Korach: the original Antifa activist
What did Korach get wrong?
The short answer is a lot. But we'll try to be more precise here. The idea came to me some months back, but I waited until we arrived at the parsha. In light of recent events, I added in the antifa connection.
But let's get into the more fundamental point of how Korach appears to be the nice guy who recognizes that with so much kedusha in each individual, there should be no systemic hierarchy that bars some from the service in the mishkan.
Bamidbar 16:3
וַיִּקָּֽהֲל֞וּ עַל־משֶׁ֣ה וְעַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֘ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם ה֙ מַדּ֥וּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל ה֙
It seems very close to Shmos 19:6 וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּֽהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ
All of them, as Rashi points out, experienced the revelation at Har Sinai. But if you pay close attention to how Korach's observation deviates from the one made by the Torah in Shmos 19:2, you'll get to the crux of the issue:
וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵֽרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַיַּֽחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר:
Rashi there observes:
ויחן שם ישראל: כאיש אחד בלב אחד, אבל שאר כל החניות בתרעומת ובמחלוקת:
Heb. וַיִחַן, [in the singular] as one man with one heart, but all the other encampments were [divided] with complaints and with strife.
They were not a bunch of collective individuals experiencing mattan Torah but a single entity of Klal Yisrael who were all united with no personal agenda or argument to advance.
The ultimate machloket, of course was that of Korach, who is forever held up as the pardigm of mahcloket that is not for the sake of Heaven, as we see in Pirkei Avos 5:17
The short answer is a lot. But we'll try to be more precise here. The idea came to me some months back, but I waited until we arrived at the parsha. In light of recent events, I added in the antifa connection.
But let's get into the more fundamental point of how Korach appears to be the nice guy who recognizes that with so much kedusha in each individual, there should be no systemic hierarchy that bars some from the service in the mishkan.
Bamidbar 16:3
וַיִּקָּֽהֲל֞וּ עַל־משֶׁ֣ה וְעַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֘ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם ה֙ מַדּ֥וּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל ה֙
It seems very close to Shmos 19:6 וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּֽהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ
All of them, as Rashi points out, experienced the revelation at Har Sinai. But if you pay close attention to how Korach's observation deviates from the one made by the Torah in Shmos 19:2, you'll get to the crux of the issue:
וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵֽרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַיַּֽחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר:
Rashi there observes:
ויחן שם ישראל: כאיש אחד בלב אחד, אבל שאר כל החניות בתרעומת ובמחלוקת:
Heb. וַיִחַן, [in the singular] as one man with one heart, but all the other encampments were [divided] with complaints and with strife.
They were not a bunch of collective individuals experiencing mattan Torah but a single entity of Klal Yisrael who were all united with no personal agenda or argument to advance.
The ultimate machloket, of course was that of Korach, who is forever held up as the pardigm of mahcloket that is not for the sake of Heaven, as we see in Pirkei Avos 5:17
כָּל מַחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, אֵין סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. אֵיזוֹ הִיא מַחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלֹקֶת הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלֹקֶת קֹרַח וְכָל עֲדָתוֹ:
Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure. Which is the controversy that is for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai. And which is the controversy that is not for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his congregation. See more on this in http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/06/korach-daddy-of-dissent.html
While Korach presented himself as a representative of a revolution that would overthrow an unfair distribution of power, his true motivation was gaining power for himself. He did not have the lofty goals found among those for whom one can they are building a case for truth without ulterior motives.
Accordingly, his strategy was to divide and conquer. It all began with seeing the nation of Israel as separate individuals rather than as one united entity --and so he used the plural rather than singular form of the adjective. Division is antithetical to Jewish survival, and what he started could have devastated the people forever if it had not been nipped in the bud.
From Korach through to communist revolutions the modern day uprisings to the rise of the Third Reich, we see the same pattern over and over again. The claim is always to break up the system in place in order to achieve some kind of utopia for the masses or the folks who can be goaded into action by convincing them that someone else is taking what should be theirs. But what the demagogue is always after is not true fairness but power for himself.
While the followers of Korach may not have the benefit of history to learn from, we do. How do you know what people are really about? Don't be taken in by their words alone; look at what they do and what they seek to gain for themselves.
Today, though, people are so amazingly stupid that they declare anyone who calls himself "Antifa" must be the good guy because he is opposing the evil of fascism. And so excuse actual fascist actions all for the sake of a name that has all the veracity of the "Arbeit macht frei" emblazoned on the gates of concentration camps.
Korach assigned himself the label of the good guy who calls for revolution for the sake of the little guy, too. The Torah points out the object lesson in not drinking the Kool-Aid.
'
Related: http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/07/individual-and-collective-blame.html
http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2015/11/toldos-torah-reveals-motivations.html
Like and follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KallahMagazine/
While Korach presented himself as a representative of a revolution that would overthrow an unfair distribution of power, his true motivation was gaining power for himself. He did not have the lofty goals found among those for whom one can they are building a case for truth without ulterior motives.
Accordingly, his strategy was to divide and conquer. It all began with seeing the nation of Israel as separate individuals rather than as one united entity --and so he used the plural rather than singular form of the adjective. Division is antithetical to Jewish survival, and what he started could have devastated the people forever if it had not been nipped in the bud.
From Korach through to communist revolutions the modern day uprisings to the rise of the Third Reich, we see the same pattern over and over again. The claim is always to break up the system in place in order to achieve some kind of utopia for the masses or the folks who can be goaded into action by convincing them that someone else is taking what should be theirs. But what the demagogue is always after is not true fairness but power for himself.
While the followers of Korach may not have the benefit of history to learn from, we do. How do you know what people are really about? Don't be taken in by their words alone; look at what they do and what they seek to gain for themselves.
Today, though, people are so amazingly stupid that they declare anyone who calls himself "Antifa" must be the good guy because he is opposing the evil of fascism. And so excuse actual fascist actions all for the sake of a name that has all the veracity of the "Arbeit macht frei" emblazoned on the gates of concentration camps.
Korach assigned himself the label of the good guy who calls for revolution for the sake of the little guy, too. The Torah points out the object lesson in not drinking the Kool-Aid.
'
Related: http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/07/individual-and-collective-blame.html
http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2015/11/toldos-torah-reveals-motivations.html
Like and follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KallahMagazine/
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