The rebellion of Korach ended with devastating results. Korach and his followers were swallowed up by the earth, and the 250 who offered incense were consumed by fire. Those Israelites who continued to complain that Moshe and Aharon were responsible for the deaths of holy people were stricken with a plague, and more than 14,000 died.

Then, as further proof of Aharon’s greatness and confirmation that he is Hashem’s choice, from all the princes’ staffs, Hashem makes Aharon’s staff bloom and produce almonds miraculously. This demonstrated that Hashem has chosen the tribe of Levi and Aharon himself to perform all the services in the Mishkan. The people react to these events as follows:
And the Children of Israel said to Moshe, saying: “Behold, we perished
(GAVA’NU), we are lost (AVADNU), all of us are lost! Whoever approaches closer (KOL HA’KAREV HA’KAREV) to the Mishkan of Hashem will die. Will we ever stop (TAMNU) to perish?” (Bamidbar 17:27-28).

What follows next is a series of mitzvot that highlight the special duties, privileges and challenges of the tribe of Levi (18:1-32). But, what do the Israelites mean by their exclamations? Have they accepted Hashem’s decision, or are they persisting in their rebellion? Why this outburst after witnessing the miraculous blossoming of Aharon’s staff? Is it more frightening than the Divine punishments that preceded it? Also, why do they repeat AVADNU and HA’KAREV?
“Behold, we perished (GAVA’NU), we are lost (AVADNU), all of us are lost!”
Rashbam says that the people saw that many of them perished in the punishments following Korach’s rebellion, and they continue to be destroyed. There is every reason to assume that, as they commit further transgressions against Hashem’s Sanctuary, they will suffer further. AVADNU refers to the disappearance of the leaders of the rebellion:
And they were lost (VAYOVEDU) from the midst of the congregation (16:33)
Ha’amek Davar (Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin) adds that “all of us are lost” refers to the 14,000 victims of the plague. Throughout, the people grieve over the recent losses, and express anxiety for the future.

This anxiety is further highlighted in the following verse:
Whoever approaches closer (KOL HA’KAREV HA’KAREV) to the Mishkan of Hashem will die. (17:28)
Rashi understands this as referring to one who, through error, approaches too closely:
“We are not able to be careful in this. All of us are permitted to enter the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting, and one who draws closer than his friend and enters the tent will die.”
The commandments that follow, therefore, place the responsibility for ensuring appropriate behavior preventing such errors in the Mishkan, upon the Leviim.

Rashbam, on the other hand, sees the people’s exclamation as a turning point in the Mishkan service. Until now, he says the entire people of Israel might perform the service in the Mishkan if they so desired; the Levites do so “full time.” The only people who were disqualified were those with physical blemishes (Vayikra 21:16-24) and those who are defiled (Vayikra 22:1-3). At this point, the people express their anxiety that perhaps they should not all be permitted to serve, and Hashem now gives them the command that prohibits all non-Leviim:
And a stranger shall not approach to you. …and the stranger who approaches will die (Bamidbar 18:4,7).
The people now understand Hashem’s wisdom in designating the tribe of Levi for His service.

Ha’amek Davar explains the repetition KOL HA’KAREV HA’KAREV with reference to the cantillation sign (“p’sik”) that separates the repeated word: Whoever wishes to come close – meaning, whoever is internally and lovingly motivated to rise in sanctity – does so by approaching the Mishkan of Hashem, because that is the place of intense union with Him. The love of Hashem is so powerful that it breaks through all boundaries. But then there is great danger for the souls of those who are not ready for what Ha’amek Davar calls “this wondrous pleasure; and so none of us can be sure of his life”. It therefore falls to Aharon and the Leviim to protect the people from their own zeal.
…will we ever stop (TAMNU) to perish (LIVGO’A)? (v.28)
Rashi understands both TAMNU and LIGVO’A as terms for death, as if it said,
“perhaps we have been given up for dying.”
Without the needed protection, and since everyone can err; perhaps we will all meet our deaths!

Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, seems to read their words as a plea:
“Will we ever stop perishing?”
Is there no way to stop the people from coming to the same end as Korach and his supporters? Hashem’s answer comes in the form of the mitzvot of Aharon.

Chatam Sofer (R. Moshe Sofer) understands TAMNU as “we end,” and so renders the people’s cry as: Will we end by dying? – Do we have no higher purpose, no more transient expectation, than to come to the end of our physical life, no different than animal life ? Can we not expect that our service to Hashem, our toiling in Torah, will raise us to a more lofty existence? This, particularly if we are motivated by our desire to be close to Hashem. The Leviim therefore enable the people to serve Hashem and find their life’s purpose.

It remains surprising that this outburst comes from the people, not after the devastation of Korach and the plague, but after the blooming of Aharon’s staff. Rashi explains that the people are so worried precisely because the staff developed almonds:
“And why almonds? It is the fruit that is the fastest to develop of all fruits. So, one who disputes the priesthood will be punished quickly…”
Ibn Ezra adds that the very word for almond, SHAKED also means “hasten”, as in the prophesy of Yirmiyahu (1:12):
“Because I will hasten (SHOKED) my word to perform it.”
And Aharon’s staff remained in the Mishkan as a poignant reminder.

Punishment from Hashem is cataclysmic, yet its effects are ultimately transitory. Ironically, only the flower and fruit, the productive and uninterrupted power of Hashem, has the desired impact upon the people. It is the awareness of Hashem’s constant involvement in the world that helps us realize how best to serve Him.