Korach: Korach, Then and Now

 by Rav Dov Lior, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

What type of people did Korach gather around him for his rebellion against Moshe?

This week's Torah portion of Korach (Numbers 16-18) recounts one of the most painful episodes that ever took place in our national history.

Moshe Rabbeinu had been leading the people through all of its vicissitudes, ever since a year before the Exodus – including the difficult times in Egypt amid slavery and plagues, the rushed and miraculous departure across the Red Sea, the acceptance of the Torah, and the trek through the Sinai – when suddenly, a group of rebels arose and sought to undermine his authority! They even accused him of acting dishonestly with the nation, as if he had appointed people to high authority out of his own self-interest and not because G-d had commanded him to do so. This was a blatant and humiliating attempt to undermine the leader who had done so much to shape the national and spiritual essence of the nation.

In order for us to learn from this and make sure in the future we avoid dangerous discord such as this at all costs, the Torah goes into great detail about this incident. We learn that Korach's gang comprised three elements:

1. Korach himself, the main ideologue of the rebellion. He appeared on the scene as someone who was seeking the best welfare of the people, wishing merely to restore the Tabernacle holy service to the firstborns as before. (We must keep in mind that during that period, the holy sacrificial service stood at the center of national life – just as money and prestige stand at the center of many people's lives today; then, it was closeness to Divine worship that people sought.) Korach slyly tried to trick the people into thinking he simply wanted democracy and equality, and that the priesthood should not be given only to certain parts of the Levite tribe. To accomplish his goals, he needed the other two elements:
2. People who liked to fight and who were handy with their tongues in arousing dissent, spreading rumors, and influencing people with their rhetoric. For this purpose he enlisted Datan and Aviram, the first "journalists" in history.
3. And finally, the third element was the 250 men who were actually sincere in their desire to come close to G-d and His service. True, they knew that this wasn't the right way of doing this, but they could not overcome their spiritual cravings. For this reason their punishment was relatively honorable – as opposed to Datan and Aviram, who were swallowed up by the earth. 

The message for future generations is a profound one, and deserves our careful consideration. When national elections are held, for instance, every candidate declares that if he is elected, he will bring peace, economic prosperity, national welfare, and the like. Of course, those who are serious among the voting public know that they must check to see if the candidate who is so busy selling himself actually has the abilities and qualities necessary for the job. Or could it be that his main interest is not in actually succeeding at the very hard job of being Prime Minister, but merely in bumping out his predecessor – and all his promises were merely fig leaves for his campaign?

Only people who truly worked on behalf of our nation with dedication, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, and not for their own self-aggrandizement, can be trusted to have serious intentions for the public welfare. In such a case, they will also have Divine help – siyata dishmaya – in carrying out their promises and goals.

I hereby bless our nation that we should always merit to be blessed with leadership that speaks truthfully and has only the best motives for wanting to lead us – and in this merit, may we truly see G-d's salvation very soon for His nation and land.