Korach 5769 Volume XVI Number 39 Toras Aish Thoughts From Across the Torah Spectrum raise yourself above the Lord's congregation?" What RABBI JONATHAN SACKS they say is that everyone should be a leader. What they Covenant & Conversation mean is: I should be a leader. As for the timing of the revolt, Ramban is surely he Korach rebellion was the single most dangerous right in dating it to the period immediately following the challenge to Moses' leadership during the forty debacle of the spies, and the ensuing decree that the Tyears that he led the people through the people would not enter the land until the next wilderness. The precise outline of events is difficult to generation. As long as the Israelites, despite their follow, probably because the events themselves were complaints, felt that they were moving toward their tumultuous and disorderly. The narrative makes it clear, destination, Korach and the other malcontents had no however, that the rebels came from different groups, realistic chance of rousing the people in revolt. Once each of whom had different reasons for resentment: they realised that they would not live to cross the "Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi Jordan, Korach knew that rebellion was possible. The betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of people were disillusioned, and they had nothing to lose. Eliab, and On son of Peleth-descendants of Reuben-to Thus far, the story of Korach is intensely rise up against Moses, together with two hundred and realistic. A leader is able to mobilise a people by fifty Israelites, chieftains of the community, chosen in articulating a vision. But the journey from the real to the the assembly, men of repute. They combined against ideal, from starting point to destination, is fraught with Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too setbacks and disappointments. That is when leaders far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the are in danger of being deposed or assassinated. Korach Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourself is the eternal symbol of a perennial type: the coldly above the Lord's congregation?'" calculating man of ambition who foments discontent Disentangling the various factions, Rashi against a leader, accusing him of being a self-seeking suggests that Korach, prime mover of the uprising, was tyrant. He opposes him in the name of freedom, but aggrieved that Moses had appointed Aaron as high what he really wants is to become a tyrant himself. priest. Moses was the child of Amram, Kohath's eldest What is exceptionally unusual is how the story son. Korach was the firstborn of Kohath's second son, ends. Moses had initially proposed a simple test. The Yizhar, and felt that he should have been made high rebels, and Aaron, were to prepare incense the next priest. The fact that Moses had appointed his own day. God would then signal whose offering He chose. brother to the role struck Korach as unacceptable Before this could happen, however, Moses found favouritism. himself unbearably provoked by the contemptuous The Reubenites, suggests Ibn Ezra, felt that as attitude of Dathan and Abiram. Sensing that the descendants of Jacob's firstborn, they were entitled to situation might be getting out of control, he sought an leadership positions. Ibn Ezra adds that the final straw immediate and dramatic resolution: "Moses said, 'By may have been Moses' appointment of Joshua as his this you shall know that it was the Lord who send me to successor. Joshua came from the tribe of Ephraim, the do all these things; that they are not of my own devising: son of Joseph. This may have revived memories of the if these men die as all men do, if their lot be the old conflict between the children of Leah (of whom common fate of all mankind, it was not the Lord who Reuben was the firstborn) and those of Rachel, whose sent me. But if the Lord brings about something child Joseph was. unheard of, so that the ground opens its mouth and The 250 other rebels, Ibn Ezra conjectures, swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and were firstborn, still unreconciled to the fact that after the they go down alive into Sheol, you shall know that these sin of the golden calf, the role of special service to G-d men have spurned the Lord.'" passed from the firstborn to the tribe of Levi. No sooner had he finished speaking, than the Each faction had grounds for feeling that they ground opened up and swallowed the rebels. The had been passed over in the allocation of leadership miracle Moses had counted on, happened. By any positions. The irony of their challenge is unmistakable. narrative convention we would expect that this would They pose as democrats, egalitarians: "All the end the rebellion and vindicate Moses. Heaven had community are holy, all of them... Why then do you 2 Toras Aish and his fellow rebels. Yet it did not end the conflict. It TORAS AISH IS A WEEKLY PARSHA deepened it. After it had taken place, the whole Israelite NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTED VIA EMAIL AND THE community-the ones that had not been part of the WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://AISHDAS.ORG. rebellion-complained, "You have killed the Lord's FOR MORE INFO EMAIL [email protected] people." What ended it was the quiet, gentle miracle The material presented in this publication was collected from publicly available electronic mail, computer archives and the that showed that Aaron was the true emissary of the G- UseNet. It is being presented with the permission of the respective d of life. Not by accident is the verse that calls Torah a authors. Toras Aish is an independent publication, and does not "tree of life" preceded by these words: necessarily reflect the views of any given synagogue. "Its ways are ways of pleasantness, And all its TO DEDICATE THIS NEWSLETTER PLEASE CALL paths are peace." (Prov. 3: 17) 973-472-0180 OR EMAIL [email protected] That is conflict resolution in Judaism-not by answered his call in the most dramatic way. He had force, but by pleasantness and peace. © 2009 Rabbi J. been proved right. End of revolt. End of story. Sacks and torah.org This is precisely what does not happen-a RABBI AVI WEISS powerful example of what makes the Torah so challenging, its message so unexpected. Instead of Shabbat Forshpeis quelling the revolt, we read the following: 've often heard people say, "if only God would reveal "The next day, the whole Israelites community Himself miraculously, Jews would believe today much grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 'You have killed Ilike they did when God performed wonders in Egypt the Lord's people,' they said." and in the desert." But, surprisingly enough, from a This time, it is God himself who intervenes. He Torah perspective, miracles have limited impact. If one tells Moses to take twelve staffs, one for each tribe, and claims to be a prophet by virtue of miracles he deposit them overnight in the Tent of Meeting. The next performs, the Torah states that it is not enough. morning, the staff bearing the name of Aaron and the Miracles do not authenticate one's prophetic mission. tribe of Levi had sprouted, budded, blossomed and (Deuteronomy 13:2-6) borne almonds. Only then did the rebellion end. Our portion expands on this idea. As the earth This is an astonishing denouement-and what it opened up to swallow those rebelling against Moshe tells us is profound. The use of force never ends a (Moses), the Jews seemed duly impressed. In the conflict. It merely adds grievance to injury. Even the words of the Torah, "All Israel that were roundabout fled miracle of the ground opening up and swallowing his at the cry of them." (Numbers 16:34) Surely faith would opponents did not secure for Moses the vindication he follow such an impressive feat. By the next day, sought. however, the impact of the miracle had waned. The What ended the conflict was something else Jews complained to Moshe and Aharon (Aaron) saying, altogether: the visible symbol that Aaron was the "you have killed the people of the Lord." (Numbers 17:6) chosen vehicle of the G-d of life. The gentle miracle of In fact, miracles in the Torah usually do not the dead wood that came to life again, flowering and have lasting effects. Consider the following: Even after bearing fruit, anticipates the famous words of the book the miracles of the ten plagues in Egypt, the Midrash of Proverbs about the Torah: insists that most Jews still refused to leave. Not long "It is a tree of life to those who embrace her; after the splitting of the sea, the Jews complained to those who lay hold of her will be blessed." (Proverbs 3: God that they didn't have enough to eat and drink. 18) Finally, while revelation is considered by many to be the Moses and Aaron stood accused of failing in most powerful intervention of God in the world, in the their mission. They had brought the people out of Egypt end, the Jews rejected the Ten Declarations, building to bring them to the land of Israel. After the debacle of the golden calf just forty days later. the spies, that hope had died. The stick that came to life True, many people who believe pray for again (like Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones) miracles to reoccur and believe that our Torah symbolized that hope was not dead, merely deferred.