Between authority and equality

The Parasha in our everyday life – Korach - 5782

Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - Rosh Yeshivat Hesder 'Meir Harel' Modi'in

One of the issues in public discourse in the postmodern age is the tension between 'authority' and 'equality'. How to reconcile the need for authority in a society and system, when on the other hand there is the concept of 'equality' and 'freedom', that all human beings are equal and that every person has the right to make decisions independently and without the intervention of an outsider and live his life the way he sees best. This discourse lies below and above the surface.

Every intelligent person understands that society cannot exist without leaders. The nature of human society is that people are different from each other and there is not one thing in which there will be no disagreements. Each one is stubborn and insists on his opinion and is not willing to cede and give up. It is, therefore, necessary for a society to be appointed a leader who has been given exclusive 'authority' to decide, rule, determine and make binding decisions, and also to enforce its resolutions:

לפי שאי אפשר לישוב בני אדם מבלי שיעשו אחד מביניהם ראש על האחרים לעשות מצותו ולקים גזרותיו מפני שדעות בני אדם חלוקין זה מזה ולא יסכימו כלם לעולם לדעה אחת לעשות דבר מכל הדברים, ומתוך כך יצא מביניהם הבטול והאסיפה בפעלות, ועל כן צריכין לקבל דעת אחד מהם אם טוב ואם רע למען יצלחו ויעסקו בעסקו של עולם...

"It is because it is impossible for the settlement of people without their making one of them head over the others, to do his command and fulfill his decrees. As the opinions of people are different and they will never all agree on one opinion - to do one thing from among the many things. And from this, the result will be idleness and a cessation of actions. And therefore they need to accept the opinion of one of them - whether it is good or whether it is bad - so that they will be successful and be involved in the business of the world, sometimes finding great benefit from his will and counsel and sometimes [finding] the opposite " (Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 71:2).

Naturally, the authority and ability given to the leadership gives them priority over the average person in this matter. And when these decisions do not match the opinion of any of them it causes criticism and resentment. For some people, it also creates motivation to mill the status and authority of leaders who are not of their opinion. Sometimes it translates only to factual criticism of the decision, and if not useful, for personal criticism of those in authority, and attempts to impeach and find a blemish in their decisions and conduct (including by blaming corruption). In such a situation there are people in the public who do not realize that this is not a matter-of-fact criticism, but an indirect way through which the critics seek to undermine the status of the leadership and challenge their authority.

Contrary to popular belief that the concept of equality and liberty was renewed in the 18th century by John Locke, already in our Parasha, Korach uses a similar argument to defy the leadership of Moshe and challenge his authority:

...וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כׇל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם ה' וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל ה'׃

..." and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the community is holy, all of them, and Hashem in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above Hashem's congregation?” (Bamidbar 16:3)

Korach convened the claim for deprivation and inequality. What led Korach to make his claim, however, was not the spirit of equality and freedom that succeeded him, nor was his excessive concern for the rights of Israel:

וּמָה רָאָה קֹרַח לַחֲלֹק עִם מֹשֶׁה? נִתְקַנֵּא עַל נְשִׂיאוּתוֹ שֶׁל אֱלִיצָפָן בֶּן עֻזִּיאֵל, שֶׁמִּנָּהוּ מֹשֶׁה נָשִׂיא עַל בְּנֵי קְהָת עַל פִּי הַדִּבּוּר, אָמַר קֹרַח, אַחֵי אַבָּא אַרְבָּעָה הָיוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ו') "וּבְנֵי קְהָת" וְגוֹ', עַמְרָם הַבְּכוֹר נָטְלוּ שְׁנֵי בָנָיו גְּדֻלָּה, אֶחָד מֶלֶךְ וְאֶחָד כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, מִי רָאוּי לִטֹּל אֶת הַשְּׁנִיָּה? לֹא אֲנִי שֶׁאֲנִי בֶּן יִצְהָר, שֶׁהוּא שֵׁנִי לְעַמְרָם, וְהוּא מִנָּה נָשִׂיא אֶת בֶּן אָחִיו הַקָּטָן מִכֻּלָּם, הֲרֵינִי חוֹלֵק עָלָיו וּמְבַטֵּל אֶת דְּבָרָיו.

"And what induced Korach to quarrel with Moshe? He was envious of the princely dignity held by Elzaphan the son of Uziel (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 1) whom Moshe had appointed prince over the sons of Kohath although this was by the express command of G-d (Bamidbar 3:30). Korach argued thus: “My father and his brothers were four in number — as it is said, (Shmot 6:18) “and the sons of Kohath were [Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uziel]”. — “As to Amram, the eldest, his two sons have themselves assumed high dignity, one as king and the other as High Priest; who is entitled to receive the second (the rank next to it)? Is it not “I” who am the son of Izhar, who was the second to Amram amongst the brothers? And yet he has appointed as prince the son of his (Amram’s) brother who was the youngest of all of them! I hereby protest against him and will undo his decision”. (Rashi Bamidbar 16:1)

'Everything is personal'! and his manipulative claim of inequality against Moshe was a false claim! Because Moshe did not appoint himself but was appointed only by G-d's command!

וְקֹרַח שֶׁפִּקֵּחַ הָיָה

"Now since Korah was a clever man" (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:8) understood that this is a claim that has the power to mobilize disgruntled and frustrated publics to rebel against the authority of Moshe Rabbeinu:

הבכורות הסכימו עמו בטענה שהיה משה פוסלן, גם שבט לוי בטענה שצוהו משה שיהיו נתונים לאהרן ולבניו

"The firstborn all agreed with Korach’s accusation that Moshe had disqualified the firstborn from performing ritual sacrifices, whereas the members of the tribe of Levi agreed with him that they had become subservient to Aaron and his sons at Moshe’s bidding". (Rabbeinu Bahya Bamidbar 16:19)

And acted cunningly to gather the public opinion of all the people:

כָּל הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא הָלַךְ אֵצֶל הַשְּׁבָטִים וּפִתָּה אוֹתָם — "כִּסְבוּרִין אַתֶּם שֶׁעָלַי לְבַדִּי אֲנִי מַקְפִּיד? אֵינִי מַקְפִּיד אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל כֻּלְּכֶם, אֵלּוּ בָאִין וְנוֹטְלִין כָּל הַגְּדֻלּוֹת, לוֹ הַמַּלְכוּת וּלְאָחִיו הַכְּהֻנָּה" עַד שֶׁנִּתְפַּתּוּ כֻלָּם (שם):

"That whole night he went round to all the tribes and tried to win them over: “Do you really think that I care for myself alone? It is only for all of you that I care! These men come and occupy every high office: royal rank for himself, for his brother the priesthood!” — until in the end all of them submitted to his persuasion" (Rashi Bamidbar 16:19)

We read in our Parasha about the price Korach paid for his acts. And his actions are remembered for generations as a model for a "Dispute that is not for the Sake of Heaven – will not endure" (Pirkei Avot 5:17). And as a warning about controversies:

אמר רב כל המחזיק במחלוקת עובר בלאו שנאמר ולא יהיה כקרח וכעדתו

"As Rav says: Anyone who perpetuates a dispute violates a prohibition, as it is stated: “And he will not be like Korach and his assembly" (Sanhedrin 110a).