Moses took Korah's transgression much to heart, for he thought to
himself that perhaps, after the many sins of Israel, he might not
succeed in obtaining God's pardon for them. He did not therefore have
this matter decided immediately, but admonished the people to wait
until the following day, having a lingering hope that Korah's horde,
given time for calm reflection, might themselves perceive their sin to
which an excess of drink might have carried them away. Hence he said to
them: "I may not now appear before the Lord, for although He partakes
of neither food nor drink, still He will not judge such actions of ours
as we have committed after feasting and revelling. But 'to-morrow the
Lord will show who are His.' [572] Know ye now that just as God has set
definite bounds in nature between day and night, between light and
darkness, so also has He separated Israel from the other nations, and
so also has he separated Aaron from the rest of Israel. If you can
obliterate the boundary between light and darkness, then only you
remove the boundary of separation between Israel and the rest, but not
otherwise. Other nations have many religions, many priests, and worship
in many temples, but we have one God, one Torah, one law, one altar,
and one high priest, whereas ye are two hundred fifty men, each of whom
is imbued with the desire of becoming the high priest, as I too should
like to be high priest, if such a thing were possible. But to prove
Aaron's claim to his dignity, 'this do; take you censers, Korah, and
all his company; and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before
the Lord to-morrow.' The offering of incense is the most pleasant
offering before the Lord, but for him who hath not been called this
offering holds a deadly poison, for it consumed Nadab and Abihu. But I
exhort ye not to burden your souls with a deadly sin, for none but the
man God will choose as high priest out of the number of you will remain
alive, all others will pay with their lives at the offering of
incense." These last words of Moses, however, far from restraining
them, only strengthened Korah in his resolve to accomplish his
undertaking, for he felt sure that God would choose him, and none
other. He had a prophetic presentiment that he was destined to be the
forefather of prophets and Temple singers, and for this reason thought
he was specially favored by God.
When Moses perceived that Korah was irreclaimable, he directed the rest
of his warning to those other Levites, the men of Korah's tribe, who,
he feared, would join Korah in his rebellion. He admonished them to be
satisfied with the honors God had granted them, and not to strive for
priestly dignity. He concluded his speech with a last appeal to Korah
to cause no schism in Israel, saying; "Had Aaron arbitrarily assumed
the priestly dignity, you would do right to withstand his presumption,
but it was God, whose attributes are sublimity, strength, and
sovereignty, who clothed Aaron with this dignity, so that those who are
against Aaron are in reality against God." Korah made no answer to all
these words, thinking that the best course for him to follow would be
to avoid picking an argument with so great a sage as Moses, feeling
sure that in such a dispute he should be worsted and, contrary to his
own conviction, be forced to yield to Moses.
Moses, seeing that is was useless to reason with Korah, sent a
messenger to Dathan and Abiram, [573] summoning them to appear before
his court. He did this because the law required that the accused be
summoned to appear before the judge, before the judgement may be passed
upon him, and Moses did not wish these men to be punished without a
hearing. [574] These, however, made answer to the messenger sent by
Moses, "We will not come up!" This shameless answer held an unconscious
prophecy. They went not up, but, as their end showed, down, to hell.
Not only, moreover, did they refuse to comply with Moses' demand, they
sent the following message in answer to Moses: "Why dost thou set
thyself up as master over us? What benefit didst thou bring to us? Thou
didst lead us out of Egypt, a land 'like the garden of the Lord,' but
hast not brought us to Canaan, leaving us in the wilderness where we
are daily visited by the plague. Even in Egypt didst thou try to assume
the leadership, just as thou doest not. Thou didst beguile the people
in their exodus from Egypt, when thou didst promise to lead them to a
land of milk and honey; in their delusion they followed thee and were
disappointed. Now dost thou attempt to persuade us as thou didst
persuade them, but thou shalt not succeed, for we will not come and
obey thy summons." [575]
The shamelessness of these two men, who declined even to talk about
their transgression with Moses, aroused his wrath to the uttermost, for
a man does get a certain amount of satisfaction out of discussing the
dispute with this opponents, whereas he feels badly if he cannot
discuss the matter. In his anger he said to God: "O Lord of the world!
I well know that these sinners participated in the offerings of the
congregation that were offered for all Israel, but as they have
withdrawn themselves from the community, accept not Thou their share of
the offering and let it not be consumed by the heavenly fire. It was I
whom they treated so, I who took no money from the people for my
labors, even when payment was my due. It is customary for anyone who
works for the sanctuary to receive pay for his work, but I traveled to
Egypt on my own ass, and took none of theirs, although I undertook the
journey in their interests. It is customary for those that have a
dispute to go before a judge, but I did not wait for this, and went
straight to them to settle their disputes, never declaring the innocent
guilty, or the guilty innocent."
When he now perceived that his words had no effect upon Korah and his
horde, he concluded his words with a treat to the ring leaders: "Be
thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron,
to-morrow."
Korah spent the night before the judgement in trying to win over the
people to his side, and succeeded in so doing. He went to all the other
tribes, saying to them: "Do not think I am seeking a position of honor
for myself. No, I wish only that this honor may fall to the lot of each
in turn, whereas Moses is now king, and his brother high priest." On
the following morning, all the people, and not Korah's original company
alone, appeared before the Tabernacle and began to pick quarrels with
Moses and Aaron. Moses now feared that God would destroy all the people
because they had joined Korah, hence he said to God: "O Lord of the
world! If a nation rebels against a king of flesh and blood because ten
or twenty men have cursed the king or his ambassadors, then he sends
his hosts to massacre the inhabitants of the land, innocent as well as
guilty, for he is not able with certainty to tell which among them
honored the king and which among them cursed him. But Thou knowest the
thought of man, and what his heart and kidneys counsel him to do, the
workings of Thy creatures' minds lie open before Thee, so that Thou
knowest who had the spirit of each one.' Shall one man sin, and wilt
thou be wroth with all the congregation?'" God hereupon said to Moses
[576] "I have heard the prayer for the congregation. Say then, to them,
'Get you up from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'"
[577]
Moses did not immediately carry out these instructions, for he tried
once again to warn Dathan and Abiram of the punishment impending upon
them, but they refused to give heed to Moses, and remained within their
tents. "Now," said Moses, "I have done all I could, and can do nothing
more." Hence, turning to the congregation, he said: [578] "Depart, I
pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, that even in their youth
deserved death as a punishment for their actions. In Egypt they
betrayed the secret of my slaying an Egyptian: at the Red Sea it was
they that angered God by their desire to return to Egypt; in Alush they
broke the Sabbath, and now they trooped together to rebel against God.
They now well deserve excommunication, and the destruction of all their
property. 'Touch, therefore, nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in
all their sins.'" [579]
The community obeyed the words of Moses and drew back from the
dwellings of Dathan and Abiram. These, not at all cowed, were not
restrained from their wicked intention, but stood at the doors of their
tents, abusing and calumniating Moses. Moses hereupon said to God: "If
these men die upon their beds like all men, after physicians have
attended to them and acquaintances have visited them, then shall I
publicly avow 'that the Lord hath not sent me' to do all these works,
but that I have done them of mine own mind." God replied: "What wilt
thou have Me do?" Moses: "If the Lord hath already provided the earth
with a mouth to swallow them, it is well, if not, I pray Thee, do so
now." God said: "Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established
unto thee." [580]
Moses was not the only one to insist upon exemplary punishment of the
horde of Korah. Sun and Moon appeared before God, saying: "If Thou
givest satisfaction to the son of Amram, we shall set out on our course
around the world, but not otherwise." God, however, hurled lightnings
after them, that they might go about their duties, saying to them: "You
have never championed My cause, but not you stand up for a creature of
flesh and blood." Since that time Sun and Moon have always to be driven
to duty, never doing it voluntarily because they do not wish to look
upon the sins of man upon earth.