Parashat 38 Portin 112 – “Korach” B’Midbar/Numbers 16:1-50 1 Sam 15:23 - Jude 1

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?

Parashat 37 Portion 111 B’Midbar/Numbers 15:1-41 Yesh/Isaiah 56:1-8 Gal 3:24-29

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.)

We are still busy with “Parashat Shelach le cha.” Last week we looked at one of the most darkest days in the history of Yisrael – Tisha B’Av- the ninth day of Av – the day where Yisrael rejected YHVH because they failed to believe and obey His command to enter into the promised land.

This week’s teaching concludes with the instruction of a group of people who will eventually return to the Promised Land. It is safe to say that only Yahshua with his end-time Bride will finally enter into Yisrael, never to leave Yisrael again.

May YHVH find us worthy to be part of this end-time returning bride.

This week’s Torah portion is laid out in a very systematic way:

1.Offerings made when one enters the land – vs 1-12

2.Responsibilities and duties regarding Converts – 13-16

3.Separation of the bread or challah offering as a permanent practice – 17-21

4.Delineation between intentional and unintentional transgressions, both corporately and individually and the manner in which restitution may be made, or the penalty of “karat” being cut off and when the death penalty is applied – 22 -31.

5.An example of a specific case of how the death penalty is applied for intentional sin – 32-36.

6.Mitzvah or commandment of Ttzitziyot -(plural. Tzitzit- singular) or fringes is to be kept – 37-41

1. Offerings made when one enters the land – vs 1-12

Num 15:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 15:2  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you have come into the land of your dwellings(moshavim), which I am giving you,  (see Josh 24:13)

Num 15:3  and you make an offering by fire to יהוה, a burnt offering or a slaughtering, to accomplish a vow or as a voluntary offering or in your appointed times, to make a sweet fragrance to יהוה, from the herd or the flock,

Israelites had a rich heritage of building altars, pitching tents and digging wells.

Gen 26:24  And יהוה appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the Elohim of your father Aḇraham. Do not fear, for I am with you, and shall bless you and increase your seed for My servant Aḇraham’s sake.”

Gen 26:25  And he built an altar there, and called on the Name of יהוה, and he pitched his tent there, and the servants of Yitsḥaq dug a well there.

Pagans build altars out of bricks – Nimrod - manmade religion creates these bricks to force as many as they can to conform to their idolatrous understanding of YHVH and His Word, contrary to the teaching and instruction of Torah.

Let us examine the kinds of offering presented on these altars:

ג  וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה, עֹלָה אוֹ-זֶבַח, לְפַלֵּא-נֶדֶר אוֹ בִנְדָבָה, אוֹ בְּמֹעֲדֵיכֶם--לַעֲשׂוֹת רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ, לַיהוָה, מִן-הַבָּקָר, אוֹ מִן-הַצֹּאן.

3 and will make an offering by fire unto YHVH, a burnt-offering (ascent offering), or a slaughter offering, in fulfilment of a vow – “neder” an extra ordinary vow (“pala”), or as a freewill-offering, or in your appointed seasons, to make a tranquilizing (“nichoach”) fragrance (“reiach”) unto YHVH, of the herd, or of the flock;

First of all the offerings were to be burned by fire. The very nature of true spirituality is the willingness to be totally consumed for the honour, esteem and love of YHVH and His Truth.

Rom 12:1  I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship.

Rom 12:2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim

 The “olah” was an ascent offering – This seems to always be the first kind of slaughter offering mentioned in the Torah and the other offerings flow from this burnt offering. While the burnt offering was been totally consumed on the flames the worshipper bringing the offering must have had an opportunity to deeply reflect on the presence and greatness of YHVH. This must have made him aware of his desire to be closer to YHVH but also the great distance that still needed to be overcome between himself and his Creator. This realization could give rise to the next kind of offering – the vow offering.

 The vow offering – appears at least 6 times in the Torah and is referred to as the “lephale neder” or “the promise you make to YHVH that is beyond your ability to keep.”  The very nature of this promise or vow that we make is that when we make it we confidently assume that He has promised us that He will enable and empower us to keep it. So for example we vow to YHVH that we will be right before Him because in Yahshua this will happen. We will not make excuses for our disobedience because we are confident that as we find our true identity and restoration in Messiah, conformed to Torah, we will be enabled to keep all His commandments and walk in a perfect manner before Him – Phil 1:6.

 We are not saved by our perfect obedience –  we have been saved by the favour or grace of YHVH through the blood of Messiah, to be enabled to walk perfectly before Him.

Jud 1:24  Now to Him being able to keep you without stumbling, and to set you before His esteem without blemish, with unspeakable joy

This kind of perfection only comes in our complete love and surrender to YHVH. YHVH has

Parashat 37 Portion 110 B’Midbar/Numbers 14:1-45 – Ezekiel 20:18-44 Hebrews 11:1-3

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.)

We start off with the prophecy of Ezekiel describing the sad pattern of rebellion throughout history of those who are called to serve and worship YHVH.

      Eze 20:5  “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “On the day when I chose Yisra’ĕl and lifted My hand in an oath to the seed of the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, and made Myself known to them in the land of Mitsrayim, I lifted My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am יהוה your Elohim.’

Eze 20:8  “But they rebelled against Me, and would not obey Me. All of them did not throw away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Mitsrayim. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My displeasure against them in the midst of the land of Mitsrayim.

Eze 20:9  “But I acted for My Name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the eyes of the gentiles among whom they were – before whose eyes I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim.

Eze 20:10  “So I took them out of the land of Mitsrayim, and I brought them into the wilderness.

Eze 20:11  “And I gave them My laws and showed them My right-rulings, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’

Eze 20:12  “And I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign¹ between them and Me, to know that I am יהוה who sets them apart. Footnote: ¹See Ex. 31:13-17.

Eze 20:13  “But the house of Yisra’ĕl rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My laws, and they rejected My right-rulings, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. And they greatly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Eze 20:14  “But I acted for My Name’s sake, not to profane it before the gentiles, before whose eyes I had brought them out.

Eze 20:15  “And I Myself also lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, not to bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the splendour of all lands,

Eze 20:16  because they rejected My right-rulings and did not walk in My laws, and they profaned My Sabbaths. For their heart went after their idols.

Eze 20:17  “And My eye pardoned them, from destroying them. And I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

Eze 20:18  “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the laws of your fathers, nor observe their rulings, nor defile yourselves with their idols