(1) Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, took, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben— (2) and they rose up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty Israelites, chieftains of the community, chosen in the assembly, men of repute. (3) They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the LORD’s congregation?” (4) When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. (5) Then he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Come morning, the LORD will make known who is His and who is holy, and will grant him access to Himself; He will grant access to the one He has chosen. (6) Do this: You, Korah and all your band, take fire pans, (7) and tomorrow put fire in them and lay incense on them before the LORD. Then the man whom the LORD chooses, he shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” (8) Moses said further to Korah, “Hear me, sons of Levi. (9) Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel and given you access to Him, to perform the duties of the LORD’s Tabernacle and to minister to the community and serve them? (10) Now that He has advanced you and all your fellow Levites with you, do you seek the priesthood too? (11) Truly, it is against the LORD that you and all your company have banded together. For who is Aaron that you should rail against him?” (12) Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come! (13) Is it not enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, that you would also lord it over us? (14) Even if you had brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and given us possession of fields and vineyards, should you gouge out those men’s eyes? We will not come!” (15) Moses was much aggrieved and he said to the LORD, “Pay no regard to their oblation. I have not taken the ass of any one of them, nor have I wronged any one of them.” (16) And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company appear before the LORD, you and they and Aaron. (17) Each of you take his fire pan and lay incense on it, and each of you bring his fire pan before the LORD, two hundred and fifty fire pans; you and Aaron also [bring] your fire pans.” (18) Each of them took his fire pan, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and took his place at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as did Moses and Aaron. (19) Korah gathered the whole community against them at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Then the Presence of the LORD appeared to the whole community, (20) and the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (21) “Stand back from this community that I may annihilate them in an instant!” (22) But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, Source of the breath of all flesh! When one man sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?” (23) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) “Speak to the community and say: Withdraw from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” (25) Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, the elders of Israel following him. (26) He addressed the community, saying, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you be wiped out for all their sins.” (27) So they withdrew from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Now Dathan and Abiram had come out and they stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives, their children, and their little ones. (28) And Moses said, “By this you shall know that it was the LORD who sent me to do all these things; that they are not of my own devising: (29) if these men die as all men do, if their lot be the common fate of all mankind, it was not the LORD who sent me. (30) But if the LORD brings about something unheard-of, so that the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, you shall know that these men have spurned the LORD.” (31) Scarcely had he finished speaking all these words when the ground under them burst asunder, (32) and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korah’s people and all their possessions. (33) They went down alive into Sheol, with all that belonged to them; the earth closed over them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation. (34) All Israel around them fled at their shrieks, for they said, “The earth might swallow us!” (35) And a fire went forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense.
~ Could Korach have happened without the story of the scouts? Why or why not, in your opinion?
~ Can you find in the text the proof that those are two different rebellions that get combined? Why would the two groups do that?
~ What are the reasons stated for Korach's rebellion? What are the reasons that we can derive based on Moses's words? Why is Aharon absent?
~ What are the reasons of the group led by Datan, Aviram and On? Why would the fact that they are descendants of Reuven matter at all? [Also, note the idealization of Egypt and the criticizing of Moses's style of leadership - the response is "donkey"]
~ What is it about the firepans? Why would anyone refuse this "test" and why do you think the rebellious faction fell for it?
~ What is strange in the account of the end of the rebellions? [When does Korach die?]
~ What is the general value of the story? Are there other divinely appointed leaders that face rebellions in the Tanach?
~ Note that the text seems truncated: what did Korach take?
Tanchuma ~ Multi-vocal, multi-generational work compiled in Babylon/Italy/Israel (c.500 - c.800 CE). Midrash Tanchuma is a midrash structured as sermons on the opening verses of each paragraph in the Torah. Named for the talmudic sage Rabbi Tanchuma, who features prominently in the text, it is also referred to as “Tanchuma-Yelammedenu” because of the prevalence of legal passages that start with the words “yelamedenu rabeinu” (teach us, our Rabbi).
(א) וַיִּקַח קֹרַח. מַה כְּתִיב לְמַעְלָה מִן הָעִנְיָן, דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת (במדבר טו, לח). קָפַץ קֹרַח וְאָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, אַתָּה אוֹמֵר, וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת וְגוֹ' (שם). טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת, מַה הִיא שֶׁיְּהֵא פְּטוּרָה מִן הַצִּיצִית. אָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה, חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית. אָמַר לוֹ קֹרַח, טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת אֵינָהּ פּוֹטֶרֶת עַצְמָהּ, וְאַרְבָּעָה חוּטִין פּוֹטֵר אוֹתָהּ. בַּיִת מָלֵא סְפָרִים, מַהוּ שֶׁתְּהֵא פְּטוּרָה מִן הַמְּזוּזָה. אָמַר לוֹ: חַיֶּבֶת בִּמְזוּזָה. אָמַר לוֹ: כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ מָאתַיִם שִׁבְעִים וְחָמֵשׁ פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ, כֻּלָּן אֵין פּוֹטְרוֹת אֶת הַבַּיִת, וּשְׁתֵּי פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁבַּמְּזוּזָה פּוֹטְרוֹת אֶת הַבַּיִת. אָמַר לוֹ: דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ לֹא נִצְטַוֵּיתָ עֲלֵיהֶם, וּמִלִּבְּךָ אַתָּה בּוֹדְאָם. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח. וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח, אֵין וַיִּקַּח אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן פְּלִיגָה, שֶׁלִּבּוֹ לְקָחוֹ, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מַה יִּקָּחֲךָ לִבֶּךָ וּמַה יִרְזְמוּן עֵינֶיךָ (איוב טו, יב). הוּא שֶׁמּשֶׁה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם, הַמְּעַט מִכֶּם כִּי הִבְדִּיל אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּל אוֹתוֹ הָעִנְיָן, עַד אִם כְּמוֹת כָּל הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן אֵלֶּה. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לַבְּרָכָה, חָכָם גָּדוֹל הָיָה קֹרַח, וּמִטּוֹעֲנֵי הָאֲרוֹן הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְלִבְנֵי קְהָת לֹא נָתַן כִּי עֲבוֹדַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם בְּכָתֵף יִשָּׂאוּ (במדבר ז, ט), קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת. כְּשֶׁאָמַר מֹשֶׁה, וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת (שם טו, לח), מֶה עָשָׂה קֹרַח. מִיָּד צִוָּה וְעָשָׂה מָאתַיִם וַחֲמִשִּׁים טַלִּיתוֹת תְּכֵלֶת, וְנִתְעַטְּפוּ בָּהֶן אוֹתָן חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתַיִם אִישׁ רָאשֵׁי סַנְהֶדְרָאוֹת שֶׁקָּמוּ עַל מֹשֶׁה, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיָּקוּמוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וַאֲנָשִׁים מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתַיִם. וּמִי הֵם. נְשִׂיאֵי עֵדָה קְרִיאֵי מוֹעֵד אַנְשֵׁי שֵׁם. עָמַד קֹרַח וְעָשָׂה לָהֶם מִשְׁתֶּה, וְנִתְעַטְּפוּ כֻּלָּן בְּטַלִּיתוֹת תְּכֵלֶת וּבָאוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לִטֹּל מַתְּנוֹתֵיהֶן חָזֶה וְשׁוֹק הַיָּמִין. עָמְדוּ כְּנֶגְדָן וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם, מִי צִוָּה אֶתְכֶם לִטֹּל כָּךְ, לֹא מֹשֶׁה. לֹא נָתַן לָכֶם כְּלוּם, שֶׁלֹּא דִּבֵּר עִמּוֹ הַמָּקוֹם מִזֶּה. בָּאוּ וְהוֹדִיעוּ לְמֹשֶׁה. הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה לְפַיְּסָן. מִיָּד עָמְדוּ כְּנֶגְדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיָּקוּמוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וַאֲנָשִׁים מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתַיִם. וּמִי הֵם. אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן שְׁדֵיאוּר וַחֲבֵרָיו אֲשֶׁר נִקְּבוּ בְּשֵׁמוֹת. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא פִּרְסְמָן הַכָּתוּב, נָתַן סִימָנֵיהֶן, וּמִתּוֹךְ הַמִּקְרָאוֹת אַתָּה מַכִּיר אוֹתָם. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לְבֶן טוֹבִים שֶׁהָיָה גּוֹנֵב כֵּלִים בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ, וְלֹא הָיָה רוֹצֶה בַּעַל הַגְּנֵבָה לְפַרְסְמוֹ, הִתְחִיל נוֹתֵן בּוֹ סִימָנָיו. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: מִי גָּנַב כֵּלֶיךָ. אָמַר לָהֶם: אוֹתוֹ בֶּן טוֹבִים, בַּעַל קוֹמָה הוּא, עֵינָיו נָאוֹת, שַׂעֲרוֹתָיו שְׁחֹרוֹת, חָטְמוֹ נָאֶה. מִשֶּׁנָּתַן סִימָנָיו, יָדְעוּ מִי הוּא. וְאַף כָּאן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁסְּתָמָן הַכָּתוּב וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ אֶת שְׁמוֹתָן, וּבָא וְנָתַן אֶת סִימָנֵיהֶם, אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ מִי הֵם. נֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן אֵלֶּה קְרוּאֵי הָעֵדָה נְשִׂיאֵי מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם (במדבר א, טז), וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְּבוּ בְּשֵׁמוֹת (שם פסוק יז). וְנֶאֱמַר כָּאן, נְשִׂיאֵי עֵדָה קְרִיאֵי מוֹעֵד אַנְשֵׁי שֵׁם. וְיִקָּהֲלוּ עַל מֹשֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן.
(1) (Numb. 16:1:) “Now Korah […] took.” What is written above the matter (in Numb. 15:38)? “Speak unto the Children of Israel and tell them to make tassels (zizit) for themselves.’” Korah quickly said to Moses, “In the case of a prayer shawl (tallit) which is all blue, what is the rule about it being exempt from [having] the tassel?” Moses said to him, “[Such a prayer shawl] is required to have the tassels.” Korah said to him, “Would not a prayer shawl which is all blue exempt itself, when four [blue] threads exempt it? In the case of a house which is full of [scriptural] books, what is the rule about it being exempt it from [having] the mezuzah (which contains only two passages of scripture)?” [Moses] said to him, “[Such a house] is required to have the mezuzah.” [Korah] said to him, “Since the whole Torah has two hundred and seventy-five parashiot in it and they do not exempt the house [from having the mezuzah], would the two parashiot which are in the mezuzah exempt the house?” [He also] said to him, “These are things about which you have not been commanded. Rather you are inventing them [by taking them] out of your own heart.” Here is what is written (in Numb. 16:1), “Now Korah […] took.” (Numb. 16:1:) “Now Korah […] took.” Now “took (rt.: lqh)” can only be a word of discord, in that his heart carried him away (rt.: lqh). Thus is [the word] used (in Job 15:12), “How your heart has carried you away (rt.: lqh) […].” This explains what Moses said to them (in Numb. 16:9), “Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you [from the congregation to draw you near unto Himself, to perform the service of the Lord's tabernacle …?” Plus] that whole passage up to (vs. 29), “If these people die the common death of every person.” The sages have said, “Korah was a great sage and was one of the bearers of the ark, as stated (in Numb. 7:9), ‘But to the children of Kohath He gave no [wagons], because they had the service of the holy objects, which they carried on their shoulders.’” Now Korah was the son of Izhar, [who was] the son of Kohath. When Moses said (in Numb. 15:38), “And put on the tassel of each corner a thread of blue,” what did Korah do? He immediately ordered them to make two hundred and fifty blue shawls for those two hundred and fifty heads of sanhedraot who rose up against Moses to wrap themselves in, just as it is stated (in Numb. 16:2), “And they rose up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel.” And who are they? (Numb. 16:2, cont.:) “Princes of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of repute.” Korah arose and made them a banquet at which they all wrapped themselves in blue prayer shawls. [When] Aaron's sons came to receive their dues, [namely the] breast and right thigh, they arose against them and said to them, “Who commanded you to receive such? Was it not Moses? [If so,] we shall not give you anything, as the Holy One, blessed be He, has not commanded it.” They came and informed Moses. He went to placate them. They immediately confronted him, as stated (ibid.), “And they rose up against Moses.” And who were they? Elizur ben Shedeur and his companions (the princes), the men (according to Numb. 1:17) “who were mentioned by name.” Although the text has not publicized their [names], it has given clues to their [identity], so that you [can] identify them from the [various] verses. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a scion of good parentage who stole articles from the bathhouse. The owner of what was stolen did not want to publish his [name. Rather,] he began to give clues about his [identity]. When they said to him, “Who stole your articles,” he said, “A scion of good parentage, a tall person with beautiful teeth and black hair.” After he had given his clues, they knew who he was. So also here where the text has concealed them and not specified their names, it comes and gives clues to their [identity]. You know who they are. It is stated elsewhere (in Numb. 1:16), “These were elected by the congregation, princes of their ancestral tribes, heads of thousands within Israel.” Then it is written (in vs. 17), “So Moses and Aaron took these men who were mentioned by name.” Now here it is written (in Numb. 16:2-3), “princes of the congregation, elected by the assembly, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron.”
~ How does this midrash answer the question of Korach's intentions?
~ Who is Korach?
~ Who are the men that band with Korach?
~ What three aspects does this midrash bring regarding Korach's metaphors? [clothing, housing, food]
~ According to Ibn Ezra, why would Datan and Aviram rebel now?
~ What is the basis for their rebellion? How their reasons and intentions different than Korach's?
~ How does the next "test" (the staffs flowering) prove to Ibn Ezra that this is really a rebellion based on being the firstborn? How are the words "all the congregation is holy" being used by Korach and his followers?
Ibn Ezra - Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167; precise dates are disputed) was one of the biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born in Tudela in northern Spain. He published works in Torah, philosophy, mathematics, astrology and poetry. The crater Abenezra on the Moon was named in honor of Ibn Ezra. Robert Browning's poem "Rabbi Ben Ezra", beginning "Grow old along with me/The best is yet to be", is derived from a meditation on Ibn Ezra's life and work which appeared in Browning's 1864 Dramatis Personae.
You have given us — The statement must he referred to the word לא, “not”, mentioned before, the meaning being: you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and you have not given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. — You told us, (Exodus 3:7) “I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt” into a good land: from there (from such a land; cf. v. 13), indeed, you have brought us forth, but you have not brought us instead into a land flowing with milk and honey; on the contrary — you have passed a decree upon us to kill us in the wilderness, for you have said, (Numbers 14:29) “Your carcasses shall fall in this desert."
~ How does Rashi see Datan and Aviram's motivations? Note that Rashi understands the word "no" to travel towards the second part of the sentence.
~ Rashi - Shlomo Yitzchaki (French: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), known by the acronym Rashi was a medieval French rabbi and author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud and commentary on the Hebrew Bible. He had three daughters and several grandsons, known collectively as Tosafot and Da’at Hamikra.
“Will you gouge out the eyes of these men?” (not a statement, but) astonishment that Moses hoped to get away with misleading the people with such trick. Datan and Aviram could certainly not be fooled by him, someone who had so utterly failed in his so called mission up to now. How could the Jewish people had been blind all the time? Now, instead of making good on their promises, Moshe and Aharon had decreed that a whole generation of Israelites were to perish in this desert! Datan and Aviram would not appear in front of Moshe to be judged by him, since they did not believe him at all because of this.
~ What is Datan and Aviram's motivations, according to Ibn Ezra?
~ Chizkuni - Hezekiah ben Manoah, or Hezekiah bar Manoah, was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni. The details of his biography are unknown. His commentary has 20 different sources, but he does not name any of his sources (other than Rashi), as he felt that one should focus on the message rather than the messenger.
WILL YOU PUT OUT THE EYES OF THESE MEN etc. — This means: even if you were to send to put out our eyes if we would not come up to you we would not come up!
~ What kind of leadership are Datan and Aviram accusing Moshe of? What do you think?
~ Sanhedrin – Multivocal, multigenerational, it was composed in Talmudic Babylon (c.450 - c.550 CE). Sanhedrin (The Synod) belongs to the fourth order, Nezikin (The Order of Damages) and discusses the rules of court proceedings in the Sanhedrin, the death penalty, and other criminal matters. It has eleven chapters.
~ What are the answers of this midrash to the question of the use of alien fire/incense on firepans? How could they do something that was known to be dangerous?
~ How does this midrash imply that Korach died?
He will take your male and female slaves, your choice young men, and your asses, and put them to work for him.
But the men were frightened at being brought into Joseph’s house. “It must be,” they thought, “because of the money replaced in our bags the first time that we have been brought inside, as a pretext to attack us and seize us as slaves, and our donkeys.”
~ All these sources, combined, explain that taking donkeys away is seen as complete overreach of authority.
Everything is redeamable ~ now for a walk on the wild side
אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, בִּרְעוּתָא דְּכֹלָּא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח לְתַתָּא, אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח לְעֵילָּא. וּלְעֵילָּא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח, אֶלָּא כַּד אִשְׁתְּכַח לְתַתָּא בְּחוֹבֵי עָלְמָא, דְּיַלְפֵינָן דְּכֹלָּא תַּלְיָיא הַאי בְּהַאי, וְהַאי בְּהַאי. (ויקרא י״ג:מ׳) וְאִישׁ כִּי יִמָּרֵט רֹאשׁוֹ וְגוֹ'.
Said Rabbi Chyia that Rabbi Yitzchak said: with the permission of All, no [evil] is found below that is not found above. And above [evil] is not found unless when it is found in the sins below, as we learn that All is dependent one in the other, and the other in one: "a man who lost the hair of his head, he is pure" (Lev. 13:40).
~ Zohar - The Zohar is mostly written in what has been described as an exalted, eccentric style of Aramaic. The Zohar first appeared in Spain in the 13th century, and was published by a Jewish writer named Moses de Leon. De Leon ascribed the work to R. Shimon bar Yohai. Scholars and rabbis have been disagreeing about the authorship of the Zohar since it appeared.
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And Korach took - took from the heaviness of Kayin his impure jealousy, and Aharon took what was good in the soul of Kayin.
And Kayin did speak to Hevel his brother - some opinions state that what was "said" was the portion of tzitzit, since it begins with "speak". And he [Recanati] adds that with this you understand why the dispute of Korach began with a tallit all made of techelet.
Yalkut Reubeni - Reuben Hoshke HaKohen Sofer was a Kabalist and rabbi of Prague. "Hoshke," his father's name, is a Polish diminutive for "Joshua," mistaken by G.B. De Rossi and Zunz for his family name. He wrote the Yalḳuṭ Re'ubeni, a kabbalistic work (an imitation of the Yalḳuṭ Ḥadash) containing a collection of sayings taken from other kabbalistic works and arranged in alphabetical order (Prague, 1660) and the Yalḳuṭ Re'ubeni ha-Gadol, a kabbalistic midrash on the Pentateuch arranged according to the order of the parashiyyot (Wilmersdorf, 1681)
ויקח קרח תרנט
ויקח קרח. סנהדרין דף ק"ט סע"ב כל הפסוק. יר"ק בושה א' ואית מאן דלא ירא שבת דא קרח דהוי מתלוצץ בציצית ומזוזה דאיהו רמיז למטרוניתא מלכא דשבת עכ"ל. עמה"מ שער עולם התהו פל"ב ד"כ סע"ג קין נתגלגל רוחו בקרח. שער או"א פל"ו דע"ו א' צדיק כתמר יפרח ס"ת קרח נלע"ד שצ"ל ק ר ח ע"ד כל חכמי ישראל לפני כקליפת השום חוץ מן הקרח הזה, ועמ"ש ע"פ הזהר פ' תזריע דמ"ח ע"פ ואיש כי ימרט ראשו קרח הוא טהור הוא. שער קרית ס"פ ק"ו ויקח קרח לקח מהעופרת של קין קינא דמסאבותא כו'. רבות ויחי פצ"ח דק"ט א' (שהוא קי"ו א') בקהלם אל תחד כבודי בשעה שהם נקהלים על משה בעדת קרח, וכ"ה שם פצ"ט קי"ג א' (שהוא קי"ח סע"ד), במדבר ספ"ג רט"ו ד' (שהוא ח' ד') ומי היו בעלי מחלוקת קרח בן יצהר בן קהת ולפי שהיו סמוכים להם ראובן שמעון וגד היו כולם בעלי מחלוקת כו', שם פ"ד רי"ח ד' ועל ידו נשרפו עדת קרח כו', שם פ"ה דר"כ ע"ג (שהוא י"ג סע"ג) ע"ש, ר"פ קרח, בקהלת ע"פ וגדלתי והוספתי פ"ח ג' (שהוא ז' ג') ארבעה נק' מנה בן פרס און בן פלת כו'. זח"א בראשית י"ז א' ב'. סה"מ סי' צ"ה, ובמק"מ שם ב' ת"ז ט"ו ב'. מ"ע קפ"א ואתפליג קרח חטאו מעין דור הפלגה כמ"ש אנשי שם ושם נאמר ונעשה לנו שם, שוב ראיתי שכ"כ הבחיי בפ' קרח והאריך בזה בפי' ואתפליג ע"ש, ועיין ברבות בראשית ס"פ כ"ו. בי"ח משה רל"ט אלו לא הי' קרח נחלק על אהרן הי' תנופת הלוים שהניף אהרן כענין עקידת יצחק ע"י אברהם.
Ohr HaTorah ~ Bamidbar vol. II - Parashat Korach, 5659 (1899)
And Korach took - Sanhedrin 109b on all the verse. Yalkut Reubeni Hakatan: "[There is one who has awe for Shabbat] and there is one who does not have awe for Shabbat: this is Korah, who joked regarding tzitzit and mezuzah, which are the symbols of the Shabbat Queen." See the Moetzet HaMelech Gate Olam HaTohu, chapter 32, derush 20, paragraph 3: "Kayin's spirit reincarnated in Korach". Sha'ar Ot veEmet (?) chapter 36, derush 76 a: Tzadik Katamar Yifrach "The righteous will bloom like the palm tree" (Ps. 92:13) this is the secret of the Torah of Korach [whose future is to go up] (see Chochmat Anakh on Torah, Numbers 16:1:1). And in my humble opinion we need to explain K"R"CH through "All the Sages of Israel appear to me to be as unimpressive in their intellect as garlic peel, except for this bald K"eReaCH (Rabbi Akiva.)" (Bechorot 58a) and through what is written in the Zohar on Parashat Tazria on the verse "and a man that loses the hair of his head, he is bald K"eReaCH, he is tahor/pure" (Lev. 13:40). And the rest in Yalkut Reubeni: And Korach took - took from the heaviness of Kayin his impure jealousy ...
And the dispute of Korach also had some of the dispute of the Generation of the Flood, as they are described as "men of reputation (lit. name)" and there we read "let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) ... And were not for Korach having separated himself from Aharon, the offerings of the Levites would have been like the Binding of Isaac, made through Avraham.
~ Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (September 9, 1789 – March 17, 1866) also known as the Tzemach Tzedek was born in Liozna, Russian Empire. He was the third of the seven rebbes of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He wrote several works, of which Ohr HaTorah (41 volumes) and Derech Mitzvosecha are the most famous.
There are 11 psalms attributed to the sons of Korach.