I recently returned from my family vacation, as wonderful as it was it is truly nice to be back home in
Cincinnati. Dorothy said it best, “there’s no place like home”. In my many hours in the car over the
course of the trip I had a chance to listen to a series of lectures from Rabbi Beryl Wein entitled “Great
Jewish Controversies”. When you listen to a lecture series one after the other instead of once a week as
they were delivered it becomes very easy to pick up on recurring themes. One of the elements that
played a role in possibly every controversy Rabbi Wein discussed was opposition of the Rabbinic
leadership. This issue is one that has come up again and again throughout the ages dating all the way
back to the very beginning. Just after receiving the Torah and becoming Hashem’s chosen people
Korach in this week’s Parsha challenges Moshe Rabbeinu.
In modern day and for many generations challenging rabbinic leadership has unfortunately been nothing
shocking or out of the ordinary. But what Korach did is astonishing. Moshe Rabbeinu’s masterful
leadership qualities, his knowledge and purity, his care and concern, is something that has yet to be
duplicated. What the Jews of the desert witnessed, what they were exposed to is also unique. They
witnessed ten plagues in Egypt, and a miraculous giving of the Torah on Har Sinai, that would make even
President Trump’s 4 th of July show look like child’s play! Hashem spoke directly to Moshe Rabbeinu, he
sustained him for forty days on Har Sinai without food or water. There was no room for any logical
person to question Hashem’s involvement and that He was the only source for all of Moshe’s teachings
and decisions. Yet, despite all of this, Korach had the audacity to challenge Moshe Rabbeinu! The
commentaries are bothered, how was it possible!?
Rashi cites the Midrash Tanchuma that addresses this question. The Midrash explains that it all began
with the appointment of Elitzaphan ben Uziel. Moshe Rabbeinu appointed Elitzaphan as the chief of the
Levite family of Kehas according to Hashem’s direct instruction. Korach being from the family of Kehas
took exception to Elitzaphan’s appointment. Kehas had three sons, Amram was the oldest he was the
father of Moshe and Aharon, Yitzhar was second he was Korach’s father, and Uziel was the youngest he
was the father of Elitzaphan. Korach reasoned that Moshe and Aharon took the two most prestigious
positions as sons of the oldest child, he should be next in line and deserves to be the chief of Kehas, but
Elitzaphan was appointed instead. Korach therefore began a campaign to undermine Moshe’s authority
and invalidate all of his appointments. Korach’s jealousy lead him to do the unthinkable, to challenge
Moshe Rabbeinu the selfless and pure servant of Hashem.
Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz writes that the Mishna in Pirkei Avos explains how jealousy causes such
unthinkable evils. The twenty first Mishna in chapter four of Pirkei Avos states: “Jealousy, honor, and
desire remove a person from the world”. What does the Mishna mean, “it removes a person from the
world”, he is still standing on the ground isn’t he? Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that he is removed
from his world. Every person has his own world of checks and balances, of morals and ethics that keep
him in check. The evil inclination has to lure a person away little by little to bring him to sin, but there
are three exceptions: jealousy, honor, and desire. These three traits take a person out of his world, they
remove him from the morals that keep him in check. Once someone has left “his world” and cast aside
his moral compass there is no telling how far he will go. This is exactly what happened with Korach, his
jealousy removed him from the realm of reason and decency and allowed him to do the unthinkable.
The message for us is clear. Jealousy is a very dangerous trait. It is human nature, and we all struggle
with it at times. But it has very dangerous potential when allowed to fester and grow. We have to be
ever so careful to always “nip it in the bud”, and quickly return to our world where our morals will keep
us in check. May Hashem help us to overcome the jealousies that confront us and live together in peace
and unity.
Good Shabbos
Rabbi Yosef Alt