Korach
“You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
The Parsha of Korach is all about rebellion. Korach challenges the leadership.
Like politicians Korach had an underlying agenda behind his polemical words.
There are numerous explanations as to what Korach exactly sought. Some say the High priesthood, some say Moses’s position and others teach that he was challenging God Himself and the system of Torah (in particular the oral tradition).
Although Korach and his followers come to an ignominious end with the earth swallowing, the story holds an important lesson relevant to today.
That is: how to relate to our youth, and how to relate in general to anomalies, to the rebel within, to those who seem to be turning their backs on Jewish community
Instead of dismissing those who rebel against Judaism we need to listen very carefully to the stirrings of the soul that lie beneath the surface.
If we harness that energy and help them channel it then the next generation will continue the traditions of Judaism with even greater zest & passion than previous generations
But before we help other rebels reveal their inherent holiness we must first unlock the holy rebel inside ourselves, that part of ourselves that is willing to break with the status quo.
Korach went too far but his argument “for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst” is true.
This leads to the profound notion that we each have a holy mission to fulfil with the life God has gifted us with.
Every single moment of life is infinitely precious pregnant with the potential to connect ourselves and others to Godliness.
And just sometimes we need to be Korach like and rebel against the status quo of our lives so that we can progress the ladder of holiness.
Shabbat Shalom!
