Korach קֹרַח - Korach
Torah Portion: Numbers 16:1-18:32
Numbers 17:1-9
17:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods from them, one for each father’s house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 You shall write Aaron’s name on Levi’s rod. There shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses. 4 You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you. 5 It shall happen that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud. I will make the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you, cease from me.”
6 Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, a total of twelve rods. Aaron’s rod was among their rods. 7 Moses laid up the rods before Hashem in the Tent of the Testimony.
8 On the next day, Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony; and behold, Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted, budded, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. 9 Moses brought out all the rods from before Hashem to all the children of Israel. They looked, and each man took his rod.
Today’s Meditation:
Suddenly, the people of Hashem understand the seriousness of His holiness and the need for obedience. The rod shows that He has chosen Aaron as High Priest. And it is kept as a reminder by His covenant. A reminder that Hashem does the choosing of leaders and that He is the Elohim of miracles. Next time you are asking Him for something important, remember this story. He can do anything. But you need to stay in His obedience.
Today’s Challenge:
At the end of today’s reading, we learn about the story of proving to the Israelites who their leader is. Hashem tells Moses to assemble the leaders with their rods. He gathers them and sets them before the testimony. This is to settle who is truly Hashem’s leader, once and for all, so that the complaining ceases. Everyone brings their rods, and the next day, only Aaron’s buds with almonds. The leader is confirmed. How wonderful of Hashem is to give this wonderful display to prove His point. It is a really interesting visual. Can you think of a time when Hashem showed the reason why He told you something? Maybe He didn’t turn a stick into flowers, but perhaps He did give you a visual sign? Take some time to think of this and remember His miracles.
