Tikvat Israel Blog

We have a space on our website where we post Divrei Torah presented on Shabbat by our many talented congregation members.  The most recent of these was presented by Cliff Fishman on June 30, in celebration and honor of the 40th anniversary of his marriage to our lovely friend, fellow-congregant, and past-president, Betty Fishman!  He would like to invite your thoughts and comments on his interesting take on the guilt or innocence of Korah.  Tell us what you think!

This week we read Parashah Korah2. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and 250 chieftains associated with them, challenge Moses and Aaron’s leadership. God punishes the rebels by having the earth swallow them up. The overwhelming consensus among the rabbis is that Korah and his allies were evil men concerned only with their own power and status. This attitude is summarized in Perkei Avot, Chapter 5, ¶ 193:

A controversy for the sake of Heaven will have lasting value, but a controversy not for the sake of Heaven will not endure.

What is an example of a controversy for the sake of Heaven? The debates of Hillel and Shammai.

What is an example of a controversy not for the sake of Heaven? The rebellion of Korah and his associates.

I want to develop two themes today. First, I will be Korah’s defense attorney: putting aside centuries of rabbinic gloss, and focusing on the actual text of this week’s Torah portion, I submit that Korah (but not Dathan and Abiram) got a raw deal - from the rabbis, and from Moses, and perhaps even from Higher Authority. Korah is not guilty of the charge leveled against him in the “indictment” (Perkei Avot 5:19).

Second, I’ll discuss what we can learn from the Torah reading, and from this passage in Perkei Avot, and how we can apply them to our lives today - our political lives, and also our professional and personal lives.

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