Dathan and Abiram Join Korah's Rebellion Against Moses

Legends of the Jews turns to Dathan and Abiram Join Korah's Rebellion Against Moses.

Korah wasn't alone. Oh no, discontent rarely travels solo. According to the ancient texts, several others joined him in his quest to unseat Moses. First, there were the Reubenites, Dathan and Abiram. Now, their names themselves are almost like a warning! Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us that Dathan signifies “transgressor of the Divine law,” and Abiram means "the obdurate", They were, shall we say, destined for trouble.

It didn't stop there. Two hundred and fifty men, prominent figures in Israel, even princes of the tribes, threw their lot in with Korah. Can you imagine the buzz? The whispers? The sheer scale of this challenge to Moses's leadership?

What was the link? What brought them together? The text gives us a clue: geography! Korah, a Kohathite, had his station south of the Tabernacle, the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Israelites in the desert. The Reubenites were also encamped there. As the proverb goes, "Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor!" It seems like proximity bred familiarity, and familiarity, in this case, bred rebellion. A friendship blossomed, and Dathan and Abiram became loyal followers in Korah’s plot against Moses.

It makes you wonder about the company we keep, doesn't it? How our surroundings and the people we associate with can influence our own path. And it also highlights the incredible challenges that leaders throughout history have faced. And the constant need to navigate dissent and maintain unity, even in the face of powerful opposition.

Korah, however, was not the only one who strove to overthrow Moses. With him were, first of all, the Reubenites, Dathan and Abiram, who well deserve their names, for the one signifies, "transgressor of the Divine law," and the other, "the obdurate." There were, furthermore, two hundred fifty men, who by their rank and influence belonged to the most prominent people in Israel; among them even the princes of the tribes. In the union of the Reubenites with Korah was verified the proverb, "Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor." For Korah, one of the sons of Kohath, had his station to the south of the Tabernacle, and as the Reubenites were also encamped there, a friendship was struck up between them, so that they followed him in his undertaking against Moses.