Komentarz do Liczb 16:32

AND ALL THE MEN THAT APPERTAINED UNTO KORACH. He [Korach] had acquired [heathen] slaves and bondmaids, and had as members of his household Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Canaanites — the purchase of his money¹⁶⁵Leviticus 22:11. — and these people were punished because they were part of their goods [i.e., those of Korach’s men], for they were punished both personally and in their belongings. Perhaps there were also in Korach’s house Israelites as sojourners and residents, and they were influenced by his counsel and were therefore punished [with Korach]. But it [the phrase all the men that appertained unto Korach] cannot refer to his children, for it is written, But the children of Korach died not,¹⁶⁶Further, 26:11. because they were adults, righteous and good men, and their [own] merit stood in their stead [so that they were not swept away with their father]. He had no minor sons and daughters, since Scripture does not mention “little ones” in the case of Korach [as it does when referring to Dathan and Abiram].¹⁶⁷Above, Verse 27.

ותפתח הארץ את פיה, the fissure in the surface of the earth became wide enough to extend all the way to their houses.

ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח, “and all the people who had joined Korach.” According to Nachmanides this included the servants and maids in Korach’s household who were bodily owned by him. Perhaps he had Jewish helpers in his household also, as well as some proselytes. They could have suffered the same fate as they supported him. It is not possible to understand the words “and every person belonging to him,” as referring to members of his immediate family, seeing that his grown up sons did not die, as the Torah has spelled out elsewhere. (Numbers 26,11) His younger children surely were included in the wordsותבלע אותם ואת בתיהם “it swallowed them and their households.” Or, he had no children that were minors, as the Torah would have mentioned them under the heading of טף.

V. 32. ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח. Da Korach nach Versen 17-19 bei den מקריבי הקטרת war, so scheint er diesem nach nicht mit in diesem Untergang begriffen gewesen zu sein. Kap. 26, 10 heißt es jedoch: ותפתח הארץ וגו׳ ותבלע אתם ואת קרח וגו׳ demgemäß Korach seinen Tod mit in dieser Erdklüftung gefunden hätte. Daher Sanhedrin 110a der Zweifel, bei welcher Katastrophe er sein Ende gefunden, ob mit den בלועים oder den שרופים und dort eine Ansicht, dass er, der Urheber des ganzen Unglücks, von beiden mitbetroffen worden.

ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח “and any human being siding with Korach, etc.” the expression: כל האדם, is somewhat puzzling at this point. It cannot refer to adult members of Korach’s family, as these had repeatedly been referred to as איש; we must therefore assume that it refers to his wife and minor children as well as to his servants and entourage. The Torah states specifically that Korach’s sons (adults?) did not die; compare Numbers 26,11.

כל האדם אשר לקרח, all the people who had made common cause with Korach in this rebellion. Seeing that this is the meaning of the these words, we need not be surprised to be told that Korach’s sons did not die, as they did not “belong” to their father spiritually or philosophically.

ואת כל הרכוש, this was so that his righteous sons not be burdened with inheriting the ill gotten gains of their father. [the author quotes a Sifri on Ki Teytze item 283 in support of this. Ed.]