And Korach took [a bold step] ... together with Dasan and Aviram ... and Ohn, the son of Peles (16:1) Korach's rebellion was the last time, but not the first time, that Dasan and Aviram quarreled with Moshe. They were the ones who handed Moshe over to Pharaoh to stand trial for killing an Egyptian (Shmos 2:12). They also were the ones who tried to prove that the mahn did indeed fall on Shabbat (Shmos 16:27). Were Dasan and Aviram really so wicked? If so, why didn't they die in the plague of darkness with the other resha'im among Bnei Yisrael? In truth, we must understand that all of those who witnessed matan Torah and the other miracles of the desert were truly great people. No one is without a fault, however. It was Dasan and Aviram's "misfortune" that their one fault was their inability to get along with Moshe. In every other respect, however, they were great men. (Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer)
