Of Leaders and Demagogues--Korach

Of Leaders and Demagogues
D’var Torah for Parashat Korach: Numbers 16:1—18:32
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

The rebellion of Korach against Moses and Aaron was vividly captured in the 1956 epic Hollywood movie “The Ten Commandments.” The malicious Korach was deliciously portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, whose sneer was the very essence of cynicism.

But what exactly was wrong with Korach’s argument? All he wanted was fairness and an equal share of holiness for ALL the Israelite people, not only Moses and Aaron. After all, he posits, isn’t the whole community holy? Doesn’t God dwell in the midst of all of them? So, Korach continues, why do Moses and Aaron alone get all the glory and power? Shouldn’t some of that power be shared among others—for example, by Korach and his 250 followers?

At first, his argument seems valid. We need look no farther than Iran or Saudi Arabia to see the abuse that goes along with the totalitarian power that a religious oligarchy sways. True equality is only possible if everybody has the potential to be holy—not only the chosen few.

Korach’s defiant stance is both logical and based on precedent. Time and again the Torah calls the Israelites “A holy people.” Exodus 19:6 reads: “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Deuteronomy 7:6 and 14:21 both read, "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God.” And, in Exodus 25:8 (among others), God commands, "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” Surely, then, all are equally holy, God dwells among us all—so why then do Moses and Aaron usurp all the power?

Moses listens to Korach’s argument and vividly demonstrates his frustration with it. Wisely, however, he doesn’t try to counter Korach personally. For a situation as heated and volatile as this, Moses is willing to let God do the arguing. And indeed, God does—as usual, not so much in words as in actions. In a terrifying and horrific scene, God causes the earth to open up under Korach, his supporters and all their families, swallowing them all alive. Then the earth closes up again, leaving no sign of the rebellious bunch. Total shock and awe.

But what is the lesson here? Is the point of this story simply that God will save those He chooses while destroying anyone else who dares ask why? We know that can’t be so. First of all, it rarely happens just so. And secondly, it is contrary to all the terms and conditions God had already agreed to in the past—not to act impulsively, not to destroy the innocent among the guilty, and to be ever mindful of the human tendency to err. The big lesson Parashat Korach tackles is leadership. In this portion, the question of what distinguishes true leadership from demagoguery is discussed and given a definitive answer.

In determining who the best leader is, first there’s the matter of vision. A good leader has to have vision—both of the goal and of the means of getting there. Moses consistently points onward, forward to a Promised Land, a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Korach and his band maliciously refer to Egypt as that vaunted land (chapter 16, v. 13). Korach’s intent is to lead the Israelites back to Egypt, back to the past, back to slavery, and so he accuses Moses of misdirecting the people. Reminds me a little of the suggestion offered earlier this week by journalist Helen Thomas (a suggestion praised in the Iranian press) that the Jews should go back, “To Poland and Germany... and everywhere else.” What Korach and Ms. Thomas failed to understand is that the Exodus, like the Holocaust, was a one-way ticket. Turning back was never an option.

The second requirement that this portion holds for a true leader is that he or she be able to inspire. Korach’s argument was that the whole people were already holy. That leaves them with nothing more to accomplish. With all their work done, there’s nothing to look forward to, no success to anticipate, nothing left to hope for. Korach’s philosophy could lead only to stupor—a state he would inevitably exploit on his own behalf. On the other hand, what Moses saw when he looked at humanity was nothing short of tremendous potential. It was Moses’s fervent wish that all the people would be holy. In Numbers 11:29, Moses calls out wistfully, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Whereas Korach claimed that all the Israelites were already holy, Moses saw their potential to become holy. The difference is that if we are already there, we have nowhere left to go! No way to continue improving ourselves, no way to improve the world. Later in the portion, when Aaron sees a plague breaking out among the people, he runs to the epicenter of the outbreak and stands “between the living and the dead,” stopping the slaughter by his very presence. It was a model for all healers. That urge to heal, to discover a cure, to bring enlightenment to the benighted, freedom to the enslaved—that’s what true holiness is. It is a potential that we can activate through our choices and actions. It’s a goal to aspire toward, to reach for. Now that’s inspiring.

We have the potential to be holy. We can become holy—when we follow God’s commandments, the mitzvot. When Korach quoted Exodus 19:6, he very conveniently left out verse 5: If you give heed to my voice, if you follow my covenant, then you shall be a holy nation, a nation of priests. Our potential holiness is always conditional; it depends on the choices we make.

©2010 by Boaz D. Heilman