Pt2 Wealth, Wives, and Punishment: The Story of Korah’s Rebellion Against Moses in Numbers 16 (Sanhedrin 109b-110a)

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Part 2: Korah’s wealth and final punishment

Reish Lakish - Korah’s wealth was his downfall - Ecclesiastes 5:12

״עשר שמור לבעליו לרעתו״.

אמר ריש לקיש: זה עושרו של קרח.

§ With regard to the verse: “Wealth is kept for the owner to his detriment” (Ecclesiastes 5:12),

Reish Lakish says: This is referring to the wealth of Korah, which was of no use to him.

R' Elazar - Korah’s possessions are what 'stood at his feet' - Deuteronomy 11:6

״ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם״

אמר רבי אלעזר:

זה ממונו של אדם

שמעמידו על רגליו.

The fact that Korah was wealthy is derived from the verse: “And all the substance that was at their feet” (Deuteronomy 11:6),

as R' Elazar says:

This is referring to a person’s property,

which stands him on his feet.

R' Levi - Korah’s keys alone required 300 mules

ואמר רבי לוי:

משוי שלש מאות פרדות לבנות היו מפתחות של בית גנזיו של קרח,

וכולהו אקלידי וקילפי דגילדא.

And R' Levi says:

The keys alone to Korah’s treasury were a burden requiring 300 white mules to transport them,

and moreover, all the keys [aklidei] and locks were of leather.

This conveys the vastness of his wealth.

R' Ḥama bar Ḥanina - Korah found one of Joseph’s Three hidden treasures

אמר רבי חמא ברבי חנינא:

שלש מטמוניות הטמין יוסף במצרים.

1. אחת נתגלתה לקרח,

2. ואחת נתגלתה לאנטונינוס בן אסוירוס,

3. ואחת גנוזה לצדיקים לעתיד לבוא.

R' Ḥama, son of R' Ḥanina, says:

Joseph concealed (הטמין) three treasures¹ in Egypt that he accumulated from the sale of grain during the years of famine.

1. The location of one was revealed to Korah,

2. and the location of one was revealed to Antoninus, son of Asveirus,² emperor of Rome,

3. and one remains hidden for the righteous in the future, i.e., in the messianic era.

R' Yoḥanan - Korah didn’t die by fire or by being swallowed - Numbers 16:32; 26:10

ואמר רבי יוחנן:

קרח --

• לא מן הבלועים

• ולא מן השרופין.

• לא מן הבלועין,

  • דכתיב: ״ואת כל האדם אשר לקרח״ –

    • ולא קרח.

• ולא מן השרופים,

  • דכתיב: ״באכל האש את חמשים ומאתים איש״ –

    • ולא קרח.

And R' Yoḥanan says:

Korah --

• was neither among the swallowed

• nor among the burned; he died in a plague.

• He was neither among the swallowed,

  • as it is written: “And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses and all the men who were with Korah” (Numbers 16:32),

    • from which it is inferred: But not Korah himself.

• Nor was he among the burned,

  • as it is written: “When the fire consumed 250 men” (Numbers 26:10),

    • but not Korah.

Baraita - Korah was both burned and swallowed - Numbers 16:35; 26:10

במתניתא תנא:

קרח --

• מן השרופין

• ומן הבלועין.

• מן הבלועים,

  • דכתיב: ״ותבלע אתם ואת קרח״.

• מן השרופין,

  • דכתיב: ״ותצא אש מלפני ה׳ [ואש יצאה מאת ה׳] ותאכל את החמשים ומאתים איש״,

    • וקרח בהדייהו.

It was taught in a baraita:

Korah --

was both

• among the burned

• and among the swallowed.

• He was among the swallowed,

  • as it is written: “And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah” (Numbers 26:10).

• He was among the burned,

  • as it is written: “And fire came forth from YHWH, and devoured the 250 men that burned the incense” (Numbers 16:35),

    • and Korah was with them.

Rava - Sun and moon hesitated to shine without justice for Moses - Habakkuk 3:11

אמר רבא:

מאי דכתיב:

״שמש ירח עמד זבלה

לאור חציך יהלכו״?

מלמד ש:

עלו שמש וירח לזבול.

Rava says:

What is the meaning of that which is written:

“The sun and moon stand still in their habitation [zevula],

at the light of Your arrows as they go” (Habakkuk 3:11)?

This teaches that

the sun and moon ascended to zevul,³ one of the seven firmaments, in which the upper Temple stands.

אמרו לפניו:

רבונו של עולם!

• אם אתה עושה דין לבן עמרם --

  • נצא,

• ואם לאו --

  • לא נצא.

They said before God:

Master of the Universe!

• if You perform justice for Moses, the son of Amram, and prove his righteousness--

  • we will emerge and illuminate the world.

• And if not--

  • we will not emerge.

עד שזרק בהם חצים.

אמר להן:

בכבודי לא מחיתם,

בכבוד בשר ודם מחיתם?!

והאידנא --

לא נפקי עד דמחו להו.

They did not emerge until God fired arrows at them

and said to them:

You did not protest with regard to My honor, as people would see the sun and the moon each day and worship them,

but you protested for the honor of flesh and blood?!

And today --

the sun and the moon do not emerge until they are struck,⁴ as in deference to God they hesitate to emerge.

Rava - Moses requested an opening to Gehenna be created - Numbers 16:30

דרש רבא:

מאי דכתיב:

״ואם בריאה יברא ה׳

ופצתה האדמה את פיה״?

אמר משה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא:

• ״אם בריאה״ גיהנם –

  • מוטב,

• ואם לאו –

  • ״יברא ה׳״.

[...]

Rava taught:

What is the meaning of that which is written:

“But if YHWH creates a new creation

and the earth opens its mouth” (Numbers 16:30)?

Moses said before God:

• If Gehenna is already created,

  • good,

• but if not,

  • God should create it now.

[...]

Baraita - Sons of Korah survived and sang in Gehenna - Numbers 26:11

״ובני קרח לא מתו״.

תנא משום רבינו אמרו:

מקום נתבצר להם בגיהנם

וישבו עליו ואמרו שירה

With regard to the verse: “And the sons of Korah did not die” (Numbers 26:11),

it is taught in a baraita that in the name of our teacher, the rabbis said:

A place was fortified (נתבצר) for them in Gehenna

and they sat upon it and recited songs⁵ of praise.

Rabba bar bar Ḥana - Personally Saw Gehenna’s smoke from fissures and heard Korah’s men saying 'Moses and His Torah are true'

אמר רבה בר בר חנה:

זימנא חדא הוה קאזילנא באורחא,

אמר לי ההוא טייעא: תא ואחוי לך בלועי דקרח

Rabba bar bar Ḥana said:

One time I was walking on the path,

and a certain Arab said to me: Come and I will show you those from the assembly of Korah who were swallowed.

אזלי חזאי תרי בזעי דהוה קא נפק קיטרא מנייהו.

שקל גבבא דעמרא,

אמשייה מיא,

ואותביה בריש רומחיה,

ואחלפיה התם.

איחרך.

I went and I saw two fissures in the ground from which smoke was emerging.

That Arab took a woolen fleece

and dampened it with water

and placed it on the tip of his spear

and passed it over the fissures there.

The fleece was singed, indicating the level of heat there.

אמר לי: אצית מה שמעת.

ושמעית דהוו קאמרי הכי:

״משה ותורתו אמת,

והן בדאים״.

אמר ליה:

כל תלתין יומין מהדרא להו גיהנם כבשר בתוך קלחת,

ואמרי הכי: ״משה ותורתו אמת, והן בדאים״.

He said to me: Listen; what do you hear?

And I heard that this is what they were saying:

Moses and his Torah are truth,

and they, referring to themselves, are liars.

The Arab said to him:

Every 30 days Gehenna returns them to this place like meat cooking in a cauldron,

and they say this: Moses and his Torah are truth, and they are liars.

Appendix - Rav Yehuda citing Shmuel - “All the silver and gold in the world”: The Historical Chain of Global Wealth Transfers, from Joseph to Rome - over the course of 14 steps and 1500 years (Pesachim 119a)

Pesachim.119a.6-10

The Talmud traces the treasure's path from Joseph to Rome, listing each transfer:⁶

1. “Joseph collected and brought to Egypt all the silver and gold in the world”

2. The Israelites took it with them during the Exodus; it stays in Judah until Rehoboam (1st king of Judah)⁷

3. Shishak of Egypt (שישק מלך מצרים) takes it from Rehoboam - homiletically derived from I Kings 14:25-26

4. Zerah of Kush takes it from Shishak.

5. Asa (3rd king of Judah) recovers it and gives it⁸ to Hadrimmon ben Tabrimmon (King of Aram)

6. The Ammonites seize it from Hadrimmon

7. Jehoshaphat (4th king of Judah) recovers it; it stays in Judah until Ahaz (12th king of Judah)

8. Sennacherib takes it; Hezekiah (13th king of Judah) recovers it.

9. The Chaldeans⁹ seize it from Zedekiah (20th and final king of Judah)

10. Persians¹⁰ take it from the Chaldeans.

11. Greeks (=Alexander the Great) take it from the Persians.

12. Romans take it from the Greeks¹¹ — where it still remains.

אמר רב יהודה, אמר שמואל:

כל כסף וזהב שבעולם --

1. יוסף לקטו והביאו למצרים [...]

2. 1. וכשעלו ישראל ממצרים

   2. העלוהו עמהן [...]

   3. והיה מונח עד רחבעם

3. 1. בא שישק מלך מצרים

   2. ונטלו מרחבעם,

      1. שנאמר:

         1. ״ויהי בשנה החמישית למלך רחבעם

         2. עלה שישק מלך מצרים [על ירושלים]

         3. ויקח את אוצרות בית ה׳

         4. ואת אוצרות בית המלך״.

4. 1. בא זרח מלך כוש

   2. ונטלו משישק.

5. 1. בא אסא

   2. ונטלו מזרח מלך כוש

   3. ושיגרו להדרימון בן טברימון.

6. 1. באו בני עמון

   2. ונטלום מהדרימון בן טברימון.

7. 1. בא יהושפט

   2. ונטלו מבני עמון

   3. והיה מונח עד אחז.

8. 1. בא סנחריב

   2. ונטלו מאחז.

9. 1. בא חזקיה

   2. ונטלו מסנחריב

   3. והיה מונח עד צדקיה.

10. 1. באו כשדיים

    2. ונטלוהו מצדקיה.

11. 1. באו פרסיים

    2. ונטלוהו מכשדיים.

12. 1. באו יוונים

    2. ונטלוהו מפרסיים.

13. 1. באו רומיים

    2. ונטלוהו מיד יוונים,

    3. ועדיין מונח ברומי.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:

all the silver and gold in the world --

1. Joseph collected and brought it to Egypt [...]

2. 1. And when the Jewish people ascended from Egypt

   2. they took this treasure with them [...]

   3. And this treasure remained in Eretz Yisrael until the time of Rehoboam,

3. 1. at which point Shishak, king of Egypt, came

   2. and took it from Rehoboam,

      1. as it is stated:

         1. “And it came to pass in the 5th year of king Rehoboam,

         2. that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.

         3. And he took the treasures of the house of YHWH,

         4. and the treasures of the king’s house; and he took away all” (I Kings 14:25–26).

4. 1. Zerah, king of Kush, who ruled over Egypt, later came

   2. and took it from Shishak.

5. 1. Asa came

   2. and took it from Zerah, king of Kush, when he defeated him in battle (II Chronicles 14)

   3. and sent it to Hadrimmon ben Tabrimmon, king of Aram (see I Kings 15).

6. 1. The children of Ammon came

   2. and took it from Hadrimmon ben Tabrimmon, as learned by tradition.

7. 1. Jehosaphat came

   2. and took it from the children of Ammon (see II Chronicles 20),

   3. and it remained in Eretz Yisrael until the reign of Ahaz.

8. 1. Sennacherib came

   2. and took it from Ahaz.

9. 1. Hezekiah came

   2. and took it from Sennacherib,

   3. and it remained in Jerusalem until the reign of Zedekiah.

10. 1. The Chaldeans came

    2. and took it from Zedekiah.

11. 1. The Persians came

    2. and took it from the Chaldeans.

12. 1. The Greeks came

    2. and took it from the Persians.

13. 1. The Romans came

    2. and took it from the Greeks,

    3. and this treasure of silver and gold still remains in Rome.

1. מטמוניות - literally: “thing which is hidden”, i.e. “trove‏, hoard‏, cache“.

For another Talmudic view on what ultimately happened to Joseph's amassed wealth — one that isn't necessarily at odds with this account here — see the extended Talmudic passage quoted in the appendix at the end of this piece: “Appendix - Rav Yehuda citing Shmuel - “All the silver and gold in the world”: The Historical Chain of Global Wealth Transfers, from Joseph to Rome - over the course of 14 steps and 1500 years (Pesachim 119a)".

2. אסוירוס = Severus.

Compare elsewhere for anecdotes about this Antoninus:

• “Symbolic Dialogues and Strategic Counsel: Six Stories of Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi (Avodah Zarah 10a-b)“

• “Four Philosophical Dialogues Between R’ Yehuda Hanasi and the Roman Antoninus (Sanhedrin 91a-b)“

He clearly lived circa 2nd/3rd century CE, on his specific historical identity, see the Hebrew Wikipedia entry on R’ Yehuda Hanasi, section Antoninus. And see the figures listed at Wikipedia, “Marcus Aurelius (name)“, section “Roman emperors“, for some of the major relevant candidates, especially:

1. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, or simply Marcus Aurelius, emperor from AD 161 to 180

2. Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, emperor from 177 to 192

3. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, nicknamed Caracalla, emperor from 198 to 217

4. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, nicknamed Elagabalus, emperor from 218 to 222

For potentially relevant figures with the name Severus, see Wikipedia, “Severus“, section “Emperors of the Roman empire“:

1. Septimius Severus (145–211), Roman emperor from 193 to 211 (rarely known as Severus I.)

2. Severus Caracalla (188–217), Roman emperor from 198 to 217

3. Severus Alexander (208–235), Roman emperor from 222 to 235

3. זבול.

On the firmament of zevul, see my “Pt2 Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)“, especially section “Heaven 4 - Zevul (Isaiah 63:15): Jerusalem, Temple, Altar, and Michael“.

Maimonides interprets these firmaments as referring to celestial spheres, he uses this specific name, see my “Pt1 The Celestial Spheres According to Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (Laws of Foundations of the Torah 3:1-9)“, section “The Nine Celestial Spheres“.

4. On the idea that the sun and the moon do not emerge daily until they are forced to by God, compare Midrash_Tehillim.19.8:

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי:

בכל יום חמה ולבנה מכסות עיניהם מאורה של מעלה והן מתעכבות לצאת.

מה עושה הקב"ה?

מאיר לפניהם והן מהלכין לאורו

שנאמר (תהלים פט טז) ה' באור פניך יהלכון

R’ Yehoshua ben Levi said:

Every day, the sun and the moon cover their eyes from the celestial light, and they delay in emerging.

What does God do?

He illuminates their faces, and they go on their way,

as it is said, 'In Your light, we see light.' (Psalm 36:10)

ר' לוי אומר:

בכל יום ויום עומדין בדין לפני הקב"ה

למה שהן מתביישין לצאת.

ואומרים שהבריות משתחוין לנו ומכעיסין להקב"ה.

ומה הקב"ה עושה

מאיר בהן חציו והן יוצאין בעל כרחן

שנאמר (צפניה ג ה) בבקר בבקר משפטו יתן לאור לא נעדר.

R’ Levi says:

Every day, the sun and the moon stand in judgment before God

because they are ashamed to appear.

They say that the creatures worship us and provoke God

What does God do?

He illuminates them halfway, and they emerge against their will,

as it is said, 'In the morning, every day, He brings justice to light, it is never lacking.' (Zephaniah 3:5)

And compare the Greco-Roman personification of the sun as Helios: The sun is a god who daily drives a horse-drawn chariot across the sky. Later poets detail reins and control; loss of proper handling (e.g. by Phaethon) risks burning the world, implying constant management.

5. שירה.

Likely alluding to the fact that “Korah’s Sons” are cited as authors of a number of Psalms. See elsewhere, where the Talmud cites a baraita that lists Korah’s sons as 3 or the 10 “Elders” who contributed to David’s writing of Psalms, here, “Appendix - The Order and Authorship of Biblical Books (Bava Batra 14b-15a)“, section “David wrote Psalms with contributions from 10 Elders - Adam, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, Heman, Jeduthun, Asaph, and the 3 sons of Korah“.

6. This aggadic tradition imagines a single treasure being passed down through successive conquests, implying a kind of continuity of looted wealth.

The list covers a 1500 year period, from the 15th century BCE to end of that millennium.

The idealized formula of these steps is as follows:

1. בא [פלוני א]

2. ונטלו מ - [פלוני ב]

3. והיה מונח עד [פלוני ג]

1. [Biblical king/kingdom X] came

2. and took it from [the previous Biblical king/kingdom Y]

3. and it remained (מונח - literally: “rested, placed”) until [the next Biblical king/kingdom Z]

7. The following five Kings of Judah are mentioned in this list, my red ticks added to screenshot of kings in a chart in Wikipedia, “Kings of Judah“:

For a different list of Kings of Judah, specifically wicked ones, see my two-part series “Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)“, final part here.

8. שיגרו - i.e. as a tribute/gift.

9. כשדיים - i.e. the Neo-Babylonians, referring specifically to Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem, around the time of the destruction of the First Temple.

10. I.e the Achaemenids, specifically referring to Cyrus’ defeat of the Neo-Babylonians.

11. On the “transfer of power” from Romans to Greeks in the Talmud, see tractate Avodah Zarah.

In general, the trope of successive kingdoms is famously found already in the Book of Daniel, see Wikipedia, “Four kingdoms of Daniel“. See ibid., section “Rashi's interpretation“, with stylistic adjustments:

Rashi […] interpreted the four kingdoms as:

1. Nebuchadnezzar ("you are the head of gold"),

2. Belshazzar ("another kingdom lower than you"),

3. Alexander of Macedon ("a third kingdom of copper"),

4. and the Roman Empire ("and in the days of these kings").

Rashi explains that the fifth kingdom that God will establish is the kingdom of the messiah.