English translation — קרח א

1.

In this week's Torah portion, the Torah tells,

that before the Most High punished Korach, Dathan and Abiram — "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses etc."¹

— Hashem said to Moses²

"Speak to the congregation saying, 'Go up

(withdraw³)

from around the dwelling of Korach, Dathan and Abiram.

And Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram etc. and spoke to the congregation saying, 'Turn away now from the tents of these men etc.' And they went up from around the dwelling of Korach, Dathan and Abiram all around etc."

Rashi stands on the words "And Moses rose"⁴

and explains⁵

: "He thought they would show him favor, but they did not."

Learn commentators<sup>6</sup>,

that Rashi comes here to explain: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu go to Dasan and Aviram?

His speech

(in the mission of the Holy One, blessed be He)

was indeed

(not to Dasan and Aviram,

but)

to the congregation

("Speak to the congregation, saying, etc.").

Rashi explains,

that the going to Dasan and Aviram was a separate matter

(not the fulfillment of "Speak to the congregation"

But)

— to effect upon Dathan and Abiram that they should repent; as it stands in the Midrash⁷

"Even though Moses heard from the mouth of the Almighty, he did not say to them 'ascend' until he went and warned them, as it is said, 'And Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram.'"

It is, however, difficult to say that this is the intent of Rashi⁸

— because according to the plain meaning, there is initially no question regarding why Moses went to Dathan and Abiram,

since the Jews were then situated "around the Tabernacle of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram"⁹

(as this is proven from the

The Most High's declaration "bring up from around etc."),

is in order to convey to the congregation the command of G-d,

Moshe had to go¹⁰

to the Mishkan¹¹

of

(Korach¹²

and)

Dasan and Aviram¹³.

Or: according to the simple meaning, seemingly there is no place to accept the aforementioned midrashic interpretation¹⁴

("Although Moshe heard from the mouth of the Almighty, he did not tell them 'bring up' until he went

"and warn them"),

and because the Almighty told Moses "Speak to the congregation etc." — how is it possible that Moses our teacher should set aside the fulfillment of G‑d's command and first do something else

(even a good matter)¹⁵

of his own accord¹⁶

One must apparently say,

that with "And Moses arose and went etc." the Torah is finishing telling

(not that Moses interrupted with another matter,

but on the contrary)

— how Moses immediately obeyed the Almighty's command "Speak to the congregation etc." — "And Moses arose and went etc.

(after the going,

but not the speech through which "to warn" is relevant,

and after and in continuation of "and went")

and spoke to the congregation etc.

Is entirely not understood: from where and how does Rashi learn according to the plain meaning of Scripture that Moses' going was

(not directly to convey the command of G-d to the congregation,

but)

to Dathan and Abiram,

so that "they would show him favor"

(and do repentance)?

B.

Also is not understood the language of Rashi — "thinking that they would show him favor": if Rashi's intention is,

that Moses went to warn them

(by showing his "face" — so that they would do repentance),

why does Rashi not say it¹⁷

in clear language,

in the manner of

The midrash,

— "He thought that they would show him favor and they would return from their dispute",

or the like?

— The wording "he thought that they would show him favor" is the content ...

Give honor to Moses.

Even if you say that Rashi wants to use a wording that brings out that which his walking should have effected on _

Rashi should have copied the language of the Midrash

— "Perhaps they will be ashamed and return"

(or in the language of Rashbam

: perhaps they will return in repentance),

with which the purpose of the going out is brought out clearly.

3.

Seemingly, one could explain Rashi's language based on the statement of the Gemara

on the verse: "And Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram; said Reish Lakish: From here [we learn] that one does not persist in a dispute."

And for this reason Rashi uses the expression "thinking that they would show him favor"

(and not "perhaps they will be ashamed and return",

and the like — because here the emphasis is not so that they should repent for their sin against the Holy One, blessed be He

("those who gathered against the Lord"²³),

but rather "to nullify the dispute"²⁴

against Moses — for this the expression "thinking that they would show him

favor"

(the opposite of their previous conduct in the manner of rejecting Moses,

dispute,

"And Moses sent²⁵

to call Dathan and Abiram ..

and they said, 'We will not go up'").

— But Rashi rejects this interpretation: on "And he sent<sup>25</sup>

Moses etc." Rashi explains "From here that we do not maintain a dispute, that Moses was seeking them out to reconcile them with words of peace."

Since Rashi deviates<sup>26</sup>

from the Gemara

(which learns the matter of "we do not maintain a dispute" from our verse "And Moses arose and went etc.")

and learns it from the preceding verse "And Moses sent etc."

(And particularly according to the precise wording of Rashi "From here

(that we do not maintain a dispute)

" — and not from another place<sup>27</sup>)

it is proven from this,

that according to Rashi's method in his commentary on the Torah,

Moses' going to Dathan and Abiram was not because of the matter of "we do not maintain a dispute".

it would have been more fitting that the lesson

(and instruction)

be learned from our verse "And Moses arose and went etc."<sup>28</sup>,

since specifically in this verse is the novelty that Moses

"He forgave his honor and he himself went to nullify the dispute"<sup>24</sup>,

And from this one must learn to what extent there must be the "one does not persist in a dispute"

(But not in the previous verse where the "one who pursues them to make peace" was only through an agent)].

One must say,

that Moses' going to Dathan and Abiram was

(according to the simple meaning)

not because of the matter of "one does not persist in a dispute"<sup>29</sup>,

but,

as above,

to bring them back in repentance — and the difficulty returns to its place.

4.

The "shleimel" to the explanation in the commentary of Rashi is hinted at in the words which Rashi quotes from the verse in the dibur-hamaschil

— and as discussed several times,

that in Rashi's commentary, not only the words of his commentary itself are precise,

but also the words which he quotes from the verse —

And in our discussion: Rashi quotes from the verse only the words "Vayakam Moshe" and nothing more; moreover: the subsequent words he does not even hint at with a "etc."

And at first glance it is perplexing: Rashi comes, after all, to explain the reason for Moshe's going to Dasan and Aviram — he should have stood on the words "Vayelech el Dasan va'Aviram"³⁰

(And on the contrary,

the words "Vayakam Moshe" are at first glance

Here not relevant³¹)

; but Rashi quotes only "Vayakam Moshe",

and does not even add "etc."!

Only with this does Rashi want to clarify,

that the difficulty in the verse that he comes to answer is only in the words "Vayakam Moshe" and only those words does he come to explain.

That which the verse says "And he went

(Moshe)

to Dasan and Aviram" is understood,

and as above that with this the verse tells how Moshe immediately fulfilled the command of Hashem to go and announce "the congregation,"

the Jews,

who were then around the Mishkan of Dasan and Aviram — "the assembly";

One must, however, understand why the verse precedes the words "And Moshe rose"³²

— what does the word "And he rose" add to the story of "And he went to Dasan and Aviram etc."?

From this Rashi concludes,

that in addition to Moses' going to Dathan and Abiram,

there was a separate action through "And Moses rose."

In what does the action of "And he rose" consist as a matter in itself

(not as a preparation for the going afterwards)?

Rashi explains — "thinking that they would show him favor":

Rashi had already explained earlier,

on the verse³³

"And the field of Ephron arose" — "a standing arose for him."

That is,

that

"Vayakom" indicates

(also)

a rising and elevation in importance.

And so it is in our matter: That which the verse adds "And Moses arose" comes to let us hear,

that Moses did not simply go to the dwelling of Dathan and Abiram,

but this was in the manner of "Moses arose

(and went)

" - "a rising he had<sup>34</sup>,

that it was like the going of a king and exalted one,

which evokes a feeling of importance and honor — and his intention thereby was — "thinking that they would show him favor"<sup>35</sup>,

that this would effect with Dathan and Abiram "that they would show him favor".

why did they go with Moses,

whom He did not command?

Also — what is the practical difference in telling this?

But this emphasizes that it was a proceeding in the manner of "and he arose" — Moshe went as king and prince of Israel and therefore the elders of Israel followed him].

5.

According to this explanation, the above question is also answered — how did Moshe refrain from immediately fulfilling the command of G-d and occupy himself with another matter?

— and the explanation: according to Rashi, Moshe's going was not to rebuke Dasan and Aviram; and on the contrary: according to the simple meaning of the verse it must turn out,

that Moshe did not at all

go to rebuke Dasan and Aviram and to endeavor to bring them back in repentance — because this is the opposite of G‑d's command "ascend from around the Mishkan of Korach, Dasan and Aviram"

(that one must remove oneself from them)

Only the intent and purpose of the going

("And he went to Dathan and Abiram")

was to warn the congregation,

that they should turn away "from the tents of these men etc.":

It is only that the going was in the manner of "And Moses rose up",

in order "that they should show him honor" — thinking that perhaps such a going would cause that "they should show him honor".

And therefore it is not a contradiction to the command "bring up etc." — because Moshe did not approach Dasan and Aviram to influence them through speech³⁶

or in another way that they should repent; he only hoped,

that his going

(in the manner of "and he stood up")

would affect upon them a submission and nullification and "he will lift up — they themselves — face"³⁷.

6.

From this there is a wonderful lesson in the matter of love of Israel:

Not looking at that which there already was after the decree,

and moreover: the Almighty had already, as it were, "locked the door" on repentance and said "ascend",

that one should separate from them —

Nevertheless,

did Moshe Rabbeinu — from the side of his great³⁸

love of Israel for every Jew,

in whatever situation he may be

(as one finds that Moshe stood with self-sacrifice even for the makers of the calf³⁹)

— did he also in that situation seek a counsel⁴⁰

how to effect upon Dasan and Aviram and save them from death⁴¹

of the pit.

All the more so in a case when it also speaks about Jews who are not rebels against G‑d, heaven forbid,

but are ignorant in Judaism,

in the category of a captive infant among the nations — that there is an obligation upon everyone to do all that depends on him,

with the greatest effort,

and to use all kinds of cleverness and stratagems,

to find a counsel how to save the Jews and bring them close to our Father in heaven,

And through that which one effects upon them the "And you who cling to the L‑rd your G‑d" becomes "alive all of you today"⁴²,

true and eternal life⁴³.

(From the talk of Shabbos Parshas Korach 5740)