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Discussions Torah

When these men tried to tell God who was in charge, it didn’t go well (Numbers 16–18)

The Torah reading קֹרַח Korakh/Korach (“Korah,” Numbers 16–18) presents us a difficult lesson in the dangers of democracy. As Americans, we pride ourselves on living in a country where all citizens who are age 18-plus are granted a vote in how our school boards, cities, counties, states and the nation itself are governed. 

Korach and those following him wanted to rule God’s house itself in a similar manner. Ambassadors and disciples of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) should carefully and humbly take to heart how God’s judgment utterly humiliated and destroyed Korach and his rebels.

Categories
Discussions Torah

Numbers 15-17: Tzitzitot a sign against rebellion; rebellions of ‘stick man,’ Korah and Reubenites

This section could be titled, “The Three Stories of Rebellion”: of a man collecting firewood on Shabbat, of Korah, of two families of the tribe of Reuben. God dealt with each rebellion in a different way. All imprinted in the minds of the people over and again God was the one in charge, and it was God’s prerogative to choose Moses and Aaron.