Parsha Korach

(16,1) Korach took, [Korach], the son of Yitzhar the son of Kehos, the son of Levi, and Dasan and Aviram the sons of Eliav, and On the son of Peles, the sons of Reuvein.

(16,2) They rose up before Moshe with men from Bnei Yisroel [numbering] two hundred and fifty, who were the leaders of the congregation, those who were called to meetings, men of [prominent] name.

(16,3) They gathered against Moshe and Aharon, and they said to them: “You have [taken] too much for yourselves [and] since the entire congregation are all holy and Adonoy is in their midst, why do you raise yourselves above the assembly of Adonoy?”

(16,4) Moshe heard, and he fell upon his face.

(16,5) He spoke to Korach and to his entire congregation, saying: “[In the] morning, Adonoy will make known who is His, and who is holy, He will bring close to Him; and whoever He chooses, He will bring near to Him.

(16,6) Do this: Take, for yourselves, fire pans, Korach and his entire congregation,

(16,7) and place fire in them and put incense upon them before Adonoy, tomorrow; and it will be that the man who will be chosen by Adonoy, he is the holy one; [you have taken] too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi.”

(16,8) Moshe said to Korach, “Please listen sons of Levi,

(16,9) is it but a pittance for yourselves that the God of Israel has separated you from the [rest of the] congregation of Israel to bring you closer to Him to perform the services of the Mishkan of Adonoy, and to stand before the congregation to serve them?

(16,10) He brought you near with all of your brethern the sons of Levi with you, and yet you ask to be kohanim as well?

(16,11) Therefore, you and your entire congregation who are gathered against Adonoy; and what is Aharon that you rail against him?”

(16,12) Moshe sent to call for Dasan and Avirom the sons of Eliav and they said “We will not go up.

(16,13) Is it but a pittance that you have brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that you must excercise power over us to make yourself powerful as well?

(16,14) Even into a land flowing with milk and honey you have not brought us, and [not] given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards if you put those people’s eyes out, [even then] we would not go up.”

(16,15) Moshe was extremely distressed, and said to Adonoy: “Do not turn to their offering; not a donkey did I sequester from any one of them nor have I done ill to any one of them.”

(16,16) Moshe said to Korach: “You and your entire congregation will be before Adonoy, you, and they, and Aharon, tomorrow.

(16,17) Each man will take his firepan and place incense in them and you will offer before Adonoy each man his firepan, two hundred and fifty firepans, and you and Aharon will each take his own firepan.”

(16,18) Each man took his firepan and they placed fire in them and they put incense in them and they stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting along with Moshe and Aharon.

(16,19) Korach congregated against them, the entire congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Adonoy appeared to the entire congregation.

(16,20) Adonoy spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying:

(16,21) “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, and I will annihalate them in an instant.”

(16,22) They fell upon their faces, and they said: “Almighty, the God of the spirits of all flesh; if one man sins shall You be angry with the entire congregation?”

(16,23) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying:

(16,24) Speak to the congregation, saying: “Depart from the vicinity of the dwelling of Korach, Dasan and Avirom.”

(16,25) Moshe rose up and went to Dasan and Avirom and the elders of Israel went along after him.

(16,26) He spoke to the congregation, saying: “Please get away from the tents of these evil men, and do not touch anything belonging to them, lest you be swept away in all their transgressions.”

(16,27) They withdraw from the dwelling of Korach, Dasan and Avirom, and all around; and Dasan and Avirom went out, and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, children and infants.

(16,28) Moshe said: “This is how you will know that Adonoy has sent me to perform all of these deeds, for, I did not devise them myself.

(16,29) If as all men die will these men meet their deaths, and the reckoning (fate) of all men will be reckoned upon them, then Adonoy has not sent me.

(16,30) If Adonoy will create a [new] creation and the ground will open its mouth and swallow them along with all of their belongings, and they will go down alive to the grave, then you will know that these men have angered Adonoy.”

(16,31) As he was finishing speaking all these words the ground beneath them split.

(16,32) The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses and all the people belonging to Korach and all of the possessions.

(16,33) They, and all belonging to them, went down alive to the grave, and the earth covered them and they perished from among the assembly.

(16,34) All of Yisroel who were around them fled from their uproar, for they said, perhaps the earth will swallow us.

(16,35) A fire came forth from Adonoy and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were bringing the incense.

(17,1) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying;

(17,2) “Say to Elazar the son of Aharon, the kohein and have him lift up the firepans from the inferno, and you, scatter the fire yonder, for, they were sanctified;

(17,3) [These] firepans of these sinners [who paid] with their souls, and make them into hammered sheets to overlay the altar, for they were brought in offering before Adonoy and they were sanctified; and they shall be for a sign for Bnei Yisroel.

(17,4) Elazar the kohein, took the copper firepans, those that the fire victims brought and hammered them into a covering for the altar,

(17,5) to be a reminder for Bnei Yisroel so that a commoner shall never offer, one who is not a descendant of Aharon, to burn incense before Adonoy; so as not to be like Korach and his congregation; as Adonoy spoke to him, through Moshe.

(17,6) They complained—the entire congregation of Bnei Yisroel—on the next day against Moshe and Aharon, saying: “You have killed the people of Adonoy”

(17,7) When the congregation assembled against Moshe and Aharon, they turned to the Tent of Meeting and behold! The cloud covered it, and the Glory of Adonoy appeared.

(17,8) Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.

(17,9) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying:

(17,10) “Remove yourselves from this congregation and I shall annihalate them in an instant,” and they fell upon their faces.

(17,11) Moshe said to Aharon: “Take the firepan and put fire from atop the altar on it and place incense on it, and go quickly to the congregation and atone for them, for anger has come forth from before Adonoy; the plague has commenced.”

(17,12) Aharon took, just as Moshe spoke, and he ran to the middle of the assembly and behold! The plague had commenced among the people. He put on incense and he atoned for the people.

(17,13) He stood between the dead and between the living and the plague was halted.

(17,14) The dead in the plague totaled fourteen thousand seven hundred, excluding those who died due to Korach’s rebellion.

(17,15) Aharon returned to Moshe to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and the plague was halted.

(17,16) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying:

(17,17) “Speak to Bnei Yisroel and take from among them a staff, a staff for each father’s [tribal] house, from all the leaders according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs; and you shall write each man’s name on his staff.

(17,18) You shall write the name of Aharon on the staff of Levi, for, [there is] one staff for the head of their fathers’ house.

(17,19) You shall leave them inside the Tent of Meeting before the testimony where there I meet you.

(17,20) It shall be that the man whom I choose, his staff shall blossom; and I will abate from Myself the complaints of Bnei Yisroel that they complain against you.”

(17,21) Moshe spoke to Bnei Yisroel and all the leaders gave to him a staff for each leader; a staff for each leader, according to their fathers’ house, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aharon [was] among their staffs.

(17,22) Moshe placed the staffs before Adonoy in the Tent of the Testimony.

(17,23) It was on the next day, Moshe came inside the Tent of the Testimony, and behold! The staff of Aharon blossomed for the house of Levi, a blossom came forth, and bloomed buds and bore ripe almonds.

(17,24) Moshe then brought out all the staffs from before Adonoy to all Bnei Yisroel, and each (man) saw, and retrieved his staff.

(17,25) Adonoy said to Moshe, “Return the staff of Aharon before the (Ark of) Testimony to be preserved as a symbol to the rebellious people, so that their complaint will end and they not die.”

(17,26) Moshe did (this), as Adonoy commanded him—so he did.

(17,27) Bnei Yisroel said [the following] to Moshe: “Behold, we perish, we are lost—we are all lost.

(17,28) Anyone approaching, who comes close to the Mishkon of Adonoy will die—have we been consigned to die?”

(18,1) Adonoy said to Aharon: “You, your sons, and your father’s house with you will bear the sin of the Sanctuary, and you, and your sons with you will bear the sin of your kehunah.

(18,2) Also, your brothers, the tribe of Levi—the tribe of your father—bring to you, and they shall join you, and serve you, you and your sons with you, before the Tent of Testimony.

(18,3) They shall guard their duties to you and all the duties of the Tent, but to the holy furniture or to the Altar they must not approach, that neither they, nor you, shall die.

(18,4) They shall join you and guard the duties of the Tent of Meeting—all the service of the Tent, but a commoner, [a non-kohein] should not approach you.

(18,5) You shall discharge the sacred duties and the duties of the Altar, so that there will be no more wrath on Bnei Yisroel.

(18,6) Behold, I have brought your brothers the Levites from among Bnei Yisroel, given to you as a gift—for Adonoy—to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting.

(18,7) You and your sons with you shall guard your kehunah [duties] regarding the Altar and all that is within the Curtain—you shall serve—the service, as a gift, I give the kehunah to you, and the commoner who approaches shall be killed.”

(18,8) Adonoy spoke to Aharon: “Behold I have given you the guarding of my terumah-gifts, and all the hallowed things of Bnei Yisroel, to you and your children I give them for consecration, as a portion forever.

(18,9) This is yours from the most holy from the fire, [of] all their sacrifices—their minchah-offerings, their sin-offerings and their guilt-offerings which they return to Me shall be most holy to you and your sons.

(18,10) You shall eat it in the supremely holy (place), every male may eat it—it shall be holy to you.

(18,11) Their terumah-gift is yours, of all of the wave-offerings of Bnei Yisroel I give to you and to your sons and daughters that are with you as an everlasting portion; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.

(18,12) The best of the oil, and the best of the wine and grain—their terumah-gift that they present to Adonoy—I have given to you.

(18,13) The first fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring before Adonoy, shall be yours; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.

(18,14) Everything consecrated in Israel shall be yours.

(18,15) Every firstling of every being which they offer before Adonoy—man or beast—shall be yours; but you must redeem the firstborn of man and redeem the firstborn of unclean beasts.

(18,16) Its redemption—from a month old you should redeem them—the valuation is five silver sela’im of holy silver shekalim which is twenty gerah.

(18,17) However, a firstborn ox, a firstborn sheep or firstborn goat do not redeem because they are holy; sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fats as a fire-offering as a pleasing fragrance to Adonoy.

(18,18) Their flesh is yours; like the breast which is waved and like the right thigh—it shall be yours.

(18,19) All of the sacred terumah-gifts that Bnei Yisroel offer to Adonoy, I have given to you, your sons and daughters with you as an everlasting portion; an eternal covenant of salt before Adonoy to you and your children that are with you.”

(18,20) Adonoy said to Aharon: “You will have no inheritance in their land, and you will not have a share among them; I am your inheritance and portion among Bnei Yisroel.

(18,21) Behold, I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service which they perform—the service of the Tent of Meeting.

(18,22) Bnei Yisroel shall no longer approach the Tent of Meeting, to become guilty and die.

(18,23) The Levi[tes]—[they] shall perform the service of the Tent of Meeting and they will bear their guilt; it is an everlasting decree—throughout your generations—among Bnei Yisroel they (the Levites) shall have no inheritance.

(18,24) For the tithe of Bnei Yisroel which they must set aside to Adonoy as a terumah-gift I gave to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore, I told them: ‘among Bnei Yisroel they shall have no inheritance.’”

(18,25) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying:

(18,26) “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you take the tithe from Bnei Yisroel, which I gave you from them for your inheritance, set aside from it the terumah-gift of Adonoy, a tithe of the tithe.

(18,27) Your terumah-gift will be considered the same as grain from the granary and [wine and oil of] fully ripened fruit from the cistern.

(18,28) So must you, too, set aside the terumah-gift of Adonoy from all your tithes which you take from Bnei Yisroel; give from them the terumah-gift of Adonoy to Aharon the kohein.

(18,29) From all your gifts you must set aside all of the terumah-gifts of Adonoy; from each thing—its finest part—the part that is to be consecrated.’

(18,30) Say to them: ‘When you set aside the finest part of it, it will be considered for the Levites like the produce of the granary and the produce of the cistern.

(18,31) You may consume it anywhere—you and your household; since it is the reward for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

(18,32) You will not bear a sin because of it, when you separate its best part; but sacred things of Bnei Yisroel you must not profane, and you will not die.”’