• Vayikra (Leviticus) 27:1-34

Priests have responsibility for determining various matters according to the law. They must therefore be skilled and well versed in the law, that they may properly determine the various matters that they are supposed to determine.

• Bamidbar (Numbers) 3:1-13

3:5-7 notes that Yahweh gave the tribe of Levi to Aharon, to keep both Aharon's charge and that of the congregation of Yisrael, to do the service of the tent of meeting.

3:11-13 notes that among the children of Yisrael those who are Yahweh's are the firstborns who open the womb.

Seeing that there can only be one opening of the womb, it appears that all those who open the womb, irrespective of whether or not they are male, belong to Yahweh. These belong to Yahweh in the context of serving near Yahweh, meaning at the tent of meeting.

3:13 notes the TIME when Yahweh made the firstborn in Yisrael his, both of man and animal. It was at the time when he struck the firstborn of Mitzrayim. These are holy to Yahweh, in the sense that Yahweh has dedicated them to him for his service.

It should also be noted that sometimes Yahweh undertakes actions affecting human beings without telling those humans the actions that he has undertaken. For Yahweh consecrated the firstborn in Yisrael to himself, but did not immediately inform the children of Yisrael of what he had done, informing them about his action some time after it occurred.

3:10 notes that the priesthood within Yisrael was given to Aharon's house, and ONLY to Aharon's house. Anyone outside the Aharonic house who came to perform the priesthood duties was to be put to death. Such a stranger or outsider is a usurper of that which does not belong to him.

Exodus 19:21-25 reads,

Before Yahweh gave the priesthood in Yisrael to Aharon and his sons there were already priests (Kohanim) in Yisrael. Who were these priests? Were these the firstborns whom Yahweh consecrated to himself at the time he killed the firstborn of the Mitzrayim?

That Yahweh subsequently gave the priesthood in Yisrael to Aharon and his sons indicates that he took it away from those who were his priests in Yisrael prior to his giving the house of Aharon the priesthood. Why did he remove the priesthood from these and give it to the house of Aharon? Was it on account of Yisrael's idolatry in the matter of the golden calf?

• Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:1-50

16:1-3 shows that Korach, Datan and Aviram, together with the princes of Yisrael accompanying them, REJECTED the authority of Moshe and Aharon. They accused both Moshe and Aharon of appointing themselves to the positions of authority that they had over the congregation of Yisrael. They DID NOT BELIEVE that Yahweh had indeed appointed Moshe and Aharon to their respective positions. They therefore REBELLED against the authority of both Moshe and Aharon, authority that Yahweh vested in both Moshe and Aharon. These men were FAITHLESS REBELS.

There is an apparent paradox and contradiction in the rebellious position adopted by Korach and his accompanying rebels. On the one hand they accused both Moshe and Aharon of appointing themselves to their positions of authority over the congregation of Yisrael. On the other hand they said that all the congregation of Yisrael was holy. On what basis were they saying that all the congregation of Yisrael was holy? Did they not come to this view as a result of taking note of all the various works that Moshe had done in the congregation of Yisrael? And if they accepted this portion of Moshe's works, a portion affirming that all the congregation of Yisrael was holy, why were they rejecting Moshe's authority in other works that Moshe undertook?

The point is if they really believed that Moshe and Aharon were phoney rulers, self-appointed rulers, then they should not have accepted any of the works of Moshe and Aharon. But by accepting some of Moshe and Aharon's works, and rejecting others, they effectively undermined the logical soundness of their position in confronting both Moshe and Aharon.

It appears that all that they were after was simply taking over the positions occupied by Moshe and Aharon. This was therefore an attempted coup d'etat or overthrow of both Moshe and Aharon from their positions of authority over the congregation! It is therefore evident that Korach and his company LUSTED AFTER or COVETED the positions occupied by both Moshe and Aharon.

16:4-5 shows that Moshe did not waste time with the covetous rebels in word battles, trying to prove to them the authenticity of his position. Seeing that they accepted that the congregation was holy, implying that they accepted Yahweh's authority over the congregation, Moshe simply suggested that Yahweh settle the matter once and for all, and end all this bickering between these two contending groups.

Seeing that the covetous rebels did not acknowledge Aharon's authority, Moshe suggested in 16:6-7 that they all, the rebels and Aharon, undertake the priestly duties that Aharon's household undertook. Yahweh would then make his choice among those undertaking these duties.

16:7-11 shows that Moshe began to inform the rebels of the adverse implications of their covetous rebellion. For not only did they not appreciate the special role that Yahweh had already given to them as Levites, serving the congregation from a vantage point that was near Yahweh, they also coveted that which they should not have coveted. And in so doing it was Yahweh's word that they were going against, and not really Moshe or Aharon's word.

16:12-14 notes that Datan and Aviram not only openly rebelled against Moshe, but also accused him of murderous intent, falsely presiding over the children of Yisrael, and of failing to deliver on the inheritance promises given to Yisrael. They totally and conveniently ignored the reason for their wandering in the wilderness - their own previous rebellion against Yahweh. They therefore overlooked their sin, and blamed all on Moshe.

It should be noted that Moshe knew all along that these covetous rebels were playing with death in their covetous rebellion. For Yahweh CLEARLY forbade STRANGERS from performing priesthood duties, forbidding this in Numbers 3:10. Yet these covetous rebels ignored this word of Yahweh, downgrading it to being Moshe's personal word, rather than Yahweh's word through Moshe. Moshe therefore knew that these covetous rebels were playing with death, for Yahweh said in Numbers 3:10 that anyone outside the Aharonic house who performs the priestly duties was to die!

16:19-22 notes that Yahweh intended to consume the whole congregation, as the whole congregation had joined itself with Korach in the latter's rebellion.

It should therefore be evident that rebels, and their accomplices, are consumed or destroyed by Yahweh.

16:28 notes that the works that Moshe undertook in Yisrael were not the origins of his own mind, but were Yahweh's works. He acted as Yahweh commanded him to act.

This is the manner that Yahweh's servants ought to undertake Yahweh's works, doing what Yahweh has instructed them to do, rather than the origins of their own minds.

16:30 notes that the rebels had DESPISED YAHWEH! In other words, when a person rebels from under the authority of another, he despises not only that person from whose authority he rebels, but also the one who ultimately gave that one that authority. Therefore, as the rebels had despised Moshe, despising the authority Moshe had, they not only despised Moshe, but also despised Yahweh, for it is Yahweh who gave Moshe the authority that he had.

[A side note: where a wife rebels against her husband's authority, she is not only rebelling against and despising her husband, she is also rebelling against and despising Yahweh, for it is Yahweh who has made her husband head over her! And just as the consequence for those who rebelled against Yahweh was shown to be death, in the case of Datan and Aviram, so it is in the case of wives who rebel against their husbands and Yahweh!]

16:38 notes that whatever is offered before Yahweh is holy, provided it does not breach Yahweh's word with respect to what may be offered to him.

16:39-40 reiterates the lesson of Numbers 3:10, that NO STRANGER, anyone not of the house of Aharon, should come near to undertake duties that Yahweh has reserved exclusively for Aharonic priests.

16:41 notes that the congregation of Yisrael had not really learned the lesson that resulted in the deaths of Korach, Datan and Aviram, together with their households, and the households of the men who accompanied them in their rebellion. That those who rebel against Yahweh's authority deserve to die, and are eventually killed by Yahweh, if they do not repent. For the congregation accused Moshe and Aharon of murdering those whom Yahweh had killed! The very same accusation that Datan and Aviram made against Moshe! In other words, just as the congregation had sided with the rebels prior to the death of the rebels, so also they continued to side with them even after their deaths! It is therefore evident that the congregation was courting death, even as Datan and Aviram were courting death!

16:42-50 shows that just as the sin of the High Priest is imputed to all the congregation, as seen earlier on, so also is the atoning act of the High Priest good or valid for all the congregation. For Aharon's single atoning act was imputed to the entire congregation of Yisrael, such that when Aharon had performed his atoning act, the plague of death that had already began was stayed, and no more death was inflicted on the remaining sinners.

• Bamidbar (Numbers) 18:1-32

18:2 notes that the brothers of the Aharonic priests, the Levites, were brought near TOGETHER with the Aharonic priests, in the service of the tent of testimony. And their role was to MINISTER to the Aharonic priests. But they were not to have the status that Aharonic priests had, for Aharonic priests stood before the tent of testimony, while other Levites did not.

18:5 shows that the purpose of the works of the priesthood, and those of their assistants or servants, is to avert wrath falling on the children of Yisrael.

• Bamidbar (Numbers) 27:1-11

It is evident from 27:2 that in difficult legal matters those who were consulted were the Kohanim or priests. And in legal matters too difficult for the priests, the High Priest was consulted, that determination of the matter be made.

It is also evident that it is Yahweh's answer that was to be given to the people seeking legal direction or determination, and not the personal opinions of those so consulted.

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