Attachment
Korach began as a righteous and learned individual who did not, however, see the need to subordinate himself to Moses and be a part of the organic unit of the Jewish people. By doing that he severed his ties from the very source of his G-dly energy. Once he was deprived of the Divine energy his “oxygen” starved soul began to “hallucinate.” Now, Korach was having delusions of grandeur, even as he was headed for total self-destruction. By disassociating himself from the spiritual compass, Moses, Korach could no longer think and act rationally.
Korach “took” Himself
Korach, Moses’ cousin, for whom this week’s Parsha is named, started a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. The Torah introduces this narrative with the words “And Korach took.” The Torah does not say what it is that he took. Thus, Targum Onkeles, the authoritative Aramaic translation of the Torah, cited by Rashi, renders this as “And Korach separated himself.” The simple meaning of this is that Korach started a rebellion against Moses.
One can ask a simple question. Why couldn’t the Torah simply begin with the actual account of the rebellion, which begins in the next verse? After reading what Korach and his cohorts said to Moses, it will become obvious to the reader that Korach had started a rebellion.
To answer the question one must analyze the dynamics of Korach’s rebellion and contrast it with other forms of rebellion Two Forms of Revolution There are times when a revolution occurs, because of principles that some individuals have that go against the ideals held or not held by the establishment. These rebels may be truly motivated by their concern for the welfare of their country or some other ideal. They then seek likeminded idealists who are prepared to fight for their cause. In its nascent state, these rebels are very much a part of the society which they try to change. Only after they advance their positions and are rebuffed by the establishment, do they become branded as rebels who have severed their ties with the ruling powers.
Korach’s rebellion, the Torah intimates to us by the opening phrase “And Korach took,” started not with an ideal or even with a disagreement. It began with Korach detaching himself from Moses and separating himself from the G-d given structure of authority that was vested in Moses and Aaron. Once that occurred, it was only a matter of time for Korach to find the ideals and arguments that would rationalize his separation and rebellion.
In other words, there are times when a disagreement may generate a rebellion and there are times when a rebellion generates a disagreement. Korach’s rebellion was of the latter category.
But we have to understand, what was so wrong if Korach set himself apart from Moses. True, it was not the most humble thing to do, but as long as he did not act contrary to Moses’ instructions, it should not have led to such dire consequences.
Clinging to a Sage
The answer to this lies in a Talmudic dictum: “One who clings to a sage is as if they cling to G-d.” Kabbalistic and Chassidic thought interpret this by referring to the metaphor of the human body which is an organic unit comprising distinct organs, with the heart and brain generating life to the rest of the body. Similarly, the souls of all the Jewish people are part of one organic structure, guided and energized by the “brain” and “heart” souls — the Torah leaders of every generation. When one realizes that their soul is but part of an entire structure of souls and that their vitality derives from its head and heart, one is not only going to be more humble, but they can see the larger picture and all of their efforts will be harnessed in the pursuit of the goals that will benefit the entire Jewish people.
Conversely, when one separates oneself from this structure and no longer feels the need to be part of the Jewish community and be guided, inspired and given spiritual energy by Moses, they will inevitably lose their sensitivity to the G-dly energy in them. Consequently, their efforts will not be in sync with the needs of the Jewish community that were dictated by G-d.
Let us return to Korach. Korach began as a righteous and learned individual who did not, however, see the need to subordinate himself to Moses and be a part of the organic unit of the Jewish people. By doing that he severed his ties from the very source of his G-dly energy. Once he was deprived of the Divine energy his “oxygen” starved soul began to “hallucinate.” Now, Korach was having delusions of grandeur, even as he was headed for total selfdestruction. By disassociating himself from the spiritual compass, Moses, Korach could no longer think and act rationally.
The Moses of Our Generation
In every generation there is a Moses, a selfless Jewish leader, whose inspiration literally energizes the souls of all Jews. It behooves us, the diverse — but integrated — organs of the Jewish community to follow in his footsteps.
Our generation was blessed with such a leader — the Lubavitcher Rebbe — whose unconditional love and devotion for every Jew, qualified him as our generation’s Moses.
The third of Tammuz is when we were denied the ability to physically see the Rebbe. Yet, we continue to look to him for our guidance and spiritual inspiration. While the Rebbe treasured any and every effort of goodness, kindness, Torah study and Mitzvos observance, the Rebbe’s most powerful message to our generation is that it is the last generation of exile and will be the first generation of Redemption.
By increasing all of our efforts in performing acts of goodness, kindness, Torah study and Mitzvos observance with the focus on living our lives in a “Moshiach” (I.e., more wholesome and spiritually enhanced) way, we will be able to hasten this process.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Korach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
