Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
The Torah tells us who led the rebellion.
וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי
וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב
וְאוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן׃
Now Korah, son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levi, took,
along with Datan and Aviram sons of Eliav, and On son of Pelet—descendants of Reuven.
Korah was jealous! He wanted power for himself because he was also from the שֵׁבֶט (shevet, tribe) of Levi, just like Moshe and Aharon (see 16:7 and also check out Rashi on 16:1). But this pasuk lists three people from shevet Reuven who also led the rebellion. How did Datan, Aviram, and On get involved? What did they have to do with this Levi rivalry?
מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, אוֹי לָרָשָׁע וְאוֹי לִשְׁכֵנוֹ.
שֶׁהָרֵי דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם נֶאֶבְדוּ בְּמַחֲלֻקְתּוֹ שֶׁל קֹרַח, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁכֵנִים לְקֹרַח, שֶׁהָיָה שָׁרוּי בַּדָּרוֹם, דִּכְתִיב: מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בְּנֵי קְהָת יַחֲנוּ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּשְׁכָּן תֵּימָנָה (במדבר ג:כט). דִּגְלוֹ שֶׁל רְאוּבֵן סָמוּךְ לָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן תֵּימָנָה (במדבר ב:י), וְנִשְׁתַּתְּפוּ עִמָּהֶם.
From here our Sages said, “Oy to the wicked one, and oy to their neighbor.”
For Datan and Aviram were killed because of Korah’s argument, since they were Korah’s neighbors. Korah lived to the south [of the mishkan], as it says, “The families of the children of Kehat were to camp along the south side of the mishkan” (Bemidbar 3:29). The flag of Reuven was next to them, as it says, “The flag of the camp of Reuven will be to the south” (Bemidbar 2:10). And they joined them in the rebellion.
This midrash points out how the people around you can sometimes be a bad influence. The tribe of Reuven lived next to Korah and his family. They must have spent so much time together, and this must have made some of Korah’s attitude rub off on Datan and Aviram.
- Do the people around you change the way you think about things? Have you ever done something only because your friends were doing it?
- A mishnah (Avot 2:9) asks: What’s the best path in life? One of the answers comes from R. Yosei: Have a good neighbor. What’s so valuable about a good neighbor? Can you think of a time when your neighbors, friends, or family influenced your choices or actions in a positive way?
- How can you act as a good neighbor?
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