כלי יקר — לא נעלה... העיני האנשים ההם תנקר

Q — What did Datan and Aviram actually mean by 'לא נעלה'? To what 'going up' were they refusing — and who are 'האנשים ההם' whose eyes Moshe is supposedly trying to gouge out?

A — Kli Yakar reads it not as a physical refusal but as a refusal of *promotion*. Moshe summoned them privately to make peace — and they assumed (perhaps wrongly) that he intended to *bribe* them with a promotion in status ('מעלה'), reasoning that since they were the real backbone of the rebellion, buying them off would cause the whole thing to collapse. 'לא נעלה' = 'we won't accept this promotion-bribe.' 'העיני האנשים ההם תנקר' alludes to 'השחד יעור' (Devarim 16:19) — bribes blind even the wise. They're saying: *we* won't be blinded. The reading reveals both Moshe's pursuit of peace and the depth of their cynicism toward it.