Much of Sefer Bemidbar concerns the Jewish people’s preparations for entry into the Land of Israel and their growing understanding of the challenges of nationhood. One inadvertent function, perhaps even a blessing, of the episode of Korach was that it demonstrated one of the likely tests that an established leader might face and the resilience they would need to successfully weather the challenge.
Korach was a uniquely difficult threat to Moshe’s leadership, on a few levels.
Korach and his chief followers used communication as a means to stymie Moshe and Aharon, by posing a series of accusatory rhetorical questions. He asks: “Why do you raise yourselves over the congregation?” (Bemidbar 16:9-11) and Datan and Aviram ask: “Is it a small thing that you have taken us out of a land of milk and honey to kill us in the desert?” and “Will you gouge out our eyes? (Ibid. 16:13-14). Some political opponents use communication as a means of posing challenges but leaving the door open for discussion and debate. Korach and his followers, on the other hand, used communication to shut down any chance of dialogue.
Korach staged his challenge masterfully, in an effort to put Moshe off-balance and weaken his hand. Many commentators suggest that Korach started his campaign right after the episode of the spies (see, for instance, Ramban on 16:1), when the people were demoralized and frustrated with their leadership. At the same time, Moshe was forced into a situation where he had to adapt his leadership to a new reality in which the Jews would remain in the desert for 40 years and only their children would enter the land. Korach also assembled a crowd to receptively hear his accusations when he first spews them at Moshe (Midrash Tanhuma, Korach 1). Korach thus set the stage to maximize his advantage and constrain Moshe’s ability to respond.
As a leader within the tribe of Levi, the tribe already designated for spiritual leadership of the nation, Korach came with strong credentials. Adding to his stature was that the fact that (according to Midrash Tanhuma: Korach 2), Korach was known as a wise man and, in his service role as a Levite, he was entrusted with the task of carrying the Ark. Moreover, Korach’s bearing contrasted sharply with that of Moshe, who approached the leadership role reluctantly.
Korach also selected a slogan (so to speak) that “all the people are holy,” which cleverly echoed the commandment of Tzizit that the Jewish people just received at the end of Parshat Shlach, in which they are instructed to “be holy to your God” (Bemidbar 15:40). Korach, it seems, was quite adept at using language to craft an appeal that would resonate with the nation and sound right.
Korach shows us just what can happen to a society and to a leader as a result of political machinations. We see from this episode that a Jewish society rooted in fear of God and adherence to Torah must, as a matter of course, approach matters of governance with caution and levelheadedness. Such a sober approach is vital so that one person’s charisma does not cause hysteria or lead to a breakdown in the established and legitimate forms of leadership
{This adaptation was prepared by Harry Glazer from Rabbi Francis Nataf’s book – Redeeming Relevance in the Book of Numbers: Explorations in Text and Meaning }