Jewish Democracy

Korach

At the heart of parshat Korach lies a power struggle over the leadership of Am Yisrael. Parshat Korach is a template for the process of assuming leadership – what is effective, what is acceptable, what is inevitable and … what is not.

Korach was a very wealthy man. There are three opinions how he became rich. The Midrash (Shemot Rabba 5:18) says Korach made his fortune selling bricks in Egypt to Israelite slaves who could not fulfill their quota. The Gemara (Pesachim 199a) says that Korach uncovered one of Yosef's buried treasures. Another Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 18:15) says Korach was in charge of Pharaoh's treasury and he stole money from Pharaoh. Albeit not in a savory way, we see that Korach was very astute in monetary affairs and managed to accumulate a vast fortune.

Korach was part of the family of Kehat, the bearers of the Aron HaBrit. This task was not entrusted to anyone who was not of a very high spiritual level. It was an extremely hazardous task and Korach, who at this point was over 50, had already completed a successful "tour of duty" in the Mishkan and emerged intact.

Chazal also tell us that Korach had powers of Ruach HaKodesh and the reason he decided to go up against Moshe was because he saw that Shmuel HaNavi would be descended from his bloodline. He thought it was due to his merit, but it ended up being in the merit of his sons who did teshuvah and did not perish with their father.

Korach was smart. We see from Chazal that he was (almost) as knowledgeable as Moshe. From the assertions he put forth, with the techelet, etc. we see that he was fully adroit with halacha. He was also a master strategist. He could plan multiple steps ahead, like in a chess game, anticipating Moshe's responses and preparing counter responses to them.

Korach saw himself as a candidate to lead Am Yisrael. He believed he possessed all the qualifications necessary (rich, smart, a masterful strategist, a highly elevated spiritual level, Ruach HaKodesh, Shmuel HaNavi descended from him, etc.). He believed that he was on a par, or better than Moshe and Aharon, to lead Am Yisrael.

And he might have been, except for a few "minor" issues.

If Korach felt that he was equivalent, or better than Moshe and Aharon to lead Am Yisrael, why did he not tender his candidacy back in Egypt, when Am Yisrael were still enslaved? Why did he wait for this specific point in time to launch an election campaign?

Back in Egypt, before Moshe returned from his sojourn with Yitro, Aharon was the spiritual leader of Am Yisrael and then (and later, in the Midbar), he was much loved by Am Yisrael. Korach never challenged Aharon back then. When Moshe returned to Egypt and said "I am the redeemer," why did Korach not respond and tender his candidacy then?

The reason is that back then, Korach knew he did not stand a chance. First of all, he was the son of Yitzhar. Yitzhar was not Kehat's firstborn, Amram was. He did not have a hereditary preference to the position, Aharon and Moshe, sons of Amram, did. Second of all Aharon was loved by Am Yisrael, Korach wasn't – he was busy making money off their misery. Thirdly, Moshe was performing all these signs and miracles, Korach wasn't.

So, what had changed since then? Why did he suddenly think he had a chance? The answer is, he perceived that Moshe was in a position of weakness. Two weeks ago, in Beha’alo’tcha we read that Moshe could no longer bear the complaints of Am Yisrael, which led to HaKadosh Baruch Hu giving some of Moshe's power to the seventy elders. A consequence of this was that Eldad and Meidad prophesied that Moshe would die and Yehoshua would lead Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. This was followed by the episode of the spies, leaving Am Yisrael in a depression that they would have to remain in the Midbar for forty years. It is at this point that Korach pops out of the woodwork.

If Korach was running for the presidency of the United States, for example, then he was correct that he was suitable for the position. He had the stats. He was wealthy in his own right and therefore unbribable. He was extremely intelligent and a top strategist. He believed that he was a highly spiritual and moral individual. He possessed Ruach HaKodesh and mistakenly read the signs (polls) that he would survive a confrontation with Moshe and Aharon and that the Shmuel HaNavi would be his descendent.

So, what did Korach do? He launched an election campaign – American style. He engineered a smear campaign against his opponents. He spotlighted all the supposed "debacles" that his opponent had caused. He fabricated false accusations against his opponent and broadcast them in the media, accusations of corruption at the highest levels, accusations of sexual misconduct, accusations of monopolization, accusations of "lying," that Moshe was making everything up and not relating what HaKadosh Baruch Hu told him. Korach did not have shred of evidence to substantiate these false accusations. It was sufficient to have them "out there," to have them become buzzwords, to pump them incessantly. If you repeat a lie often enough, people will think it is true. The Soviets didn't invent this propaganda technique, Korach did.

And it all came to a climax in the final "debate," the showdown, for all to see.

We know Moshe and Aharon were the true leaders, chosen by HaKadosh Baruch Hu and not Korach, because it was finally proven by Divine intervention when Korach and his followers got swallowed up by the earth.

There are no candidates for Jewish leadership. If someone tenders themselves as a candidate of their own initiative, thinking they are worthy of the position, this is a sure-fire sign that they are not eligible for the role. Throughout history, HaKadosh Baruch Hu has chosen leaders in Am Yisrael, not by candidacy, but by the diametric opposite to candidacy, the person you would least likely expect to be chosen, the person who is reluctant to accept the role.

Leaders in Am Yisrael are not democratically elected, they are chosen, by HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Not necessarily because of their qualifications, their seniority, their intelligence, their wealth, their physical strength, their popularity etc. HaKadosh Baruch Hu only chooses leaders who have the required middot in their resumé. Once they fit that bill, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, afterwards, gives them all the other stuff – strength, wealth, wisdom, etc.

Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: How many people were in Korach's "party?"

Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: What portion of dough does one separate for Hafrashat Challah? A "kezayit," approximately 1 ounce.