Comentários de Citação sobre Números 16:21

ואין קוראין בתורה – in a community/congregation, and all of these, they are not done with less than ten [men], as it is written (Leviticus 22:32): “[You shall not profane My holy name,] that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people…”every matter of holiness does not take place with less than ten;.. It is written here, בתוך בני ישראל/in the midst of the Israelite people, and it is written there (Numbers 16:21): “Stand back from this community that I may annihilate them in an instant!” Just as there, it is ten, so here too, it is ten. (Interestingly, while the Bartenura commentary quotes the Talmud Megillah 23b, it omits the more familiar derivation for a Minyan being ten male Jewish adults, even as the Talmud does quote it there from Numbers 14:27: “How much longer shall that wicked community keep muttering against Me?” The community/עדה mentioned in the verse clearly refers to ten individuals, the ten spies who brought a negative report about their spy mission to the Promised Land. That analogy, based upon the word עדה /congregation or community is often then compared with Numbers 35:24 and 25, as is found in the Mishnah, Tractate Sanhedrin Chapter 1:6. Whereas, the interpretation quoted by Bartenura is based upon analogy of the word “בתוך/in the midst of.”).

ואת אשר יבחר בו יקריב אליו, only the worthy person G’d will select from all those taking part in this commotion. The meaning is reflected in G’d saying later to Moses: הבדלו מתוך העדה, “separate yourselves from among this congregation” (verse 21)

וכפר בעדו, “he will perform atonement for his personal sins;” he will recite a confession by mouth. If you were to assume that the Torah here refers to an atonement by means of the blood of a sacrifice, our sages understood, after looking at verse 10 where we read the words: לכפר עליו in connection with the scapegoat, where it is clear that a confession by mouth is described, that the same expression being used here is meant to draw a parallel, i.e. that he is to recite a verbal confession. In verse 21 the words: והתודה עליו “he will make a verbal confession,” are spelled out clearly. This confession was in addition to the blood of the animal being sacrificed. If you were to ask why the High Priest did not also recite a confession over the male goat whose blood was sprinkled inside the Sanctuary, the reason was that it was destined for G-d, and it would be unseemly to make use of it for the needs of creatures here on earth. The Torah had especially written that this animal had been chosen by lot to be G-d’s. (verse 9) (Sifra). [According to Malbim, the unnecessary word עלה in this verse may be the reason for the Sifra’s comment.]