The Instigators
Moshiach is a human being. What makes him different is that he is the ultimate “instigator.” He will inspire and provoke us into realizing our own G-d given potential for good. Moshiach will unleash the hidden potential for good in the entire world.
Digression
Counting of the Jewish people was a recurrent event when the Jewish nation sojourned in the desert. In the aftermath of a terrible plague that killed 24,000 Israelites, G-d commands Moses to count the Jewish people to show His concern for them.
In the ensuing verses, the Torah lists the twelve tribes and the major families within those tribes. Yet in two instances, the Torah digresses from listing these families to talk of certain events and personalities.
The first example of this digression is where the Torah introduces the tribe of Reuven. After listing the four major families that this tribe comprised, and the total number of Reuvenites, the Torah discusses two of the infamous descendants of Reuven: Dasan and Aviram. Not only does it give them an “honorable” mention, it continues to highlight their career of evil:
“This is Dashan and Aviram, the distinguished members of the community who incited the people against Moses and Aaron, as part of the community of Korach when they incited rebellion against G-d. And the earth opened up and swallowed them and Korach…”
Anyone reading this narrative, even in the most cursory fashion, is struck by the focus on these two villains in a section of the Torah that is dedicated to simply listing the names of the Tribes their constituent families, and the total number of Jews in each of the tribes. Of what significance is the information here about Dasan and Aviram’s role in the rebellion of Korach?
Second, Dasan and Aviram are characterized here as the main instigators in the revolt against Moses. In the earlier narrative about this rebellion, however, the Torah makes it clear that it was Korach who started the rebellion, and who got Dasan and Aviram to join with him. How is it that Dasan and Aviram are now given the dubious distinction as being the primary instigators?
Third, why does the Torah mention first that it was a rebellion against Moses and Aaron and then adds that it was a rebellion against G-d? When one surveys the original narrative of Korach’s rebellion, there is no mention that it was directed against G-d. It seemed to have been directed against Moses and Aaron, claiming that they distributed leadership positions on their own. Why then does the Torah here add a new dimension of the dispute, that it was directed against G-d, as well?
Rabbi Chaim ben Atar, one of the greatest Sephardic sages (whose anniversary of passing in 1743 was observed this past week on the fifteenth of Tammuz) addresses the first two questions in his classic work Or HaChaim. What follows is an expanded version of his explanation:
Insidious Instigators
The Torah here wants to teach us how the ultimate blame for the terrible tragedy that occurred in the rebellion of Korach was due to the early influence of Dasan and Aviram, whose distinguished position in the Jewish community made their insinuations, subtle as they may have been, much more effective. It was their insidious influence that gave Korach the idea to rebel.
And while the Torah, in the earlier section, highlights Korach’s leading role in the actual implementation of the rebellion—Korach was the man of action—it is the ideologue and instigator, the one who plants the idea, who will ultimately be held accountable for the tragic results that will ensue.
And this explains why only here—while highlighting Dasan and Aviram’s role—it expands the scope of the rebellion, that it was also directed against G-d. Korach, personally, had nothing against G-d. Korach was not an ideologue. He simply objected to Moses and Aaron, who, in his mind, usurped the top leadership without input from G-d. Dasan and Aviram’s used Korach’s rebellion as a way of showing their scorn for G-d as well.
Looking for the Source
We can now appreciate why the Torah includes this information in this section of the Torah. As stated earlier, the counting of the Israelites came as a direct consequence of a tragedy that struck the Jewish people as retribution for the idolatrous and immoral behavior of the Israelites as they consorted with the daughters of Moab and Midian.
However, upon closer scrutiny, it becomes apparent that one of the instigators of this tragic moral aberration was none other than one important individual, Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Shimon, whose involvement was more ideological than lust.
In this narrative the Torah therefore digressed to speak of an earlier tragedy, to teach us that that we must look for the source of a problem that threatens the future of a community. It may be the instigation of one of the most influential members of the community. Ultimately, the people at the helm, who are corrupt and “ideologically challenged” bear responsibility for the many tragedies that follow.
If this is true in the realm of evil—it takes only one ideological instigator on top to wreak havoc—it is equally valid in the realm of goodness. One person who has influence in a community has to realize his or her role in saying the right things. Reticence that stems from false humility is what creates a vacuum in which other leaders will sow their seeds of ideological and moral decay and destruction in a community.
Moshiach is a human being. What makes him different is that he is the ultimate “instigator.” He will inspire and provoke us into realizing our own G-d given potential for good. Moshiach will unleash the hidden potential for good in the entire world.
Indeed, the only response to the insidious influences and the extraordinary evil the world has experienced in the last century is the parallel positive influences of Moshiach and all of us who Moshiach will inspire.
As we stand poised to enter into the world of Redemption, we must consider the immense responsibility those of us who have influence over others have to speak up. That seed that we plant in the minds and hearts of others might blossom into a force that will provide the final thrust to get us over the top and bear the fruit of Moshiach and the final Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Pinchas by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
