundial today, "Today know that you are God in Israel." (1 Kings 18:36). Moses prayed for Israel, "Do not destroy your people and your inheritance." (Deuteronomy 9:26). And Elijah prayed for Israel, "Hear me, O Lord, hear me," and "And you have turned back," etc. (Kings 37). When Moses prayed for Israel, he grasped the right of the fathers, remembering Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Exodus 32:13). And so did Elijah, "The Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel" (Kings 1:11). 36) Moses, the Israelites received from him the love of the place where all the word of the Lord was done and heard (Exodus 24:7) and Elijah received from him the love of the place where it is said, "The Lord is God" (Kings 39). Moses made a tabernacle in the house of the seed, and Elijah made a way (interpretation of a path) in the house of the seed. In one thing we have seen, Moses is greater than Elijah, whom Moses said to, "And you are here, stand by me" (Deuteronomy 5:28) and to Elijah, "What are you doing here, Elijah" (1 Kings 19:9). Moses brought down the fire, and Elijah brought down the fire. When Moses brought down the fire, all Israel stood and watched (it). And all the people saw it and were amazed (Leviticus 9:24) [And Elijah and all the people saw it and fell on their faces] (1 Kings 18:39) Moses built an altar and Elijah built an altar. Moses called the name of the Lord (the altar) [for the altar] and called his name there. The Lord did miracles (Exodus 17:15) and Elijah there the altar of the Lord and placed the stones in the name of the Lord (1 Kings 32). When Moses built the altar, he built it with twelve stones, as it is said: And Elijah took twelve stones [and]: [And Elijah took twelve stones and] Isaiah 65:5 (to Israel) The heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool (Isaiah 66:1) At the end of Isaiah's prophecy, this verse was prophesied, and when was it prophesied in the days of Manasseh, because Manasseh had brought the image into the temple, Isaiah began to prophesy to Israel and said to them, "Why do you boast about me in this house that you have built for me? The upper and lower do not hold my glory. And this house that you have built for me, I need what house that you will build for me (there)?" Nebuchadnezzar is coming and destroying it and exposing you. Immediately Manasseh was angry with him and said to them, "Seize him." They ran after him to seize him. He fled from before them. The cherub itself opened and swallowed him up. Rabbi Yitzchak, son of Hanina, son of Papa, said: