Komentarz do Liczb 16:25

ויקם משה AND MOSES ROSE UP [AND WENT UNTO DATHAN AND ABIRAM] — He still believed that they would show respect to him (defer to him if he personally appealed to them), but they did not do so, (and therefore he then addressed himself to all the congregation — cf. next verse) (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 8).

ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם, Moses rose up and went to Datan and Aviram, etc." Why did the Torah have to write ויקם that Moses rose up? If the Torah only wanted us to know that Moses had been sitting down before, why is this piece of information important to us 3000 years later? We may have to understand this in light of Proverbs 16,18 לפני שבר גאון, that "pride goes before ruin," and Proverbs 16,33 ולפני כבוד ענוה, "whereas humility precedes honour." Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 45,5 explain what David meant in Psalms 113,5 המגביהי לשבת. "When others deride me, G'd elevates me, whereas when I elevate myself G'd puts me in my place." Similarly in our verse. As soon as Moses had decided to waive his dignity and to go and appeal to Datan and Abiram, "he arose," i.e. he was elevated in the eyes of G'd. This is also the meaning of the verses we have quoted from Proverbs.

וילך אל דתן ואבירם, hoping against hope that they might repent.

וילכו אחריו זקני ישראל, “the elders of the people of Israel followed Moses.” The reference is to the 70 elders, appointed in Numbers 11,25.

V. 25. ויקם וגו׳. Datan und Abiram hatten sich am direktesten gegen Mosche vergangen, und gerade um deren mögliche Rettung durch Besinnung eines Besseren sehen wir Mosche sich noch im letzten Augenblick der Entscheidung bemühen.