Korah 5772 - English

By Rabbi Mario Gurevich
Beth Israel Synagogue – Aruba

This parashah tells us about the tragic revolt story of Korah, Dathan, Abiram and On, along with two hundred fifty other men, “leaders of the congregation, men of renown” (Num. 16:2), against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

Both had already faced the complaint and grumbling of the people: for the lack of water, for the menu’s monotony (manna every day), for the shortage of meat…  The most serious, however, was the one we read about last week, where the mistaken perception of the explorers sent to scout the conditions of the Promised Land, caused so much anguish and defeatism that the conquest was postponed until the death of that entire generation, forty years later.

But the revolt described today has nothing to do with the people or their dissatisfaction.  It has to do with the envy of many who considered themselves “nobility” and worthy of occupying positions of leadership. It is just a case of personal ambitions and yearning for power.

According to the Midrash, Korah used a populist approach in his attempt to win people’s favors, generating discontent among the people through half truths or distortion of facts. We find an example of this in the following Midrash:

There lived in my vicinity a widow with her two unmarried daughters, who owned for their support one field whose yield was barely sufficient for their needs.  When [the widow] set out to plow her field, Moses appeared and said, You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together (Deut. 22:10).  When she began to sow, Moses appeared and said, You shall not sow your field with mingled seed (Lev. 19:19).  When the first fruits showed, Moses appeared and bade her bring it to the priests, for to them are due the first of all the firstfruits of the earth (Ex. 23:19); and when at length the time came for her to cut it down, Moses appeared and ordered her not [to] reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleaning of your harvest… but you shall leave them for the poor and stranger (Lev. 19:9-10).  When she was about to thresh the grain, Moses appeared once more, and said: Give me the heave offering, the first and the second tithes to the priests (see Num. 18).  She accepted God’s inscrutable will in humility and submitted herself to Moses’ demands [but despaired of the hardship created for her].

So what did she decide to do?  She sold the field and [with the proceeds] purchased two ewes in the hope that she might be able to clothe her family with their wool, as well as benefit in various ways from their offspring.  [However], when the firstling sheep was born, Aaron appeared and said, “Give me all your firstborn lambs, for the Holy One blessed be He said to me: All the firstlings males that come from your herd and from your flock you shall consecrate to the Lord” (Deut. 15:19).  She acted righteously, handing them over.  At shearing time Aaron reappeared and said, “Give me the first of your fleece, for the Holy One blessed be He said to me: The first of the fleece of your sheep shall you give [to the priest]” (Deut. 18:4).  Not content with this, Aaron reappeared later and demanded one sheep out of every ten as a tithe (see Lev. 27:32), to which again, according to the Torah, he had a claim.  This, however, was too much for the long-suffering woman.  She said:  “I haven’t the strength to defy this man, so I will slaughter [the ewes] and eat them.  [At least I can benefit from their meat in peace.]”  No sooner had she slaughtered them but Aaron appeared, and said:  Give me the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach (Deut. 18:3).  “Oy!” exclaimed the widow, “Even slaughtering the sheep did not deliver me out of his hands! So let this meat then be consecrated to the sanctuary!”  [Refusing to pass up this last opportunity,] Aaron appeared and said: “Then the meat shall be mine, for thus said the Holy One blessed be He to me: Everything that has been proscribed in Israel shall be yours” (Num. 18:14). He picked up the meat and departed, whereupon the widow and her daughters began to weep bitterly.

Despite his clever speech, Korah failed in his attempt to obtain popular support for his aspirations. The people were mature enough to understand that he had no claim whatsoever, but just personal ambition.

Public function and authentic leadership demand clear convictions and humility, which Moses and Aaron embodied.  Our lives and our Torah constitute the monument to their works.

False leaders, the agents of revolts without a cause, dictators and tyrants who bred and breed only death and suffering, are not immortalized in monuments. Their memory is swallowed by the earth, as were Korah and his conspirators.

Let us remove ourselves from senseless disputes and unfounded quarrels. Let us condemn the Sinat Chinam, the gratuitous hatred among brothers, acquiring examples among past events so we can create a future of harmony, tolerance and peace.

Shabbat Shalom.