Numbers 17: Inside Out

Chapter 17 can be split into two parts- the first is God’s instruction to Elazar and Aaron concerning the incense pans and incense and the second is the test with Aaron and his staff. What is the message of these two events after the Korach rebellion? If Korach and his coconspirators, including the 250 leaders were all killed either by the earthquake or by the fire, why is there a need for these two subsequent signs? To answer this question, we first need to look at these two events. In the first, God tells Elazar to take the copper incense shovels used by the 250 leaders and beat them into the outer altar:“Tell Elazar son of Aaron the priest to pick up the firepans… and let them be hammered out as plating for the altar.”אֱמֹר אֶל־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן וְיָרֵם אֵת הַמַּחְתֹּת מִבֵּין הַשְּׂרֵפָה… וְרָקְעוּם פַּחִים צִפּוּי לַמִּזְבֵּחַ׃(Numbers 17:2–3 [Hebrew numbering 16:37–38])The message here is that no one except for the Kohanim should be allowed to offer up incense. As a postscript, God also has Aaron walk amongst the people with incense to save them from another plague:“He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted.”וַיַּעֲמֹד בֵּין הַמֵּתִים וּבֵין הַחַיִּים וַתֵּעָצַר הַמַּגֵּפָה׃(Numbers 17:13 [16:48])Event number one has echoes of the death of Aaron’s own sons. The Torah uses the same word “zar/foreign” to discuss the incense here as it did for Aaron’s sons:“And the sons of Aaron… offered before ה׳ foreign fire (אֵשׁ זָרָה).”וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם׃(Leviticus 10:1)One of the interpretations as to why Aaron’s sons were killed was that they undermined their father’s leadership by bringing the foreign fire to burn the incense before Aaron had a chance to be involved. But their death occurred inside the Mishkan out of the sight of the people. The people clearly did not learn the proper lesson as these 250 men met the same fate as they both also died by fire. This time, God has the reminder placed on the outer altar so that everyone can see and be reminded.Next, God has the 12 princes bring staffs together with Aaron’s staff.“And on the next day Moses went into the Tent of Testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron… had sprouted, blossomed, and produced almonds.”וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה אֶל־אֹהֶל הָעֵדוּת וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה־אַהֲרֹן… וַיֹּצֵץ צִיץ וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִים׃(Numbers 17:23 [Hebrew 17:8])When Aaron’s staff grows almond blossoms the next morning, it is brought inside the Mishkan as a lesson to those who murmur against him. These princes were not the ones to complain to Moshe or Aaron. Why are they forced into this test? Why is Aaron’s staff placed inside the Mishkan if it is supposed to be symbol for those murmur against him?“Place Aaron’s staff before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for rebels.”הָשֵׁב אֵת־מַטֵּה אַהֲרֹן לִפְנֵי הָעֵדוּת לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת לְאוֹת לִבְנֵי־מֶרִי׃(Numbers 17:25 [17:10])It must be that this sign is not for the people like the copper shovels, but for the other Leviim and Kohanim. The other leaders are brought to this test to show that even these great individuals are not worthy of Aaron’s special status all the more so the regular kohanim and Leviim are not worthy. These two symbols- the shovels outside and the staff inside are meant as a warning to the those external threats and internal threats to Aaron.