From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 1:43
AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas Korach,
5765
When
You're Rich They Think You Really Know
By
Rabbi Joshua (controversially known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
This
week's parsha records the controversy generated by Korach and his minions
against the leadership of Moshe and Aharon. Korach argued that Moshe had
arrogated too much power for himself and his family, and that the positions of
honor in the nation should be distributed differently. Eventually, Korach's
claims were put to the test, and God disposed of his followers and him with
appropriate, miraculous punishments, as described in the Torah. When Korach's
name is first mentioned in the parsha, his lineage is traced back to his
grandfather, Levi, but not to his great grandfather, Ya'akov. Rashi points out
that Ya'akov specifically prayed, before he died, that his name not be mentioned
in the Torah in connection with this controversy. One may ask, however, isn't
Ya'akov the progenitor of the entire Jewish nation, and, therefore, related to
every person in the nation who would, in the course of its history, arouse
rebellion? Why, then, did he pray specifically in connection with the rebellion
of Korach that his name not be mentioned? Interestingly, the rabbis tell us that
Ya'akov also prayed that his name not be mentioned in connection with the sin of
Zimri, who publicly had relations with the non-Jewish Kozbi, princess of Midian.
That prayer is understandable, because Zimri came from Shimon, who, together
with Levi, angered Ya'akov by wiping out the town of Shechem in revenge for the
abduction and rape of Dinah by the prince of the city, whose name was also
Shechem. In this case, Zimri's public act of immorality gave the lie to the
explanation that his ancestor Shimon - together with Levi - had given to Ya'akov
for wiping out the city : "Should he (Shechem) treat our sister as a harlot?"
(Bereishis 34:31). Since Ya'akov specifically opposed Shimon in the case of
Dinah, he did not want to be mentioned in connection with the eventual failing
of Shimon's descendant in a similar matter. We can therefore assume that there
was something specific about the rebellion of Korach, as well, that moved
Ya'akov to pray that his name not be mentioned in connection with it. What,
then, is that specific factor?
The simplest explanation
can be that Yaa'kov always strove to promote unity among his children, and,
therefore, he did not want his name associated with the person who came to
personify disharmony in the nation. The midrash tells us that when Ya'akov, in
his flight from Eisav, lay down to rest, he dreamt that the twelve stones he
placed around his head coalesced to form one stone. This coalition, continues
the midrash, symbolized Ya'akov's future life, in which he would have twelve
sons who would join together to form a united family dedicated to serving God.
Even though each son would have his own separate talent, they would all be
united in their goal of carrying God's name in the world. The conflict with
Yosef threatened to prevent this vision from being actualized, but, eventually,
the brothers were reconciled. Ya'akov, in the blessings that he gave his
children before he died, stressed the theme of unity within diversity. The
midrash tells us that, before he died, he asked his sons to acknowledge that
they were all dedicated to the service of God, and they responded by saying the
first verse of the Shema, " Hear Yisroel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." In
light of Ya'akov's life-long quest for unity within the nation, it is
understandable that he did not want his name to be associated with Korach, who
generated such great disunity. I believe, however, that there is a further
reason for Ya'akov's prayer that his name not be mentioned in connection with
Korach, that stems from the pledge that Ya'akov made when he woke up from his
dream about the unity of the nation. (For more on the theme of unity as
reflected in the life of Ya'akov, see Netvort to parshas Vayeitzei, 5761).
The Torah tells us that after Ya'akov awoke from his dream, he took
a stone that had been beneath his head, set it up as a matzeivoh, a pillar, atop
of which he poured oil. And made a vow to God, saying: "If God will be with me,
and He will guard me on this way that I am going, and he will give me bread to
eat and clothes to wear, and the Lord will be God to me, then the stone that I
have set as a pillar shall become a house of God… "(Bereishis 26:21). Many
commentators ask, how could Ya'akov make his service of God contingent on the
help he asked to receive? Many answers are given to this question, but I would
like to mention the explanation I heard from my teacher, R. Aharon Soloveichik,
zt"l. Rav Aharon explained that the word 'im' - if - in the sentence 'If God
will be with me," should really be understood in the sense of 'im ki,' or 'even
if.' What Ya'akov was saying, according to Rav Aharon, was that even if God will
give him riches, he will still be dedicated to His service. Ya'akov was thereby
saying that riches can be a greater test of one's dedication to God than
poverty, and he was pledging that even if he would, with God's help, attain
wealth, he would continue to serve him. Based on this explanation of Ya'akov's
vow, we can now understand why he did not want his name mentioned in connection
with Korach and the controversy he generated.
The midrash tells us
that Korach was one of the richest people who ever lived. In fact there is a
Yiddish folk expression, 'reich vi Korach,' or 'as rich as Korach', that
reflects this midrashic tradition. How did Korach attain this wealth? The
midrash explains that while he was in Egypt, he was a treasurer for Pharaoh,
and, in that capacity, he was able to discover part of the treasure that Yosef
had hidden during his years of service to Pharaoh. Rabbi Ya'akov Saakly, a
student of the famed medieval Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Shlomo ben Adres, known as
Rashba, writes, in his Toras HaMincha, that Korach went astray precisely because
of his wealth. Because he had such great wealth, he felt that honor was coming
to him, and he therefore rebelled against the authority of Moshe. Thus, Korach
failed to live up to the pledge that Ya'akov had made when he consecrated the
pillar at the time he was fleeing from Eisav, and for that reason he did
not want his name associated with him.
Please address all correspondence to the
author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address - JoshHoff @ AOL.com.
To subscribe to Netvort, send a message with subject line
subscribe, to Netvort@aol.com. To unsubscribe, send message with
subject line unsubscribe, to the same address.