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Shlach – the Few That Are Many Simon Wolf Respect to the Antecedent

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Shlach – the Few That Are Many Simon Wolf Respect to the Antecedent בס"ד פרשת שלח Parshat Shlach – The Few that are Many Simon Wolf respect to the antecedent. In order to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, it is worthwhile The Mishna in Megillah records a series of religious to take a deeper look at a couple of examples. The practices that require ten men (Minyan) to be most prominent illustration of this vagueness is the performed.1 Included in the list are reading the Pasuk that we quoted above found in Parshat Torah, Birkat Kohanim, Kaddish, Kedusha, Barchu, Korach. items that are otherwise known as Devarim במדבר פרק טז or expressions of (דברים שבקדושה) Sh’b’Kedusha (כ) וַיְ ַד ֵּ֣בר יְקֹ֔וָק ֶאל־מ ֹ ֶׁ֥שה וְ ֶ ֽא ֲל־ַאה ֖ר ֹן ֵל ֽאמ ֹר: sanctity.2 The Gemara then queries as to the (כא) ִה ָּ֣ב ְד ֔לּו ִמ ּ֖תֹוְך ָה ֵע ָ ֣דה ַה ּ֑ז ֹאת וַ ֲא ַכ ֶּ֥לה א ֹ ָ֖תם ְּכ ָ ֽר ַגע: source of the Mishna’s contention that ten men are (כב) וַּיִ ְּפ ֤לּו ַע ְל־ּפנֵ ֶיה ֙ם וַּ֣י ֹ ְאמ ֔רּו ֕ ֵאל ֱא ֵֹ֥להי ָה ֖רּוח ֹת ְל ָכ ָל־ּב ָׂ֑שר essential for creating a Minyan. In response, Rabbi ָה ִ֤איׁש ֶא ָח ֙ד יֶ ֱח ֔ ָטא וְ ַ֥על ָּכל ָ־ה ֵע ָ ֖דה ִּת ְק ֽצ ֹף: פ Yochanan references to the verse in Parshat Emor,3 (כג) וַיְ ַד ֵּ֥בר יְק ָֹ֖וק ֶאל־מ ֹ ֶׁ֥שה ֵּל ֽאמ ֹר: and I will be sanctified amongst Bnei Yisrael“ (כד) ַּד ֵּ֥בר ֶאל־ ָה ֵע ָ ֖דה ֵל ֑אמ ֹר ֵ ֽה ָע ֙לּו ִמ ָּס ֔ ִביב ְל ִמ ְׁש ַּכ ֖ן־ק ֹ ַרח ָּד ָ֥תן which he claims asserts ”(ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל) וַ ֲא ִב ָ ֽירם: that “any expression of holiness should not be recited in a quorum of fewer than ten.” Perplexed by the response, the Gemara inquires as to from where At the climax of Korach’s rebellion, God commands in the verse can this be inferred. Rabbi Chiya Moshe and Aharon to distance themselves from responds that it requires a series of linguistic the congregation, so that He can annihilate them to reach the conclusion in a moment. Moshe and Aharon beseech God (גזירות שוות) parallels proposed by Rabbi Yochanan. First, one connects that he should not take his wrath out on the entire the verse in Emor to a verse in Parshat Korach from congregation because of the sin of one individual. in Emor it says Then God instructs Moshe to tell the congregation – ”(בתוך) the common word “amongst “amongst Bnei Yisrael” and in Korach it says, to distance themselves from the encampment of “separate away from amongst this congregation Korach. The last manifestation of the word clearly refers to the greater (כד) Then it requires an congregation 4”.(הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת) additional linguistic parallel from that Pasuk in Bnei Yisrael who are being told to isolate Korach Korach to Parshat Shlach with the recurrent word physically by separating themselves from him and in Korach it says, “separate his entourage. Moshe and Aharon’s request to – ”(עדה) congregration“ (כב) away from amongst this congregation” and in spare the congregation from the wrath of God Shlach it says about the spies who slander the Land also clearly refers to Bnei Yisrael because their of Israel, “how long shall I bear this evil congregation plea (remiscent of Avraham in Sdom) is that how Since the evil spies could God punish the entire congregation for the 5”.(עד מתי לעדה הרעה הזאת) numbered ten, the transitive property of linguistic misdeeds of an individual. If that is true, then it parallels leads to Rabbi Yochanan’s contention that would stand to reason that the first instance of is also referencing Bnei Yisrael (כא) any expression of holiness requires a quorum of ten congregation men or a Minyan. Leaving aside the complexity of and it would suggest that God was telling Moshe to the derivation, it is seemingly unimaginable, maybe withdraw himself from the people so that God even an anathema, that this is the source for a could annihilate the entire nation. The Rabbeinu Minyan. Of all the possible inferences,6 how Chananel sees this explanation as being untenable could it be that Chazal chose the incident of the because as Moshe later claims what did Bnei evil speaking Meraglim7 and the rebellion of Yisrael do wrong, they were not challenging God, Korach as the paradigm for the pinnacle of so why would they be the objects of God’s anger? communal worship and expressions of holiness He, therefore, suggests that God is instructing It seems completely Moshe and Aharon to distance themselves from .(דברים שבקדושה) counterintuitive. Korach’s cabal. Moshe misunderstood God’s instruction as referencing the entire nation and Parshat Shlach and Korach are replete with the God responds by clarifying that he was specifically If one were to survey speaking about Korach’s faction. Before this ”.(עדה) word “congregation (עדה) all the occurrences of the term throughout the two cluster of Pesukim, the word congregation Parshiot, it would yield an ambiguity as to what is used to both describe Bnei Yisrael as well as the exactly the word is referencing or describing;8 in participants in Korach’s insurrection. That many instances, the commentaries disagree with ambiguity makes it hard to know for certain what congregation God is referencing and could easily 5 ַע ָד־מ ֗ ַתי ָל ֵע ָ ֤דה ָהֽ ָר ָע ֙ה ַה ּ֔ז ֹאת ֲא ֶׁ֛שר ֵ֥ה ָּמה ַמ ִּל ִ֖ינים ָע ָ֑לי ֶא ְת־ּת ֻל ּ֞נֹות ְּב ֵ֣ני יִ ְׂש ָר ֗ ֵאל ֲא ֨ ֶׁשר ֵ֧ה ָּמה 1 גמרא מגילה כג: ַמ ִּל ִ֛ינים ָע ַ֖לי ָׁש ָ ֽמ ְע ִּתי (במדבר יד,כז) 2 עיין רש"י שם וגם גמרא ברכות כא: מנין שאין היחיד אומר קדושה... וגם סנהדרין ב. 6 עיין בראשית רבה צא,ג למקור מבני יעקב. ועד: 3 7 עיין אג"מ או"ח ח"א סי' כג וח"ג סי' יד שלומד מהמרגלים שכופר מצטרף למנין עשרה וְ ֹ֤לא ְת ַח ְּל ֙לּו ֶא ֵ֣ת־ׁשם ָק ְד ֔ ִׁשי וְ ֨ ִנ ְק ַּד ְׁש ֔ ִּתי ְּב ֖תֹוְך ְּב ֵנ֣י יִ ְׂש ָר ֵ ֑אל ֲא ִ֥ני יְק ָֹ֖וק ְמ ַק ִּד ְׁש ֶכֽם (ויקרא 8 גיסי מנחם חריש האיר עיני בראשונה לבעייה הזאת כב,לב) 4 ִה ָ ּ֣ב ְד ֔לּו ִמ ּ֖תֹוְך ָה ֵע ָ ֣דה ַה ּ֑ז ֹאת וַ ֲא ַכ ֶּ֥לה א ֹ ָ֖תם ְּכ ָ ֽר ַגע (במדבר טז,כא) www.swdaf.com 1 בס"ד פרשת שלח explain Moshe’s confusion as to who God was (20 and older). Given its context, the terrible (כז) referencing. The Ramban takes issue with the congregation noted in the initial verse quoted Rach’s assertion that the congregation must refer would at first glance seem to match the description and (עדה הרעה הזאת) to Korach and his compatriots because why would in the subsequent citation God refer to three people (Korach, Datan, Aviram) therefore would also be associated with Bnei Yisrael as a congregation? In addition, Bnei Yisrael were as a whole. That is bolstered by the fact that the not currently gathered around the tents of these ensuing verses speak about the punishment that parties that would require Moshe coaxing them to God intends for the nation. Most of the distance themselves. Moshe and Aharon at that commentaries though (and Chazal)1 interpret the as referring to the (כז) moment were by the Ohel Mo’ed with the 250 men first congregation mentioned who were going to burn the incense before God. Meraglim because the verse continues with the they engendered ,(מלינים) So the more plausible explanation would be that causative verb God was telling them to separate themselves from complaining against God which matches with the (לו) the nation rather than Korach. He suggests that description of the spies found in the final verse the people were culpable because they were quoted above. Prior to this mention of the the word congregation is only ,(כז) swayed by Korach’s arguments. In gathering to congregation see what God would say about his claims, they used in reference to the entire Bnei Yisrael.11 Here thereby became silent partners in his insurrection. too, why is the Torah opting to use an ambiguous rather than a more (עדה) This would be parallel with a similar incident that term like congregation transpires immediately after Korach’s rebellion exact noun? where God takes the entire Bnei Yisrael to task for complaining about His elimination of Korach and A third example of this imprecision is found at the his co-conspirators.9 The Ramban later refines his tail end of Parshat Shlach in the Torah’s description position by suggesting that maybe the entire of the sacrifice brought when the majority of the refers to the leaders of nation has unintentionally engaged in idol worship (כל העדה) congregation 12.(שעיר לע"ז) the tribes or the first-borns.10 Why would the Torah use such an imprecise term like congregation במדבר פרק טו which can be interpreted in so many different (כד) וְ ָה֗יָה ִ֣אם ֵמ ֵעי ֵ֣ני ָה ֵע ָד ֘ה נֶ ֶע ְׂש ָ֣תה ִל ְׁש ָג ָג ֒ה וְ ָע ׂ֣שּו ָכ ָל־ה ֵע ָ֡דה ?ways ַּ֣פר ֶּב ָן־ּב ָק ֩ר ֶא ֨ ָחד ְלע ֹ֜ ָלה ְל ֵ֤ר ַיח נִ ֙יח ֹ ַ֙ח ַ ֽליקֹ֔וָק ִּומנְ ָח ֥תֹו וְנִ ְס ּ֖כֹו ַּכ ִּמ ְׁש ָּ֑פט ְּוׂש ִע ִיר־ע ִּ֥זים ֶא ָ֖חד ְל ַח ָ ּֽטת: Another example of this opacity is similarly found in the verse previously quoted from Parshat Shlach.
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