Koraj 5775 - English

By Rabbi Guido Cohen
Asociación Israelita Montefiore
Bogotá, Colombia

The Risks of Indifference

This week’s parashah tells us about the uprising of a group of men from the people of Israel, against Moses’ leadership.  Although the causes for the rebellion and its failure, Moses’ and God’s reaction, and other circumstances surrounding this story are more than interesting, today I’d like to delve into the punishment that the people of Israel received for this rebellion, and its causes.

At the beginning of chapter 16, we are told in detail about the men who tried to rebel against Moses.  According to the Torah, some of them were Korach (a cousin of Moses), along with Dathan, Abiram, On, and some two hundred fifty men of renown within the congregation of Israel.

At the end of this same chapter, we are told that God punishes these men, making the earth open its mouth and swallow them.  But after this punishment, we are also told that a plague fell over the people and devoured 14700 men of the Congregation of Israel.  The mandatory question asked by all biblical scholars, throughout history, has been: Why do almost 15 thousand men have to pay for the sin committed by 250 men?  Isn’t God a righteous judge, who only punishes those who have transgressed?  Though it is true that the text implies that these men are punished for having complained against Moses and Aaron, this explanation is not too convincing for the sages, which causes them to search for another way to interpret the events.

Perhaps one of the most wonderful interpretations of this text is brought by a 19th century Russian rabbi, named Meïr Leibush ben Yehiel Michel, and known by the acronym Malbim.

Malbim focuses on the words of verse 15:21, where God says to Moses and Aaron: "Dissociate yourselves from this congregation…”  The word “dissociate” (chibadelu) can also be translated as “differentiate”.  Therefore, Malbim understands that in this verse, God is asking those who do not support Korach’s rebellion to differentiate themselves actively from the uprising, instead of standing idly on the side.  According to this interpretation, the punishment of these 14700 men, who apparently took no part in the rebellion, was due to the fact that they were not more active in their “non involvement.”  The Congregation of Israel is punished, plainly and simply, for standing indifferent to what was happening around them.

When a conflict arises in the world we live in, it is not enough to stay away from evil; it is also necessary to take a step forward and actively stand with those who aim to repair, rebuild, and pacify.  Staying on the sidelines of a conflict is not enough, but rather turns us into accomplices.  The Psalm teaches: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (34:14).  According to our sages, the repetitive language in this verse aims to emphasize this idea.  It is not enough to stand aside from evil and from those who promote it; instead, we should actively support those who pursue justice and peace.  It is not enough to “seek” peace; we have to actively pursue it.

Each one of our countries has seen everyday situations of injustice and oppression that knows no boundaries.  Many of the tragedies suffered by humanity in the last century were possible, not just because of the atrocity and cruelty of evil men, but also, and to a large extent, through the indifference of common people, who chose to look the other way while they were not the ones being persecuted.

Parashat Korach teaches us that indifference is not just a bad choice, but worse than that, makes us accomplices to the most unjust situations.  May we come to terms with the message of this parashah and decide to become involved in that which occurs around us, preventing us from becoming accomplices to the dark human cruelty.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rab Guido Cohen