Well, school is ending, summer
vacation is just beginning and our children have been absolutely out of their
minds during this past week. Are they excited? Absolutely. Can they concentrate
on anything? Barely. This has been
particularly stressful as we, actually my wife, has planned a family trip to
Israel in honor of our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah.
Because they are so excited to visit Israel, they have been talking
about this for weeks. They have been packing for a week. The house has been
literally turned upside down as they prepare to be there for a month. It has
become such a big deal that they have been unable to focus on all things that
need to be done on a day to day basis. Literally it feels as if we have been herding
cats, no offence to cat herders. Sometimes, we have had to discipline each
child individually. Sometimes we have had to discipline them as a group. They
all understand that our ability to enjoy our time in Israel will be a direct
function of their ability to listen, follow instructions, and be helpful; this
will have to be a family effort. They understand that there will be times that
if they don’t listen and if they don’t follow direction, and then our family
won’t be able to do some of the things that Mommy planned. Educationally, there is a value in communal
punishment. First, communal punishment offers an opportunity for the group to
come together. The group is bound by common experience. Second, the group has a
common purpose or sense of mission. Third, the group understands that each
member of the group has a role to play in order to insure the success of the
group. However you might be thinking,
"Ha'Ish Echad Yechtah v'Al
Kol Ha'Edah Tiktzof- shall one man's
sin, and you be angry with the entire assembly?" (Num. 16:22). The
answer is yes, there are times when communal punishment is most effective. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai explained this verse
with the following analogy. "A man on a ship took a drill and began to
drill a hole under his own seat. When his companion asked him 'Why are you
doing this?' he replied, 'Why should it bother you? Am I not drilling only
under my own seat?' His companions look at him incredulously: 'But the water will rise up and flood the
ship for all of us!' (Leviticus Rabbah 4:6).
This week's Parsha is Korach. Korach
was a relative of Moshe's. They both came from the tribe of Levi. Korach
questioned Moshe's authority. He did not do this during a private meeting
between individuals. Rather, Korach gathered 250 supporters, and then publicly
challenged Moshe. Moshe tried to keep peace within the community, but to no
avail. A divine test is administered, and Korach and his supporters fail. The
earth swallows them up. However God is angry and a plague falls upon the
people. They are communally punished for Korach's actions, their passive
support, and their failure to bond together against Korach. God speaks to Aaron
and binds Aaron's line even closer to the rest of the tribe of Levi, and
Korach's family. In a sense, they now have greater reliance upon one another.
"Also your brethren the tribe of
Levi, the tribe of your father, shall you draw near with you, and they shall be
joined to you….. (Num. 18:2-7). The
survival of the Priestly class, the survival of Levi, and its leadership
depends upon its ability to keep its family together.
A community is a combination of
symbiotic relationships. For B'nai Israel that symbiotic relationship was
manifest in the role that each tribe played within the community. That
symbiotic relationship was also manifest in Amcha's (the nation's) desire for
God to dwell among it. If anything threatened God's dwelling among Amchah, then
it must be removed. Two weeks ago the threat occurred when Miriam spoke Lashon
Harah. She was quarantined from the camp. Last week it happened with the spies
as well as the man who desecrated Shabbat. Here it happens with Korach, his
staunch supporters, and those who remained silent.
There is an opinion that communal
punishment is inherently unfair. It punishes the innocent. After all, Korach
gathered only 250 followers. The rest of the community did not actively
participate in Korach's rebellion. However, there is the Torah principle of Midah K'neged Midah, a measure for a measure. What did the
"innocent" members of the community do to warrant a plague? Certainly
after they witnessed Korach's humiliation and then death, the people were
shocked. "You have killed the people
of God!" (Num. 17:6). Is such an exclamation worthy of a plague? No.
B'nai Yisroel's crime, was its lack of judgement. Yes, Korach was a demagogue
of sorts. His crime was acting as a self-serving arrogant leader. For that,
Korach took responsibility. He paid with his life. However B'nai Yisroel also
bears some responsibility. B'nai Yisroel allowed itself to be led by “false” leader. Again, they demonstrated a
lack of faith. Last week they lacked faith by listening to 10 of the 12 spies.
This week, they listen to Korach instead of demonstrating faith in Moshe, and,
by extension, God.
What do we learn from Korach's
rebellion, and the ensuing communal punishment? First, we learn that a
community cannot be polarized and hope to survive. That was the reason Korach
was punished in the first place. Second, we learn that a community and its
leadership must share in a common vision. Third, there must be room for
disagreements to take place. There must be room to ask questions. Questions
must be asked, and disagreements must arise. However both must occur under the
auspices of truth, and the acquisition of knowledge. Korach's demise
demonstrates that questions and disagreements can never occur under false
pretenses, arrogance, or in a self-serving manner. I certainly hope that our children have
learned the lesson about Korach before we get on the plane.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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