Sign of authority of Moshe
“…in the morning the Lord will make known who is His own.” Moses meant by this that “whereas you are claiming that we are trying to dominate the congregation of the Lord and that I do things without authority, on my own, tomorrow you will know if this is so; tomorrow you will have evidence that the Levites are His, especially.” He needed to reconcile the apparent contradiction between Numbers 8,14 “the Levites will be Mine” and Exodus 13,2: “sanctify for Me every firstborn.” The additional words ואת הקדוש refer to the occupant of the position of High Priest, i.e. Aaron, seeing that we have a verse in Chronicles I 23,13: “He set apart Aaron to sanctify him to become ‘holy of holies.’”
-Rabbeinu Bahya, Num. 16:5
The authority was not of his own making, but Hashem had called him to be His servant. In Exodus 4:14, it states…
וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהוָה בְּמֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלֹא אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ הַלֵּוִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־דַבֵּר יְדַבֵּר הוּא וְגַם הִנֵּה־הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ וְרָאֲךָ וְשָׂמַח בְּלִבּוֹ׃
The LORD became angry with Moses, and He said, “There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you.
-Exodus 4:14
The LORD became angry with Moses, and He said, “There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you.
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמֵר: אַף זֶה נֶאֱמַר בּוֹ רוֹשֶׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲלֹא אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ הַלֵּוִי״ – וַהֲלֹא כֹּהֵן הוּא! הָכִי קָאָמַר: אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אַתָּה כֹּהֵן וְהוּא לֵוִי, עַכְשָׁיו הוּא כֹּהֵן וְאַתָּה לֵוִי.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Even in this case the anger’s effect is stated, as it is stated there: “Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well.” But isn’t Aaron a priest? Why is he referred to as a Levite? This is what God is saying to Moses: I initially said that you would be the priest and he would be the Levite; now he will be the priest and you will be the Levite.
-Talmud Bavli, Zevachim 102a
Moshe’s status of authority was pronounced in Egypt and he became honored in the eyes of the people in the exodus from Mitzrayim. But, when problems and disasters arose after their departure from Har Sinai, his status of Authority came into question by Korach and his group of rebels. In Parashat Korach, we read of his vindication by Hashem (Numbers 16:28-31)
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה בְּזֹאת תֵּדְעוּן כִּי־יְהֹוָה שְׁלָחַנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כׇּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי־לֹא מִלִּבִּי׃ אִם־כְּמוֹת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן אֵלֶּה וּפְקֻדַּת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יִפָּקֵד עֲלֵיהֶם לֹא יְהֹוָה שְׁלָחָנִי׃ וְאִם־בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא יְהֹוָה וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אֹתָם וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם וְיָרְדוּ חַיִּים שְׁאֹלָה וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי נִאֲצוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃ וַיְהִי כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אֵת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַתִּבָּקַע הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתֵּיהֶם׃
And Moses said: ‘Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works, and that I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD hath not sent Me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.’ And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them.
-Numbers 16:28-31
Rashi relates something fascinating about this passage.
THAT THE EARTH OPEN WIDE HER MOUTH AND SWALLOW THEM, then וידעתם כי נאצו YE SHALL KNOW THAT THEY HAVE PROVOKED the Holy One, blessed be He, and that I have spoken only by authority of the Almighty. Our Rabbis, however, gave the following explanation: ואם בריאה, if there has been a creation, i.e., if there was already a mouth to the earth from the six days of Creation, well and good! but if not, יברא ה׳ the Lord will create one now (Sanhedrin 110a; Nedarim 39b).
-Rashi, Numbers 16:30:3
In Talmud Bavli, tractate Nedarim states:
§ Apropos the halakhot of visiting the ill, the Gemara cites related statements. Reish Lakish said: From where is there an allusion from the Torah to visiting the ill? It is as it is stated: “If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord has not sent me” (Numbers 16:29). The Gemara asks: From where in this verse may visiting the ill be inferred? Rava said that this is what Moses is saying: If these men, the congregation of Korah, die the common death of all men, who become ill, and are confined to their beds, and people come to visit them; if that happens to them, what do the people say? They say: The Lord has not sent me for this task...Apropos Korah and his congregation, Rava interpreted the repetitive formulation in this verse homiletically: “But if the Lord will create a creation [beria yivra], and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them, and all that is theirs, and they will descend alive into the pit, then you shall understand that these men have despised God” (Numbers 16:30). Here, Moses is saying: If Gehenna is already a creation [beria] and exists, that is optimal; if not, God should create [yivra] it now.
Apropos Korah and his congregation, Rava interpreted the repetitive formulation in this verse homiletically: “But if the Lord will create a creation [beria yivra], and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them, and all that is theirs, and they will descend alive into the pit, then you shall understand that these men have despised God” (Numbers 16:30). Here, Moses is saying: If Gehenna is already a creation [beria] and exists, that is optimal; if not, God should create [yivra] it now.
The Gemara asks: Is that so? Was there uncertainty at that point as to whether Gehenna had already been created? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: Seven phenomena were created before the world was created, and they are: Torah, and repentance, the Garden of Eden, and Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, and the Temple, and the name of the Messiah…
…Gehenna was created before the world was created, as it is written: “For its hearth is ordained of old” (Isaiah 30:33). The hearth, i.e., Gehenna, was created before the world was created…
…Rather, the interpretation of the repetitive formulation of the verse is that this is what Moses is saying: If the opening was created for Gehenna, that is optimal, and if not, the Lord should create it now. The Gemara asks: But isn’t it written: “And there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)? How, then, could Moses request that God create the mouth of Gehenna now? The Gemara answers: This is what Moses said: If the mouth of Gehenna is not close to here, let God bring it closer. Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 39b
What do we read in the Torah? We read about the vindication of Hashem’s servant, Moshe.
וַיְהִי כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַתִּבָּקַע הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתֵּיהֶם׃
Scarcely had he finished speaking all these words when the ground under them burst asunder,
– Numbers 16:31
Those who desired to challenge Moshe’s authority didn’t challenge Moshe but rather Hashem. Hashem honors those who honor Him. In like manner, the generation of those who honor Hashem’s servant will be honored. However, if they do not honor Hashem, the generation will doubt the authority of even the servant of Hashem.
Rabbi Yehudah Chayoun comments:
“…if the Jews merit redemption, they will immediately recognize Moshiach by his signs and wonders. If they are unworthy, however, his authenticity will be questioned.”
-R’ Yehudah Chayoun, Otzros Acharis HaYamim, When Moshiach Comes, Targum/Feldheim, pg. 119
Korach’s complaint and rebellion is a direct example of this questioning. As Rabbi Chayoun relates, this directly applies to Mashiach…Especially Mashiach ben Yosef. The most common argument against Yeshua’s messiahship from anti-missionaries is that Yeshua has not brought world peace. In fact, this is directly analogous to the argument made against Moshe by Datan and Aviram, who said:
אַף לֹא אֶל־אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הֲבִיאֹתָנוּ וַתִּתֶּן־לָנוּ נַחֲלַת שָׂדֶה וָכָרֶם הַעֵינֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵם תְּנַקֵּר לֹא נַעֲלֶה׃
Moreover thou hast not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
–Numbers 16:14
In other words, they were saying that Moshe didn’t fulfill the mission of bringing K’lal Yisrael to the fullness of Geulah, Redemption. Continuing with the question of his authority, Moshe gives the parameters if he wasn’t Hashem’s agent.
אִם־כְּמוֹת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן אֵלֶּה וּפְקֻדַּת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יִפָּקֵד עֲלֵיהֶם לֹא יְהֹוָה שְׁלָחָנִי׃
If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD hath not sent Me.
-Numbers 16:29
In the Talmud, Nedarim 39b, Reish Lakish raised a question involving this verse:
§ Apropos the halakhot of visiting the ill, the Gemara cites related statements. Reish Lakish said: From where is there an allusion from the Torah to visiting the ill? It is as it is stated: “If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord has not sent me” (Numbers 16:29). The Gemara asks: From where in this verse may visiting the ill be inferred? Rava said that this is what Moses is saying: If these men, the congregation of Korah, die the common death of all men, who become ill, and are confined to their beds, and people come to visit them; if that happens to them, what do the people say? They say: The Lord has not sent me for this task.
-Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 39b
Divine Punishments through illness…
All throughout the Scriptures, we find accounts of divine punishments against those sinners who stand against Hashem and His chosen servants. One such account is found in 1Kings 13.
Just then, as Yarov‘am was standing by the altar to burn incense, a man of God came out of Y’hudah, directed to Beit-El by a word from Adonai. And by the word from Adonai he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar, here is what Adonai says: ‘A son will be born to the house of David; his name will be Yoshiyahu; and on you he will sacrifice the cohanim of the high places who burn incense on you! They will burn human bones on you!’” That same day he also gave a sign: “Here is the sign which Adonai has decreed: “‘The altar will be split apart; the ashes on it will be scattered about.’”
-M’lakhim Alef (1 Ki) 13:1-3 CJB
וַיְהִי כִשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דְּבַר אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּבֵית־אֵל וַיִּשְׁלַח יָרָבְעָם אֶת־יָדוֹ מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֵאמֹר תִּפְשֻׂהוּ וַתִּיבַשׁ יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח עָלָיו וְלֹא יָכֹל לַהֲשִׁיבָהּ אֵלָיו׃
When the king heard what the man of God had proclaimed against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his arm above the altar and cried, “Seize him!” But the arm that he stretched out against him became rigid, and he could not draw it back.
-1 Kings 13:4
Rashi illucidates,
“But his hand dried up [stiffened]. The Holy One Blessed Is He, avenged the honor of a righteous person more than His own honor. [When] he was standing and offering sacrifices to idols, his hand did not stiffen, yet, because of slandering the righteous person, his hand stiffened.”
-Rashi, 1 Kings 13:4:1
Rabbeinu Bahyah adds:
…Our sages (in Sotah 10) say that there are 5 types of people who, though they were created in the Divine image, were nevertheless punished. They were: Avshalom who was punished by being hung and subseqently speared by his hair. King Shaul who was killed by his neck (through the sword). Shimshon was punished by losing his physical prowess. King Assa of Yehudah was punished by being paralyzed in his legs. King Tzidkiyahu was punished by having his eyes gouged out by the Babylonians.
-Rabbeinu Bahyah, Bamidbar 6:3:3
A person afflicted by an illness or illnesses causing irreversible cessation of respiration plus total paralysis, e.g., a patient suffering from a severe form of polio, would perforce be regarded as dead on the basis of the criteria set forth by the Chief Rabbinate Council and Rabbi Israeli. It must again be emphasized that absence of consciousness is not posited in talmudic sources as a necessary criterion of death.
-Contemporary Halakhic problems, Vol IV, Chapter XIII of Cerebral, Respiratory and cardiac death 41
And with this he broadens his argument and comes to the same conclusion as that attributed by Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed Part 3, Chapter 12) to the scholar Al-Razi, namely, that there is more bad than good in the world. For if the happiness of man and his pleasure in the times of prosperity be compared with the mishaps that befall him, – such as grief, acute pain, defects, paralysis of the limbs, fears, anxieties and troubles, – it would seem as if the existence of man is a punishment and a great evil for him. This author commenced to verify his opinion by counting all the evils one by one. As the folk-songs and proverbs of many of the peoples of the world say: ‘It is a wonder when anything good happens.’ Yea, his misfortunes are many (Deuteronomy 31:17) and enduring too. Job makes much of this in his argument (Ch.3:17-20).4We would all be better off had we not been born because there is always more bad than good in the world. But this would not be the case if God Himself governed.
-Malbim on Job 3:1
…it is the custom of those who are contending with one another to perpetrate greater evils by means of those things which they concede. Forsooth they turn the eyes to the ruin of the sight, the ears to hearing what is unwelcome; and the rest of the outward senses to insensibility. Moreover they cause dissolution and paralysis to the entire body, taking away from it all soundness, and foolishly building up instead a great number of most mischievous diseases.
-Midrash of Philo 3:14
ומאי חזית דסמכת אהא סמוך אהא כתב קרא אחרינא (תהלים קג, ג) הסולח לכל עוניכי הרופא לכל תחלואיכי הגואל משחת חייכי למימרא דגאולה ורפואה בתר סליחה היא והכתיב ושב ורפא לו ההוא לאו רפואה דתחלואים היא אלא רפואה דסליחה היא
The Gemara poses a question: But what did you see to rely on this verse? Rely on the other verse, which juxtaposes repentance to healing. The Gemara answers: Another verse, in which it is written: “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit” (Psalms 103:3–4), proves that the theme of healing should follow that of forgiveness. The Gemara asks: Is that verse coming to say that the blessings of redemption and healing should be placed following the blessing of forgiveness? But isn’t it written: “Repent, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10), which suggests that repentance should be followed by healing? The Gemara answers: That verse is referring not to the literal healing from illness, but rather to the figurative healing of forgiveness, and therefore this verse too supports the sequence of forgiveness following repentance.
-Talmud Bavli, Megillah 17b
ציון ממכותיך ארפאך (ירמי׳ ל״א) – רפואתה של ציון היא בטוריא דמב״י כמו ציר אמונים מרפא כאמור לעיל, וכן הרופא לכל תחלואיכי הגואל משחת חייכי. ועפ״י הכתוב (תהילים ק״ז:כ׳) ״ישלח דברו וירפאם״ שנאמר על מב״י ובחושבנא ״אפרים משיח בן יוסף״
Zion (Jer. 31 [Jer. 30:17]) “Zion, I will heal you of your wounds” — The healing of Zion is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, as in the sentence, “An emissary of the faithful brings healing” which is quoted above. Likewise, “who heals all your ailments” [Ps. 103:3], “who redeems your life from the pit” [Ps. 103:4]. Similarly, we find the verse: [Ps. 107:20] [ in gematria: 897] “he would send his word and heal them, ” that is said of Ephraim Mashiach ben Yosef, and in gematria equals [897].
-Kol HaTor 2:129
Sign of authority of son of man…
וַיֵּרֶד בָּאֳנִיָּה וַיַּעֲבֹר וַיָּבֹא אֶל־עִירוֹ׃ וְהִנֵּה הֵם מְבִיאִים אֵלָיו אִישׁ נְכֵה אֵבָרִים וְהוּא מֻשְׁכָּב עַל־הַמִּטָּה וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹת יֵשׁוּעַ אֶת־אֱמוּנָתָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־נְכֵה הָאֵבָרִים חֲזַק בְּנִי נִסְלְחוּ־לְךָ חַטֹּאתֶיךָ׃ וְהִנֵּה אֲנָשִׁים מִן־הַסּוֹפְרִים אָמְרוּ בִלְבָבָם מְגַדֵּף הוּא׃ וְיֵשׁוּעַ רָאָה אֶת־מַחְשְׁבֹתָם וַיֹּאמַר לָמָּה תַחְשְׁבוּ רָעָה בִּלְבַבְכֶם׃ כִּי מָה הַנָּקֵל הֶאָמֹר נִסְלְחוּ־לְךָ חַטֹּאתֶיךָ אִם־אָמֹר קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ׃ אַךְ לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּן כִּי בֶן־הָאָדָם יֶשׁ־לוֹ הַשָׁלְטָן בָּאָרֶץ לִסְלֹחַ לַחֲטָאִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־נְכֵה הָאֵבָרִים קוּם שָׂא אֶת־מִטָּתְךָ וְלֶךְ־לְךָ אֶל־בֵּיתֶך׃ וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ לְבֵיתוֹ׃ וַהֲמוֹן הָעָם רָאוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֲמוּ וַיְשַׁבְּחוּ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן שָׁלְטָן כָּזֶה לִבְנֵי אָדָם׃
So he stepped into a boat, crossed the lake again and came to his own town. Some people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a mattress. When Yeshua saw their trust, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” On seeing this, some of the Torah-teachers said among themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” Yeshua, knowing what they were thinking, said, “Why are you entertaining evil thoughts in your hearts? Tell me, which is easier to say — ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? But look! I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your mattress, and go home!” And the man got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and said a b’rakhah to God the Giver of such authority to human beings.
-Mattityahu (Mat) 9:1-8 CJB/Delitzch
Here, Hashem through Moshe’s words of prayer brings unique death (going down into the earth) of the wicked as a sign of his Authority. Here, Hashem through Yeshua brings healing and elevation to the man afflicted from the punishment from sin by paralysis. This was a sign of Mashiach’s authority.
שלום במשיח ישוע
B’H”