A Journey of a Thousand Miles.....

Korah

Numbers 16:1 - 18:32

Précis: Korah foments a rebellion, claiming that Moses and Aaron have taken too much power upon themselves. Dothan and Abiram also attack Moses’ leadership, claiming that Moses has brought them from a land of milk and honey (Egypt!) only to let them die in the wilderness. A test of fire offerings is arranged, and Korah and his followers are destroyed as the earth opens and swallows them. The People continue to complain, God threatens to destroy them once again, but Moses and Aaron intercede, ending a plague which had slain 14,000 people. A final test – that of staffs – is performed, and when Aaron’s staff miraculously blossoms on the following morning, it is clear that his status as High Priest is secure.

Numbers 16:3: “They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and God is in their midst. Why then do you set yourselves above God’s assembly?”

The figure of Korah gives us pause: while a rebel, his rebellion is not, at least on the surface, unreasonable. While he himself is slain, his descendants earn honor. Moses doesn’t try to disagree with his assertions directly. While Moses may not be all that upset, the text tells us that God is certainly angry, a point of view shared by most traditional commentators.

In Korah’s argument for a share of power, we hear echoes from Exodus 25:8, when the People are commanded to “make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (“b'tochem"). Korah knows this verse when he says “The Eternal is in their midst (uv’tocham") in the verse we cite here. If the People are holy enough for God to dwell amongst them, Korah argues, they certainly deserve a measure of authority.

Korah understands the phrase to be descriptive: the people are already holy, each one, and the presence of God is within each one. On the other hand, Moses (and Jewish tradition) sees the matter in a very different way: the Jewish People are on a constant journey to achieve holiness. Seen in this light, the conflict between Moses and Korah is not one of power or of authority, but one of theology. Moses understands that ongoing spiritual growth is necessary, while Korah feels that holiness already has been achieved. Our tradition has sided with Moses. We are obligated to continually strive to merit God’s presence among us.

On a personal level, the lesson can be drawn that the path to professional achievement and to success in our interpersonal relationships is never completed - it is an area in which must continually strive.