Korach 5785
“What does your heart tell you, and what do your eyes suggest?” Job 15:12
This week, we are studying Parashat Korach. Korach was a Levite, a member of the distinguished Kohath family. This clan had been given the highest honor among the Levites: the sacred responsibility of transporting all the holy objects pertaining to the Holy of Holies—the Ark of the Covenant, the altar of incense, the table of showbread, and the golden menorah. They didn’t just move them; they cared for them and preserved their sanctity. Korach was not only part of this honored lineage—he was also Moshe’s cousin and, according to the Midrashim, a man of great wealth and prominence. Yet our portion centers around his rebellion. Korach challenged Moshe’s leadership and, more pointedly, the Divine selection of Aaron as High Priest. He was soon joined by others—Dathan and Aviram from the tribe of Reuben, and eventually, 250 prominent men of the community. They all rose in protest and even dared to offer incense (Ketoret) before the Eternal, a sacred act reserved for the descendants of Aaron.
The outcome was devastating. The earth opened and swallowed Korach and his household, who descended to Sheol. The 250 leaders who had offered incense were consumed by fire. Later, when a plague broke out among the people, it was ironically Aaron who stopped it by offering incense and standing between the living and the dead. To confirm whom God had chosen once and for all, He instructed the twelve tribal leaders to bring their staffs. Miraculously, it was Aaron’s staff that blossomed, producing almonds, thus confirming his appointment to the priesthood. The message? Leadership is not seized; it is given by God.
Now let’s take a deeper look. Numbers 3:17 tells us, “And these were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.” But the most sacred tasks were assigned to Kohath’s descendants. Numbers 3:19 explains: “And the sons of Kohath, according to their families, were Amram and Yitzhar, Hebron and Uzziel.”
As Shemot 6 describes, Amram married Yocheved, from whom Miriam, Aaron, and Moshe were born, making Korach Moshe’s first cousin. Shemot 6:21-22 says, “The sons of Yitzhar were Korach, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Eltzaphan, and Sitri.” Bamidbar 3:29-30 says, “The families of the sons of Kohath shall camp at the side of the Tabernacle, on the south side. And the prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Eltzaphan, son of Uzziel.”
Notice that the Eternal decided to appoint Eltzaphan, the second son of Uzziel, as prince of the Kohathites. Uzziel was the third son of Kohath, so chronologically, those who should have held the position after Amram were Yitzhar’s sons. Korach would have been next in line had it been a system of monarchy, since he was Yitzhar’s firstborn. Yet in Numbers 3:30, we see something surprising. God appoints Eltzaphan, son of Uzziel (the youngest of Kohath’s sons), as the prince over the Kohathites. In other words, Korach was bypassed in favor of someone from a “lesser” branch of the family.
This detail sets the stage. Because while Korach had every spiritual and social privilege, what gnawed at him was this: Why not me?
The opening line of our portion says:
יִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַֽאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵן.
“Vayikach Korach ben-Yitzhar ben-Kehat ben-Levi v’Datan ve’Aviram benei Eliav v’’On ben-Pelet benei Reuven.” “And he took to himself (and separated for himself) Korach son of Yitzhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On, son of Pelet, who were of the tribe of Reuben.”
The Midrash Tanchuma asks, “What did he take? He took himself—he separated himself from the community to challenge the leadership. And the meaning of Onkelos’ translation of “he separated himself,”וְאִתְפְּלֵג (v’itp’leig, to separate), from the rest of the community, indicates a move toward conflict. Similarly, we find: “How does your heart lead you?” – does it lead you to be separate from others? It also explains, “Korach took” – as he persuaded the heads of the courts among them.”
This denotes that “taking for oneself” is the opposite of chesed, kindness. How does our parashah end? With GIVING. The people were to give the Kohanim (priests) a terumah (an elevation offering) from each harvest of grain, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, and other specific gifts. In other words, the vaccine against Korach is GIVING. “Taking for myself” implies a very strong connection to material things, whether a position, financial compensation, or praise and one’s ego. Korach’s downfall wasn’t simply ambition—it was intention. At what point did Korach act against the Eternal’s decision, according to him, to place someone of lower rank in a position of greater distinction?
Well, let’s go to the portion Shelach Lecha in Bamidbar 14:1-2, where the scouts had brought back a report that triggered the following: “Then the whole congregation stood up, lifted their voices, and the people wept all that night. And all the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. And all the congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in this wilderness!’“
Something else could have motivated Korach to rise up; it says in Bamidbar 14:4: “Then he said, every man to his companion, let us choose a leader, and return to Egypt…(v.10). And the whole congregation considered stoning them.” As a result of this complaint and pronouncement by the people, God became angry, and issued a judgment described in Bamidbar 14:23, 29 and 30: “None of them shall see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of those who have provoked me, see it… Your carcasses will fall in this desert, all of you who were numbered according to the census taken from twenty years old and up, all of you who have murmured against me… Surely you shall not enter the land.”
This harsh sentence caused the people to think that they could ingratiate themselves before the Bore Olam and get Him to reverse His decision. They did not accept Divine justice and forgiveness, and made the mistake of “one nail drives out another nail,” an expression that teaches us that sometimes we try to correct one mistake by making another. And so, they ascended to Hormah and were defeated.
This was the lowest point of Moshe’s popularity. At a time when his leadership was at its weakest, Korach rose up. During the not-so-good times in our lives, the “Korachs” rise up, seduced by their visual “agnosia”, their inability to recognize reality and distort it in order to conveniently convey what they think they see.
The Midrash says, “’ Now, Korach takes’ was a bad business deal for him, having been persuaded by his wife. In the camp, how the tribes and clans of Levi had been distributed, the sons of Reuben were intermingled with the sons of Kohath. In other words, the perfect combination to take advantage of the situation.”
While Korach’s desire may have seemed right to him, his way of doing and requesting things was not the best, since, as Moshe correctly interpreted, he went against Aaron because he believed it to be nepotism. In contrast, the sons of Reuben (Yaakov’s first son) wanted Moshe’s leadership position, which he viewed as royalty. So, they distorted the words of the Eternal, expounding seemingly correct words but taken out of context. Today, we see “content creators” who take events, reports, and statements out of context to create chaos. And this is what happens: Lashon Hara produces chaos.
Korach was a very good promoter and marketing specialist. He had the skill to persuade the people that the leaders accompanying him were of high standing. It says he took 250 renowned men with him, but God doesn’t look at renown; He sees whether the leaders are righteous (tzadikkim) or not. In other words, having a reputation or being a famous actor means nothing to the Eternal. We elect leaders based on popularity. I’ve seen many leaders and politicians win, judged by “With whom would you sit down and have a drink? However, when they get into power, they’re a disaster. Look at the Ayatollahs, the Chavistas, Ortega, among so many others who came into power through lies, and when they got elected, they only looked out for number one! When our intentions are solely focused on ourselves and not on serving God and our fellow man, chaos ensues.
According to the Midrashim, On was saved by his wife, and God didn’t eliminate Korach from the earth. We know that his descendants were saved, as the prophet Samuel was descended from him, and his sons were the composers of some of the Psalms sung in the Temple. Of the 250 men of renown, we don’t even know who they were, because what is important to man is of no concern to the Eternal. He sees the heart and judges our intentions.
Moshe was a man of great merit; he wanted to resolve and bring Korach and the mutineers to reason, but he was unable to prevent God’s judgment and subsequent sentence upon them. Aaron remained calm without trying to justify himself to others. And finally, we see how the tongue can either destroy or build up.
Perhaps things aren’t going your way today. Maybe your boss chose someone else for a position you wanted. Maybe you don’t feel valued…like Korach. But let’s be careful about what our eyes interpret, by making snap judgments without thorough investigation, or what our heart “tells” us, because it can be deceitful.
My prayer this Shabbat is that we may be grateful for our role in life, thankful for the good and the seemingly bad, and that we may be a source of Chesed, grace, mercy and lovingkindness to all.
Shabbat Shalom
Mauricio Quintero