Korach

Torah Fax

Thursday, July 3, 2003 - 3 Tammuz, 5763

Follically Challenged?

Our Parshah tells the famous story of Korach who started a rebellion against his cousins, Moses and Aaron. The immediate question that arises here is how could Korach not have learned a lesson from the earlier misadventures of some in the desert?

First there were those who worshipped the golden calf. Then there were those who demanded meat. Subsequent to that there were the ten evil spies and those who accepted their slanderous reports against the Land of Israel. In all of these situations, the instigators were all punished harshly and decisively. G‑d's quick reaction should have left no doubt in the minds of even the most daring rebel not to start up with G‑d's chosen representative, Moses. Even the righteous Miriam, Moses' sister, was punished with Tzara'at (a skin disease that requires the afflicted to be quarantined) because she said something only mildly disparaging about her brother.

How then does Korach, whom our Sages assert was a brilliant man, do such a foolhardy thing to start a major rebellion against Moses?

One approach is that in all of the other sins, Moses was not the object of the rebellion. The golden calf was fashioned because Moses was thought to have disappeared and was not likely to return. The demand for meat was made to Moses because they thought Moses could get them anything. It was therefore not intended as an affront to Moses, but rather an affirmation of Moses' role as a benevolent leader who would take care of all their needs. Even the ill-fated mission to the Promised Land was not directed against Moses, but rather against the Land of Israel. All of these examples of rebellion were directed against G‑d and not against Moses.

The first time anyone stood up against Moses personally was Korach. Korach contested the fact that G‑d had chosen Moses. He therefore thought that he would not be punished because he was not revolting directly against G‑d or against the Torah; he was "merely" attacking an individual who, in Korach's mind, purported to speak in the name of G‑d, but was not truly commissioned to do so.

Even Miriam's mild slander of Moses did not sway Korach to desist from his rebellion, because Miriam made a personal criticism of Moses for which she was punished. In this situation, however, Korach was not belittling Moses, he merely claimed that he was not a genuine representative of G‑d.

In truth, Korach's rebellion was worse than all the other forms of rebellion. To go against G‑d, though a heinous crime, would not likely be emulated by others. To claim-with self-righteous indignation, as Korach did-that Moses was making it all up and that in fact he had no authority to be leader, such a claim could easily be employed by anyone who wants to flout the law but does not want to be viewed as revolting against G‑d. All that person has to do is claim that G‑d never said this or that, the messenger (in this case, Moses) made it up out of whole cloth.

Indeed, according to Maimonides, Moses' position is qualitatively different from all other prophets. All of the Jewish people witnessed how G‑d had summoned Moses to receive the balance of the Torah directly from Him. Moses' role as the ultimate spokesman for G‑d was clearly established for all times at Sinai. 

Korach's rebellion thus was significantly worse than any of the earlier rebellions. His insurrection threatened the future of Judaism because Judaism's survival hinges on the unbroken chain of tradition from Sinai through Moses to subsequent generations. Anytime one repudiates even a single link in the chain of tradition, Judaism cannot survive.

The name Korach has been translated as "a bald spot," i.e., an open space or separation. Korach thus represents the attempt to create a separation between G‑d and the Jewish people by negating the value of Moses-and his successors, the Torah teachers of future generations-as those who faithfully communicate G‑d's teachings to the people. Without these Divinely chosen "communicators" Judaism cannot continue.

In mysticism we are taught that Korach-contrary to conventional thought-was a visionary. He saw into the future and witnessed a glorious Messianic age. In light of our analysis of Korach, as the desire to create a separation between G‑d, Moses and subsequent generations, we can characterize Korach's vision as one that linked Sinai with the future Messianic Age without the intervening generations of Jewish endeavor.

Korach was partially correct. The Messianic Age is the time when the experience of Sinai will become a permanent aspect of our lives and will ensure a world of peace and heightened spiritual awareness by all. However, Korach was wrong in thinking that the intervening links are not crucial for creating the connection between Sinai and the Age of Redemption. Each and every link of our history is indispensable for the unfolding of the Age of Moshiach. Indeed, each and every person plays a crucial role in linking Sinai to the present and paving the way for the future. There is no place for Korach's desire to create breaks in that chain that leads us inexorably from Sinai to Moshiach. 

"Teaching people about Moshiach’s imminent arrival is a everyone’s responsibility. Even those that have not yet fully absorbed that message themselves, still must spread it to those around them. By teaching others and educating them, it will help all of those involved to relate to the message more clearly, including the one delivering the message!” (The Rebbe, Parshas R’eh, 1990)

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