Parashat: Korach

Parashat: Korach
Torah Reading: Numbers 16:1–18:32

“They congregated against Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and Adonai is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above Adonai’s congregation?’”

— Numbers 1:2

It is never easy to receive criticism to your face, and less pleasant when it’s done in the public company of 250+ people. However, in Parashat Korach, this is what Moses and Aaron are facing. While Korach is often deemed a rebel without a cause, there might be some grounding for his grievance. After all, didn’t God tell the people that they would become a kingdom of priests? Didn’t every person who gave a gift from the heart to the holy tabernacle empower God to announce that God would dwell among them? If everyone is holy and everyone is special, what genuinely holds Moses and Aaron to a higher standard?

Years ago, my father asked a group of college students why they chose to be leaders. I was furious. “It’s not always a choice,” I argued —“sometimes leadership is, like greatness, thrust upon you.” My father shook his head, grinned, and said “It’s always a choice. No matter what, leadership is always a choice.” Perhaps that is what sets Moses and Aaron apart, their holy decision to keep choosing leadership of a people who are unequivocally uneasy to please. Wandering in the desert can be wearying work and Moses has already shared the load with at least seventy other leaders. By making the choice each day to show up and lead (even when lacking the patience to do so), Moses and Aaron signify that leadership is not only a singular decision, but also a sacred duty.

— Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss