Numbers 17 is a continuation of the previous chapters pertaining to Korah’s attempt to wrest the
priesthood away from Aaron, the high priest. Consequently, God seeks to instill within the Jew’s
collective memory an object lesson: Never again should anyone usurp Aaron’s and his descendants’
divine, exclusive right to work the Holy Temple.
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron
the priest, that he take the fire-pans out of the burning, and scatter the
fire yonder, for they are holy. Even the fire-pans of these men who have
sinned at the cost of their lives, and let them be made beaten plated for
a covering of the altar – for they are holy…”
Abravanel explains. God issued instructions regarding the charred remains of the
incense pans used by Korah. These needed to be plated and then melded onto the Temple’s bronze
altar. This had nothing to do with the pans having gained sanctity. Hardly. Instead, the divine directive
reflects Heaven’s interest in preserving memory of Korah’s perfidy.
Consider this. A man’s actions may not always be characterized as intrinsically good or evil. Sometimes,
we need to analyze the intent behind the act and actor. To illustrate, take a fellow who performed a
good deed. That is, as far as outsiders were concerned, it had a favorable appearance. Yet he plotted
something reprehensible. We assess his act as deplorable and thoroughly bad.
Now we apply this lesson to our narrative. Offering incense comprises pleasing elements and is
admirable when done for the honor of the Almighty. Notwithstanding, Korah sought to debase God’s
will and defy bona fide Tabernacle agents – Aaron and his sons. In the final analysis, and despite
appearances, the thing must be judged as evil.
At root, Korah tried to delegitimize Aaron. Incense pans were the means used to bastardize a righteous
prophet designated from Above. God, therefore, desired those bronze pans as part of an object lesson.
They were to be welded onto the bronze altar as a commemoration to the Hebrews. No man who is not
from Aaron’s descendants may offer incense before the Almighty—on penalty of death.
Since Aaron was at the eye of the storm, if you will, God did not want his participation. Had he attended
to the Temple’s bronze altar’s add-on, folks might have drawn the wrong conclusion. That is, Aaron
turned the screws on Korah as an act of revenge. In his stead, Moses called upon Eleazar, the son of
Aaron. In this particular task, Eleazar served as acting high priest, entrusted to fulfill Heaven’s wishes.
Specifically, he picked up the incense pans among the smoky remains, adjacent to the courtyard’s
entrance. He then gingerly tread between the charred bits of leftover humanity. There, he took hold of
smoldering embers, casting them to the wind.
Why did Eleazar discard the fiery embers, but not the pans? The Torah says, “for they are holy.” This
requires explanation. It means that Korah “sanctified” the incense pans when he offered incense in the
courtyard. The Torah does not designate them as holy objects; instead, the description “are holy” attests
to the fact that Korah sanctified them to God. But from God’s perspective, nothing of the sort occurred.
“These men sinned at the cost of their lives” – not a hint of holiness.
Dissecting Korah’s plans further, we note that their intent stank. Given that, can we possibly color them
holy? Hence, the original form of the pans had been altered, “beaten plated for a covering of the altar.”
Furthermore, it would have been objectionable to plaster them on top of the Temple’s bronze altar. As
written, their placement serves to commemorate. “And they shall be a sign for the Children of Israel.”
