민수기 16:21의 주석

SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM AMONG THIS CONGREGATION, THAT I MAY CONSUME THEM IN A MOMENT. One may ask: If [the whole people of] Israel did not sin and did not rebel against their teacher, why was [G-d’s] wrath upon them, saying, that I may consume them in a moment? And if [on the other hand] they also rebelled [against Moses] as did Korach and his company, how could Moses and Aaron say [on their behalf]: shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?¹⁰⁶Verse 22. Now Rabbeinu Chananel⁴⁸See (Exodus), Vol. II, p. 106, Note 45, for a brief biography of this great Rabbinic scholar. See also (Leviticus), Vol. III, p. 324, Note 286. wrote as follows: “Separate yourselves from among this congregation means the congregation of Korach, not the congregation of the children of Israel. [But Moses and Aaron, thinking that G-d referred to all the people], said: O G-d, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin etc.¹⁰⁶Verse 22. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, informed Moses that He did not want to destroy the whole congregation of the children of Israel, but only the congregation of Korach. Therefore He explained to him: ‘When I said, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, the meaning was: Get you up from about the dwelling of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram.¹⁰⁷Verse 24. He told them, Get you up from about the dwelling etc., because perhaps when Korach and his company would see them going away, they might repent.”
These are his [Rabbeinu Chananel’s] words, which are not right, for it would not be correct to say about Korach, Dathan, and Abiram — three men — Separate yourselves from among ‘this congregation,’ for they were not “a congregation,” since the Israelites were not among them, and Aaron was going about¹⁰⁸See Ezekiel 46:10. in the midst of the congregation that offered the incense! Besides, the expression separate ‘yourselves’ alludes only to Moses and Aaron, just like Get you up from among the congregation.¹⁰⁹Further, 17:10. Thus it is clear that Moses and Aaron were to separate themselves from the whole congregation, since they were all to be punished, and not only the congregation of Korach. Similarly, that I may consume them in a moment¹¹⁰In Verse 21 before us. refers to a plague, which consumes a mighty and large people in a moment [and cannot therefore refer only to Korach, Dathan, and Abiram]. And [finally], far be it [from us to say] that Moses did not understand his own prophecy and made a mistake therein!
But the meaning thereof is as follows: At first the heart of the people was on the side of Moses and Aaron, but when Korach and his company took every man his censer and laid incense thereon and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron,¹¹¹Verse 18. Korach called together all the congregation¹¹²Verse 19. and told them that he was concerned about the honor of all of them. This was pleasing to them, so they all assembled to see peradventure it will be right in the eyes of G-d,¹¹³Further, 23:27. and the service [of the offerings] will return to their firstborn, this being the meaning of the verse, And Korach assembled all the congregation against them.¹¹²Verse 19. Thus they [all] became liable to destruction because they cast aspersions on their teacher, which is like casting aspersions on the Divine Presence,¹¹⁴Sanhedrin 110a. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 225-226. and they [likewise] rejected in their hearts the prophecy of a prophet, for which they were liable to death by the hand of Heaven.¹¹⁴Sanhedrin 110a. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 225-226. But Moses and Aaron spoke up in their defense, saying that it was only Korach who sinned in this matter, for he was the cause of it all and it was he who incited them, therefore it was right that he alone should die, in order to publicize and make known his punishment to the [whole] community.
This is indeed the way of those who plead for mercy, for they mitigate the [severity of the] people’s sin, and put [the blame for] it upon the individual who caused it, because he at any rate is [certainly] guilty. And so did David say, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done iniquitously; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.¹¹⁵II Samuel 24:17. And the punishment [i.e., the plague in the days of David] came upon the people as well [despite David accepting the blame himself] because of their own sin, for they should have given the [half-] shekels themselves [in order to be counted]¹¹⁶See (Exodus), Vol. II, pp. 510-511. — if [we say that] the punishment was on account of that sin, as our Rabbis explained it.¹¹⁷Berachoth 62b. For the king had not commanded them not to give the [half-] shekels, as he only wanted to know their numbers,¹¹⁸II Samuel 24:2. therefore their guilt and his guilt in this incident was equal. Moreover, in addition to [being punished for] the census, there was a punishment upon the people [already] at the beginning of this matter, as it is written, And again the anger of the Eternal was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them, [saying: ‘Go, number Israel and Judah’].¹¹⁹Ibid., Verse 1.
Now Rashi wrote there: “I do not know why [G-d’s anger was kindled against Israel].” And I say by way of explanation that Israel was punished because of the delay in the building of the Sanctuary,¹²⁰Literally: “The Chosen House,” a reference to the Temple in Jerusalem. See Deuteronomy 12:11 for the origin of this term. since the ark went from tent to tent¹²¹I Chronicles 17:5. Four hundred years had already passed since the exodus up to that period in the reign of David. as a stranger in the Land,¹²²Jeremiah 14:8. and none of the tribes bestirred themselves to say, “Let us seek G-d and build a house to His Name, just as it is written, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.”¹²³Deuteronomy 12:5. [This situation continued] until David was roused to action in this matter after many years and a long period of time [had elapsed since he had become king], as it is said, And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the Eternal had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of G-d dwelleth within curtains.’¹²⁴II Samuel 7:1-2. Now G-d, blessed be He, prevented David [from building the Sanctuary], because He said, for thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight,¹²⁵I Chronicles 22:8. and thus the building was [further] delayed until the reign of Solomon. But had Israel really desired this matter [and really wanted to build the Sanctuary], and had they bestirred themselves to action from the start, it would have been done [already] in the days of one of the Judges, or in the days of Saul, or even in the days of David. For had the tribes of Israel aroused themselves in this matter, he [David] would not have been [considered] the builder, but Israel would have been the builders. But since the people did not concern themselves about it, and David was the one who was troubled about it and called for action, and it was he who prepared all the materials [for the House of G-d],¹²⁶Ibid., 29:2. he was the builder. However, since he was a man of judgment, guided [in his actions] by the attribute of justice, he was not fit for [the task of building] the House of Mercy,¹²⁷To my knowledge, Ramban’s use of this term “the House of Mercy” as an alternative name for the Temple in Jerusalem is the first of its kind in Rabbinic literature. It is of interest to note that a generation later, the French Rabbi Estori Haparchi (1282-1357), in his classic book of itinerary on the Land of Israel, Kaftor Va’ferach, mentions for the first time that one of the gates on the eastern side of the wall surrounding Jerusalem was called by the people Shaarei Harachamim — the “Gates of Mercy” — a name which is still used to this day. Since no definite source is known for the name given to this gate, it is possible that it is derived from this concept of the Sanctuary as “the House of Mercy,” and thus the name “Gates of Mercy” is a shortened form of “the gates of the House of Mercy.” See II Chronicles 23:19 for such usage in the Scriptures: the gates of the House of the Eternal. therefore the building [of the Sanctuary] was delayed as long as David lived due to the negligence of Israel [in not coming forth themselves to build it], and therefore the [Divine] wrath was upon them. It was for this reason that the place which the Eternal shall choose … to put His Name there¹²³Deuteronomy 12:5. came to be known, as a result of their punishment through the plague.¹²⁸In II Samuel, Chapter 24, Verses 16-25 it is related that “the angel of the Eternal was, at the moment that the plague ceased, by the treshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite,” and on that spot David built the altar. This is the meaning of Ramban’s statement that ‘the place which G-d shall choose’ came to be known [i.e., identified] through the punishment and plague which came upon Israel for their indolence in the pursuit of the building of the Sanctuary. But had the people bestirred themselves to action, the place would have been identified through a more pleasant way. This is Ramban’s clear intention.
Scripture alludes to all this when it says, For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all places wherein I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?¹²⁹Ibid., 7:6-7. Thus Scripture is blaming [the people] because the Divine Presence was walking about among all Israel from tent to tent, and from tabernacle¹³⁰I Chronicles 17:5. The continuation here by Ramban [from tent to tent, and from tabernacle] is clearly based on this verse in Chronicles. In II Samuel 7:6 the reading is: in a tent and in a tabernacle. to tabernacle, and there was not one among all the Judges of Israel, who were their shepherds, that bestirred himself in this matter. Scripture also states that G-d too kept distant from them, and did not tell any one of them to build the House, but “now that you [David] have aroused yourself to do it, thou didst well that it was in thy heart,¹³¹I Kings 8:18. and I will now command that it should be built by thy son Solomon, who will be a man of peace.”

!הבדלו. In order that due to your remaining close to them your merit will not reflect on them to their credit. Compare Job 22,30 ימלט אי נקי, “he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

הבדלו מתוך העדה הואת "separate yourselves from this congregation, etc." This instruction was not addressed to Moses and Aaron as they did not have anything to fear from the attribute of Justice. Nothing would happen to them even if they remained standing close while G'd killed the whole community. I can give you proof of this when you consider that Aaron who was part of that group when he offered his incense remained unharmed while the earth opened underneath Korach and his family and swallowed them. G'd's instructions were addressed to the other righteous men in the congregation, people such as Joshua and Caleb as well as the families of Moses and Aaron. G'd prefaced His instructions to Moses and Aaron with the word לאמור. If the instructions had applied to Moses and Aaron themselves the word לאמור would have confused them. G'd addressed the righteous people who had to demonstrate by separating themselves that they disassociated themselves from Korach and his associates.

הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת, “Separate yourselves from this congregation, etc.!” The reference was to the congregation of Korach seeing that Moses and Aaron stood next to them at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Moses misunderstood, thinking that the expression: “this congregation” applied to the entire Jewish nation. This is why he answered G’d by saying: “shall one man sin and You will be angry at the entire assembly (people)?” Thereupon G’d explained to him immediately that the expression העדה applied only to the rebel community, i.e. העדה הזאת. This is the meaning of the words: “move away from around the tent of Korach,” an elaboration of what G’d had said previously.
Why did G’d have to give instructions for the people who did not support Korach to separate from him physically, as if He were unable to single out the sinners and kill them only, [as He had done with the firstborn in Egypt? Ed.] Do we not have a saying that when two or three people take shelter under the same talit, the two standing on the outside would die and the one standing in the center would be saved (Midrash Rabbah in connection with the dying of the first born in Egypt)? David elaborated on his phenomenon in Psalms 91,7 when he said: “a thousand may fall at your left side and ten thousand at your right, but it (disaster) shall not reach you.” In view of all this, why did G’d insist on the people distancing themselves physically from the group supporting Korach? It was in order that the contaminated air around Korach and his fellow rebels should not infect the people around him. Just as one has to flee a town in which pestilence rages in order to escape the chance of such infection through radiation of bacteria so the people had to leave the vicinity of Korach. When Lot and family were told by the angel not to stand still while running away from the city of Sodom and his wife ignored the warning she turned into a pillar of salt, i.e. the negative fallout from the sulfur in the air caught up with her (Genesis 19,26).
Another reason for the instruction that the people standing around Korach were to put space between themselves and him may have been the well known fact that when the attribute of Justice is at work it does not distinguish between the guilty and the innocent who are in its path. It was therefore necessary for the ‘innocent’ to take action to save themselves from the attribute of Justice (compare Baba Kama 60). The reason may also have been that G’d ‘honours’ the righteous, i.e. He does not release forces of destruction while the righteous are in the immediate vicinity of the wicked to be destroyed.

הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת; G’d referred to the congregation of Korach, not to the community of the people of Israel.

V. 21. הבדלו וגו׳. Wie zu V. 19 bemerkt, waren sie durch ihr Erscheinen auf Korachs Seite getreten und hatten sich daher von einer Mitbeteiligung an seiner Schuld nicht freigehalten. Wird doch ihr Zusammenlauf ויקהל עליהם, d. i. ja על משה ואהרן, bezeichnet.

ואכלה אותם כרגע, “so that I may consume them in a moment;” if you were to ask that we have a rule that punishment must not be meted out unless preceded by a warning, Moses had warned them in the name of G-d when he had said to them to come up for judgment in the presence of the Lord on the following morning together with Aaron in verse 16. However, Korach had not complied. This is why G-d could be angry at them without delay, seeing that Korach. instead of complying with G-d’s instruction had assembled the whole congregation as per verse 19, in order to get the maximum publicity value out of his rebellion. As a result, G-d was justified in carrying out sentence immediately. The participants and guilty people had already all been warned. (17,10)

ואכלה אותם כרגע, "and I will consume them in a moment." Why did G'd add the word כרגע, "in a moment?" If all G'd wanted to inform us of was that He possessed the power to wipe out 600.000 people in a flash, He had already told us this in Exodus 33,5 "for if I go up in your midst for one moment, I shall consume you."

It appears according to the Midrash quoted by Rashi on verse 22,4 that this was already the fourth time the Israelites sinned and that the uprising of Korach occurred after the sin of the spies. I have explained there that the decree that the Israelites would die in the desert remained in effect but that Moses' prayer in this instance only prevented G'd from destroying the people all at once instead of over an extended period of time. In view of all this, the congregation we speak about here was already guilty of death in the desert. The Torah therefore reintroduces the threat to kill the whole people at once. This provides us with an answer as to why G'd would decree death for the vast majority of the people who had not been part of this uprising at all. Moses himself speaks about a single person sinning and the whole community becoming the target of G'd's anger (verse 22). Actually, as we demonstrated, the people were under sentence of death regardless of whether they associated themselves with Korach's rebellion or not. We have learned in Shabbat 32 that Satan is always especially active when there is danger. At such times even a relatively mild offence such as talking during the prayers is considered serious enough to free soldiers from participating in expansionary wars lest they endanger themselves needlessly on account of that sin. It is clear that the sin of talking during prayers is not a captial offence. It is only the fact that during war the angel of death is especially active which makes the unatoned for sin of talking during prayers potentially lethal. In our situation, the fact that the people were under sentence of death anyway would have made the angel of death eager to kill them at once if they had not first dissociated themselves from Korach.

After looking further into this matter I have realised that ordering the people to separate themselves from Korach's group could be perceived as therapy for the Jewish people. Had G'd not given these instructions, only those righteous amongst the Jewish people who had not yet been included in the decree that they would die in the desert would have escaped becoming victims of the angel of death at that time. By giving this instruction G'd actually gave the Israelites an opportunity to save themselves from imminent death seeing that all of them had a minor share in Korach's sin because they had not protested it. In fact, failure to protest what Koarch was trying to do was equivalent to being a passive supporter of Korach. G'd instructed Moses and Aaron to separate the righteous and thus enable him to pray on their behalf to ask for them to be spared, invoking his own merit. This is why G'd said to Moses: "tell the whole congregation 'get up from from around the dwelling of Korach, Datan and Aviram'" (verse 24). If we accept this approach the word הבדלו in our verse was meant to alert Moses and Aaron to pray, seeing there was no need for Moses and Aaron to separate themselves in order not to become victims of Korach's sin. Perhaps this is what G'd alluded to when He said לאמור, meaning that the whole purpose of G'd speaking to them at this juncture was לאמור, in order that Moses and Aaron start to pray as we indeed find that they did in verse 22. If we accept this interpretation we need not understand that G'd referred to Moses and Aaron removing their families from around the tent of Korach.