Musar for Sanhedrin 219:12

ויקח קרח . We would have expected the Torah to write ויקחו, "they took." Another difficulty is the expression קריאי מועד, אנשי שם, "men who had been appointed, men of distinguished reputation" (16,2). Why should these men be mentioned favourably when the Tosaphot Talmud Shabbat 12 says: "Shevna a man from Jerusalem," etc. Rabbeinu Tam crosses out the title "a man from Jerusalem," (or omits his name altogether) of this man, seeing he was a confirmed sinner and we do not dignify such sinners by mentioning their titles or even their names. We have a tradition that "the name of sinners should rot" (Proverbs 7,10), based on Yoma 38b. Even according to the view of Rabbi Yitzchak cited there, that if, say, a sinner is called "Abraham," we surely cannot stop calling everybody "Abraham" on account of the one sinful Abraham, at the very least such a person should not be accorded his title! Here the Torah seems to go out of its way to describe how these people had earned their titles! Moreover, in Sanhedrin 110, we are told that these men had outstanding abilities, knowing when to add an extra month to the calendar, etc. It says there that the expression אנשי שם, means that their reputation was international.

Another difficulty is the Torah saying: "Moses heard and fell on his face" (16,4). Sanhedrin 110, asks what it was precisely that Moses had heard, and Rabbi Samuel son of Nachmeyni says that he had heard that these people suspected him of committing adultery, since we read in Psalms 106,16: "ויקנאו למשה במחנה," which is interpreted by Rabbi Shmuel bar Vitzchak that each Jewish husband suspected Moses of a adultery with his wife, since the Torah had stated that "Moses took his tent and put it up outside the camp" (Exodus 33,7). The question arises that even granted the Jewish people were sinful, how could they have suspected Moses of adultery?! After all, Miriam had criticised Moses for not even living with his own wife, much less with other husbands' wives! What possible reason could these people have had to suspect Moses of something so patently absurd? Many commentators have written that this accusation is not to be taken at face value, but rather that the rebels denied the quality of Moses' prophetic insights, claiming that it was not, as stated, of a פנים אל פנים variety as described in Deut. 34,10, i.e. qualitatively superior to the prophetic powers of other prophets. The rebels claimed that these other angels by means of whom prophetic images are transmitted are known as "אישים," "men," meaning that they are the means by which humans receive intelligence from celestial sources. The recipient would then be described as אשת איש, "a married lady", much as a wife describes herself as such, seeing she is the "passive" part of her husband. Their intention then was to deny Moses his special relationship with G–d. It was this special relationship which Maimonides describes. In his Moreh Nevuchim he describes the people protesting Moses' arrogant behavior in claiming special status!

And (Sanhedrin 101a): "R. Chisda said: 'If one argues against his Rabbi, it is as if he would argue against the Shechinah, viz. (Numbers 26:9) ["who strove against Moses and Aaron with the congregation of Korach] when they strove against the L-rd."' And R. Chamma b. Chanina said: "If one quarrels with his Rabbi it is as if he would quarrel with the Shechinah, viz. (Numbers 20:13): "They are the waters of Merivah (contention), whereby the children of Israel strove with the L-rd" [in striving with Moses].'" And, along the same lines: "R. Chaina b. Pappa said: 'If one rails against his Rabbi, it is as if he would rail against the Shechinah, etc.' … R. Avihu said: 'If one arraigns his Rabbi, it is as if he would arraign the Shechinah, etc.'" And the four levels that the Gemara mentions below are meant to apprise us that even thinking alone [against one's Rabbi] is also a great issur.