| 110a. וסתרתה למזיה כל דאתא חזיה הדר אדהכי והכי אבלעו להו,איתתיה דקרח אמרה ליה חזי מאי קעביד משה איהו הוה מלכא לאחוה שוויה כהנא רבא לבני אחוהי שוינהו סגני דכהנא אי אתיא תרומה אמר תיהוי לכהן אי אתו מעשר דשקילתו אתון אמר הבו חד מי' לכהן ועוד דגייז ליה למזייכו ומיטלל לכו כי כופתא עינא יהב במזייכו אמר לה הא איהו נמי קא עביד אמרה ליה כיון דכולהו רבותא דידיה אמר איהו נמי (שופטים טז, ל) תמות נפשי עם פלשתים,ועוד דקאמר לכו עבדיתו תכלתא אי ס"ד תכלתא חשיבא [מצוה] אפיק גלימי דתכלתא וכסינהו לכולהו מתיבתך היינו דכתיב (משלי יד, א) חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה זו אשתו של און בן פלת ואולת בידה תהרסנה זו אשתו של קרח,(במדבר טז, ב) ויקומו לפני משה ואנשים מבני ישראל חמשים ומאתים מיוחדים שבעדה קריאי מועד שהיו יודעים לעבר שנים ולקבוע חדשים אנשי שם שהיה להם שם בכל העולם,(במדבר טז, ד) וישמע משה ויפול על פניו מה שמועה שמע אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן שחשדוהו מאשת איש שנאמר (תהלים קו, טז) ויקנאו למשה במחנה א"ר שמואל בר יצחק מלמד שכל אחד ואחד קנא את אשתו ממשה שנאמר (שמות לג, ז) ומשה יקח את האהל ונטה לו מחוץ למחנה,(במדבר טז, כה) ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם אמר ר"ל מכאן שאין מחזיקין במחלוקת דאמר רב כל המחזיק במחלוקת עובר בלאו שנאמר (במדבר יז, ה) ולא יהיה כקרח וכעדתו,רב אשי אמר ראוי ליצטרע כתיב הכא ביד משה לו וכתיב התם (שמות ד, ו) ויאמר ה' לו עוד הבא נא ידך בחיקך,אמר ר' יוסי כל החולק על מלכות בית דוד ראוי להכישו נחש כתיב הכא (מלכים א א, ט) ויזבח אדוניהו צאן ובקר ומריא עם אבן הזוחלת וכתיב התם (דברים לב, כד) עם חמת זוחלי עפר,אמר רב חסדא כל החולק על רבו כחולק על השכינה שנאמר (במדבר כו, ט) בהצותם על ה' א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא כל העושה מריבה עם רבו כעושה עם שכינה שנאמר (במדבר כ, יג) המה מי מריבה אשר רבו בני ישראל (על) [את] ה',א"ר חנינא בר פפא כל המתרעם על רבו כאילו מתרעם על השכינה שנאמר (שמות טז, ח) לא עלינו תלונותיכם כי (אם) על ה' א"ר אבהו כל המהרהר אחר רבו כאילו מהרהר אחר שכינה שנאמר (במדבר כא, ה) וידבר העם באלהים ובמשה,(קהלת ה, יב) עושר שמור לבעליו לרעתו אמר ר"ל זה עושרו של קרח (דברים יא, ו) ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם א"ר אלעזר זה ממונו של אדם שמעמידו על רגליו ואמר רבי לוי משוי ג' מאות פרדות לבנות היו מפתחות של בית גנזיו של קרח וכולהו אקלידי וקילפי דגילדא,א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא ג' מטמוניות הטמין יוסף במצרים אחת נתגלתה לקרח ואחת נתגלתה לאנטונינוס בן אסוירוס ואחת גנוזה לצדיקים לעתיד לבא,וא"ר יוחנן קרח לא מן הבלועים ולא מן השרופין לא מן הבלועין דכתיב (במדבר טז, לב) ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח ולא קרח ולא מן השרופים דכתיב (במדבר כו, י) באכול האש את חמשים ומאתים איש ולא קרח,במתניתא תנא קרח מן השרופין ומן הבלועין מן הבלועים דכתיב (במדבר כו, י) ותבלע אותם ואת קרח מן השרופין דכתיב (במדבר טז, לה) (ותצא אש מלפני ה') [ואש יצאה מאת ה'] ותאכל את חמשים ומאתים איש וקרח בהדייהו,אמר רבא מאי דכתיב (חבקוק ג, יא) שמש ירח עמד זבולה לאור חציך יהלכו מלמד שעלו שמש וירח לזבול אמרו לפניו רבש"ע אם אתה עושה דין לבן עמרם נצא ואם לאו לא נצא עד שזרק בהם חצים אמר להן בכבודי לא מחיתם בכבוד בשר ודם מחיתם והאידנא לא נפקי עד דמחו להו,דרש רבא מאי דכתיב (במדבר טז, ל) ואם בריאה יברא ה' ופצתה האדמה את פיה אמר משה לפני הקב"ה אם בריאה גיהנם מוטב ואם לאו יברא ה' למאי אילימא למבריה ממש והא (קהלת א, ט) אין כל חדש תחת השמש אלא לקרובי פיתחא,(במדבר כו, יא) ובני קרח לא מתו תנא משום רבינו אמרו מקום נתבצר להם בגיהנם וישבו עליו ואמרו שירה אמר רבה בר בר חנה זימנא חדא הוה קאזלינא באורחא אמר לי ההוא טייעא תא ואחוי לך בלועי דקרח אזיל חזא תרי בזעי דהוה קא נפק קיטרא מנייהו שקל גבבא דעמרא אמשיי' מיא ואותביה בריש רומחיה ואחלפי' התם איחרך א"ל אצית מה שמעת ושמעית דהוו קאמרי הכי משה ותורתו אמת והן בדאים | 110a. band exposed her hairas though she were bathing. bAnyone who cameand bsaw herstepped bback. In the meantimethe assembly of Korah bwas swallowedinto the ground, and On, son of Peleth, was spared., bKorah’s wife said to him: See what Moses is doing. He is the king, he appointed his brother High Priest,and bhe appointed his brother’s sons deputy priests. If iterumacomes, he says: Let it be for the priest; ifthe first btithe comes, which youas Levites btake, he says: Give one tenth to the priest. And furthermore, he shears your hair and waves youas if you are as insignificant bas excrement(see Numbers 8:5–11), as though bhe sethis bsights on your hairand wishes you to be shaven and unsightly. Korah bsaid to her: But didn’t he also do so;he shaved his hair like the rest of the Levites? bShe said to him: Since it is alldone bfor his own prominence, he also saidmetaphorically: b“Let me die with the Philistines”(Judges 16:30); he was willing to humiliate himself in order to humiliate you.,She said to him: bAnd furthermore,with regard to that bwhich he said to you, to prepare sky-blue dyefor your ritual fringes, one could respond to him: bIf it enters your mind,Moses, that using bsky-blue dye is considered a mitzva, take out robesthat are made entirely bofmaterial colored with bsky-blue dye, and dress allthe students bof your academyin sky-blue robes without ritual fringes; why could one not fulfill the mitzva in that manner? Clearly, Moses is fabricating all this. bThis isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “The wisdom of women builds her house”(Proverbs 14:1); bthisis referring to bthe wife of On, son of Peleth.And: b“Folly plucks it down with her hands”(Proverbs 14:1); bthisis referring to bthe wife of Korah. /b,It is written: b“And they arose before Moses, with men from the children of Israel, two hundred and fiftyprinces of the congregation, the elect men of the assembly, men of renown” (Numbers 16:2). These men were bthe distinctive people of the assembly. “The elect men of the assembly [ ikeri’ei moed /i]”is referring to those bwho knewhow bto intercalate the years and establish the monthsin order to determine the time for each Festival [ imoed /i]. b“Men of renown [ ishem /i],”is referring to those bwho had a reputation [ ishem /i] throughout the world. /b,With regard to the verse: b“And Moses heard and he fell on his face”(Numbers 16:4), the Gemara asks: bWhat report did he hearthat elicited that reaction? bRabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saysthat bRabbi Yonatan says:He heard bthat they suspected himof adultery bwith a married woman, as it is stated: “And they were jealous of Moses in the camp”(Psalms 106:16). bRabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak says:This bteaches that each and everyman bwarned his wifeto distance herself bfrom Mosesand not enter into seclusion with him, bas it is stated: “And Moses would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp”(Exodus 33:7). It was due to this slander that he withdrew from the camp.,§ With regard to the verse: b“And Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram”(Numbers 16:25), bReish Lakish says: From herewe derive bthat one may not perpetuate a dispute, as Rav says: Anyone who perpetuates a dispute violates a prohibition, as it is stated: “And he will not be like Korah and his assembly,as the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses to him” (Numbers 17:5). Even the aggrieved party must seek to end the dispute. Dathan and Abiram accused Moses and by right should have initiated the reconciliation. Nevertheless, Moses was not insistent on this; he went to them., bRav Ashi says:One who perpetuates a dispute bis fit to be afflicted with leprosy. It is written here: “By the hand of Moses to him,” and it is written there: “And the Lord said furthermore to him: Put now your hand into your bosom.And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow” (Exodus 4:6). Based on the verbal analogy based on the term “to him” written in both verses, it is derived that the punishment for perpetuating a dispute is leprosy.,Apropos the prohibition of perpetuating a dispute, bRabbi Yosei says:With regard to banyone who disputes the reign of the house of David, it is fitting for a snake to bite him.As bit is written here: “And Adonijah slaughtered sheep and cattle and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth”(I Kings 1:9); band it is written there: “With the poison of crawling things [ izoḥalei /i] of the dust”(Deuteronomy 32:24). Adonijah, who rebelled against his father, King David, was fit to be bitten by a snake., bRav Ḥisda says: Anyone who disagrees with his teacher is like one who disagrees with the Divine Presence, as it is statedwith regard to Dathan and Abiram: b“When they strove against the Lord”(Numbers 26:9), although their dispute was with Moses. bRabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: Anyone who initiates a quarrel [ imeriva /i] with his teacher is like one who initiates a quarrel with the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel quarreled with the Lord”(Numbers 20:13), although their quarrel was with Moses., bRabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa says: Anyone who expresses resentment against his teacherfor wronging him, bit is as though he is expressing resentment against the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord”(Exodus 16:8). bRabbi Abbahu says: Anyone who suspects his teacherof wrongdoing, bit is as though he suspects the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “And the people spoke against God, and against Moses”(Numbers 21:5). The verse likens God and Moses with regard to this matter.,§ With regard to the verse: b“Wealth is kept for the owner to his detriment”(Ecclesiastes 5:12), bReish Lakish says: Thisis referring to bthe wealth of Korah,which was of no use to him. The fact that Korah was wealthy is derived from the verse: b“And all the substance that was at their feet”(Deuteronomy 11:6), as bRabbi Elazar says: Thisis referring to ba person’s property, which stands him on his feet. And Rabbi Levi says: The keysalone bto Korah’s treasury were a burdenrequiring bthree hundred white mulesto transport them, bandmoreover, ball the keys [ iaklidei /i] and locks were of leather.This conveys the vastness of his wealth., bRabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: Joseph concealed three buried treasures in Egyptthat he accumulated from the sale of grain during the years of famine. The location of bone was revealed to Korah, andthe location of bone was revealed to Antoninus, son of Asveirus,emperor of Rome, band oneremains bhidden for the righteous in the future,i.e., in the messianic era., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa says: Korah was neither among the swallowed nor among the burned;he died in a plague. He was bneither among the swallowed, as it is written:“And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses band all the men who were with Korah”(Numbers 16:32), from which it is inferred: bBut not Korahhimself. bNorwas he bamong the burned, as it is written: “When the fire consumed two hundred and fifty men”(Numbers 26:10), bbut not Korah. /b,It bwas taught in a ibaraita /i: Korah wasboth bamong the burned and among the swallowed.He was bamong the swallowed, as it is written:“And the earth opened its mouth band swallowed them with Korah”(Numbers 26:10). He was bamong the burned, as it is written: “And fire came forth from the Lord, and devoured the two hundred and fifty menthat burned the incense” (Numbers 16:35), band Korah was with them. /b, bRava says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “The sun and moon stand still in their habitation [ izevula /i], at the light of Your arrows as they go”(Habakkuk 3:11)? This bteaches that the sun and moon ascended to izevul /i,one of the seven firmaments, in which the upper Temple stands. bThey said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, if You perform justice forMoses, bthe son of Amram,and prove his righteousness, bwe will emergeand illuminate the world. bAnd if not, we will not emerge.They did not emerge buntilGod bfired arrows at themand bsaid to them: You did not protest with regard to My honor,as people would see the sun and the moon each day and worship them, but byou protested for the honor of flesh and blood? And today,the sun and the moon bdo not emerge until they are struck,as in deference to God they hesitate to emerge., bRava taught: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “But if the Lord creates a new creation and the earth opens its mouth”(Numbers 16:30)? bMoses said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: If Gehenna isalready bcreated, good, but if not, God should createit now. The Gemara asks: bFor whatwas Moses asking? bIf we saythat his request was for God bto actually createGehenna, bbut isn’tit written: b“There is nothing new under the sun”(Ecclesiastes 1:9)? There are no new creations after the six days of Creation. bRather,Moses asked God bto bring the openingof Gehenna bcloseto there, so that the assembly of Korah would be buried alive.,With regard to the verse: b“And the sons of Korah did not die”(Numbers 26:11), it is btaughtin a ibaraitathat bin the name of our teacher,the Sages bsaid: A place was fortified for them in Gehenna and they sat upon it and recited songsof praise. bRabba bar bar Ḥana said: One time I was walking on the path,and ba certain Arab said to me: Come and I will show you thosefrom the assembly bof Korahwho were bswallowed. I wentand bI saw two fissuresin the ground bfrom which smoke was emerging.That Arab btook a woolen fleeceand bdampened it with water and placed it on the tip of his spear and passedit over the fissures bthere.The fleece bwas singed,indicating the level of heat there. bHe said to me: Listen; what do you hear? And I heard that thisis what bthey were saying: Moses and his Torah are truth, and they,referring to themselves, bare liars. /b |
