Midrash sobre Números 16:26

(Fol. 38b) Our Rabbis were taught: Also an oath taken by one before the court must be uttered in a language he understands, and the court must say to him the following introduction to the oath: Be aware (Fol. 39) that the entire world trembled when the Holy One, praised be He! spake on the Mount Sinai: (Ex. 20, 7) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; likewise concerning all transgressions in the Torah it reads: Venakkei (He will forgive), and concerning a false oath, it reads further, Lo Yenakke (He will not forgive); again, for all other transgressions, only the sinner himself is punished, while here (in the case of an oath) the punishment extends also to his family, as it is said (Ecc. 5, 5) Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt; and by the expression flesh one's family is meant, as it is said (Is. 58, 7) From thy own flesh. Furthermore, for all other transgressions the sinner himself is alone punished, while in this case the whole world is punished, as it is written (Hos. 4, 2-3) There is false swearing, etc… . therefore shall the land mourn. But perhaps it means that only when the sinner committed all the transgressions mentioned here in Hosea? This cannot be meant, for it is written (Jer. 23, 10) For because of false swearing mourneth the land. Again, the punishment for all other transgressions is, through the merits of the sinner's forefathers, postponed for some two or three generations, but in this case he is punished immediately, as it is said (Zech. 5, 4) I cause it to go forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely in My name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. I bring it forth, means immediately; it shall enter into the house of the thief, refers to one who steals the mind of the people, e. g., he who has no money with his neighbor, maintains that he has and makes the latter swear; into the house of him who sweareth falsely, is to be taken literally; it shall remain in the midst of his house, etc., from this it may be learned that things indestructible by fire or water are destroyed by false swearing. If after having listened to all this introduction, he says: I will not take the oath, the court sends him away immediately [that he might not reconsider his last decision]; but if he says: I will nevertheless swear, the people present say (Num. 16, 16) Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked. Again, when he is ready to take the oath, the court once more says to him: "Be aware that the oath which you take is not according to your own mind, but to the mind of the Holy One, praised be He! and that of the court," as we find in the case of Moses, our teacher, who, when he made the Israelites swear, said: "You shall be aware that your oath is not of your own mind, but by that of the Holy One, is it is said (Deut. 29, 13-14) And not with you alone, etc… . but with him that is standing here, etc. [It is not meant, those who were only at the Mount Sinai, but all future generations]. Whence do we know that even all proselytes who will embrace Judaism in the future? It is said (Ib.) And also with him that is not here with us. From this we infer only regarding the commandments given in that Mount, but whence do we know regarding all commandments that will be established in the future, such as the reading of the Book of Esther? It is said (Est. 9, 27) The Jews confirmed it as a duty, etc. This means they confirmed a duty imposed upon them in the past. The master said: "The whole world trembled, when the Holy One … "But why? Was it because it was ordained on Sinai? Then, all the ten commandments were given there; and if because it is more rigorous, is it indeed so? Is there not a Mishna: The following are classified as lenient positives and negatives, except Thou shalt not bear the holy name, etc.; rigorous are those under the category of capital punishment and Karath, and the commandment Thou shalt not bear, etc., belongs to these [hence, there are many like swearing]. We must therefore say that concerning all other transgressions the Torah says Venakkei, while concerning thou shalt not bear, Lo Yenakke is applied. But do we not find the same Lo Yenakke in connection with all laws? Behold it is written (Ib. 34) Venakkei lo Yenakke? This is explained by R. Elazar, who said: "It is impossible to say Venakkei (he will forgive) since it is followed by Lo Yenakke (he will not forgive), nor is it possible to say he will not forgive after it reads he will forgive, therefore it must mean, he will forgive the repenters, but not those who do not repent."

12 (Numb. 16:23–24) “And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, [...] ‘Get away from about the dwellings of Korah’”: Although Moses heard it from the mouth of the Almighty, he did not tell them to get away until he had gone and warned them, as stated (in vs. 25), “Then Moses arose and went unto Dathan and Abiram.” [This serves] to make their wickedness known, for although Moses went to them on foot, the[se] wicked ones were too stubborn to make amends. What did they do? They were unwilling to come out of their tents (different text: on their own) to face him. When Moses saw this, he said, “This much [only] it was incumbent upon me to do.” [So] (in Numb. 16:26) “And he spoke to the congregation, ‘Please move away from the tents of [these] wicked people.’” Our masters have taught: Four [types of people] are called wicked:²⁵Cf. PRK 30 (p.190b in Buber text; “Additional Piska” 28:2 in Braude’s translation). The one who extends his hand against his companion to strike him. Even though he did not [actually] strike him, he is called wicked, as stated (in Exod. 2:13), “so he said to the wicked one, ‘Why would you strike²⁶The midrash understands the verb in accord with post-biblical usage and is stressing the fact that the tense is future. So also Sanh. 58b; Rashi on Exod.2:13. your comrade?’” "Did you strike," is not stated here, but “would you strike.” The one who borrows and does not repay, as stated (in Ps. 37:21), “The wicked person borrows but does not repay […].”²⁷Avot 2:9. The one who has an insolent face and does not feel shame from someone greater than himself, as stated (Prov. 21:29), “A wicked person puts on a brazen face […].” And the one who is the author of dissension, as stated (in Numb. 16:26), “Please move away from the tents of these wicked men.” Now two [of these traits] were in Dathan and Abiram, [i.e.,] an insolent face and dissension (mhlqt). Mhlqt ("dissension") [is interpreted through its letters.] M is for marah ("bitter"); h is for haron ("anger"); l is for lokin ("lash"); q is for qelalah ("curse"); and t is for to'evah ("abomination"). But some say [that t stands for] takhlit ("end"), [since dissension] brings annihilation to the world. (Numb. 16:27) “So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram”: When they saw this, how Israel had moved away from round about them, they came out cursing and blaspheming, as stated (ibid., cont.), “[they] came out standing (rt.: ntsb).” Now [it is stated] elsewhere (in I Sam. 17:16), “Then the Philistine drew near at dawn and in the evening; and he took his stand (rt.: ytsb) for forty days.”²⁸On Goliath reviling Israel, see I Sam. 17:8-10. (Numb. 16:28-29), “And Moses said, ‘By this you may know that the Lord has sent me…. If these die like the death of every man”: A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To the shoshbin²⁹I.e., the bridal agent who guarded her interests at the consummation of the marriage. of a king's daughter in whose hands lay the testimonials of her [virginity]. When one of the banqueters stood up before him and cursed the shoshbin and said, “The king's daughter has no virginity”; the shoshbin arose in the presence of the king and said to him, “If you do not have this person brought out in order to execute him in everyone's presence, I shall say, ‘Of course the king's daughter has no virginity.’” Immediately the king said, “It is better for me to kill this person, so that the shoshbin will not give out a bad name concerning my daughter.” Similarly Korah contended with Moses and said, “It was in his own heart and on his own that Moses had said all these things.” Moses began by saying in front of the Holy One, blessed be He then I also am saying (ibid., cont.), “If these die upon their beds in the way that people die, and physicians come and examine them the way all sick people are examined, then I will also deny [my mission] and say, ‘the Lord did not send me,’ and I have spoken from my own heart.” This is one of three prophets who spoke in this way: Elijah, Micah, and Moses.³⁰ySahn. 10:1 (28a). Elijah said (in 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; for You have turned their hearts backward” - [meaning,] if you do not answer me, I will say (ibid.), “You have turned their hearts backward.” So also Micah (identified here with Micaiah) said to Ahab (in I Kings 22:28), “If you return in peace,” then I too 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....” 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’; if You have created a mouth to the earth [from the beginning], well and good; but if not, ‘let the Lord create’ - He should create a mouth to it now.” The Holy One said to him (in Job 22:28), “When you decree something, it shall come to pass for you; and light shall shine upon your ways.”

14 "A brother offended is more formidable than a stronghold; such strife is like the bars of a fortress" (Proverbs 18:19). This is Korach, who violated the Torah - which is strength, as it is stated (Psalms 29:11), "May the Lord to His people give strength, may the Lord bless His people with peace." "Such strife is like the bars of a fortress" - and did he not know that his opponents were hard? "Like the bars of a fortress" - this is [referring to] Moshe and Aharon. Just like a bar does not move, so [too] Moshe, as it is stated (Exodus 26:28), "The center bar halfway up the planks shall run from end to end."

The one who extends his hand against his companion to strike him. Even though he did not <actually> strike him, he is called wicked, as stated (in Exod. 2:13): SO HE SAID TO THE WICKED ONE: WHY WOULD YOU STRIKE⁴⁶The midrash understands the verb in accord with post-biblical usage and is stressing the fact that the tense is future. So also Sanh. 58b; Rashi on Exod.2:13. YOUR COMRADE? "<Why> did you strike?" is not stated here but WHY WOULD YOU STRIKE?
The one who borrows and does not repay, as stated (in Ps. 37:21): THE WICKED PERSON BORROWS BUT DOES NOT REPAY.⁴⁷Avot 2:9.
[Also the one who has an insolent face but does not feel shame from someone greater than himself, as stated (Prov. 21:29): A WICKED PERSON PUTS ON A BRAZEN FACE.]
And the one who is the author of dissension, as stated (in Numb. 16:26): PLEASE MOVE AWAY FROM THE TENTS OF THESE WICKED [PEOPLE].