The Yalkut Shimoni relates that when Korach assembled the people, he recounted an emotional story that was very touching. He spoke of a widow in his neighborhood, with two young orphaned daughters, who had a field. Korach lamented how the widow attempted to earn her livelihood by planting the field, yet at every step of the process, Moshe Rabbeinu instructed her about different relevant Torah laws. She couldn’t plow with an ox and a donkey together; she couldn’t plant kilayim (mixing certain seeds); when harvesting, the small amounts of grain that fell to the ground while harvesting must be left behind, a forgotten sheaf must be left behind, and a corner of the field could not be harvested (leket, shikchah, pei’ah); and she had to distribute the various ma’asros to the appropriate individuals.
Distraught, the widow sold her field, to exempt herself from all these obligations, continued Korach, and she bought two sheep that could provide milk and wool for clothing. But, once again, Moshe Rabbeinu was there to instruct her. The first lamb born and the first shearing had to be given to the Kohen. When she slaughtered the sheep, the sacrificial portions (zero’a, leichayim, keviah) had to be distributed to the Kohen. The tormented woman then forfeited it all to the sanctuary so that if she couldn’t have the meat, then no one should have it. But Moshe told her that in such a case, all of the meat was dedicated to the Kohen, and the woman and her two daughters were left with nothing.
Having caught the attention of the assemblage, Korach forged ahead: “Where did Moshe get all these strange mitzvos? He thought them up himself!” All the people nodded in agreement; many sympathized with the widow. Outraged at Moshe and Aharon, they marched with Korach to stand up against Moshe, while Korach vigorously maintained that he was not doing this for himself; he merely wanted to save the people from being misled by Moshe and Aharon.
The Steipler writes that one who instigates machlokes (controversy) will always insist that he is doing so for the good of the people. In truth, Korach was motivated by jealousy and the desire for honor. The entire narrative was fictitious. The Jewish people were in the midbar. There were no fields and no produce was growing. Yet Korach was so driven that he ultimately denied the veracity of Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecies and the fact that the Torah was given by G-d.
R’ Yehoshua Toledano explains that it was essential for Korach to be uprooted from the world. There is always hope that a person who follows the mandates of the Torah, but yet succumbs to his desires, will possibly loosen the grip of his desires and become a tzaddik. Korach’s passion and craving for honor, however, was overriding. Everything he did was impelled by his thirst for honor. He was intent on arguing with Moshe, Hashem’s messenger, and denying the prophecies that Moshe shared with the Jewish people.
There is no possibility of rectification for such an individual. Even simply being taken from the world would not help, because of his efforts to destroy the bedrock of emunah and prophecy. For that reason, Korach needed to be uprooted from the world.
The Ohr Yahel reflects on the seriousness of the sin of machlokes. Even after Korach was destroyed and the sinners were punished, the Jewish nation were still plagued by controversy. Despite the clear signs from Heaven indicating the righteousness of Moshe and Aharon, and the annihilation of Korach and his congregation, nevertheless strife and dispute raged, as the pasuk says (Bamidbar 17:6), “The entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael complained on the morrow against Moshe and Aharon saying, ‘You have killed the people of Hashem!’” Even after Hashem sent a plague, and 14,700 people died, the flames of machlokess continued to blaze, as it says (Bamidbar 17:20), “[Hashem said] It shall be that the man whom I shall choose…”
The Rambam writes: One should not lower himself to become involved in machlokes. It devours the body, the soul and the person’s possessions. Families have collapsed, cities have been destroyed, righteous people were lost, and honored people were despised – all because of machlokes. Although the prophets predicted and the sages spoke of its ills, it did not help…”
At one time controversy prevailed in the yeshiva of the Chofetz Chaim. Although they tried to keep it from the Chofetz Chaim, he eventually heard of the machlokes. Upset, the Chofetz Chaim came into the bais medrash with the sefer of the Rambam in his hand, and with tears in his eyes he stated the following:
“The Rambam rules that if a group of people speak lashon hara they do not have a part in the World-to-Come. I did not write this in my sefer, but that is how the Rambam rules. Those involved in the machlokes believe that their controversy is for the sake of heaven, and they are certain that they are not doing anything wrong. But they should know, as the Rambam states, that all their justifications will not help in the World-to-Come.” The Chofetz Chaim concluded: If you thought that I would join your group, you should know that as much as I love those who study Torah, I would rather lose seventy yeshivos than participate in any machlokes.”
With the precarious situation in the world today – the extraordinary rise of antisemitism, and the expression of divergent views about the war with Hamas – it is a time for international unity among us. The nations of the world need to see that we are united together, regardless of personal opinions, feelings, emotions or sentiments. We need to present a united front otherwise the world sees weakness. Especially at this time, the call for unity in Israel and around the world is urgent.
The great Rebbe of Melitz once remarked that no one from the nations the other nations would ever be granted Heavenly permission to injure a Jew unless there was such an environment where one Jew was harming another Jew.
