You Say You Want a Revolution?

Parashat Korach, Numbers 16:1–18:32

Rabbi Paul L. Saal, Congregation Shuvah Yisrael, West Hartford, CT

Do you ever have – as one children’s book would describe it – a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day”?  Well, Moses sure did. In fact, it must have seemed to him like he had fourteen thousand six hundred days like that, and most of them are recorded in the book of Bamidbar. This week’s parasha, Korach, records a mutiny of sorts that becomes the archetype for rebellion in Judaism, and could also have become the standard for a really bad day, but for the intervention of Hashem.

As Americans, we are generally comfortable challenging authority. In fact, this is a country birthed out of an act of rebellion. America is a culture where you can spray graffiti on the wall that reads “Challenge Authority,” and another person will cross it out, subsequently challenging your authority! So, when we hear of elected officials invoking executive privilege, we collectively get nervous. In general, there has been public distrust of governance in the last several years. In the parlance of the sixties, “Don’t trust the Man.”

And aren’t the Jews the original challengers of authority? Abraham smashed his father’s idols, Nathan pointed his finger at guilty King David, and Elijah made himself an overall nuisance to Ahab and Jezebel. So, why does the Torah take such a hard line against Korach and his cohorts?

According to the Talmud, “Any dispute which is for the sake of Heaven will in the end yield results, and any which is not for the sake of Heaven will in the end not yield results. What is a dispute for the sake of Heaven? This is the sort of dispute between Hillel and Shammai. And what is one which is not for the sake of Heaven? It is the dispute of Korach and all his party” (Avot 5:17).

Of Mice and Men

In other words, Korach did not have a legitimate grievance because all his complaints and consternation were rooted in ambition, greed, and a need for self-aggrandizement. Korach, a descendant of Levi and a cousin to Moses and Aaron, is upset because the sons of Aaron, not him and his sons, have been given the priestly duties and honors. But observe the clever and convoluted argument he puts forth. Korach challenges Moses, saying “all the community are holy, every one of them” rather than “all the community is holy,” thereby emphasizing individuality rather than the collective nature of Israel’s holiness. Korach is self-motivated, unlike Moses who endlessly sacrifices himself for the good of the community. Korach is cunning and manipulative, and the tone of the rebellion he incites is one of entitlement. On the surface, he sounds like a patriot, sounding the bell of democratic rule. The truth is that despite the many miracles that Hashem performed by the hand of Moses in the Sinai wilderness, Korach is seething with jealousy!

Korach’s cohorts aren’t much better! Dathan and Abiram just want to be fed. It was somebody else’s responsibility to provide for all their needs in precisely the fashion that they desired. They constantly complain about the poor provisions in the wilderness and romanticize the good old days in Egypt! Isn’t it amazing how selective their memories were? Perhaps Egypt was a land “flowing with milk and honey” as they ironically postulate, but certainly none of it was flowing their way. According to midrashic tradition, the children of Reuben never forgot they were the eldest tribe and felt entitled. Because Levi and Reuben marched together (Num 2:16–17; 10:18, 21), they were corrupted, feeling jealous of the Levites and their positions of privilege; they were able to commiserate with the disenfranchised sons of Levi! According to this tradition, Dathan and Abiram were the perfect patsies for Korach’s misguided efforts. Bad companions can truly lead us down very dark paths!

But what a difference havurot tsadikim (righteous friends) can make. On, the son of Peleth, another Reubenite, is mentioned at the outset of the rebellion (Num 16:1), only to disappear from the narrative thereafter. Midrash fills in the gaps of this brief storyline. According to aggadot (lore), On is saved by his wife, who reasoned, “What benefit is there in this rebellion? Either Moses remains our leader and you follow him, or Korach becomes leader and you follow him.'” This sentiment was later encapsulated in the cynical anthem of the 1960s by The Who, Won’t Get Fooled Again – “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

I suppose Mrs. On knew that it would be relatively easy for Korach to gather his lieutenants, 250 in total from among the most influential of the people (16:2). By the time the showdown between Moses and the rebels occurred, a significant mob was following Korach’s leadership. Mobs are nothing new and are always too ready to listen to inflammatory rhetoric. Korach had his followers, Hitler had his followers, and even today angry demagogues incite anger, fanning the flames of jealousy and fear.

Compassionate Leadership

Korach’s grave mistake was to confuse equality with sameness. Moses’ actions prove that he and Korach are completely different kinds of leaders. Korach challenges authority – but how does Moses react? Faced with the most threatening internal strife of his entire leadership, Moses might well have responded with tremendous force and passion. Instead, he falls on his face in prayer. This is not a last resort for Moses but rather his normal mode of operation. In doing so, he honors Hashem. Moses is not concerned with his own honor, but rather the honor of the Holy One of Israel!

The God that Moses celebrates is El Rachum v’Chanun, the God of compassion and mercy. So, as a result, Moses reacts to the insurrection by repeatedly expressing concern for the rebels! Rather than punishing them immediately, he makes his best effort to try to avoid the inevitable. Over and over again, broken-hearted Moses pleads for the difficult people he leads. This is why Moses asks God to acquiesce and punish only the 250 leaders of the revolt rather than the fickle masses deserving of punishment. Moses only desires to put the incident behind and restore communal harmony. He is clearly a different kind of leader than Korach. Clearly, the issue is not whether government is inherently evil (that was Korach’s gig) but rather whether the government is divinely established, sensitive to God’s authority, and compassionate to the core.

Fast Forward

Does this have anything to say to us today? Ask yourself, do I have a victim mentality? Do you consider your life a product of swirling, whirling forces beyond your control? Are you filled with jealousy for others? Are you impatient like Korach, wanting everything now? Moses was taking our ancestors to the Promised Land, but they could not muster the patience to wait. Korach and his cohorts despised authority – do you? Do you secretly resent anyone who suggests another way to look at life, or those who are just different? Such people would never say they despise authority, but they never seem to find anyone who they can follow.

Life is a gift, not entitlement. And leadership is a gift as well. So, do you really want a revolution?