Korach-Yes We Can

The story of Korach is not just about him. It is about the ravages that ensued because of him. The conflagration of quarrel that he incited is so intense that it smolders even the innocent children. Hardly anyone escapes it gripping force. It is a Rip current that sweeps its victims into the open sea of decimation.

Liability in the earthly courts begins at Bar Mitzvah while in the heavenly courts at age of twenty. However, in our Parsha, even nursing children were lost (Rashi, Numbers 16:27).

Yet in every bleak situation beauty can emerge. Beauty, thy name is the children of Korach. They managed to abscond at the proverbial buzzer. If there ever was a last possible moment this was it.

In Parshas Pinchas we are informed that the children of Korach didn’t die (Ibid 26:11).

The clash between Korach and Moshe reached its climax, Hashem’s decree unleashed. A horrific scene unfolded in front of the perpetrators eyes. At first, there was a small tremor. Slowly, it magnified into a rumble. Quicker then their minds could grasp the small cracks became a gapping hole to a seeming abyss. With lighting speed the children of Korach were drawn in with an unstoppable force screaming in terror.

Abruptly, they ceased to fall landing on a plateau saved from the ensuing travail. They had escaped. Why?

Rashi (ad loc) explains. They were involved first. At the time of the altercation they repented in their hearts. Therefore, a tall place emerged for them in the abbadon and they sat on it.

The Divine Inspiration hovered upon them and they prophesized about the exiles, the destruction of the Temple, and the monarchy of David. (Rashi, Psalms 42:1)


They didn’t give up. One should never give up even if a prophet who is on the highest echelon of human accomplishment (Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah 7:1) tells us that it is too late.

This is what King Chizkiyahu told Isaiah.

Isaiah informed him that he had lost his portion in the World to Come because he refused to have children knowing they would be vile.

Isaiah said there was no hope and he shall suffer the fate pronounced upon him regardless of his efforts.

Chizkiyahu responded, Son of Amotz, end your prophesy and go. I have a tradition from my grandfather. Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck, he should not refrain from mercy. (Brachos 10a)

The resolve not to abjure from achieving one’s objectives is the driving force behind greatness.

Greatness is the expectation.

Consistent with that reality the Rambam writes that every person can be as righteous as Moshe our teacher (Hilchos Teshuva 5:2).

Therefore, a person is obligated to say, when will my actions be like the actions of my forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov? (Tanna Debei Eliahu Rabbah 1:25).

One may have the itch to say, I can’t. It’s not for me. That’s false.

Yes we can (Bob the Builder) be great. We can understand the Torah, change our character traits, relate to Hashem through prayer, and to keep the mitzvos.

We can soar to the ethers that transcend the realm of our mediocrity. We can burst open the gates of our imagination of what we can accomplish and dwell beyond the scope of our perceived aspirations and capabilities.



Shel Silverstein’s artistic flair manifested by the grace of his pen captured the emotional expression of this idea.

Listen to the MUSTN’T child,
Listen to the DON’TS.
Listen to the SHOUDN’TS, the IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS.
Listen to the NEVER HAVES,
Then listen close to me –
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

Korach: The Tragedy of Unity

Tragedies happen. The space shuttle ruptures upon reentry into the atmosphere. A plane vanishes over the Atlantic Ocean seemingly without a trace. Grief ensues. Hard questions are asked. Difficult issues immerge.

The necessity to research the anatomy of a calamity is imperative regardless of its unpleasant nature. The future is at stake.

Korach threatened the foundation of Jewish peoplehood; unity. Mt. Sinai was the utopian juncture of Jewish history. God revealed Himself and conferred a directive. Rashi (Exodus 19:2) writes that at that moment the Jewish people were ‘like one man with one heart’.

The citadel of peace and unison was shattered by the ambiance of dissent and quarrel. Moshe’s realization that the seeds of this horror were sewn stirred him to collapse. (Numbers 16:4)

Korach companied all night. He involved everyone. (Rashi, ibid verse 19) He forced Moshe’s hand. The inevitable occurred. The rebellion was pulped. No one was unaffected. Their unity crumbled. Nothing remained the same.

Consequently, our task is rebuilding peace and unity.

“Rabbi Shimon Ben Halafta said, ‘God found only one vessel that contains blessing; that is peace.’” (Uktzin 3:12)

“God’s blessing is peace.”(Megilla 18a) We beseech God to bless us with peace three times a day (Silent Prayer). “Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel said, ‘the universe is sustained by three entities; judgment, truth and peace.’” (Ethics of Our Fathers 1:18) Unity is the key to survival. (See Rashi, Genesis 11:9)

But traversing into an exalted future necessitates understanding the mechanical failures of the past. If we ignore them they will hoist their ugly head again.

What was the problem? Sometimes the obvious stares us in the face. Darash Moshe (at locum) by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein points out that Korach’s statements were indicative of the problem.

“The whole congregation is holy. Amongst them is God. Why do you raise yourselfs above the congregation of God?”(Numbers 16:3) Korach’s message; we don’t need you. We’re the same. We understand God’s world equally. A teacher, guide and leader is futile. We can guide and teach ourselves.

That attitude is akin to claiming one doesn’t need a karate sensei. I can master it myself. All I have to do is visit the library and purchase Karate For Dummies. We all know that such perspectives are fallacious. It’s not enough to read and see diagrams to master a skill. One needs apprenticeship. Literally and figuratively, a teacher takes a student’s hand and guides him through motions of standing, striking and defending. Tradition passes from teacher to student.

But where there is smoke there is fire. Korach challenged the actual word of God. He asked Moshe if a house full of Torah books requires a Mezuzah. Moshe answered yes. Korach laughed. If one mezuzah is sufficient for a house that has no Torah books, certainly a house of Torah books doesn’t require a mezuzah? (Medrash Rabba, Ibid 18:3)


Korach’s challenge was emblematic of dissenters of God. They say I know better. “Elazar Ben Puria suggested to Yanai the Monarch that he murder all the Jewish Sages. If I do how will Torah be studied, he inquired? This evil man replied that the Torah Scroll is rolled up in the Ark. Whoever desires to study it can do so.” (Kiddushin 67a)

The truth is we don’t know better. We can only continue to climb the mountain of spiritual triumph towards unity and peace if we grasp that we stand on ground that was laid by those that came before. When this realization surfaces in our consciousness the road to revival of unity will be paved and we will again merit the utopian state of our people.

Korach: Pitfalls Of Anger

Numbers 16:1-18:32

Road rage is a major problem in the United States. It is estimated that more than 30,000 people per year die in the wake of its devastation. Phoenix is No. 6 on the list of cities with the most frequent incidences of road rage. The reason is the second word: rage.

When we allow the conflagration of anger to well up inside ourselves, we lose control as the Talmud states (Nedarim 22a): "Whoever gets angry all parts of hell rule over them."
Such behavior is not new; it is the ugly side of human nature.

One such example is in this week's parsha. Korach and his congregation challenged the sovereignty of Moshe. In the thick of things, Moshe sends for an audience with two of the culprits, Dathan and Abiram. Their response was, "Even if you would gouge out the eyes of those men, we shall not go up." (Numbers 16:14) Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chafetz Chaim of blessed memory, points out that it must be that they didn't even hear what they were saying. Who would want their eyes to be gouged out?

Such are the effects of wrath. He recalls a story of a man who became incensed with a sovereign in his Eastern European town. The man declared to his wife that he would reveal the scandalous behavior of the sovereign to the government. The man's wife tried to persuade him not to get involved and reminded him that this person was responsible for the absolution of their children from the army. Her husband's angry retort was, "I don't care if you, I and all our children go to jail as long as we see that man go down!"

When we lose control, we injure our relationships, our lives and forget about God. The Talmud declares (Shabbos 105b) that, one who rips clothing, breaks things or throws away money in anger should be in your eyes like an idol worshiper.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Rambam is restrictive in his directives of how to deal with anger. He writes, "Also anger is a trait that is very bad. It is befitting that a person distance themselves until the other extreme. And one should accustom oneself not to get angry even for matters that one should get angry for ... this is the way of the righteous." (Mishnah Torah, Hilchos De'os 2:3)

Hillel the Elder was the exemplar of such behavior. The Talmud (Shabbos 30a) tells us that he would retain control even under the most trying of circumstances.

Certainly, no one wishes to be ensnared in the clutches of wrath. Situations occur and we cannot help ourselves.

Then what are some methods that can be employed to avoid anger? Many works of ethics ponder these issues.

One such work is the Orchas Tzaddikim. It offers the following solutions. Low tones dissolve anger, high tones fuel it. When one senses anger, they should force themselves not to raise their voice. Furthermore, prior mental disposition of how one will conduct themselves in any given situation is very effective. The mind, when willed into action, exudes acute control over the body. Therefore, one should decide before the situation arises not to get angry.

The keys to anger management are some of the lessons in this week's parsha.

A tertiary lesson is that God requires of us to work on ourselves to become better Jews.

It is not enough to help the Jewish people in the form of support of organizations. We must also work on ourselves.

I once heard Rabbi Yehuda Silver (father of the former rabbi of Young Israel of Phoenix) speak. He said that the question is not whether the Jewish people will survive. That is not a question. They definitely will welcome the Messianic era. The question is whether we will be a part of it.