In describing Korah and his congregation’s dispute, the Torah tells of Dathan and Abiram refusing Moses’ request to come up to him. They attacked him bluntly and denied his authority as leader:
And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said: ‘We will not come up; is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into 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 16:12–14)
וַיִּשְׁלַח מֹשֶׁה לִקְרֹא לְדָתָן וְלַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב, וַיֹּאמְרוּ: לֹא נַעֲלֶה. הַמְעַט כִּי הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ לַהֲמִיתֵנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר – כִּי תִשְׂתָּרֵר עָלֵינוּ גַּם הִשְׂתָּרֵר? אַף לֹא אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הֲבִיאֹתָנוּ – וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ נַחֲלַת שָׂדֶה וָכָרֶם, הַעֵינֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵם תְּנַקֵּר? לֹא נַעֲלֶה! (במדבר ט"ז, יב-יד)
It is no accident that midrash connects this event with an earlier challenge to Moses’ leadership, in one of his first encounters with the Israelites during their enslavement in Egypt:
‘Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou didst kill the Egyptian?’ (Exodus 2:14)
מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ?! הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי?! (שמות ב', יד)
Midrash attributes this challenge, which occurred before the LORD sent Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt, to Dathan and Abiram as well (Midrash Lekah Tov, Exodus 2:13:3).
Interestingly, Moses does not enforce his summons. He seems to lack governmental authority, or at least consistently avoids using it. This recurs often: he falls helplessly on his face before the people in the spies’ story (Numbers 14:5), fears they will stone him (Exodus 17:4), or refuses Joshua’s request to imprison Eldad and Medad, whose prophecy in the camp challenged his prophetic standing (Numbers 11:27–29).
Although sent by the LORD, Moses received no governmental status. He is called the LORD’s servant, a prophet, or the man of God, but never king.
The sacrificial sphere illustrates this. Leviticus 4 describes four kinds of sinners and their required offerings: “the anointed priest,” “the whole congregation of Israel,” “a ruler,” and “any one of the common people.” A ruler is any eminent person, such as the twelve tribal princes or any of Israel’s dozens of ancestral-house heads, like Zimri son of Salu, called a prince (Numbers 25:14). But the chapter gives no special status to a king or the people’s supreme leader such as Moses. This is not because Moses is above sin, but because the Torah does not regard his role as a distinct governmental function. His task is to be God’s emissary, not to rule Israel.
Moses’ lack of authority is evident throughout his leadership, and more striking beside Joshua’s authority after his death:
Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death. (Joshua 1:18)
כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַמְרֶה אֶת פִּיךָ, וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תְּצַוֶּנּוּ – יוּמָת. (יהושע א', יח)
Moses led through a divine mission whose validity arose from the people’s trust; Joshua received binding authority backed by the threat of death for disobedience.
The impression is that Moses’ authority rested on the people’s trust, like leadership during the judges’ period, rather than a formal legal framework. Thus before Sinai the LORD said to him:
‘Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever.’ (Exodus 19:9)
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ בְּעַב הֶעָנָן, בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ – וְגַם בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם. (שמות י"ט, ט)
Another example is Moses’ response to Dathan and Abiram’s accusations, attesting that he had not exploited his leadership:
I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.’ (Numbers 16:15)
לֹא חֲמוֹר אֶחָד מֵהֶם נָשָׂאתִי, וְלֹא הֲרֵעֹתִי אֶת אַחַד מֵהֶם. (במדבר ט"ז, טו)
His words confirm the picture so far: his authority arose from the people’s trust and his integrity rather than law or coercion.
This wording recalls Samuel’s rebuke after the people asked for a king in his place, appearing in Korah’s haftarah:
Here I am; witness against me before the LORD, and before His anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? or whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.’ (I Samuel 12:3)
הִנְנִי עֲנוּ בִי נֶגֶד ה' וְנֶגֶד מְשִׁיחוֹ: אֶת שׁוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וַחֲמוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי? וְאֶת מִי עָשַׁקְתִּי אֶת מִי רַצּוֹתִי וּמִיַּד מִי לָקַחְתִּי כֹפֶר וְאַעְלִים עֵינַי בּוֹ – וְאָשִׁיב לָכֶם. (שמו"א י"ב, ג)
Moses sees leadership as a burden so unbearable that he wishes to die, something he must carry only because the LORD wills it. He movingly describes his feelings and deep distress:
And Moses said unto the LORD: ‘Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their fathers? … I am not able to bear all this people myself alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness.’ (Numbers 11:11–15)
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל ה': לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָ לְעַבְדֶּךָ וְלָמָּה לֹא מָצָתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ, לָשׂוּם אֶת מַשָּׂא כָּל הָעָם הַזֶּה עָלָי? הֶאָנֹכִי הָרִיתִי אֵת כָּל הָעָם הַזֶּה אִם אָנֹכִי יְלִדְתִּיהוּ, כִּי תֹאמַר אֵלַי שָׂאֵהוּ בְחֵיקֶךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא הָאֹמֵן אֶת הַיֹּנֵק עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָיו? … לֹא אוּכַל אָנֹכִי לְבַדִּי לָשֵׂאת אֶת כָּל הָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי כָבֵד מִמֶּנִּי. וְאִם כָּכָה אַתְּ עֹשֶׂה לִּי – הָרְגֵנִי נָא הָרֹג, אִם מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ, וְאַל אֶרְאֶה בְּרָעָתִי. (במדבר י"א, יא-טו)
Unlike Moses’ description of the leader bearing the people’s burden, Samuel’s account of royal practices describes the reverse: the people bear the burden and serve the leader:
And he said: ‘This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants. (I Samuel 8:11–17)
וַיֹּאמֶר: זֶה יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיכֶם. אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם יִקָּח וְשָׂם לוֹ בְּמֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ, וּבְפָרָשָׁיו וְרָצוּ לִפְנֵי מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ, וְלָשׂוּם לוֹ שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים, וְלַחֲרֹשׁ חֲרִישׁוֹ וְלִקְצֹר קְצִירוֹ, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּלֵי מִלְחַמְתּוֹ וּכְלֵי רִכְבּוֹ. וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם יִקָּח לְרַקָּחוֹת, וּלְטַבָּחוֹת, וּלְאֹפוֹת. וְאֶת שְׂדוֹתֵיכֶם וְאֶת כַּרְמֵיכֶם וְזֵיתֵיכֶם הַטּוֹבִים – יִקָּח, וְנָתַן לַעֲבָדָיו. וְזַרְעֵיכֶם וְכַרְמֵיכֶם יַעְשֹׂר – וְנָתַן לְסָרִיסָיו וְלַעֲבָדָיו. וְאֶת עַבְדֵיכֶם וְאֶת שִׁפְחוֹתֵיכֶם וְאֶת בַּחוּרֵיכֶם הַטּוֹבִים וְאֶת חֲמוֹרֵיכֶם – יִקָּח, וְעָשָׂה לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ. צֹאנְכֶם יַעְשֹׂר, וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים. (שמואל א׳ ח׳, יא–יז)
Anyone seeing a connection between these words and present reality does so entirely at their own responsibility.
