“When an argument is for the sake
of heaven, the argument will lead to an established result. When an argument is
not for the sake of heaven, it will not lead to any established result. What is
an argument for the sake of heaven? That of Hillel and Shammai. What is an
argument not for the sake of heaven? That of Korah and his group” (Mishnah Avot 5:17).
While this text is frequently cited to highlight the
importance of making sure that a dispute is “for the sake of heaven,” the text
reveals little about what precisely made Korah a person whose conflict was not
worthy of heaven.
A cursory reading of this week’s parasha exacerbates the
above question, because the first time you read Parshat Korah, it would appear
that the complaints offered by Korah are utterly reasonable. The parasha opens:
“Korah the son of
Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi took [himself to one side] along with
Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, descendants of
Reuben. They confronted Moses together with two hundred and fifty men from the
children of Israel, chieftains of the congregation, representatives of the
assembly, men of repute. They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to
them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are
all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above
the Lord's assembly?" Moses heard and fell on his face” (Bemidbar
16:1-4).
Because a first-reading of the Korah story does not reveal
what precisely was wrong about Korah’s rebellion, we are required to interpret
the subtle messages of the Torah-text to understand Korah’s true motivations,
and see what lessons we might take from this episode. Our rabbinic commentators
argue that the evil intentions inherent in Korah’s rebellion were rooted in
many different factors, three of which I will explore in this Dvar Torah,
namely Korah’s selfish motivations, his ability to use charisma for a
destructive purpose, and his willingness to take advantage of the Israelites in
a state of vulnerability.
First, a midrash tells us that Moses responds to Korah’s
complaints by offering a personal reasonable explanation for why Moses and
Aaron should be elevated above the Israelites, yet Korah is not interested in
any explanation that would undermine his desire to foment rebellion. The midrash states:
“Thus Moses said to them: If my
brother Aaron had seized the priesthood for himself, your complaints against
him would have been well-put. But since
it was given him by the Holy One, blessed be He – to Whom belong greatness,
might, and majesty – is not anyone who rises up against Aaron rising up against
the Holy One, blessed be He? Therefore
it is written, “For who is Aaron that you should rail against him?”” (Bemidbar Rabbah 18:9).
In this midrash, Moses makes clear that Aaron’s position is
given by divine mandate, yet Korah has no interest in any answers, no matter
how logical. By implication, this
midrash concludes that Korah’s rebellion was evil precisely because Korah did
not care about the answers to his pernicious questions, but rather wanted to
cause trouble for Moses for the sake of causing trouble.
Second, Rashi comments we know that Korah’s rebellion was of
a sinister nature because the Torah says that Korah “took” a group of people
into his rebellion. Rashi writes:
“And Korah took”-He took himself
aside, to be separated from the congregation [so as] to rise up against the priesthood,
and for this reason Onkelos translates [the word “took”] as “he separated
himself”…Another explanation: “And Korah took”—He drew the judges among them with
his words…” (Rashi on Bemidbar 16:1).
This commentary takes the form of a “double-Rashi,” where
Rashi offers two potential commentaries on a single verse, leaving the reader
to either choose from the outlined options, or see each commentary as offering
a distinct reading on the same text. In either case, Rashi argues that when Korah
took people into his rebellion, he made the deliberate decision to separate
himself from the community, and use his stature to bring potential converts
into his rebellious orbit.
As such, Korah’s evil is rooted in his ability to use power and charisma
to undermine and Moses’ mission, and, by extension, God’s covenant with the
Jewish people.
Finally, in a modern commentary, Rabbi Jonathan Saks, the
outgoing Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, writes that seeing Korah in his
biblical context understands how Korah’s rebellion was really an opportunistic
individual taking advantage of a vulnerable people. Saks writes:
“As Ramban explains, it is no
accident that the Korah rebellion happened in the aftermath of the story of the
spies. So long as the people expected to enter the Promised Land, they stood to
lose more than gain by challenging Moses’ leadership. He had successfully
negotiated all obstacles in the past. He was their best hope. But as a result
of the spies, that whole generation was condemned to die in the wilderness. Now
they had nothing to lose. When people have nothing to lose, rebellions happen”
(Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “Taking it Personally,” Covenant and Conversation, OU
Torah, 23 JUNE 2011, http://www.ou.org/index.php/torah/_article/88286/).
According to Saks, Korah chose a moment when the Israelites
were most willing to rebel against Moses’ leadership, and it is this calculated
decision that lies at the core of Korah’s evil. In truth, Korah chose to rebel at this particular
time because it was opportunistic time to make a power-play, yet it is that
decision that makes Korah’s rebellion what it was, namely a controversy far
away from heaven.
Each of the above commentaries brings me back to the mishnah
from Mishnah Avot. The reason why
Korah’s dispute was not for the sake of heaven was because Korah’s intentions
in bringing about the rebellion were disingenuous and self-serving at their
very core. In contrast,
transformative leadership, the kind epitomized both Hillel and Shammai, requires
that a leader uses authority to achieve communal sanctity and divine
purpose. As our seniors take
the final steps of their journey at Schechter, may we embrace the task of
reminding them about what it means to take hold of Jewish community as their
future leaders, engaging in the selfless, holy task of bringing people together
to serve God and one another.
Shabbat
Shalom!
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