Korach the Populist
Korach was a savvy populist. He told the people exactly what they wanted to hear.
In this week’s Parsha, Korach began a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He was, he said, sick and tired of the elite leading the masses. He had enough of Moses and Aaron serving as the moral voice for the people, encouraging them to grow ever higher in their devotion to G-d and in their commitment to a lifestyle of holiness.
The slogan he chose for his rebellion was: “the entirety of the people are holy”. No need for a Moses or an Aaron. No need for spiritual leadership.
As the Torah states:
Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi took [himself to one side] along with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, descendants of Reuben. They confronted Moses together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, chieftains of the congregation, representatives of the assembly, men of repute. They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "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?"
Korach’s claim seemed impeccable. Did Moses not agree that the people were holy?
Earlier, in the book of Leviticus, G-d’s told Moses:
Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.
There is a profound difference between Korach’s claim “the entire congregation are all holy”, and G-d’s statement “you shall be holy”. Korach’s claim, “(you) are all holy”, is in the present tense, he was telling the people that they were already holy. Korach’s statement required nothing of the people, there was no need for them to grow and advance, to strive to ascend ever higher. They were perfect. They were holy. By contrast, G-d’s statement “be holy” was in the future tense. It was a call to put in the effort it took to refine themselves. It was a call to the people to improve, to change, to advance, to become holy.
Which of the two claims - that the people “are all holy” as Korach preached, or “you shall be holy” as Moses taught - held the people in higher regard?
On the surface it seems that Korach’s claim, that the people were already holy, was the greatest compliment they could receive. The opposite, however, is true. When Moses saw the Jews he saw not only their exterior but rather he saw their essence as well. When Moses saw a Jew, he saw the infinite potential of the soul. Moses understood that no matter how great the Jew was, he could become greater yet. Specifically, because Moses held the people in so high a regard, he was not satisfied with their state of holiness. The core of his message, therefore, was always: “be holy”. No matter how holy you are, become more holy in the future.
There are two types of leaders: one who is always loving, accepting and understanding of the people and their shortcomings. The other is always demanding more. Moses captured both of these seemingly opposing traits. On the one hand, whenever the people sinned he was the first to run to their defense. He was their greatest advocate and defender. On the other hand, he always expected more from them. He understood that the role of a Jewish leader, of a Moses and an Aaron, was to encourage the people to grow and unleash the infinite energy of their soul.
These two traits, accepting and demanding, are not contradictory. In fact, these two traits stem from the same root. Moses saw the essence of the people, he therefore understood that sin was just an external and temporary state of being that did not define their essence. And because Moses saw their essence he understood that no matter how holy they were, they had the potential to soar ever higher.
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This Shabbos, the third of Tamuz, is the twenty second Yahrtzeit of the Rebbe. It is a day when Jews around the globe reconnect to the Rebbe’s teachings and inspiration. The Rebbe, the Moses of our generation, saw the essence of the soul within every Jew. Therefore, like Moses before him, the Rebbe was the loving defender of the Jewish people. And therefore, he taught us never to be satisfied with our achievements, to always climb ever higher, to understand that our capacity to grow is boundless.
He taught us to look for the soul of every person. To continuously seek to uncover and connect to the treasures within our own soul, as well as within the soul of every individual Jew.