A Memorial for All Time?
By Ariella Golani

Take a deep breath and hang on to your seats while we dive into last week’s Parsha (Numbers 16 – 18.)

Parsha Korah is about defiance of law and order–Divinely appointed law and order and the historic results. This event, compared to today’s violent protests, seems to bring to the forefront the seed of human dissatisfaction with leadership and for the first time in Biblical history, the description of public efforts to take down a monarchy, a rulership or God forbid, an entire government. But, perhaps modern movements are not necessarily evil, nor, on the other hand, led by holy purposes. And since world governments at this time do not fall under the classification of Divine Order nor Divine Appointment, per se, then they cannot be judged by the same laws that were set up for the People of YHVH at Sinai. Nothing today resembles the Nation of Israel when it was set up through Moses.

The United States was founded on the constitutional principle of “a government by the people and for the people.” Noble and praiseworthy, as it was founded to be, it was never and still is not what was established at Sinai. The Sinai government, although idealistically perfect, also falls short of its ideal when men are no longer connected to the Source of Holiness. And we see the results today. But at the time of Moses and Aaron, things were of a different order.

What happened in Numbers 16 and 17 and why? How was it wrong then for the common people to rise up and take over that government?

It was clear from the start of the Exodus from Egypt that Moses and Aaron were in charge by Divine appointment. As always happens even in modern times, when people become disgruntled about being governed, they rise up, protest, create anarchy, and sometimes succeed in an overthrow.

Klal Israel, while in Egypt, had been under oppressive tyrannical rule, made into slaves, yes-men, if you will, and not given the opportunity to think for themselves. When they were given freedom, they swung to the opposite extreme. Now they became rebellious, complaining was the agenda for anything that went wrong, and blame was placed on anyone who came between them and their comfort zone. And because Moses was the specified leader, he was caught trying to bring order out of chaos, As we well know, this bit of complaining about leadership is a typical human problem. Will humanity ever get it that righteous leadership is not the same as oppressive tyrannical governments?

So they were hungry, or at least didn’t see where they would find food in the near future while camped in the desert! The water was about gone and based on what they could see, they would surely die of thirst! This showed they were not ready to trust God, nor His leadership. A people of slaves, when set free, becomes a narcissistic group of complainers. Do it my way or else! Haven’t we seen this elsewhere in the world? Slaves, who are set free, now demand that their governments do everything for them?

So, in Parsha Korah, we see a disgruntled Levite of the lineage of Kohath, son of Levi, organize a group to defy the authority of Moses and Aaron and perhaps bring about a coup d’etat. He and two Rubenites: Dathan and Abiram, plus 250 leaders of the community join him to question the authority of Moses and Aaron, asserting that since the entire nation is holy, basically then, anyone may serve in the office of priesthood in the Tabernacle. Thus, a seething rebellion against Moses and Aaron and Aaron’s son, Eliezer was fomenting and must be dealt with. 

Moses asked Korah directly if he was seeking the priesthood, since his duties, though set apart as a Levite, were to serve the Tabernacle and minister to the people in a different role. He felt cheated because he was not allowed the highest and holiest order. His narcissistic views led to open rebellion and many lost their lives because of it.

The story goes that the 250 were told to bring fire pans to burn incense and there would be a Divine selection of whom God chose to serve. Korah, Dathan and Abiram and the 250 were to present themselves before the LORD at the Tabernacle the next morning, Korah and his rabble showed up but Dathan and Abiram refused.

The upshot of the story is that the people were to move away from the tents of these three.  The ground opened up and swallowed them their children and all their belongings. The 250 who offered incense in their fire pans were consumed by a fire that came out from YHVH. Then Eliezer, Aaron’s successor, was told to collect the pans and pound them out for a covering for the altar:

“The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before YHVH, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as YHVH said to him by the hand of Moses.” – Num 16:38-40.

But as if this were not enough to get their attention:

41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of YHVH. 42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of YHVH appeared.” Num 16:41-42.

You know, it almost seems that the people thought that Moses and Aaron had some kind of magical powers and that they really were not dealing with the God of the Universe. How could they not reverence the Eternal when they had seen His direct leading? When they had witnessed His power and glory?

So then after still maintaining that Moses and Aaron had killed the people of God, we see the miracle of Aaron’s rod budding and the people fearing to even come near to the Tabernacle.

But, there is something important here, the brazen fire pans were pounded out and used to cover the altar, not the golden altar of incense, but the altar of sacrifice, located in the courtyard. This clearly signifies that the courtyard is the place available to the common people for all time. The priests were the only ones allowed in the Holy Places of the Tabernacle. And only the High Priest, a direct descendant of Aaron, was allowed in the Most Holy place.

Is it any different now? If and when we build a third temple, will religious leaders be smitten before YHVH for pretending to have the right to serve as priests, when their qualification for religious leadership comes from certificated Yeshiva education? Are they Levites by blood? And even if they are Levites, are they truly Kohanim? (Descendants of Aaron)?

Have things changed with Heaven’s order for the worship of the Temple just because we live in modern times and do not follow the Torah’s clear instructions in this regard? Is it really true that scholastic institutions can train students to think like Moses and guarantee the mantle of Heaven? Maybe this needs a hard look in light of where we are today.

If we no longer hear a Voice from Heaven, how can we get back on track?