Blessing for the Torah:
Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One;
Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our
Elohim, King of the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah.)
This Torah portion is about
how rebellion against
Mosheh
and the Torah of YHVH brings
destruction and death -
How much more destruction shall come
upon those who
rebel against the Messiah
and the Torah he taught (Torah of YHVH
- also called the Torah of Moshe).
Most spiritual leaders in the world today embrace the
spirit of Korach -
The spirit of Korach
and his followers are still alive and well in our world. You can kill Korach
and his followers but you cannot kill the spirit of rebellion that inspired
him. This spirit has always had many willing followers, especially amongst
those who call themselves believers.
If we are the
people of the “second exodus” – those who could return to the land of Yisrael
in this generation, then maybe we can assume that spiritual conditions prior to
the first exodus will be similar to spiritual the condition of Yisrael during
their exodus -
Listen to how King David describes the prevailing spiritual condition
when the spiritual pillars of YHVH are pulled down and destroyed:
Psa 11:3 When the foundations are destroyed, What
shall the righteous do?
Literally - When the
pillars of truth are being pulled down, what effect do the righteous still
have?
Aliyah
Rishon 16:1-13
Num 16:1 And Qoraḥ
(Korach), son of Yitshar, son of Qehath, son of Lĕwi, took both Dathan and
Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, and On, son of Peleth, sons of Re’uḇĕn,
The Torah reading starts with a verb “vayikach
Korach”- ‘Korach took’ what did not belong to him. “Vayikach comes from the
root Hebrew word “lakach” which means to take. Note it was something taken and
not given.
The breeding ground
for Korach’s rebellion was due to his jealousy over his younger cousin (Mosheh)
who was appointed leader over him. How important it is to make sure that
jealousy is banished from our hearts!
Levi had three sons – Gershon, Kohath and
Merari. Kohath had four sons – Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron and Uziel. Amram was the father of Moshe and Yitzar was
the father of Korach. They were therefore cousins.
Num
16:2 and they rose up before Mosheh with
some of the children of Yisra’ĕl, two
hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, called ones of the meeting,
men of name.
The gematria for the Hebrew word “rebellious”
Strongs 4805 “meriy” (mem, reish,yud) equals 250.
“Appointed men of name” These
were not just ordinary men, they were well known and respected men that people
looked up to.
Num
16:3 And they assembled against Mosheh
and against Aharon, and said to them, “Enough of you! (rav lachem) For all the congregation is set-apart, all of them,
and יהוה is in their
midst. Why then do you lift up yourselves above the assembly of יהוה?”
The
rebellion of Korach was not just some sudden impulse, it had being coming a
long time, thus the words “rav lechem” or in other words “Moshe we have had
enough of you…”
Joh 5:45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the
Father. There is one who accuses you: Mosheh, in whom you have set your
expectation.
Joh 5:46 “For if you believed Mosheh, you would have
believed Me, since he wrote about Me.
Joh 5:47 “But if you do not believe his writings,1
how shall you believe My words?” Footnote: 1Lk. 9:33, Lk. 16:31,
Mal. 4:4-5.
Mosheh was given a
position of spiritual authority that no other sinful man has ever been given on
earth - …
(Please
note Yahshua was not a sinful man and in him rests all authority and power.)
Num
16:4 And when Mosheh heard, he fell on
his face, (he must have realized how
very, very serious this situation was going to become)
Num
16:5 and spoke to Qoraḥ and all his
company,(“kol adato” - all of his
congregation, including future generations) saying, “Tomorrow morning (in the dawning of a new day) יהוה shall make known who is His and who is set-apart, and bring him
near to Him. And let Him bring near to Him the one whom He chooses. (Moshe was implying that only one of the
parties was going to survive)
Eze 34:17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus said the
Master יהוה, “See, I am
judging between sheep and sheep
Perhaps
this issue of whose worship and service is acceptable to YHVH will be finally
determined in the last days. Perhaps many will repent and change their ways
before that great terrible day of YHVH –see Joel 2
Bemidbar/Num
16:6 “Do this: Take fire holders, Qoraḥ and all your
company,
Is
it possible that this verse speaks of the fire of an end time judgment? This seems to coincide with the prophecy of
Joel 2 – the final outpouring of the Ruach is given to bring us back to the
restoration of Torah. Torah was given on Shavuot before – Torah may be given
one last time on Shavuot in the last days.
The Hebrew word for “fire holder” is Strongs 4288
“machtah” this word is very closely related to Strongs 4289 “mechitah” which
means destruction.
He
who has an ear to listen let them hear what the Ruach (Spirit) is saying here.
All of us have been created with a desire to WORSHIP. WHAT AND HOW WE WORSHIP
CAN EITHER BRING US LIFE OR DESTRUCTION. What and how you worship can cause
your destruction.
Yahshua himself very clearly taught that the honour
and worship were to go to his Father – YHVH (Yahveh).
Yahshua said: Yochanan/Joh 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father
also does seek such to worship Him.
Num
16:7 and put fire in them and put
incense in them before יהוה tomorrow. And it shall be that the one
whom יהוה chooses is the set-apart one. Enough of you, sons of Lĕwi!” (rav lachem)
Num
16:8 And Mosheh said to Qoraḥ, “Hear
now, you sons of Lĕwi:
Num
16:9 “Is it little to you that the
Elohim of Yisra’ĕl has separated you from the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, to
bring you near to Himself, to perform the service of the Dwelling Place of יהוה, and to stand before the congregation to serve them,
Num
16:10 and that He has brought you near
to Himself, you and all your brothers, the sons of Lĕwi, with you? Yet you seek
the priesthood as well?
Num
16:11 “Therefore you and all your
company are set against יהוה. And Aharon, what is he that you grumble
against him?”
Num
16:12 And Mosheh sent to call Dathan and
Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, but they said, “We are not coming up!
Num
16:13 “Is it little that you have
brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the
wilderness, that you would also seize total rule over us?
Aliyah
Sheni 16:14-19
Num 16:14
“Also, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey,
nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you bore out the eyes
of these men? We are not coming up!”
Num 16:15
And Mosheh became very displeased, and said to יהוה, “Do not respect their offering. I have
not taken one donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”
Num
16:16 Then Mosheh said to Qoraḥ,
“Tomorrow, you and all your company shall be there before יהוה, you and they
and Aharon.
“tomorrow”
Hebrew “machar” can also mean at a “future time.”
Num
16:17 “And take each one his fire
holder, and you shall put incense in it. And let each one bring his fire holder
before יהוה, two hundred and fifty fire holders, and you and Aharon, each
one with his fire holder.”
Num
16:18 So each one took his fire holder,
and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent
of Meeting with Mosheh and Aharon.
Num
16:19 And Qoraḥ assembled all the
congregation against them at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Then the esteem
of יהוה appeared to all the congregation.
Aliyah
Shlishi 16:20-43
Num 16:20
And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,
Num
16:21 “Separate yourselves from the
midst of this congregation, and let Me consume them in a moment.”
Num
16:22 But they fell on their faces, and
said, “O Ěl, Elohim of the spirits of all flesh! When one man sins, are You
wroth with all the congregation?”
We
are to separate ourselves from those who are determined to undermine the authority
of the Torah.
Num
16:23 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num
16:24 “Speak to the congregation,
saying, ‘Move away from around the tents of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram.’ ”
Num
16:25 So Mosheh rose up and went to
Dathan and Aḇiram, and the elders of Yisra’ĕl followed him.
Num
16:26 And he spoke to the congregation,
saying, “Please turn away from the tents of these wrong men! Do not touch
whatever belongs to them, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”
Num
16:27 Then they moved away from around
the tents of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram. And Dathan and Aḇiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, and their sons,
and their little children.
Dathan
in Hebrew means “law” and Abiram means “strength” combined in the context of
this narrative, we assume that there was a strength or stubbornness to resist
the law of YHVH.
We
see this idea supported by the use of the word “stood” in vs 27 “natzav” which
can also mean to “stand erect” in defiance.
We
must assume that there are times when people have so hardened their hearts
against the Torah of YHVH, and they refuse to change their minds. There is a
danger of this phenomenon in the so called “grace only movements” of our day –
see Mark 3:29,30.
Num
16:28 And Mosheh said, “By this you know
that יהוה has sent me to do all these works, that they are not
from my own heart.
Num
16:29 “If these die as all men do, or if
they are visited as all men are visited, then יהוה has not sent
me.
Num
16:30 “But if יהוה creates what
is unheard of, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that
belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you shall know
that these men have scorned יהוה.”
Num
16:31 And it came to be, as he ended
speaking all these words, that the ground under them split apart,
Num
16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Qoraḥ, with all
their goods.
Num
16:33 So they and all those with them
went down alive into the grave, and the earth closed over them, and they
perished from the midst of the assembly.
Num
16:34 And all Yisra’ĕl who were round
about them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
Num
16:35 And a fire came out from יהוה and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering
incense.
Num
16:36 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num
16:37 “Say to Elʽazar, son of Aharon the
priest, to pick up the fire holders out of the blaze, for they are set-apart,
and scatter the fire some distance away.
Num
16:38 “The fire holders of these men who
sinned against their own lives, let them be made into beaten plates as a
covering for the altar. Because they brought them before יהוה, therefore
they are set-apart. And let them become a sign to the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
Num
16:39 And Elʽazar the priest took the
bronze fire holders, which those who were burned up had brought, and they were
beaten out as a covering on the altar –
These
fire holders were set apart, because the original intention was to bring
worship. However we know that it was not in spirit and in truth (Jn4:23).
This
should be a serious warning that worship is one of the set apart activities we
can participate in.
Num
16:40 a remembrance to the children of
Yisra’ĕl that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aharon, should come near to
offer incense before יהוה, and not be like Qoraḥ and his company –
as יהוה had said to him through Mosheh.
Num
16:41 But all the congregation of the children
of Yisra’ĕl grumbled against Mosheh and against Aharon on the next day, saying,
“You, you have killed the people of יהוה.”
Num
16:42 And it came to be, when the
congregation assembled against Mosheh and against Aharon, that they turned
toward the Tent of Meeting. And see, the cloud covered it, and the esteem of יהוה appeared.
Num
16:43 And Mosheh and Aharon came before
the Tent of Meeting.
Aliyah
Reviee 16:44-50
Num 16:44
And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num
16:45 “Arise from amidst this congregation,
and let Me consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
Num
16:46 So Mosheh said to Aharon, “Take
the fire holder and put fire in it from the altar, and lay incense on, and go,
hurry to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out
from יהוה, the plague has begun.”
Num
16:47 And Aharon took it as Mosheh
commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and saw that the plague had
begun among the people. And he laid on the incense and made atonement for the
people,
Num
16:48 and stood between the dead and the
living. And the plague was stopped.
Num
16:49 And those who died in the plague
were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of
Qoraḥ.
Num
16:50 Then Aharon returned to Mosheh at
the door of the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
We
have become partners with Messiah if we retain the original understanding of
the goal of the Torah – Heb 3:14
Sadly
Rabbinic halacha supported by the teachings of the Talmud have also been deeply
influenced by the spirit of Korach – see –
http://www.messianicgoodnews.org/rabbinic-authority-and-the-oral-law/
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu,
Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.
(Blessed are you Yahweh, our
Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have
planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the
Torah – Ameyn)