Numbers 17:5

So as not to be like Korach. In order not to be like Korach.

As Adonoy spoke to him, through Moshe. Like עָלָיו, “about him.” About Aharon, He spoke to Moshe, [saying] that he and his sons shall be kohanim. Therefore, a stranger should not approach who is not a descendant of Aharon, etc. Similarly, every לִי, לוֹ and לָהֶם next to דִּבּוּר, “speech,” is interpreted as עַל, “about.” According to Midrash, about Korach, what is [the meaning of] בְּיַד משֶׁה, [literally “in the hand of Moshe,”] [why did] Scripture not write “to Moshe”? This alludes that those who dispute the kehunah are stricken with tzora'as, as Moshe was stricken in his hand, as it is said, “when he withdrew it, his hand was stricken with tzora’as — white as snow.” This is why Uziyah was stricken with tzora’as.

for a memorial to the sons of Israel, that no common man, who is not of the sons of Aharon, may offer incense before the Lord; and that no man should behave himself factiously to obtain the priesthood, as did Korach and the company of his helpers; and whose end would be to perish, not (indeed) with a death like that of Korach and his company, by being burned by fire, and being swallowed up by the earth, but punished with leprosy: as when the Lord said to Mosheh, Put thy hand into thy bosom, and his hand was stricken with leprosy; so would it be with him.

THAT HE BE NOT AS KORACH, AND AS HIS COMPANY, AS THE ETERNAL SPOKE BY THE HAND OF MOSES ‘LO.’ “The word lo [literally: ‘to him’] is like alav (‘about him’), that is, about Korach. And what is the meaning of by ‘the hand’ of Moses, and why is it not written ‘unto Moses’ [as is written elsewhere]? It is a hint to those who dispute the priesthood, that they will be stricken with leprosy, just as Moses was stricken [with it] on ‘his hand.’ It was for this reason that Uzziah [king of Judah] was stricken with leprosy [when he attempted to usurp the function of the priests and to offer incense]. And according to the plain meaning of Scripture, [the interpretation is as follows: if anybody disputes the priesthood and claims it for himself, his punishment] will not be that of being swallowed up and burnt, as happened to Korach and his company; instead, [his punishment] will be like that which Moses received on his hand when it was stricken with leprosy. And some scholars interpret [the verse to mean]: that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the Eternal — as the Eternal spoke by the hand of Moses with regard to Aaron, that he and his sons should be priests, and not a layman.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation is that [the word lo (to him)] refers to Eleazar who is mentioned [at the beginning of the section], when Scripture said, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest etc., and the correct order [in meaning] of the verses [before us] is as follows: And Eleazar the priest took the copper censers wherewith they that were burnt had offered, and they beat them out for a covering of the altar — as the Eternal spoke to him by the hand of Moses — to be a memorial unto the children of Israel etc.

כאשר דבר ה' ביד משה לו. This phrase is a continuation of what had been introduced at the beginning of verse 4 concerning the pans used by the insurgents for their incense.

The unusual ending לו after the words ביד משה means that G’d had told Moses to relate this instruction to Eleazar. [giving special instructions to Eleazar (verse 2) while his father the High Priest was alive, may have reflected a special sensitivity to Aaron’s feelings on the subject which G’d displayed on this occasion. Ed.]

כאשר דבר ה' ביד משה, “as the Lord had said via Moses.” The plain meaning of the verse is that Eleazar took the copper fire-pans as he had been instructed to do by Moses, whom G–d had told to instruct with this task.