Korach Drash

G-d Inspired, but not for Rebellion

This weeks Parshat is called Korach and it is named for the Korach one of the Levitical leaders that lead a rebellion against Moshe. In all 3 portions rebellion is clearly present front and center. In addition to the rebellion of Korach we also read about the rebellion of the people against Shemuel, and Judah of Kriot rebellion against Yeshua.

As I read this portion every year I always ask myself the same questions. Why is rebellion so easy? Why is it so attractive and at the same time so repugnant?

I live in this western society and if I am honest we celebrate rebellion. The founding of this country was rebellion, we expect from our youth a level of rebellion, we have all sorts of “Social Movements” that are really just rebellions. I dare say we do not even know how to effectively implement changes even righteous ones without being rebellious and it is wrong and one of the real national SINs the US needs to repent of.

In Korach’s case, I think, he even made the same excuses we have made many times. In a common midrash Korach was said to have a vision of a descendant of his Shemuel that would become a great Prophet and complete setting up the schedule and activities for the temple. With this vision given to him by HaShem Korach may have become convinced of his own “righteous cause” that was really rebellion. How many times do we believe we have received a vision or message from HaShem and use it as an excuse to be rebellious to the authority that HaShem has established and also given visions and messages too.

This spirit of rebellion did not just stop with Korach. It may have even fostered a deeper more rooted problem with bnei-Yisrael. A problem his own descendant Shemuel would later encounter, when the people would once again rise up against the authority HaShem has established to demand a King. The people saw the splendor and majesty of Nahash king of the Ammonites. They had a vision of the world and what they could be.

Then finally we read about Judah of Kriot as he rebels against Yeshua. When did Judah first rebel? It was not when he excepted the money for turning over Yeshua, it was when he objected to the anointing of Yeshua with the expensive oil. He had both the divine vision of Yeshua as Moshiach sitting at the right hand of HaShem and the earthly vision of Yeshua performing miracles. Yet he still rebelled.

In all 3 of these rebellions there is a common theme. I think in all of these rebellions the person leading the rebellion is really thinking “It should have been me!”. The very essence is envy. Korach may not have had problems with the Mitzvot and offerings had he been the one dispensing and recieving them. Bnei-Yisrael may have had no problem with Samuel had he looked more like the gentile/pagan kings. Judah of Kriot may have been accepting of the oil for anointing had it been he that was anointed.

Right now in our world, despite what the mob says, it is not a common baseless hatred in the form of racism, ageism, cultural-ism, gender-ism or classism that is doing the most damage, it is really simply envy. All of these groups that claim to be opposed to these things all say the same thing “it is our/my turn to make decisions/lead” really what they are saying is “It should have been me! I should have been the one to lead.”

The reality is if we are to be truly humble, and self sacrificing, and obedient, as our master Yeshua was, then we must recognize the truth; it should not have been us. HaShem has established leadership and it does not require our approval or understanding. We in turn cannot create a better tomorrow or world through rebellion. We must not fall to the same trap of envy lest we too get swallowed up by the earth in to sheol.