Korach Parashah 38

Korach Parashah #38, Sivan 30, 5770-6/12/10

B'midbar 16:1~18:32

A This weeks parashah Korach, provides us the understanding of how the aborted rebellion against Moshe has a major relevance for all generations and societies. It's perhaps not so much the 3,000 year old story of a historical event, as it is the story of human failure and personality faults within the community. The character of Korach sets a pattern before us as it were, of an ambitious, talented, self confident, aggressive individual who feels that the community does not appreciate his talents and abilities. Korach believes that he has been slighted by his assigned position of levitical duty. After all, each time the instruction to break camp arose, it was Aharon and his sons who would go into the Tabernacle and cover the holy furnishings and utensils for transport, while Korach from the family of K'hat couldn't even touch them but could only carry them on poles.

In his attempt to usurp the G-d given authority of Moshe and Aharon, Korach was in essence, contesting the authority of G-d's Word which was transmitted through Moshe to the community. Korach had convinced himself that Moshe and Aharon had elevated themselves to the position of spiritual leadership in the community, promoting their own personal agendas.In his frustrations, he not only seeks to demean Moshe and Aharon's positions in the community, but he seeks to raise himself up with his own lofty purposes and ideas. He becomes a self prescribed advocate of the people's rights, proclaiming a message of democracy, freeing them from the autocracy (rule by one person) of Moshe. Sounds pretty good doesn't it, perhaps Korach is responsible for introducing the embryonic form of what would evolve as a Tea Party.

Read B'midbar 16:1~7 and 31~35 pg 167~168

As typically most self seeking, ambitious people lacking scruples do, Korach realizes he cannot accomplish his task by himself. Korach proceeds to take men who were in leadership positions themselves but were no longer content with things the way they were in the community. United by the strands of hatred and disrespect towards Moshe and his leadership, Korach's campaign speech proclaims that "the entire community is holy," but he is really saying: "Why can't I be Coheyn Gadol?"

Appealing to the emotions and predjudices of the people in an effort to gain some political power, Korach has been successful in his appeal to at least 250 people who have chosen to side with him. Interesting to note is the tribe of Reuven is mentioned here in their support, which perhaps gives credence to the fact that both the K'hat division of the Levi'im and Reuven were neighbors in their placement at the south side of the Tabernacle. This might then suggest the influence that neighbors can have towards each other.

B Bearing the character traits as we mentioned earlier, Korach actually presents himself as a false messiah, the savior of the people, a great physician as it were with the prescriptions necessary to cure all of the afflictions of a generation that sees no bright future for itself. It's no coincindence that Korach raises himself up outside of the community with his campaign of rebellion, on the heels of Moshe's statement to the people as recorded inB'midbar 14:20~24 pg 164 Read

Seeing no possible solution for themselves, and none for their future, they make a concentrated effort to turn away even further from G-d and turn towards the illusion and rebellion that Korach has to offer.

Chapter 16:1 of today's parashah gives us perhaps one suggested explanation of the statement that Korach "took" men. Verse 1 begins in the Hebrew: Vayi'kach Korach ben Yitz'ahar or in the English, Korach son of Yitz'ahar took... and we find out that what he took was "men." In order to effectively take men from the community, he himself had to separate himself from the community. If Korach really believed that he had a legitimate grievance against Moshe, he could have approached Moshe with the concern and resolution would have followed.

Moshe was the G-d appointed teacher and leader of B'nei Yisra'el. Korach, who was a part of this community would have never had the insolence or boldness to take a stand against Moshe, maintaining his presence in the community. As a result, Korach removes himself first from the community and then establishes his own community composed of 250 leaders who had now embraced his campaign promises, thus he takes them "out" as it were for a short lived communal experience. No longer under Moshe's leadership, or even the authority of G-d's Word as transmitted through Moshe, Korach finds little difficulty in approaching Moshe as his equal attempting to usurp his authority.

If Korach would have identified himself as a member of Moshe's community, as one of his disciples, he never would have been able to levy his assaults against Moshe in questioning the truths of Moshe's words. because in doing so, it would only cause a negative reflection on himself.

C Korach, we must remember experienced the redemption from Mitsrayim, he saw the parting of the Sea of Reeds, he saw food and water no less than miraculously provided by ADONAI. Moshe had a special relationship with ADONAI, after the golden calf episode ADONAI threatened to destroy the nation and following the episode of the spies He once again warrants their destruction. Both times ADONAI listened to Moshe's prayers and pleas to not destroy them, and He honors the request.

Korach and his followers understood Moshe's special relationship with ADONAI, and how He would support Moshe in his decision making. Blinded by rebellious and self promulgated agenda, Korach leaves the truth, gathers allies, and goes outside of the community, not cognizant of their own impending doom. In HaBrit Chadashah I Timothy 3:15, Rav Shaul defines the household of G-d, calling it the Messianic community of the living G-d, the pillar and the support of the truth.Outside of the community then, would suggest a place of willingness to forfeit the pillar and support of G-d's truth.

D       We can learn a great deal from this episode of Yira'el's journey. We see how good people from within the community, can and will through dissatifactions that become contagious to their neighbors and personal agenda seeking, contribute to strife and division in the community from an outside position. We must realize that this is not a new concept of community destruction, but has literally been around for thousands of years. Just as one of HaSatans primary goals and objectives is the destruction of the family, it extends into the community of believers as well. Rav Shaul in his letter to the Messianic Community in Rome Ch 16:17~20 states: "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained - keep away from them. For men like these are not serving our Lord the Messiah but their own belly; by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the innocent. For everyone has heard about your obedience; therefore I rejoice over you. However, I want you to be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil. And God, the source of shalom, will soon crush the Adversary under your feet."

We have talked about Moshe, Y'hoshua and Kalev having been endowed with the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of G-d), it's interesting to note that the primary source of division in the community is people who do not have the Spirit. In Y'hudah (Book of Jude), verse 17~19 pg 1532 it states: "But you, dear friends, keep in mind the words spoken in advance by the emissaries of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. They told you, "During the acharit hayamim (end of days) there will be scoffers following their own godless passions." These are the people who cause divisions. They are controlled by their impulses, because they don't have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in union with the Ruach HaKodesh. Thus keep yourselves in God's love, as you wait for our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to give you the mercy that leads to eternal life."

Scoffing, godless passions, and impulses that control without the Spirit are actually bad habits of one's body that have been produced by yetzer hara the sin nature. Unless we, as believers continually and actively by the power of the Ruach, put to death our body's bad habits to which it has become accustomed and conditioned by our old nature, these bad habits will find expression, so that we will certainly die.

Read Romans 8:1~14pg1410
This certain death is physical, spiritual and eternal, and perhaps Korach and his rebellious community that lacked the Spirit of G-d, have provided a vivid picture of what this might look like.However, as we saw in verse 6, by actively and continually setting the mind on the things of the Spirit, you will live.

We alluded earlier to the idea that Korach was in essence playing the role of anti-messiah in his successful platform of rebellious campaigning to the 250 that chose to ally with him. In his first letter Yochanan ties in the sin nature with the anti-messiah, and goes on to explain that as believers we have the truth in Messiah. The context of the text suggests that because G-d the Father has Messiah-ized us with the real Messiah Yeshua, we understand the danger that anti-messiahs bring. It's crucial to know from this text also that the anti-messiahs went out from us (the community) but were not part of us.
Read I Yochanan 2:15~21 pg 1525   and   4:1~3 pg 1527

E As leader of the community Moshe asserted a bold confidence towards Korach by stating that ADONAI will show who are His and who will be the Holy one that can approach Him, and a short time later explaining to Datan and Aviram that the deaths of those who allied with Korach would not be a common death, but something new and different. The ground opened up and swallowed all of those who allied with Korach and the 250 former leaders of the community were destroyed by the fire of ADONAI.

We will close this morning with instruction from the writer of the Book of Acts, directed by Rav Shaul to the leadership of the community.
Read Acts 20:28~31a pg 1389

Well, we saw that rebellion will and does rise up within the community, and as it gathers allies it soon goes out to form its own definition of community. Before it leaves and even after it has departed it can cause division and sow seeds of discord. It is not a new concept of community destruction, but rather a very old and well worn means that HaSatan uses for his purposes. We recognize it by its lack of G-d's Spirit and we see how it operates in the flesh of its yetzer hara (sin nature). Its end is certain physical, spiritual and eternal death, but if we as believers stay fixed on the things of the Spirit, putting to death the things of the flesh, yet while we are appointed a physical death, we will attain a life that is eternal. You have been Messiah-ized by the Holy One, Blessed be He!"

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