The very next day after Korah and his followers were swallowed up in the earth, Moses and Aaron were faced with a new complaint: "You have brought death upon God’s people" (17:6). Somewhat shockingly, despite the miracles and Heavenly signs, despite Korach's unconventional death and the clear Divine punishment meted out to those who disagreed with Moses and Aaron, the people of Israel remain unconvinced. They do not comprehend what God has shown them.
It is very difficult to understand how Moses and Aaron could be blamed, as Rabbenu Bahye writes: “After two separate punishments were carried out against them – they were swallowed up by the earth and consumed by Heavenly fire – what could they possibly complain about?” Complaints, after all, must be based on some inner logic! The commentators respond to this by trying to explain the logic of the complaint, and are divided as to how Moses and Aaron could be perceived as being responsible for the death of "God’s people."
Rashbam and Ramban argue that the complaint was based on the fact that had Moses and Aaron not compelled the 250 men to bring an incense sacrifice, they would have lived. According to this view, simple laws of physics operated here. Moses and Aaron allowed them to touch an exposed electric cable, and, in effect, sent them to their deaths. Rabbi Hayyim Paltiel adds that although Aaron also brought a similar sacrifice, he made sure that his would be a communal incense sacrifice, while the others brought personal sacrifices. According to this, not only did Moses and Aaron set a trap for them, but they also deceived them so that although it appeared that Aaron was doing the same thing, in fact Aaron made sure to remain protected throughout.
Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, suggests that the accusation against Moses and Aaron was based on the feeling that they had mystical powers, and based on their prayers or their wisdom they had the means to bring about the death of Korah and his followers. The basis for the complaint, according to this view, was mystical. The people complaining may not have been able to point to a precise causal link, but they were certain that there was a certain conspiracy between Moses, Aaron and God that could directly cause Divine intervention according to their wishes. Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin takes this idea further, suggesting that there are righteous people with whom God cooperates, but that does not prove that they are right. He writes:
…and this was the complaint of the Israelites in saying "You have brought death upon God’s people" (17:6) even after they witnessed the miraculous nature of their demise. They nevertheless believed that proof does not descend from heaven, and the miracle could not be used as proof that Moses and Aaron were right and that Korah and his followers were wrong. They could only conclude that the great merit of Moses and Aaron brought about the deaths of the others, since that was their desire (Tzidkat HaTzaddik 64).
According to R. Tzadok, when a person chooses to go in a certain path, he will receive Divine assistance if he is deserving and has merit. Nevertheless, the fact that he receives this assistance does not attest to his righteousness, but only to his inner will. The same applies to the walls of the beit midrash that began to collapse in support of R. Eliezer in the well-known story of the “snake oven.” The testimony of the collapsing walls of the beit midrash, R. Tzadok writes (arguing with the generally accepted understanding of the story), does not serve as evidence or proof of the justification of his halachic opinion in that dispute, rather it is an outward expression of Rabbi Eliezer's desire to divert the law in his favor.
It appears that the commentators deal with the question of the complaint according to their worldview and their understanding of how the mechanism of evil operates in the world. According to the first opinion it seems clear that evil is a direct result of sin. According to the second opinion, things are much more complex. The forces operating in this world are not only sin and response to sin, but of a whole set of forces of attraction. And so, it turns out that the righteous have the power to sow destruction and devastation through their merits and that the wicked do not necessarily bring evil into the world.
It is possible that the second interpretation exposes complicated emotional dilemmas experienced by someone who feels that God has answered him even though he knows in his heart that it is not because he is right. The difficult feeling of living a falsehood does not apply only to someone who sins and knows that he deserves punishment, but also – and more powerfully – to those who are honest and righteous, but feel unworthy of the reward that they have received. This approach imposes great responsibility on who serve as leaders, upon whom the generation relies for compassionate leadership.
In contrast with these two approaches, the midrash makes no attempt to justify the people’s complaint. This is how the midrash explains it:
Vayehi: Oy vey!
Who said Oy vey?
R. Abin explained:
It is as if the Holy One Blessed be He said Oy vey.
To what may this be compared?
To a king who had a matron who always complained.
The king instructed her to prepare a royal garment for him.
All the time that she was busy making the garment, she did not complain.
After a time, the garment was complete and she brought it to the laundry to prepare so that she could bring it to the king.
When the king saw her he cried out “Oy vey! I fear that she will return to her complaining.”
(Bamidbar Rabbah, Naso 12:7)
Perhaps this is a good time to tell a story. When we were children and complained that “it’s no fair,” my father (of blessed memory) would always respond: “it’s no fair” means “father is right.” According to the midrash, the source of the complaint is the very nature of the Israelites. Complaining is their default. If they are not busy with something, then what they will do is complain. As we have seen, the parable speaks of a complaining woman (a queen!) who stops complaining as long as she is busy. When she finishes her job, however, she reverts to form. In the continuation of the midrash we find a description of how Israel invariably sins and complains whenever there is a break in activity. The complaint is not based on any kind of logic; it is inherent in the personality of those complaining. The only way to combat the tendency to complain is by making sure to eliminate frustration and boredom. There is no point to search for a cause for the complaint. The complaint is a story, it is a cry, it is a psychological state whose words and content serve as a cover, hiding an attempt to transfer the sense of desolation and emptiness onto others.