!!לזכות נסיה תמר בת אלישבע טובה וכל משפחתה
Says the Rambam:
The Jews did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the wonders that he performed. Whenever anyone's belief is based on wonders, [the commitment of] his heart has shortcomings, because it is possible to perform a wonder through magic or sorcery.
All the wonders performed by Moses in the desert were not intended to serve as proof [of the legitimacy] of his prophecy, but rather were performed for a purpose. It was necessary to drown the Egyptians, so he split the sea and sank them in it. We needed food, so he provided us with manna. We were thirsty, so he split the rock [providing us with water]. Korach's band mutinied against him, so the earth swallowed them up. The same applies to the other wonders.
What is the source of our belief in him? The [revelation] at Mount Sinai. Our eyes saw, and not a stranger's. Our ears heard, and not another's. There was fire, thunder, and lightning. He entered the thick clouds; the Voice spoke to him and we heard, "Moses, Moses, go tell them the following:...."
Thus, [Deuteronomy 5:4] relates: "Face to face, God spoke to you," and [Deuteronomy 5:3] states: "God did not make this covenant with our fathers, [but with us, who are all here alive today]."
How is it known that the [revelation] at Mount Sinai alone is proof of the truth of Moses' prophecy that leaves no shortcoming? [Exodus 19:9] states: "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people will hear Me speaking to you, [so that] they will believe in you forever." It appears that before this happened, they did not believe in him with a faith that would last forever, but rather with a faith that allowed for suspicions and doubts. [Yesodei HaTorah 8-1]
The Rambam makes a REMARKABLE claim, namely that Moshe had the earth swallow up Korach NOT in order to prove that Moshe was a Navi but "for a purpose".
But the psukim say otherwise!!
"וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ משֶׁה֒ בְּזֹאת֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֣ה שְׁלָחַ֔נִי לַֽעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַמַּֽעֲשִׂ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּי־לֹ֖א מִלִּבִּֽי"
Moshe said, "With this you shall know that Hashem sent me to do all these deeds, for I did not devise them myself.
"אִם כְּמוֹת כָּל הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן אֵלֶּה וּפְקֻדַּת כָּל הָאָדָם יִפָּקֵד עֲלֵיהֶם לֹא יְהוָה שְׁלָחָנִי"
"If these men die as all men die and the fate of all men will be visited upon them, then Hashem has not sent me."
Sounds a LOT like he was proving the veracity of his Nevuah??
Also, the Rambam in his "Epistle To Yemen" asserts that anyone who denies מעמד הר סיני wasn't there. How does he explain Korach's denial, as is explicit in the Yerushalmi Perek Chelek:
"באותה שעה אמר קרח אין תורה מן השמים ולא משה נביא ולא
אהרן כהן גדול".
Korach was at מעמד הר סיני??
These questions and much more are discussed here.
