We travel thru the mystery of the literal reading of this short tragic story of the gatherer of wood on Shabbat to the association with the anonymous “ish” with none other than the father of the Bnos Zleofchad later in Numbers.

Rabbi Akiva makes the connection then gets chastised for “outing” this person!

We dive into the Zoharic connection between gathering wood (trees literally) and the mortal offense of splitting or investigating which divine potency is at work in causing the exit (following immediately after the story of the spies and the tragic condemnation of the generation to die). 

This makes him the zaddik who questions divine justice.