Korach, An Argument II

In this second segment about Korach I want to explore a different question, a question of psychology. What makes a person act they way he does? In our case, why did Korach mount an insurrection that not only resulted in many deaths but a wound that would fester for millennia to come? David wrote Psalms about Korach. Sages contemplated his actions and mulled his fate for countless centuries. He captures our imagination even now.

An odd fact. The Torah indicates that not only was Korach and his followers consumed by the earth but their houses as well. Houses, in this usage, means wealth. Not only did Korach disappear but everything connected to him, down to his last shekel, was swallowed by the ground.

Not so many centuries before Korah, Egypt was a haven for the Israelite nation. There they found safety and, for some, prosperity. The most notable man of success was Joseph. He not only saved Egypt from starvation and kept his family intact but he also became very wealthy.

In the Talmud, 1 there is a hint of the massive wealth that Joseph accumulated as viceroy. He became so rich that there was no place to store his burgeoning possession. He had to divide his gold, jewels and other valuables into three lots and hide them away. According to this tradition, Korach found one of them when he was treasurer to the Pharaoh. He took the money of Joseph. Korach was profoundly wealthy.

Now, the biblical insight of the earth swallowing the possessions of Korach begins to make sense. The loot he took from Joseph was what was lost, eaten by the earth, along with the man that held it.

Yet, there is a hidden, more powerful message at work here. Korach had no need for anything. He had more money, more possessions, more everything than the rest of the Israelites. Why then would he want to wrest control from Moses for himself? Did he not already have enough? That is precisely the hidden message of the Torah. Wealth does not make us whole. It does not bring us joy and fill in the gaping psychic holes in our life. In fact, if taken as a goal it can utterly corrupt to the point where money becomes a god.For Korach, wealth corrupted his values. Instead of focusing on the mitzvot, what God wanted from the people, he chose his own path.


1 Pesachim 119

Haftarah Insight: The prophet Samuel addresses the people as he readies himself to install Saul as the first monarch of Israel. Samuel, as a descendant of Korach, carefully picks his words to reflect what Moses says in the Torah reading. Both leaders, Moses and Samuel, declare that they have not harmed anyone. This is a telling and deliberate statement from the descendant of Korach.When Samuel concludes his speech the air is punctuated by a storm. God thus validates the words of his servant.
A Matter of Halakha:
It is vital to argue for the sake of truth. However, when the argument takes the form of personal attack that is an evil punished by God Himself.Two opinions emerge from the Talmud regarding Korach and his assault on the leadership of Moses. Rav said it is forbidden to fight like Korach against an accepted authority. Rav Ashi is a bit more lenient. Rav Ashi says that it is forbidden to continue to argue against an authority like Moses after stating the premise of the disagreement.All embrace the idea that it is a terrible wrong to assault the integrity of the person.

Korah: An Argument

Human nature compels us to look for meaningful signals in the sands of the past. It is no different for Korach. The name has two meanings. One meaning of Korach is “ice.” It was not just the presence and words of Korach that was chilling as much as it was his cold and cruel attacks on Moses. The Talmud also sees the name Korach as relating to “bald.” When the land split and yawned open to swallow Korach and his cohorts the only thing left was an empty or bald patch of earth where nothing else could grow.

There are a number of fascinating insights that are revealed in the Mishna and Gemara regarding Korach.

1. The crevice of the earth that would engulf Korach was one of the last acts by God during the Creation. 1 As the sun began to set on the sixth day, just at twilight, God created the vast chasm that would only be needed thousands of years later.

Interpretation: God operates in the universe of the physical. He uses only what was crafted when the universe was born.
Interpretation: The Holy One knows the heart the potential of every individual. While He anticipates we always have a choice…

2. There are two kinds of controversy. One is for the sake of heaven; the other has nothing to do with heaven. The illustrations for the sides of such an argument are Hillel and Shammai and Korach and Moses. 2 Korach was not arguing for truth. His desire was far from noble; Korach was seeking power for himself while dethroning Moses. Hillel and Shammai, on the other hand, argued philosophy, interpretation, law and much more. Yet, these factions never reduced their disagreements to invective or tried to undermine the character of each other. They argued for God.

3. A long discussion of the punishment of Korach takes place in the Talmud. What happens to him in the narrative of the Torah is clear. What is less clear is what happens to Korach afterward. Was Korach doomed forever? Was he denied entry to the Universe Beyond? One opinion is that when the Torah states that the earth “sealed” itself after Korach, this means that he was gone forever. There was no eternal life for him. Another rabbi disagrees by saying that life-after-death is part of the ongoing promise of the Lord. No one is excluded. 3

4. Another commentator, Or HaChayim, stated that Korach went to Sheol. Sheol comes from the Hebrew, to ask or borrow. Korach went to a place, the Or HaChayim tells, where there was no death. Just eternal suffering. This is explained by Rabbah bar bar Hanah who told that once he was taken to the Sinai by a desert merchant to be shown the place where Korach disappeared. Bar bar Hanah says that he saw the crust of the earth rise and from deep inside the earth came billowing smoke. He claimed to have placed his ear close to the crack and heard, "Moses and his Torah are true; Korach and his band are deceivers." 4

Whatever is the ultimate historic truth we will never know. At the same time, the bald facts of the story point to the incontestable truth of the tale of Korach: We must be self-critical enough to always ask what is our motivation and endeavor to place love and respect before invective and hatred.








1 Avot 5:6
2 Avot 5:17
3 Sanhedrin 108-9
4 Bava Batra 74a