Parashat Korach

וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃וַיָּקֻ֨מוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים מִבְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם נְשִׂיאֵ֥י עֵדָ֛ה קְרִאֵ֥י מוֹעֵ֖ד אַנְשֵׁי־שֵֽׁם

Korach son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levi took himself aside, together with Dathan and Aviram sons of Eli’av, and On son of Pelet, descendants of Reuben. They confronted Moses together with 250 men from the Israelites, including the princes of the community, summoned for the meeting, and other named men of renown. (Numbers 16:1–2)

The parasha is named after the primary named antagonist Korach. We are given his lineage and up to his great-grandfather’s name. Then his co-conspirators Datan and Aviram and On are named and we read their fathers’ names and then — skipping their grandfathers — we read their collective great-grandfather’s name.

shem is not attached to any specific name here, but rather a general attribute of the crowd. Named men. Prominent personages.

But it wasn’t enough for them. They wanted more. They coveted Aaron’s status, his shem.

So they go head-to-head with Aaron to see who G-D truly favors, each bringing an incense offering to HASHEM.

G-D does not pick a winning incense offering as much as grow incensed at the rebels’ chutzpah, and threatens to destroy Korach’s gathered assembly. Moses and Aaron come to their collective defense and G-D instead metes out punishment to the rebel leaders, those who dared to contest Aaron’s High Priestly status.

Following the defeat of Korach and his assembly — including their miraculous and frightful deaths — the Israelites, fearing for their lives, gather against Moshe in a panic.

“You have killed the people of HASHEM” they declare.

G-D threatens to destroy the gathered assembly — again — before Moshe instructs Aaron to use incense and stop the divine plague.

G-D then proposes another miraculous indication of Aaron’s greatness: gather names and G-D will single out just one.

The Torah foreshadows G-D’s choice by using shem:

דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְקַ֣ח מֵֽאִתָּ֡ם מַטֶּ֣ה מַטֶּה֩ לְבֵ֨ית אָ֜ב מֵאֵ֤ת כׇּל־נְשִֽׂיאֵהֶם֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּֽהוּ׃ וְאֵת֙ שֵׁ֣ם אַהֲרֹ֔ן תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּ֣ה לֵוִ֑י כִּ֚י מַטֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד לְרֹ֖אשׁ בֵּ֥ית אֲבוֹתָֽם׃

Speak to the children of Israel and take from them a staff for each father’s house from all the chieftains according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs; each man’s name inscribe on his staff. And Aaron’s name: inscribe it on the staff of Levi, for there is one staff for the head of their fathers’ houses. (Numbers 17:17–18)

Notably, the parasha is named after the main antagonist, Korach, though his name does not appear with shem. Instead, shem attaches itself to Aaron, the very person whose name Korach seeks for his own.