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HEBREW TABERNACLE CONGREGATION June 27, 2009 D’var Torah
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Sofia Arnold is a
7th grader at the Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and
Engineering. She enjoys all her
subjects but is particularly interested in engineering and philosophy. She
recently enjoyed a school trip to Puerto Rico where she studied the island’s ecosystem
and visited cultural and historical sites. Her main love is theatre and has
performed in several productions with the Pied Piper Children’s Theatre, the Theatre
Arts Center, and the Calhoun Summer Shakespeare Camp. She is making her
school debut in their performance of “Seussical”. Sofia has grown up within
the community of the Hebrew Tabernacle. She has attended services and programs
here since an infant and began attending Hebrew School while in first grade.
As a toddler she was often cared for by the teenage members of the
congregation. When asked by them what she wanted to be when she grew up she immediately
responded, “a teenager”. Sofia has successfully reached her first goal in
life. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In this week’s parasha, parashat Korah, a man
named Korah, along with his followers, challenge Moses’ leadership by
accusing him and Aaron of acting as if they were holier than anyone else in
the community. They say that everyone
is holy and Moses and Aaron are putting themselves above them all; not
God. Moses, wanting to prove that God
has put him in charge, tells Korah to bring fire pans and incense to the
sanctuary. Then Moses asks God to show
that God has, in fact, chosen him to be in charge. God demonstrates this by punishing Korah,
his followers and their family. Moses
tells Korah’s followers to move away from him, but they align with Korah
anyway. So, God first makes the earth
open up and swallow Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, his main supporters, and their
families for a total of 250 deaths. Then a fire breaks out and burns more of
the supporters. This is then followed
by a plague. Another 14,700 people are
killed. Moses begs God not to kill
everyone arguing that not everyone should suffer the consequences of a few
bad men. However, after the plague is
stopped by God, the Israelites accuse Moses and Aaron for all the deaths and
destruction. God, furious, wants to
annihilate the entire community for questioning Moses, yet again. Moses, wanting to save the Israelites from
God’s wrath, tells them to have the leader of each tribe bring his shepherd’s
staff into the sanctuary. God will
then demonstrate who the rightful priestly leader is. When all the staffs are lined up in the
sanctuary, Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, blossoms with
almond flowers. This shows the
Israelites that Aaron is the one chosen to assume the role of the High
Priest. The staff is then placed back
in the sanctuary as a reminder to the people to have faith and stop their
complaints. The remaining part of the parasha describes the rules and
responsibilities of the Levites and Kohanim, who will be in charge of the
priestly duties. Aaron and his
descendents will be in charge of the sanctuary and the holy altar. The Levites will help, but they are not
allowed to touch the sacred objects or be near the altar. Both will be in charge of dividing up
donations and sacrifices made to the sanctuary. These donations include the first fruits,
oil, grain, and wine and the first born of animals and even humans. The first born male human though, must be
redeemed by the family paying 5 shekels, or silver coins, to the Temple. The priests are even allowed to keep some
of the tithes given to the sanctuary.
Since they are not allowed to own land, they are able to keep the best
part of the sacrifices and other gifts that are offered to God in return for
their work on behalf of the people. In parashat, Korah, God’s existence has to be proven to
the children of Israel, yet again, when Korah and his followers challenge
Moses’ leadership which had been a decision made by God. God gets so fed up that God wants to wreak
vengeance and annihilate the whole community.
When Moses hears God’s intention, he intervenes by saying, “O God,
source of the breath of all flesh!
When one man sins, will You be wrathful with the whole
community?” Moses tries to bring
reason to God so that the punishment is directed at only those who were
responsible for the lack of faith.
When I read this I thought how could God become so angry at the
Children of Israel that the only recourse was the willingness to slaughter
off an entire people? Then I realized
something: “Children of Israel.” For
the first time I recognized the words, “Children of Israel” as more than just
terminology. What if “children”
really referred to them as being like actual children? What if God acted as a parent figure, not a
ruler, but as a mother, or a father?
The Fifth Commandment states “Honor your father and mother.” Rebelling against God would be like
rebelling against one’s parent. God,
if God stood for a parent, acts in a way that most parents do when their
child disrespects them. Only God’s
reactions must be on a much larger scale due to God’s supreme power and the
fact that there are hundreds of thousands of God’s children. I know when I do something awful there are
repercussions leveled against me by my mother. My mom might say, “No computer for a week!”
which would cause me to think twice before I repeat my misbehavior. God couldn’t do something as simple as
that. God, being so powerful, must
threaten to kill or destroy them. The
Children of Israel were acting like children who cause their parent grief
time and time again. Rabbi Judah ben
Rabbi Nahmani, said of children causing parents grief, “It is like a man who
bought a knife to cut meat. The knife slipped and cut his finger. He said: ‘I
bought a knife with which to cut meat-did I buy it to cut my finger?’ So,
too, a man produces offspring to honor him, and they curse him.” God led the Children of Israel out of
slavery, provided them with a leader, made sure they had food and shelter,
and supplied them with laws. How do they repay God? They complain, they challenge decisions,
and they doubt the existence of God.
They rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and God. God, as the parent figure, has presented
the Children of Israel with all the vital necessities just as a real mother
or father would. A parent’s role is to
provide for their children the necessary things they need in order to thrive,
just as God did for the Jewish people. God is portrayed as both the harsh
parent, but also the problem solver. Towards the end of the parasha a way to
resolve the conflict is figured out in order for the Children of Israel to
really see that Moses and Aaron are rightfully in charge. God asks, (through
Moses) the heads of each tribe to bring a staff to the sanctuary and will
then demonstrate who the rightful leader is. When the staff of Aaron blossoms
with almond flowers and almonds, it is proof that Aaron is the chosen
leader. This is a way to help dissuade
the uncertainty of the people without using death or destruction. The people
see that God has offered up a miracle, showing the existence and the
leadership role of Aaron. Parenting involves unconditional love. But unlike a parent, God asks for something
in return, devotion. The Children of
Israel worshipped God because that was part of the covenant, but we don’t
worship our parents. The commandment
states we must honor them. Nowhere in
the Bible does it even say we should love them. It does teach us to love our neighbor, the
stranger, and God, but not our parents.
The Talmud tells us that “the love of parents goes to their children,
but the love of these children goes on to their children.” It is not reciprocal. We can also look at the situation between Moses, Korah
and God as the dynamics of a typical family as a child matures and tries to
gain a voice (sort of like the time period of children as they become Bar and
Bat mitzvahs). Korah is challenging
the parental figures in the “family,” Moses and God. Korah is like the rebellious teenager who
believes he is the center of the universe.
Moses is the unsuspecting parent who is put into a situation where he
is accused of wrongs unjustly. He has not given Korah the role in the family
he feels he deserves, Korah is not being listened to, nor is he being taken
seriously. Korah’s reaction is to
challenge Moses publicly which could be equivalent to a child having a temper
tantrum. This can be compared with the
whole, “You’re ruining my life!” gripe that is often the motto of
teenagers. Moses, on the other hand
complains to God, almost as though he is saying what does he want from
me? I give him what I think he deserves
and yet he is not satisfied. God, the
more forceful parent, hears Moses’ complaint and is determined to dole out
the punishment. Moses, returns to
being the compassionate parent and negotiates a lesser punishment, persuading
God not to annihilate the entire community because of one obnoxious family
member. Obviously, if this were a real
family scenario, the rebellious teenager would not have been swallowed up in
punishment for his misdeeds. As I spend time thinking about this aspect of the parasha
I imagine that the Children of Israel are not individuals but they actually
represent parts that make up one being. Each person brings good and bad into
the mix. By eliminating those that challenged and rebelled for personal gain,
God was filtering out the toxins of the community and allowing those who
respected and trusted in God to thrive and become more prominent. It’s difficult for me to believe that God
would really kill so many people to prove a point which is why I look at this
as a metaphor for the shaping of the Jewish people as a community with strong
moral fiber. It is the responsibility
of parents to instill good principles in their children. God, acting as a parent, is imparting these
values onto the Children of Israel. What caused Korah to act in such a way? What were his
justifications? One reason is that Korah was greedy. But what does “greedy”
really mean? According to Webster’s New
World Dictionary of the American Language, greed is a desire for more
than one needs or deserves. Korah was already one of the wealthiest men,
according to Midrash, in addition to having a special position in God’s
sanctuary, that of a Kohathite, which was much respected in stature. When
Korah challenges Moses’ leadership, Moses responds by saying, “Is it not enough
that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel and
given you access to God’s sanctuary, to perform duties of the Adonai’s
Tabernacle and to minister the community and serve them?” Moses is frustrated
by Korah’s questioning; he is pretty much saying, “What else do you want? You
have enough. Why do you need more?” It
is thought that Korah began this revolt for personal gain. Despite his stature and wealth, he still
wanted more. What possessed him to
want even more? One motive could have been that he was jealous of Moses
and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were both
leaders. Korah wanted the leadership
to be shared, but ultimately he wanted the majority of the leadership. He
wanted the recognition which would transfer into power. Some commentators disagree on that
motivation. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato
states, “What caused the destruction of Korah and his whole company if not
the lust for honor, as we may infer from the fact that Moshe said to them,
‘And you want the priesthood as well?’ (Numbers 16:10) And our sages tell us
that Korah rebelled because Elizaphan, the son of Uziel, had been made prince
[by Moses], an appointment which he had coveted for himself.” Translated into modern day English, Luzzato
means that Korah only revolted because he was enraged that a relative younger
than himself received a higher position. This is very close to sibling
rivalry. God forbid the younger
sibling is given one more cupcake than the older one, a full out war may
begin. In Jewish tradition the first
born male is given a birthright. A
birthright is a passage of possessions and prayers that the father gives to
his first born male heir. Korah wanted
the position of prince and felt it unjust that he didn’t get it because his
father had been older than Elizaphan’s.
But, Luzzato doesn’t believe that this excuse is justified either.
Luzzato believes that a desire for honor is a form of greed, for Korah wanted
something he could not have, namely the princehood. Greed has many faces and it appears in many circumstances
throughout Jewish history. In the
Midrash, there is a story that teaches us that when one is greedy, not only
do they not get what they desire, they lose what is precious to them as well. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent was the leader
of all cattle and beasts and had legs to stand upright. When he set his
sights on Eve, threatening her relationship with Adam, the serpent was
punished by no longer being ruler over the other creatures and being forced
to crawl on the ground for eternity and not receiving his desire, Eve. We see that Korah suffered a similar fate
by not becoming leader, and losing all his worldly possessions and eventually
his life. Another example of greed can be found in the Bible in
First Samuel. The elders of Israel
felt they needed a king to reign over them because that was what all the
other nations had. They wanted it, not
because they thought it would be best for everyone; it was because they
wanted to fit in with the other peoples. Through Samuel, God explained that
they didn’t need another ruler because all had been provided. But still the Israelites wanted one
despite the warnings God gave them of the negative effects of having a king
rule over them. God selected the main
priest, Samuel, to find them a king.
He found a humble man, named Saul, to be the king. Saul was a great king for a long time. Most of his reign took place during a time
of war and upheaval. During a battle
with the Amalekites, Samuel tells Saul that God has commanded him to attack
and destroy them completely, leaving no survivors and taking no valuables.
God did not want the Israelites to derive any material profit from this war.
This was unusual, for typically slaves and plunder were a soldier's pay. Saul went into battle but disobeyed God’s wishes by
keeping alive Agag, the king of Amalek, and directing his soldiers to destroy
all that was weak but keeping alive the best of the livestock. Saul’s behavior can be seen as one of
greed. He chooses the best of the
Amalekites, the king, to keep as a trophy.
He also allows the heartiest livestock to be kept alive on the premise
that they are for a sacrifice to God.
Even if the sacrifice was planned, he is usurping Samuel’s role as
high priest in planning a sacrifice to God.
He desires more than he has and will disobey God in order to achieve
it. This disobeying leads to his
downfall as king and later to his death. Greed seems to be a natural part of human nature. When Moses and the Israelites passed
through the Red Sea, they were followed by the Egyptians. The Pharaoh commanded that his chariot and
horses be adorned with an array of precious stones and jewels. When all were drowned, the precious stones
and pearls floated to the surface.
Rather than continuing to run for their lives, the Israelites stayed
and gathered up the jewels. The riches
were more enticing to them than their freedom. Moses had to motivate them to continue on
their journey by pointing out that they had gathered their proper fill and
that the sea wouldn’t supply them with riches forever. Returning to the theme of greed in general, we see a
great deal of greed in modern day society highlighted especially with today’s
recession. The CEO’s of many
corporations weren’t satisfied with their several million dollar salaries.
They wanted more than they had, and definitely more than they needed. They figured out ways to take more than
their fair share. Other members of society set unrealistic lifestyles for
themselves in other ways. So now
instead of a world that learned a lesson from Korah’s greed, we are
figuratively reliving it. The earth is opening up, but instead of swallowing
people, it is taking their homes, possessions, cars, money, jobs and worst of
all life styles. Just like those 250
that aligned themselves with Korah but were not necessarily the leaders of
the rebellion, the members of today’s society who reached out for more than
they need and deserve, are being directly affected by greed. Greed has changed since the time of Korah and Moses. As material possessions were less flagrant,
power was the form of greed. Now, in
modern society, power is more difficult to obtain, but people believe with
material possessions comes superiority and power. A very recent example of this is with the
prominent Astor family. Brooke Astor spent much of her life and hundreds of
millions of dollars supporting New York cultural institutions such as the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Libraries. We definitely could say this family was
very involved with tzedakah! As she
became older, she died at age 105, and more ill and frail, her son, Anthony
Marshal, quite possibly took advantage of her state of mind and convinced her
to change her will so that he inherited her fortune rather than its original
recipients, the charities she so supported.
Mr. Astor is accused of grand larceny and conspiracy against his
mother and is on trial. All for personal gain! This certainly goes against the beliefs of
Judaism where not only are we commanded to honor our parents; we are
obligated to perform charity. Many
commandments and rules tell of these values including the act of giving
tzedakah or charity, to those less fortunate. During the time period where
most people were farmers, there was a requirement that you not harvest the
outer perimeter of your field and let homeless and hungry men and women take
the food you had grown. Greed is the antithesis of Jewish values. Judaism teaches people to think of the
community first, personal gain later.
Greed is all about me first, them later. Not even. Greed promotes the state of mind where the
only thing that one thinks about is oneself. As a Jewish citizen, Korah was
not following his religion’s values and therefore he was going against
Judaism. Well, what can we do in our modern world? I’m not going to say not to be greedy
because that is unrealistic. Everyone, no matter their stature or
socio-economic status, no matter how humble or modest they are, can
completely separate their needs from their desires. It is human nature to want something you
don’t have. You can see it very clearly in today’s technological
society. We are in a time where
technology changes every couple of months, but what that does is make it
harder for people to say, “I don’t want or need that.” or “I will demand more
respect from others if I own this.” When I got my first Ipod I was very excited. It
was the Ipod Nano, third generation. Then a few weeks later the Ipod Nano,
fifth generation, came out. I wanted that upgrade so much that I was ready to
dispose of my Ipod and get the new one. This is a contemporary example of
minor greed, but if I had let that grow and not try to suppress my want, I
may have become a monster dependent on getting that Ipod no matter what. When
you are put into that situation, try to repress the feeling because having
such a trivial possession won’t save your life, make you a better person or
make you powerful. What will make you a better person is not caring as much about your
own personal needs, but that of your community and your world. You can accomplish this by getting involved
in community projects, environmental organizations, and helping the less
fortunate and those in need. Only by
giving time, energy, effort, money, and love can we truly eradicate greed
from our world. There
are many different themes that you can take from parashat Korah. Instead of looking at the obvious ones,
that of rebellion and disobedience, I chose to concentrate on the aspect of
parenting and greed. Parashat Korah
demonstrates how God, Moses and the “Children of Israel” are like a family by
depicting the dynamics of a typical family. God portrays the tough parent by
immediately doling out harsh punishments to those who questioned God’s
rule. Moses represents the gentler
parent by protecting the innocent from God’s wrath. The children of Israel represent both the
good and bad traits of human beings. Korah’s desire for more led to his doom. John Steinbeck states it perfectly in his
novella, The Pearl, where he
writes, “for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them
one thing and they want something more.”
Though human nature doesn’t really allow for mankind to be completely
content with what we have, on an individual basis we can challenge ourselves
to be more modest with our desires and more giving to others. At this time I would like to thank those who gave of
themselves in order to help me reach this moment. Thank you Sandy Horowitz, my phenomenally
amazing tutor who helped to refresh my Hebrew reading skills and taught me to
chant. Thank you Rabbi Weiner who
helped me to understand Korah and challenged me to find relevancy to today’s
perspective. Thank you Cantor Simmons who
rehearsed with me patiently as I struggled early on. Thank you, Mitch Gershonowitz, for leading
me in fascinating conversations regarding background information that helped
me to understand the history and concepts better. Thank you, Mom, for putting
up with my procrastination, my computer bumishness, and at times my off key chanting. If we were allowed to applaud in the
sanctuary I would give you a round of applause right now. Thanks to everyone here for making this
unique day even more special to me. Shabbat Shalom. |
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