Parashat HaShavua - Korach
How much effort must we make - how deep within ourselves must we dig - to feel empathy even towards those we perceive as bad actors? To explore this question through this week’s parasha of Korach, I’m first going to look back at the story of Sdom and Amorah from Genesis. As you may recall, Avraham’s nephew Lot and his family are warned about the pending destruction of those cities. They are told to flee without looking back, but Lot’s wife does look back and as a result is turned into a pillar of salt.
As I’ve shared previously here, Chananel Munk, in one of his books about female biblical characters, offers an original and I think beautiful interpretation of this episode: he says that actually Lot’s wife wanted to turn into a pillar of salt, that she wanted to be left behind because of her empathy with all the others who were being left behind. Just as they turned into salt as part of the destruction and desolation of Sdom and Amorah, so did she.
This week we read the story of the rebellion of Korach. After some very unpleasant back and forth with Moshe and Aharon, Korach and his band of rebels bring offerings to God. Moshe declares that if their offerings are accepted by God, then the rebels are right and he is not their true leader. However, if the ground swallows them up, then it will be made clear to everyone that they were mere troublemakers, and Moshe is in fact their rightful leader. They bring their offerings, and are promptly swallowed up by the earth. (Nu. 16:1-33)
It is hard to argue that Korach and his followers are well-intentioned or good-hearted people based on how the Torah describes them. However, applying Chananel Munk’s understanding of Lot’s wife to this situation, what if Korach and his followers were doubling down on her show of empathy? Last week we read that because the scouts provided negative reports on Canaan, which convinced almost all of Bnei Yisrael that God had abandoned them, the entire generation was told that they would not be allowed into the land due to their ingratitude and lack of faith.
Perhaps Korach and his followers did not want to continue to Canaan once they knew most others would never have the chance to; perhaps their empathy was as deep as the earth that swallowed them up, the earth that was going to swallow up that entire generation!
Thus from this dark tale might we learn a lesson of empathy, even -- and especially -- for those who can be perceived as bad actors. In those inevitable moments when we don’t understand each other, we must redouble our efforts to do so; we must dig deeper within ourselves and within the reality of the other.
Just to take another moment to push this point even further -- both as a midrash on this story and as a life lesson -- the parasha then describes a conflict between Aharon and others, which is resolved when his staff blossoms as confirmation of his authority. (Nu. 17:16-23) Perhaps the empathy of Korach and his followers, which led them to be swallowed up by the earth, then enabled that same earth to cause Aharon’s staff to blossom. Perhaps those blossoms grew out of their empathy.
As it happens, the Torah later tells us that in fact, contrary to what seems to be described this week, “the children of Korach did not die / וּבְנֵי קֹרַח לֹא מֵתוּ” (Nu. 26:11). How can this be? Explains Rashi there: “during the dispute they contemplated repentance.” We also know that Korach ultimately has descendants such as the prophet Samuel and Levites “who will prophesy with ruach ha’kodesh,” divine inspiration. (Nu. 16:7, Rashi) And ultimately in Psalms we read the wise words of his descendants, that “a person cannot abide by honor / וְאָדָם בִּיקָר בַּל־יָלִין,” and “a person cannot understand honor / אָדָם בִּיקָר וְלֹא יָבִין.” (Ps. 49:13, 21)
May we learn from this alternative perspective on Korach and his descendants, to be inspired to better understand and show more empathy towards others, even those we might -- perhaps with justification -- quickly judge and dismiss. May we always dig deep for that understanding, and then when we think we have reached our limit, dig a little deeper.
Shabbat shalom and have a wonderful, healthy and restful summer!
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head
Rabbinic Advisor