Shabbat Korach
Numbers 16:1-18:32
Candle Lighting Time: Friday, June, 27, 2008 8:13 P.M.
Moses
and Korach were first cousins. I once read a commentary that Korach
lashed out at Moses because he felt that Moses consistently passed over
him and gave community positions to other relatives. Moses was the
leader the Jewish people; Aaron, his brother, was the High Priest. When
Aaron was appointed High Priest, Korach thought to himself, “Levi has
four sons. The oldest is Amram, and the second is Yitzhar. If Moses
took the kingship for himself as a son of Amram, the oldest son of Levi,
then he should not have appointed his brother as the High Priest. He
should have designated the priesthood for the sons of Yitzhar. To add
insult to injury in Korach’s mind, when it came time to appoint a leader
for the tribe of Levi, Moses skipped Yizhar’s family, appointing
Eltzaphan the son of Uziel, Levi’s youngest son as the leader, or in
Hebrew the nasi. Consequently Korach thought to himself, “What am I-
Chopped Liver?” We can hear his anguish when he says, “You have gone
too far! For all the community are holy. All of them (including me, I
would add), and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise
yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” (Nu. 16:3)
Commenting on verse 12 when Moses sent for two of the other ring leaders
of this rebellion, we “see the greatness of Moses’ soul. He set aside
his own dignity and his feelings of resentment toward those who spoke
ill of him and took the initiative to heal the breach in community.
{Rash}” (Etz Hayyim below the line commentary, page 862)
One
of Britain’s outstanding Parliament members had been unfairly insulted
by his critics. Noticing he was quite depressed, a colleague tried to
encourage him. The friend told him of an incident that had given him a
new insight into the matter of unprovoked attacks. He explained that he
had accidentally injured a dog. When he tried to administer first aid,
the animal turned on him and bit him on the arm. The man did not become
angry though, for he knew that the attack had come because the dog was
in great pain. Looking at his fellow Member of Parliament, the friend
said, “I think we need to remember that many people in the world today
have been hurt by cruel and unpleasant circumstances. This often
accounts for the way they treat others. Suffering both in mind and
spirit, they strike out fairly to relieve their own tensions. If we are
doing God’s will, however, we can accept these assaults graciously,
realizing that they often come from ‘injured people.’ The Lord will
bless you brother, if you forgive those who have caused you this
undeserved heartache.” Encouraged by his friend, the public servant
forgave his critics.
When
someone “snaps” at you, he may be suffering inwardly. In spite of the
hurt it causes you, be sure to “keep your cool.” Follow Moses’ example
who took the initiative to heal the breach in the community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi
Gary Greene
Services Schedule:
Friday night 7:00 p.m.
Shabbat 9:00 a.m.
Mon.
& Thurs 6:30 a.m.
Sun.
-Thurs night 7:30 p.m.
