Parshat Korach: Me, or your own eyes?

By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of June 26, 2009 / 4 Tammuz 5769

There is a common theme in three verses at the beginning of the book of Bamidbar, which is echoed in our parsha: “V’ha’zar hakarev yumat.” (Bamidbar 1:51, 3:10, 3:38, and in 18:7) Translation: the stranger who comes close [to the workings of the mishkan] will die. In other words, if you have not been appointed by G-d to do specific holy tasks related to the workings, packing and unpacking of the mishkan, don’t do it, because you’ll die.

With this in mind, the premise for the showdown with Korach seems odd. Korach and his cohorts approach Moshe saying, “You have gone too far! All the people in the community are holy, and G-d is with them. Why are you setting yourselves above G-d's congregation?”

We can speculate as to what they were complaining about. Perhaps their complaint was over the spies incident, or over the decree to be in the desert for 40 years. The people did not understand why they could not enter the land. Perhaps they were complaining about leadership, of who should be in charge, and who had the rights to do specific tasks.

The difference between Moshe and, say, a rabbi, is that Moshe was appointed to his task by G-d. It is hard to approach Moshe’s hiring committee to say He did a lousy job in His search process.

Regardless, there are a number of ways that Moshe could have proven his appointment came from G-d, and that only he and Aharon were chosen to fill these roles. If Elijah on Mt. Carmel could defeat over 400 false prophets through a heavenly sign and cause the entire nation to scream out “The Lord, He is the G-d!” then certainly Moshe could cause believers to see that G-d had chosen him!

And yet Moshe suggests that Korach, along with his 250 followers, should take fire pans and place k’toret on them, an act clearly punishable with death! How could he have them do this, knowing they will die as a result?

Ramban suggests G-d Himself told Moshe to use this test. Rashi and others suggest this is the ultimate test — if a person can emerge unscathed from burning k’toret, that person may be designated to serve in the mishkan, which is exactly what they wanted to do.

But Moshe knew differently. Every time G-d wanted to kill people, Moshe stood in His way and defended them until there was no longer a defense. Despite his inside information, how could he go ahead with it and not tell G-d this test is unacceptable?

Perhaps Moshe recognized that some people will not settle for anything less than what they want. They can be proven wrong, or they can see proof for what is true, but will still not believe it.

Groucho Marx once said, “Who are you going to believe? Me, or your own eyes?” From Moshe’s perspective, Korach was not going to believe anything other than what his heart told him. Moshe could prove anything to Korach through miraculous events. Korach believed in G-d! He did not need convincing of that fact.

But Korach did need to prove to himself that he was as good as Aharon, and that Moshe was wrong. And Moshe, having gotten to know his brilliant, confrontational cousin (with perhaps some input from his siblings, Aharon and Miriam, who grew up with him), knew that Korach would settle for nothing less.

It is a strong person who can stand up to someone else. Stronger persons can recognize when the task at hand is out of their league. The strongest people pull out before the going gets worse, recognizing that some roles or some tasks are not for them to handle, are beyond their capabilities.

Some rise to the challenge and are successful. Others fail, and fail miserably. Korach’s failure is one we do not wish on anyone, for failure can be a tremendous learning lesson from which the strong can only grow.

But his failure also came from an attitude that says, “I know better. And no one else could possibly be right, because I am Korach. And Korach knows.”

With that attitude Korach fell to his death where he learned the ultimate lesson, one which the Midrash Tanchuma claims he proclaimed from his death pit: “Moshe speaks the truth, and his Torah is the truth.”