The uncontrollable dynamics of the controversy fire

The Parasha in the everyday Life - Parashat Korah - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald – 5780

On Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu's 10th year Yortzait.

The Korah dispute, after which our Parasha is named, is a historical model for a dispute 'not for the sake of Heaven':

כָּל מַחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, אֵין סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם . אֵיזוֹ הִיא מַחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלֹקֶת הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלֹקֶת קֹרַח וְכָל עֲדָתוֹ:

"Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure… And which is the controversy that is not for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his congregation. ". (Pirkei Avot 5:17)

In this dispute, Dathan and Abiram are partners and are joined by two hundred and fifty men offering the incense. Each one and his causes.

The controversy ends tragically: Dathan and Abiram are swallowed up in the earth and at the same time, the incense offering men are burned" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch Bamidbar 17:35).

As for Korah, the Sages were divided: whether

לא מן הבלועין ולא מן השרופין - אלא במגפה מת

"Korah was neither among the swallowed nor among the burned; he died in a plague" or whether

מן הבלועים ומן השרופין היה

"Korah was both among the burned and among the swallowed. He was among the swallowed, as it is written: “And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah” (Bamidbar 26:10). He was among the burned, as it is written: “And fire came forth from Hashem and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that burned the incense” (Bamidbar 16:35), and Korah was with them. (Sanhedrin 110a- Rashi)

Why was there a difference in the punishments? What did the Scripture see in the two hundred and fifty incense offering men that were consumed by fire?

ומה ראה בדתן ואבירם שנדונו במיתה חמורה שירדו חיים שאולה

 And why were Dathan & Abiram punished so harshly that were swallowed by the earth? (Harivah - Rabotenu Ba'ale ha-Tosafot, ibid)

The Maharsha- מהרש"א (Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels) replied: "The two hundred and fifty people did not dispute Aharon's Priesthood, they wanted to bring incense as well, etc. But Dathan and Abiram disputed Moshe's merits too. Therefore, the 250 were punished with the burning of their souls… But Dathan & Abiram sinned with their whole body and their whole strength so they were swallowed up, etc. (Sanhedrin ibid).

There is an opinion that Korah was "neither among the burned nor among the swallowed": "He did not sin as much as he was mistaken. So, we say: for he had foreseen that great men would descend from him in the future, and thus was not punished in all this, but died in the plague, for he calumniated Moshe and Aharon, etc. And why is it said that he was 'among the burned and among the swallowed' because he was the one who acted and the sin of many lays on him". (Ibid)

מדותיו של הקב"ה מדה כנגד מדה

"G-d matches the punishment to the crime. Seeing that Korach had demanded to be elevated to a position in life which he did not deserve he was punished by being relegated instead to a position below the earth". (Rabbeinu Bahya Bamidbar 16:35)

What was the matching here?

There is a characteristic dynamic on the spread of public controversy, especially when it comes to fundamental issues. While a 'dispute that is for the sake of Heaven' is a significant dispute, aimed at reaching the truth, a 'dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven' comes on the grounds of personal or public interests.

It often starts out with a personal interest and one of the parties tries to turn it into an ideological public controversy to adjudicate it to himself. He seeks to empower himself and his influence by mobilizing public opinion alongside him and recruiting supporters to join in the controversy. Many times, there is a tendency to use manipulations, demagogic agitations against the owners of the dispute, make a bad name and disseminate false information.

Usually, things are said when the dispute is against the leadership or those with authority. A contrarian tends to show that it is not a matter of personal interest but a matter of principles or public interest, and they seek to recruit more people who will join in the dispute and increase their power.

The dynamics of the controversy are on many sides like the dynamics of space combustion propagation and 'fire damage'. The fire starts in a certain location and it tends to spread to other places:

כי תצא אש וגו'. פרוש (ב''ק כב, ב) תצא משמע אפילו יצאה מעצמה, ובא להזהיר שאפילו המדליק בתוך שלו ויצאה מעצמה והזיקה שחיב, לפי שלא שמר גחלתו, שהאדם חיב לשמר אשו שלא תצא ותזיק, שדרך האש ללכת מעצמה אף על פי שאינו בעל חיים.

"If a fire goes out, etc." The understanding of "goes out" implies even if it went out on its own (Bava Batra 22b), and it comes to warn even if one lit [a fire] on his own [property] and it went out on its own and it damaged, that he is liable - since he did not watch his coals. As a man is obligated to watch his fire that it not [spread] and damage, since it is the way of fire to spread on its own, even though it is not a living being." (Sefer HaChinukh 56)

There are situations where the fire is ignited in a controlled way with the intention of limiting it. But it goes out of control and spreads out. It can also burn things that were not intended to be burned. Sometimes it also turns against those who lit the fire:

והיינו שנמשל נזק מחלוקת לנזק אש כמש"כ להלן כ"א כ"ח, וכידוע הלשון אש המחלוקת, ללמד כי כמו שנזק אש איתא בב"ק דף י' שמועד לאכול בין שראוי לה בין שאין ראוי לה, כך מחלוקת עושה דברים שאינו ראוי מצד השכל, וקולט אנשים יקרים שאינם ראוים לכך

There is an analogy between the damage caused by fire and damage caused by disagreements: "And, it is well known that the 'fire of controversy' is like real fire, the one responsible for it is considered forewarned with regard to its consuming both something that is fitting and something that is not fitting, so too controversy, it does things not fitting and unworthy of the intellect, and absorbs precious people who are unworthy of it". (Haamek Davar ibid)

Even within the controversy firelighters, there are some who rely on their ability to control the flames but lose control over their height and spread. It often hits them back as a boomerang.

(Note: Any attempt to associate with a particular dispute is the responsibility of the reader).