stillsmallvoice
June 23rd 2004, 03:50 AM
Hi all!
Last Saturday, we (Jews all over the world) read the weekly Torah reading of Numbers 16:1-18:32. The star of this reading is the dastardly Korah. Look at the several versions of Numbers 16:1.
The KJV says:
Now Korah...took [men]..."
The NKJV is the same but without the square brackets.
The NASB says:
Now Korah...took action...
What exactly did Korah take? The original Hebrew doesn't say. In the original Hebrew text, no object is provided for the verb vayikakh ("took"). A better translation of the whole verse would be:
Now Korah, the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliav, and On, the son of Pelet, sons of Reuben, took and they rose up in face of Moses...
So, what exactly did Korah take? The KJV & NKJV might very well be based on the comments of our Sages, some of whom say that Korah indeed took men (the 250 referred to in 16:2, among others) to perpetrate his rebellion against his cousins Moses & Aaron. Others of our Sages say that Korah took words and seduced/beguiled many into following him. Others of our Sages teach that Korah took himself out of the community consensus. The comments of our Sages are replete with accounts of how Korah sought to incite the people against his cousins Moses and Aaron, of whom he was incredibly jealous (see http://tinyurl.com/27chy). Our Sages depict Korah as a demagogue & that's why (so says ssv) the text doesn't specify an object to, "And Korah...took." That's what distinguishes demagogues like Korah from true leaders like Moses and Aaron. Genuine leaders give to their people, demagogues just take from them. There was a very, very good commentary on Korah in last Friday's edition of Ha'aretz, one of Israel's English dailies. Here http://tinyurl.com/32la3 is the whole article. I'll quote the last two paragraphs:
It is interesting to look at first words of the parasha: "Vayikakh Korah" ("Now Korah took") (16:1). The verse is left hanging in the air, with no mention of what he took. The commentators have completed it in various ways. Some said that Korah "took himself aside" to set himself apart from the rest of the community. Others said that Korah tried to take other leaders and convince them to join his revolt.
Perhaps most importantly, the verb "vayikakh," in the way it stands alone, alludes to Korah's psychological state as he heads out to stir up controversy and obstruct law and order. There are times when an aggressive mood settles on us but the emotions are not translated into action until a later stage. Only after we decide on the course of action is the verb joined by an object. First our souls burn with hatred, and only afterwards do we decide what to burn.
Be well!
ssv :hi:
Last Saturday, we (Jews all over the world) read the weekly Torah reading of Numbers 16:1-18:32. The star of this reading is the dastardly Korah. Look at the several versions of Numbers 16:1.
The KJV says:
Now Korah...took [men]..."
The NKJV is the same but without the square brackets.
The NASB says:
Now Korah...took action...
What exactly did Korah take? The original Hebrew doesn't say. In the original Hebrew text, no object is provided for the verb vayikakh ("took"). A better translation of the whole verse would be:
Now Korah, the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliav, and On, the son of Pelet, sons of Reuben, took and they rose up in face of Moses...
So, what exactly did Korah take? The KJV & NKJV might very well be based on the comments of our Sages, some of whom say that Korah indeed took men (the 250 referred to in 16:2, among others) to perpetrate his rebellion against his cousins Moses & Aaron. Others of our Sages say that Korah took words and seduced/beguiled many into following him. Others of our Sages teach that Korah took himself out of the community consensus. The comments of our Sages are replete with accounts of how Korah sought to incite the people against his cousins Moses and Aaron, of whom he was incredibly jealous (see http://tinyurl.com/27chy). Our Sages depict Korah as a demagogue & that's why (so says ssv) the text doesn't specify an object to, "And Korah...took." That's what distinguishes demagogues like Korah from true leaders like Moses and Aaron. Genuine leaders give to their people, demagogues just take from them. There was a very, very good commentary on Korah in last Friday's edition of Ha'aretz, one of Israel's English dailies. Here http://tinyurl.com/32la3 is the whole article. I'll quote the last two paragraphs:
It is interesting to look at first words of the parasha: "Vayikakh Korah" ("Now Korah took") (16:1). The verse is left hanging in the air, with no mention of what he took. The commentators have completed it in various ways. Some said that Korah "took himself aside" to set himself apart from the rest of the community. Others said that Korah tried to take other leaders and convince them to join his revolt.
Perhaps most importantly, the verb "vayikakh," in the way it stands alone, alludes to Korah's psychological state as he heads out to stir up controversy and obstruct law and order. There are times when an aggressive mood settles on us but the emotions are not translated into action until a later stage. Only after we decide on the course of action is the verb joined by an object. First our souls burn with hatred, and only afterwards do we decide what to burn.
Be well!
ssv :hi: