(לב) וַיּוֹצִ֜יאוּ דִּבַּ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֡רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבַ֨רְנוּ בָ֜הּ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֗הּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יוֹשְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ הִ֔וא ...
(32) Thus they spread calumnies among the Israelites about the land they had scouted, saying, “The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers...
(1) אכלת יושביה [A LAND] THAT EATS UP HER INHABITANTS — “In every place which we passed we found them (the inhabitants) burying their dead". — But, as a matter of fact, the Holy One, blessed be He, did this (caused many deaths amongst them at that time, and so the Canaanites were engaged in burying their dead) for the best, in order to occupy them busily with their mourning so that they should pay no attention to these (the spies) (Sotah 35a).
(2) ולא תתרו אחרי לבבכם — The verb has the same meaning as in (Numbers 13:25), “and they returned from searching (מתור) the land”. The heart and the eyes are the “spies” of the body — they act as its agents for sinning: the eye sees, the heart covets and the body commits the sin.
(ב) שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן: (יז) וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח אֹתָם֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה לָת֖וּר אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן: (כא) וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ וַיָּתֻ֣רוּ אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ...
But Korah who certainly was a clever man, what reason had he to commit this folly? His mind’s eye misled him. He saw by prophetic vision a line of great men descending from him, amongst them the prophet Samuel who was equal in importance to Moses and Aaron together (cf. Psalms 99:6: משה ואהרן בכהניו ושמואל בקראי שמו), and he said to himself, “On his account I shall escape the punishment”. He said, “Is it possible that all this dignity is to arise from me and I shall remain silent (be myself of no importance)?” On this account he joined the others in order to attain to that prerogative, because he had indeed heard from the mouth of Moses that all else of them would perish and one would escape: "He whom the Lord will choose will be holy". He mistakenly applied this to himself. But he had not seen correctly, for his sons repented of their rebellious attitude and therefore did not die at that time (Numbers 26:11), and it was from them that Samuel and the Levitical singers were descended. Moses, however, foresaw this. Midrash Tanchuma.
(ד) דתן ואבירם.וּמָה רָאָה קֹרַח לַחֲלוֹק עִם מֹשֶׁה? נִתְקַנֵּא עַל נְשִׂיאוּתוֹ שֶׁל אֱלִיצָפָן בֶּן עֻזִּיאֵל, שֶׁמִּנָּהוּ מֹשֶׁה נָשִׂיא עַל בְּנֵי קְהָת עַל פִּי הַדִּבּוּר, וְהִלְבִּישָׁן טַלִּיתוֹת שֶׁכֻּלָּן תְּכֵלֶת, בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית אוֹ פְטוּרָה? אָמַר לָהֶם חַיֶּבֶת, הִתְחִילוּ לִשְׂחׂק עָלָיו, אֶפְשָׁר טַלִּית שֶׁל מִן אַחֵר חוּט אֶחָד שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת פּוֹטְרָהּ, זוּ שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת לֹא תִפְטוֹר אֶת עַצְמָהּ?! (תנחומא):
And what induced Korah to quarrel with Moses? He was envious of the princely dignity held by Elzaphan the son of Uziel (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 1) whom Moses had appointed prince over the sons of Kohath although this was by the express command of God (Numbers 3:30). — and he attired them in robes of pure purple wool. They then came and stood before Moses and said to him, “Is a garment that is entirely of purple subject to the law of Zizith or is it exempt”? He replied to them: “It is subject to that law”. Whereupon they began to jeer at him: “Is this possible? A robe of any different coloured material, one thread of purple attached to it exempts it, and this that is entirely of purple should it not exempt itself from the law of “Zizith”? (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 2).
(ט) מַלְבּוּשׁ תַּלְמִיד חָכָם מַלְבּוּשׁ נָאֶה וְנָקִי. וְאָסוּר לוֹ שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא בְּבִגְדוֹ כֶּתֶם אוֹ שַׁמְנוּנִית וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. וְלֹא יִלְבַּשׁ לֹא מַלְבּוּשׁ מְלָכִים כְּגוֹן בִּגְדֵי זָהָב וְאַרְגָּמָן שֶׁהַכּל מִסְתַּכְּלִין בָּהֶן. וְלֹא מַלְבּוּשׁ עֲנִיִּים שֶׁהוּא מְבַזֶּה אֶת לוֹבְשָׁיו אֶלָּא בְּגָדִים בֵּינוֹנִים נָאִים.
(9) The disciple of the wise should wear becoming and clean clothes.... He should not wear clothes fit for a king such as trimmed with gold or purple which attract everybody's gaze, nor the clothes of a pauper which put the wearer to shame, but average garments of becoming style.
צִוּוּ חֲכָמִים וְאָמְרוּ לְעוֹלָם יֹאכַל אָדָם פָּחוֹת מִן הָרָאוּי לוֹ לְפִי מָמוֹנוֹ וְיִלְבַּשׁ כָּרָאוּי לוֹ וִיכַבֵּד אִשְׁתּוֹ וּבָנָיו יוֹתֵר מִן הָרָאוּי לוֹ:
The wise men commanded and said: "Ever let a man eat less than what his financial means allow, dress within his means, but honor his wife and children with more than his means allow".
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: What is different about tekhelet from all other types of colors such that it was chosen for the mitzva of ritual fringes? It is because tekhelet is similar in its color to the sea, and the sea is similar to the sky, and the sky is similar to the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness” (Exodus 24:10), indicating that the sky is like a sapphire brickwork.
(קנח) מי גרם לקרח שיאבד הוא וכל עדתו עמו? אלא מפני הכבוד, ומקרא מלא הוא (במדבר טז): ובקשתם גם כהונה. וחכמים ז"ל (במדבר רבא יח) הגידו לנו כי כל זה נמשך מפני שראה אליצפן בן עוזיאל נשיא והיה רוצה להיות הוא נשיא במקומו.
(קנט) הוא שגרם לפי דעת חכמינו ז"ל אל המרגלים שיוציאו דבה על הארץ וגרמו מיתה להם ולכל דורם מיראתם פן ימעט כבודם בכניסת הארץ, שלא יהיו הם נשיאים לישראל ויעמדו אחרים במקומם.
(158) What caused the destruction of Korach and his assembly? Only honor as scripture states explicitly: "do you also seek the priesthood?" (Bamidbar 16:10). Our sages told us that all this grew out of Korach's seeing Elitzafan ben Uziel promoted to head of the tribe, and he wanted to be head in his place (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:2).
(159) And according to our sages of blessed memory, what caused the spies to utter evil speech on the land leading to their death and the death of an entire generation. They feared that others will take over their position when they enter Israel thereby diminishing their honor, namely that they will no longer be chiefs over Israel (Zohar Bamidbar 158a).