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?