This week's sedra deals with the rebellion of Korach, Datan, Aviram, On ben Pelet and 250 others. We do not hear of On ben Pelet again -the midrash says this is because his wife made sure to keep her husband out of trouble!

Korach (a Levi) was jealous of his cousins Moses and Aaron: "All the congregation is holy, so why do you lord it over them" (16:3). As the story unfolds, it appears that Korach particularly resented Aaron's elevation to the Priesthood.

Datan and Aviram (from the tribe of Reuven) protested that Moses had 'brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey' (Egypt), and not brought them into the promised destination- Israel (16: 13-14). This complaint came at a bad time, when the Israelites were depressed at being condemned to wander in the desert for 40 years and were open to the idea of revolt.

Some commentators suggest that the 250 men 'of renown' (16: 2), may have been firstborn sons who resented passing over the spiritual leadership to the Levites.

We thus see three disparate groups, united only by their dislike of Moses and Aaron. It is clear that if they had succeeded, they would have squabbled with each other, since they all craved leadership.

Datan, Aviram and their families were swallowed up by the ground, and the 250 men were consumed by a fire from Heaven. We learn from Parshat Pinchas that Korach was also swallowed up by the ground, but his sons were spared(26: 10-11).

Points to Ponder:

1. The sedra opens with the words: 'Vayikach Korach' - and Korach took....and Datan and Aviram.... What in fact did Korach take?
   
2. Why did the earth swallow Korach, when it seems that he was involved in the rebellion of the 250 men and was offering incense with them?
   
3. Why was the headquarters of Datan and Aviram known as "the tent of Korach, Datan and Aviram", since they belonged to different tribes?
   

Answer:

One has various groups of malcontents in any society. They are usually fairly harmless, until a clever, manipulative person comes along and advises or coordinates them. Korach was that man. He, Datan and Aviram and the 250 men all had grievances. Korach advised them that the time had come to press their case, given the depressed mood of the camp.

With this in mind, we can answer all three questions: Korach persuaded Datan, Aviram and the 250 men to rebel. Korach was indeed involved with Datan and Aviram, and so shared their fate. The Talmud says that he was first burned with the incense, and was then swallowed by the earth. Datan and Aviram's headquarters was known as Mishkan Korach Datan and Aviram, because of Korach's deep involvement behind the scenes.

Shabbat Shalom