Parshat Korach

Rebellion
Rabbi Ari Kahn
The breakdown in leadership recorded in last week’s Parsha is followed by a
direct, full-scale rebellion against Moshe, Aharon, and G-d in Parshat Korach. The
foreboding report of the spies, the very men entrusted with leadership, caused
the masses to reevaluate continued allegiance to Moshe as leader. This misuse of
power brought calamity upon the masses. In this week’s Parsha, Korach takes
advantage of the undercurrents of discontent. The time is ripe - and he strikes.
Who was Korach1? What motivated him? What was his agenda? A review of the
episode will help us understand these issues.

First, let us consider Korach’s strategy.

Now Korah, the son of Yizhar, the son of Kehat, the son of Levi, and Datan
and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, and On the son of Pelet, sons of Reuven, took
men. And they rose up before Moshe, with certain of the People of Israel,
two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, regularly summoned to the
congregation, men of renown. (16:1,2)

His initial move was to galvanize the various segments of the population who felt
disenfranchised, particularly from the Tribe of Reuven: If anyone felt that their
position had been compromised, it must have been Reuven. They were, after all,
the first born of Ya'akov. Accordingly, the kingship, the Kehuna (the right to be
kohanim- preists) and the double inheritance should all have been within their
purview2. Yet these privileges were stripped away by Ya'akov, and handed over to
Yehuda, Levi and Yosef respectively.3 Therefore in his initial move Korach
manipulates the leaders of Reuven to join his rebellion.

Next we see the argument which he uses:

And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron,
and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves, for all the
community is holy, and G-d is in their midst. Why do you raise yourselves
above the community of G-d?’ (16:3)

Rashi's comments on their complaint are instructive:

1
It seems somewhat ominous that Esav had a son by the same name: And Aholibamah bore Yeush, and Ya’alam, and
Korah; these are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan. (Bereishit 36:5) There are a number of
parallels between Korah and a famous descendant of Esav – Haman; see below
2
See comments of Rabbenu Bachaya on Berishit 49:3
3
Ya’akov spells out Reuven’s inappropriateness in his final “blessing”: Reuven, you are my firstborn, my might, and the
beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel;
because you went up to your father’s bed and then defiled it…(Bereishit 49:3,4)
 ‘You take too much upon yourselves’: You have taken too much greatness
for yourselves. ‘For all the community is holy’: All heard the sounds at Sinai
emanating from Heaven. ‘Why do you raise yourselves above the
community of G-d?’: If you took the kingship for yourself, you did not need
to give your brother the priesthood... (Rashi 16:3)

What is Korach’s agenda? On the one hand, he correctly points out that the entire
nation stood at Sinai. This provides the basis for the claim that leadership can
belong to any of the people. While this argument is certainly populist, and may
perhaps bring him even greater “grassroots” support, it can lead to anarchy, for
ultimately his argument leads to the conclusion that there is no need for any
leadership at all: No individual should be placed on a pedestal over all others.
Perhaps leadership should be based on rotation, creating “A nation of comrades -
all for one and one for all”. Despite the grand message, Rashi indicates that
Korach himself does not believe the words that leave his lips, for in the next
breath he says:

‘Why do you raise yourselves above the community of G-d?’: If you took
the kingship for yourself, you did not need to give your brother the
priesthood..." (Rashi 16:3)

The text itself is unclear as to whom Korach attacks: Is Moshe his nemesis, or
Aharon 4?
Here Korach slyly seems to say, "We can make this whole thing go away if you
agree to share some of the wealth".

Korach wants power. He finds what he believes to be an expedient way to

accomplish his goal: Attack Aharon. Aharon is the weak link, for Aharon alone was
guilty in the Golden Calf tragedy5. Why should he be rewarded and become Kohen
Gadol? Why not find a more sympathetic leader to serve as Kohen Gadol, namely
Korach.

In reality, this attack is against Moshe and, indeed, against G-d Himself.

The reason why Korah refused to allow the quarrel to be composed by the
intervention of Moshe was that he had not entered upon it for a truly
4
The Midrash [Midrash Rabbah - Exodus LI:1] implies that the high priesthood was his goal. “A faithful man shall
abound with blessings,” because everything over which Moshe was appointed custodian was blessed, on account of his
trustworthiness. ‘But he that makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.’ This refers to Korah, who was a Levi, but was
ambitious for the High Priesthood also. What end awaited him? ‘And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up’.
(ib. XVI, 32).
5
Aharon himself sensed the inappropriateness of his being appointed Kohen Gadol: Observe now the piety of the righteous
Aharon! When Moshe poured the anointing oil on his head, Aharon was filled with trepidation and dismay. He said to
Moshe: ' My brother, perhaps I have been unworthy of being anointed with the anointing oil and have committed a trespass,
thus incurring the penalty of excision, for the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured’
(Ex. XXX, 32)? Scripture therefore testifies concerning him by saying, ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard; even Aharon's
beard... like the dew of Hermon (PS. CXXXIII, 1 ff.). Scripture thus compares the anointing oil to the dew of Hermon: as the
dew of Hermon is not subject to the law of trespass, so is the oil that descends upon Aharon not subject to the law of
trespass. [Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:9]
 religious motive, and that he had scant regard for the glory of G-d, and
refused to acknowledge His creative power. When Moses perceived that he
had thus placed himself outside the pale, he “was very wroth” (Num. XVII,
15). He was “wroth” because he was not able to compose the quarrel; he
was “very wroth” because they denied the creative power of God. Korah
denied this power wholly, both in the higher and the lower sphere, as
implied in the phrase: “when they strove against the Lord” (Num. XXVI, 9).
(Zohar, Bereishit Page 17a,b)

Moshe said to the Levites: ' If Aharon my brother had taken the priesthood
on his own initiative, you would have done well in being indignant against
him. Now, however, that it was given to him by the Holy One, blessed be He,
to whom belongs greatness, might, and sovereignty, then anyone who rises
against Aharon, does he not rise up against the Holy One, blessed be He?’
Accordingly it is written, ‘And as to Aharon, what is he that you murmur
against him? (ib.). [Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:9]

It is G-d, not Moshe, who gives out appointments. Perhaps by stressing that the
entire nation stood at Sinai, (as per Rashi) Korach implies rejection of Moshe’s
leadership, for Moshe differed from the nation in that he did not merely stand at
Sinai, he ascended the Mountain and brought back the Torah with him.

Korach’s tactics seem less than direct; perhaps he understood that a direct attack
against Moshe would surely have failed. However, had Moshe bowed to Korach’s
demands for priesthood, Moshe's own position would have been irreparably
compromised, and the path to his removal would have been paved.

What was it that corrupted Korach? What caused his rejection of G-d’s authority?
The Midrashic and Kabbalistic traditions abound with suggested explanations of
Korach’s failure. One explanation describes Korach as a wealthy man who, not
unlike other men of great wealth, desired power as well: 6

You will find that there are riches that positively harm their possessors and
other riches that stand them in good stead. As an example of riches that do
harm, take the case of Korah who was richer than all Israel and of whom it
is written, ‘So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into
the pit (Num. XVI, 33). 7 (Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXXI:3)

Other sources indicate that Korach felt humiliated by Moshe for shaving his head 8
(while preparing Korach for his service as Levite), a suggestion which also explains
the origin of the name Korach - which means bald.

6
Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 27d
7
The Midrash continues and compares Korah with Haman
Another example: Such was the wealth of the wicked Haman of whom it says, ‘And Haman recounted unto them
the glory of his riches’ (Est. V, 11), and of whom it is written, ‘And that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows’
(ib. IX, 25). [ Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXXI:3]
8
Sefer Etzot Yesharot
 ‘Now Korach... took’ implies that he took his cloak and went to take counsel
with his wife. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: Take the
Levites from among the Children of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shall
you do unto them, to cleanse them... let them cause a razor to pass over all
their flesh (ib. VIII, 6 f.), Moses forthwith did so to Korah. The latter walked
about among the Israelites and they did not recognize him. They said to
him: ' Who did this to you? ' Said he to them ‘Moses did it to me. Even
more, he laid hold of me by my hands and feet and I was waved and he told
me: ‘Behold, you are clean!’ Then he brought his brother Aharon and
decked him out like a bride and made him sit in the Tent of Meeting!'
Instantly, Moshe’s enemies began to incite Israel against him, saying:
'Moses is king, his brother Aaron is high priest, and his sons are deputy high
priests! The priest gets terumah, the priest gets tithes, the priest gets
twenty-four gifts! (Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:4)

In my notes on Parsha Bereishit, I cited the opinion of the Ariza"l who compares
Korach and Cain, noting the blind, self-destructive jealousy each exhibited against
protagonists who were themselves unwilling to do battle. In a sense, this first
"argument" between Cain and Hevel sets the spiritual stage for what is arguably
the most famous of arguments in the Chumash, the argument between Korach
and the establishment. I noted in that discussion the linguistic parallel of "the
ground opening its mouth"(Bereishit 4:11) to swallow the blood of Hevel and the
"Midah keneged Midah" (punishment in like measure) as the ground swallows
Korach and his men (see Devarim 11:6). While this parallel needs to be studied
and considered, other aspects of Korach’s personality and tactics are also worthy
subjects of study.

We have seen elements of vanity, megalomania, arrogance and self-delusion in

Korach’s personality, and demagoguery and manipulation in his arguments 9.
Nonetheless, and not unlike the spies in the preceding Parsha, Korach was not a
marginal character. He was a leader of his Tribe, entrusted with carrying the Ark of
the Covenant:

Our sages said, ‘Korach was exceedingly wise, and he was among the
carriers of the Ark" (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:3)

What was it then, which led this man astray, and allowed so many negative traits
to become manifest? Perhaps we can answer this question by noting a peculiarity
about Korach. Despite his ability to gather support from various sections of the
population, in his own home he was unsuccessful. The Torah reports in the next
census:

"And the sons of Korach did not die" (Bamidbar 26:11)

Apparently, the sons of Korach did not follow their father or his teachings. They
carried the Ark with dignity. Psalms 42,44,45,46,47,48,49,84,85,87,88 are all
9
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:2
NOW KORAH... TOOK. The expression ‘taking’, cannot but denote ‘drawing along with persuasive words’
attributed to the descendents of Korach10. The Midrash teaches that one of the
most famous Prophets, Shmuel was a descendent;

He (Korach) should not say that being that Shmuel is destined to descend
from me I shall be saved. (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:15)

In another section the Midrash elaborates:

Now Korah, who was a clever man--what reason had he for such folly? His
mind's eye misled him. He foresaw that a long and distinguished progeny
would emanate from him, particularly Samuel, whose importance would
equal that of Moses and Aaron; as may be inferred from the text, Moses and
Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name
(Ps. XCIX, 6), and that from among his descendants there would be formed
twenty-four levitical divisions all of whom would prophesy under the
influence of the Holy Spirit; as it says, All these were the sons of Heman (I
Chron. XXV, 5). He argued: ‘Is it reasonable that, since such greatness is
destined to emanate from me, I should keep silent? ' He did not, however,
foresee accurately. In fact his sons repented, and it was from them that the
distinguished progeny was to emanate. Moses, however, did foresee it. The
reason, then, why Korah was foolish enough to risk that danger was
because he heard from Moses that they would all perish and one of them
would escape; as it says, ‘And it shall be that the man whom the Lord
chooses shall be holy. [Midrash Rabbah, Bamidbar XVIII:8]

Korach believed in his superiority in the area of descendents, for he knew that
great spiritual leaders were to descend from his line, whereas Moshe’s line of
descent is far less inpressive. The Torah and Midrash speak infrequently about
Moshe's progeny. Korach, on the other hand, thought himself worthy of a
leadership role because of the descendants who would emerge in the future. In
fact, the sons of Korach were, in fact, superior individuals--as evidenced by their
refusal to follow their father and their own view of the their holy mission of
carrying the Ark. Korach himself perceived their greatness, but in his twisted way,
he transformed their saintliness into a justification to rebel. His children, of course,
withstood their father’s arguments and remained dedicated to Moshe, Aharon and
G-d.

This insight may allow us to appreciate the argument which Korach used, "For all
the community is holy and G-d is in their midst", a true statement. Rashi
suggested that Korach was referring to the moment when the entire community
stood at Sinai, but Rav Tzaddok haKohen from Lublin suggested a different
understanding of Rashi. While Rashi points to the past, Rav Tzaddok understands
that Korach’s reference is to the future. The Jews are truly a holy nation, and G-d

10
Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 5a ’ R. Abba discoursed here on the Psalm commencing: “A song, a psalm of the sons of
Korah” (Ps. XLVIII). ‘This psalm’, he said, ‘surpasses all the other hymns of praise, and it was sung by the sons of Korah,
being hymn upon hymn, a hymn with two facets, song and psalm… This is the song of the Holy One, blessed be He, which
was sung by the sons of Korah, those who sat at the doorway of Gehinnom.
is among us, but the holiness of the people and the manifestation of G-d in the
community will grow exponentially when the Jews accomplish their collective
mission. When Korach speaks of Mount Sinai and Revelation, he sees the
community in idyllic terms. For Korach, the future is now; G-d is among all of us.
But this perspective had its pitfalls: If the future is considered, then Korach’s
descendants are clearly more significant than Moshe's. It is Korach’s descendants
who will carry the Ark, be the messengers and Prophets of G-d. It thus becomes
appropriate that Korach, not Moshe or Aharon to lead. Korach’s mistake, his
misreading of the spiritual needs of the nation, was tragic. Instead of glory,
Korach found despair and enmity.

According to the Midrash, Hannah the mother of Shmuel serves as the spiritual
power who pulls Korach from the depths:

The Rabbis said: Even so did the company of Korach sink and descend
ever lower until Hannah arose and prayed for them: ‘The Lord kills,
and brings to life; He brings down to the pit, and brings up.’ (I Sam. II,
6) [Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCVIII:4]

Ironically, Shmuel, the most notable descendent of Korach, supports the

leadership in his generation. He is directly responsible for the anointment of the
first two kings of Israel. He does not try to usurp kingship and attain power for
himself; rather he is a faithful servant of G-d. Shaul, the first King of Israel, is
anointed by Shmuel, and only Shaul’s own sins cause him to lose his throne.
Shmuel initiates the Davidic dynasty with the anointment of David. Thus, while
this week’s hafatorah contains many allusions to our Parsha, the primary
association is the line drawn between Shmuel and Korach, and the stark
differences in their attitudes and behavior.

Korach's error was the belief that leadership is the result of intellect, wealth and
power. The Jewish idea of leadership is taking responsibility, and to serve as an
agent of G-d. Shmuel understood that. Korach did not.

Korach claimed that G-d is among all the people. Of course, he was correct. The
Kotzker Rebbi was once asked, “Where is G-d?” He responded, “Wherever we
allow Him to be.” G-d’s presence is a question of man's spirit, not G-d’s existence.
The sons of Korach also understood this; in one of the most powerful prayers in
Psalms they call out:

"To the chief musician a Maskil, for the sons of Korach: As the hart yearns
for the water of the brook, so my soul yearns for thee - O G-d. My soul
thirsts for G-d, for the living G-d. When shall I come and appear before G-d?
My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me all day,
where is thy G-d? (Psalm 42)

In this profound passage we understand why Korach had reason to be proud, but
his descendants were quite different from him. They knew G-d was among them,
they searched and longed to feel and experience G-d to greater and greater
degrees. They were honored to sing in the Temple; perhaps they did not have
starring roles- that role was reserved for the Kohen Gadol-but they were ecstatic
with their supporting role, singing out powerful words which, joined with stirring
melodies, evoked moving images. Their words, which are the positive legacy of
Korach, inspire us to this very day. Unlike Korach, who insisted that G-d is among
all of us, his descendants sang songs describing how man must desire G-d, search
for G-d, and be consumed with love of G-d.

As the hart yearns for the water of the brook, so my soul yearns for thee, O
G-d. My soul thirsts for G-d, for the living G-d. When shall I come and appear
before G-d?