xrq Parashat HaShavuah Understanding the Parsha B midbar 16:1-19 B midbar (Numbers) 16:1-18:32 Korach (Korach) Reading Between the Lines

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1 Parahat HaShavuah xrq Undertanding the Parha B midbar 16:1-19 B midbar (Number) 16:1-18:32 Korach (Korach) We will Learn how to 1) interpret the main theme (ubject) of a Parha (weekly reading from the Torah), 2) make thematic connection to that Parha (tudy the Scripture related by a common theme [ubject], line upon line and precept upon precept) 3) learn how to gain greater undertanding of the Parha we are looking at through it thematic connection to other portion of Scripture. Reading Between the Line Have you heard of the expreion, reading between the line? Thi expreion mean that there i another unpoken meaning hidden in the word of omeone when they are peaking. The other day I came in the houe to find my wife talking on the phone and cooking at the ame time. I approached the kitchen, he turned to me and nicely aid omething along thee line, Such and uch i already ready and uch and uch will be ready after the timer goe off. Wa he jut trying to inform me of when dinner would be ready? fter all, I didn t ak when it would be ready. nd, uually he doen t tell me when each part of our meal will be ready. Becaue of thi, I knew there wa another unpoken meage he wa telling me. What wa it? It wa thi I ve cooked dinner and I m almot finihed. Pleae 1) watch over the meal a it finihe cooking, 2) have omeone et the table for dinner, and 3) go ahead and tart eating dinner while I finih thi important converation on the phone. Thi, my friend, i a claic example of reading between the line.? She made one tatement; however, the way he made her tatement and the timing of it told me more information than he actually poke. The Torah doe the ame thing. It tell much more information than i actually written jut by how it record it 1

2 torie. Certain word and phrae are ued on purpoe o that the reader can get a more extenive undertanding from the tory. lo, it i through thematic analyi that we are enabled to read between the line of the Torah! Thi i why thematic analyi i o valuable. In thi week Undertanding the Parha, I want to how you how much extra information we can get from a paage by thematically linking it word and phrae to other word, phrae and concept thematically related to thoe in the Parha. Notice how it ay that Korach eparated himelf. Up to thi point who ha done all of the eparating amongt m Yirael? ha eparated them for variou purpoe. donai Which tribe were Korach, Dathan, On and biram decended from hint: Number 16:1? Draw a line to the correct Tribe for each name. Korach wa decended from Dathan, biram and On were decended from REUBEN LEVI The tribe of Levi and Reuben are the tribe that tand out in thi tory. What i mot important about the tribe of Reuben? Reuben wa Jacob but he lot hi firtborn tatu to the on of Joeph. We know the firtborn have a very pecial tatu in donai eye. Now, what i mot important about the tribe of Levi? donai the tribe of Levi unto Hiimelf to miniter in the Mihkan (Tabernacle).] How are the tribe of Levi and Reuben thematically related through their point of ignificance? The Levite replaced the a helper for the priet (the High Priet and hi on). That right. In Exodu 13:2 and Exodu 13:12 we learn that donai had eparated all firtborn to Himelf. lo, in Number 3:3-13, we read that donai replaced the firtborn with the Levite! It hould have been the firtborn who helped aron and hi on; but, donai replaced them with the Levite. We ve een that Korach eparated himelf. Now we ve remembered that donai eparated the firtborn and replaced them with the Levite; which mean that, He ha alo eparated the Levite. Thi analyi ha allowed u to ee an point. K eparating himelf veru eparating the Levite and firtborn. Korach Could there be a connection? Let keep going and ee what we find. By the way, according to Exodu 6:21, Korach wa alo a firtborn! What did Korach, Dathan, biram and On complain about? They complain that Moe and aron have taken too r much and honor for themelve. eparated f f reponibility firtborn firtborn donai 2

3 t thi point, all we know i that according to Number 16:3, they think Moe and aron are doing too much. What are ome of the iue brought up by the rebel when they ue the phrae, why do you exalt yourelve over the congregation of YHVH? The rebel may think that Moe and aron think they are than everyone ele? Perhap the rebel feel that the entire congregation ha tatu before donai. So, they may feel that more people than jut Moe and aron hould hare the leaderhip role? t thi point we till don t know what they truly want. The rebel tate that, the entire aembly all of them are holy. What doe the word holy mean? It mean. et Now we know that they may have a problem with a certain peron or group that ha been et apart! They are aying that ince the entire aembly i et apart, thi one peron or group of people who we till don t know who they are yet aren t any more pecial than the ret of the aembly. Why did Moe fall on hi face in Number 16:4? He fell on hi face in interceory for m Yirael becaue he knew trouble wa coming. Read Number 16:5. fter reading about Moe repone we get a better undertanding of the real iue motivating Korach and hi follower. Moe ued two important phrae in hi reply. He aid that donai would chooe who wa Hi own and who could draw near to Him! So, Korach complaint mut have omething to do with whom ha been choen to draw near to donai. Who ha been choen to draw near to donai in ome manner? donai pecifically choe and hi to be priet. They were the only one allowed to draw near to donai. a apart p aron prayer Now we can ee that Korach ha a problem with the aronic High Priethood! But let continue. Read Number 16:6-7. In drawing near to donai, what i the importance of thee fire pan? e b on c better equal The fire pan are the ame a the ued to offer the incene before donai. cener Part of the daily ervice of the Mihkan involved the offering of incene. Jewih tradition tell u that thi ervice wa the one that wa deired mot. nd, thi wa the one ervice that the High Priet wa entitled to do. lthough he could allow omeone ele to do it if he declined. lo, according to Leviticu 16:1-13, the High Priet had to offer incene from thi cener (fire pan) before entering the Holy of Holie on the Day of tonement. Once again, we ee a connection between Korach deire and the priethood. Moe came up with a tet to how whom donai had choen to draw near to Himelf in the Mihkan! Thinking about what we ve read about the cener/fire pan and the offering of incene, what happened the lat time omeone approached donai with incene that He had not commanded to be brought? 3

4 Nadav and vihu were before donai when they offered incene before donai. Of coure Moe know thi. So we ee that the conequence of failing thi tet may be death! Moe point out again donai choice of whom ha been et apart near the end of Number 16:7. Read Number 16:8-11. Now we have reached the heart of the matter. Moe expoed Korach true intention. Korach wa eeking the High Priethood! What I want to draw your attention to i the fact that we had already figured thi out by uing thematic connection in Number 16:1-11 by reading between the line! Thi vere confirm the thematic connection we made. It all about who will draw nigh to donai a High Priet. I Korach deire evil? No. He to draw near to donai. Hi eye are heavenward, but he i extremely miguided. Now we have a cene change. In Number 16:12-15, donai pecifically addree Dathan and biram. Until thi point it eem a if there i one rebellion (intigated by Korach, Dathan, biram and On), with one iue, the High Priethood. Read all of the tatement of Dathan and biram in the above paage. Summarize their complaint. They are upet that Moe took them from a land flowing with and did you notice how he twited the phrae, a land flowing with milk and honey and applied it to Egypt. They don t want to in the wilderne. They don t like Moe. They want, an and, now! re they upet becaue of the priethood? N. They eem to be more intereted in enjoying the good life. You know, land, houe, great crop, No w l want land Harvet, and o on. d die l i lain leaderhip inheritance you can ee, Dathan and biram eem to be concerned with earthly matter. Now we can ee two different group who diagree with what donai ha revealed. Group 1: Korach who eek the High Priethood. Group 2: Dathan and biram who are looking for the good life on earth Two different group with two different agenda, yet they hook up for one unholy rebellion. Baed on thi information, which group ha a problem with Moe and which ha a problem with aron? Since Korach and hi follower eek the High Priethood, m milk v trange h vineyard honey they have a problem with. Since biram and Dathan eek the good life, they have a problem with M aron leaderhip. Moe 4

5 re Dathan and viram deire evil? Y they are. They are imply intereted in fulfilling their flehly deire of getting rich and enjoying pleaure. Ye Dathan and biram eemed to have earthly deire. Read Number 16: Hold on! Here another cene change. Now we re back to Korach. In fact, the Torah will continue to bounce back and forth between the rebellion() of the two different group of diident. gain, remember the tory of Nadav and vihu. We will ee what happen to them in the next ection. For now, I jut wanted you to ee how much extra information we could add to the tory through thematic connection. The extra information gained from thematic connection will help you ee the hidden thing of each Parha, which would normally go unnoticed. There are two eparate group of dienter here, each with their own agenda. Yet the Torah chooe to tell their torie together at the ame time. Can you find the word from thi Parha? R E B E L L I O N V C H M F R T R E O I Y S T I R M N M R G D O Q R E N D V H E C H E K I Z R E O E P E P N O I I S M S R T N S W V R B H Y T I H S I N H T D L V S KORCH DTHN BIRM NDV VIHU FIREPN INCENSE REBELLION HOLY HIGH PRIEST PRIESTHOOD CENSER LTER DETH S E K O E V T Y C O R T N R E T D C E S I H I K W I N E R O N L T E R S D O O H T S I R P E H 5