Korach – 5778

Written for Shabbat Parshat Korach, ג בתמוז תשע”ח:

Both this week’s Parsha and last or replete with important lessons. Many of them are obvious, but along with those lessons also come some very important role models. Exemplary behavior is displayed from some of the greatest figures in our history which makes for excellent role models for us to emulate. In fact, I have myself witnessed many individuals who have taken the example set forth by these biblical figures to heart and act on them regularly.

Let’s start with some role models from last week; there were many. Ten great leaders of the nation, each of a different tribe, had returned from their trip as the first Jews to visit Eretz Yisrael. When they returned they had the guts to tell the truth about Eretz Yisrael: the land is nice, but the people are horrible, scary, and mean; it’s far too dangerous to live there and no place to raise a family. They would not even be intimidated to back down from the truth when Moshe himself tried to appease the people, instead they continued to insist that there was no chance of living in Eretz Yisrael. So many people have taken this important lesson to heart and have followed the lead of these great men, continuing to tell others of the dangers of living in Eretz Yisrael and how doing so is reckless and brash.

Then in this week’s parsha we have more great role models. Korach, of course, was a well respected leader before this point, but now he could not sit idly by and used his influence for positive change. He knew that Moshe clearly had appointed Aaron to the position of Kohen Gadol out of favoritism; God had nothing to do with it. Korach called Moshe out on it by blatantly mocking the laws Moshe had taught. It was not enough to disagree with Moshe, rather he had to publicly humiliate and deride him, the only acceptable way of disagreeing with a great leader. Speaking respectably was not going to win him so many followers!

Last we have the famous pair, Datan and Aviram. They would not be controlled by Moshe’s selfish decisions, refusing to meet with him in respectful dialog. Nay, but only harsh condemnation of Moshe was the way to show they were right. Furthermore, they called out God Himself for having taken them out of Mitzrayim, describing it with the same beautiful terminology that God used to describe Eretz Yisrael. Clearly the land they grew up in, the one they were accustomed to, was far superior to the one God set aside for them to live in, and they had to make sure everyone knew it.

So many amazing role models for us to learn from, and all of them have had followers among the people I’ve met, speaking with the same amount of audacity and promoting similar ideas. Clearly the lessons of these great personalities have not been lost in the annals of time. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the two important aspects that all of these role models had in common: God did not hesitate with His retribution to punish them for their sins, and many, many fellow Jews died as a result of their actions. So perhaps these are not the role models we should be emulating after all?

Shabbat Shalom.

Korach – 5775

Written for Shabbat Parshat Korach, ג בתמוז תשע”ה:

In this week’s Parsha, we read of the shameful rebellion that Korach led against the leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu and the High Priesthood of Aharon HaKohen. Chazal teach us that the core of this leadership was actually jealousy¹; Korach felt that he deserved the Kohen Gadol position, and that Moshe was driven by personal motives when he gave the position to Aharon. Therefore, he led his brothers, the Leviyim, to rebel against Moshe by convincing them that he was not leading them properly.

While there is much more to say on this matter, it is noteworthy that the focus of his rebellion was who deserved to be Kohen Gadol, a topic which only applied to the Levitic families. So what, then, was the involvement of Datan and Aviram in the whole situation? Even if Korach became Kohen Gadol, what would they have gained from it?

This is a question that is most relevant to us. It is a fact of human nature that people have disagreements. The scope and focus of these disagreements vary greatly, from single individuals arguing over which sports team is better (an argument I would deem “Hevel Hevelim”), to community leaders disputing over the best policy to deal with a given situation. It is this latter point I would like to focus on, as many such cases will develop, and unfortunately are rarely treated properly.

After the rebellion is quelled, Hashem tells us that the people should “not be like Korach and his congregation”, which is the commandment against stirring up divisions amongst the Jewish people. As I mentioned, it is inevitable that people will disagree, but how they deal with the disagreement is not set in stone. It can be like the Mochlokot of Hillel and Shammai, where they still treated one another with utmost respect despite the fact that they did not see eye-to-eye. Or, it can be one of anger and spite, where both sides want only to triumph over their opponent.

Often times what sets the tone of the disagreement is how others on the outside treat it. Here is the core of the issue I am getting at. Datan and Aviram saw the conflict and took a side, fighting vehemently against the person they did not like, regardless of the stance his opponent was taking. Most people, unfortunately, take the position of Datan and Aviram. They don’t like one side or the other of the dispute and decide to start voicing their public disapproval and vouching for the other side. They have not actually looked into the matter and may not even care about what they stand for, but they start fanning the flames of baseless hatred and dispute, creating rifts in the Jewish people.

The Chofetz Chaim teaches us that this is not the correct path. In Hilchot Lashon Hara 8:8-9, he teaches us that when there is a public dispute, there are certain conditions that must be met before one can even get involved at all, let alone rebuking anyone! For starters, you cannot get involved at all unless your intention is to help resolve the dispute; if your intention is merely to malign, you certainly should take no part in it. Even with the right intention, you still are required to consult with a Rav who is learned in these matters and sift through the relevant information in order to come to a conclusion as to who is at fault in the dispute, if anyone, since oftentimes it is not easy to tell who the Baal Machloket, the instigator, really is. Even after that, if one can determine who the Baal Machloket is, one is required to try and rebuke the them privately before making any attempt at public rebuke, in such a case where it seems this would help. By following the laws of Lashon Hara, we can overcome many common mistakes people make in relating to others and help to build stronger, healthier relationships among the Jewish People. Shabbat Shalom.

¹ According to the opinion I am going with. There are other opinions, such as that Korach wanted an “every man will be a king” society.

Korach – 5774

Written for Shabbat Parshat Korach, כג בסיון תשע”ד:

For the Z’chut of our three missing brothers, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach. May Hashem have mercy on them and return them to us swiftly, and let no harm come to them as they come home to their families.

In this week’s Parsha, following the shameful rebellion of Korach and his followers, the Parsha tells us of some of the gifts received by both Kohanim and Leviyim. The gifts from Korbanot, as well as Trumot and Maasrot (tithes), are all listed in this Parsha. Before listing all this, however, Hashem starts out by listing their responsibilities, and begins this narrative with a frightening line (18:1), “You, your sons, and your father’s household with you shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood” (this is addressed to Aharon).

The following few verses deal more with the responsibilities of the Kohanim and Leviyim alike in the guarding of the Mishkan. Again, a dire warning is stated for the Kohanim, this time with regards to protecting the charge of the Leviyim and to keep them from touching the sacred vessels (such as the Aron and the Shulchan), and here repercussions are stated (18:3), “that they not die – they as well as you.”

There were a lot of Leviyim at this time, and the ratio of Kohanim to Leviyim was pretty significant. Over twenty thousand Leviyim compared to just three Kohanim (Aharon and his two surviving sons). How can just the three of them be expected to ensure that none of the twenty thousand plus Leviyim wouldn’t do something wrong? And how could they be blamed if one person misbehaved in a situation where it was impossible for them to know about it?

I can see at least two possible answers to this question. First off, the Kohanim were the spiritual leaders of the nation. Even when there were only three of them, they were meant to be the guiding stars for how we were supposed to act, and how we related to Hashem and the Mitzvot. Part of what they had to teach us was to show proper respect to Holy things, such as the Mishkan (or a shul, which is a place for prayer, not for talking or kids running around playing and snacking). If they were not able to bestow this lesson upon the Leviyim, with whom they had constant contact, then surely they lacked the ability to influence the masses as well, and so they have failed in their mission, at least to a certain extent. That being the case, why should they not be held liable for such a failing?

We could still ask the question, how could they be liable when there’s only three of them, and that surely is not enough to teach all the Leviyim before something happens? This brings us to the second answer, and that is: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh L’Zeh, all Jews are responsible one for another. In all cases, we are responsible for what happens to one another. Claims of, “Well I couldn’t do anything about it” are said hastily, but if we really look into what we’ve wasted our time on, we will see that there was more we could have done. Not only that, but the Jewish people all are connected; our nation together has a soul that encompasses each and every one of us. Just like if one limb in a person’s body is injured, the whole body is bothered, so, too, when one member of our nation errs and commits a sin, the entire nation is affected. We are all able to look out for one another in some way, and there is more that all of us can do to help one another. Sometimes, helping just means praying more for a person, or learning more Torah, or teaching Torah to someone, but there’s always something more that we can do.

When tragedy befalls our nation, it is due to our spiritual failings that Hashem has brought it upon us, so we must work to improve ourselves and help others around us. So when three of us are not safe at home, but are in the hands of our enemies, we must ask ourselves, “What more could I have done to uplift the nation that might have prevented this tragedy?” Together, as The Nation chosen by God, we can bring ourselves closer to Torah, closer to Hashem, and through this merit, we can bring our brothers home, and we will merit to see the Mashiach in our days. Shabbat Shalom.