08 Jun KORACH- SELF-RESPECT
The Gemara in one place makes an astonishing remark about eating in public. It says that somebody who eats while outside in the marketplace, walking in the street with a sandwich in his mouth, is disqualified from serving a witness. He cannot be trusted to give testimony, because he acts in an unrefined, disrespectful manner. This is actually brought down as normative halachah in the Shulhan Aruch.
We must wonder, what is so bad about eating in public? We understand that we should strive to act in a more dignified way, but why is this so grievous a sin that makes somebody unsuitable as a witness?
We will present here Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz’s answer to this question, which he offers in discussing the story of Korah and a number of other tragic stories told in the Tanach and the Talmud.
The Psychology of Korach
If we probe the psychological aspect of the story of Korah’s uprising against Moshe Rabbenu, we see something very frightening about human nature.
Korah was probably among the ten most distinguished Jews at that time. He belonged to the tribe of Levi, which was assigned the sacred task of carrying the Mishkan through the desert, and he belonged to the family of Kehat – the family of Leviyim assigned the task of carrying the most sacred articles of the Mishkan. Moreover, he was part of a select group of Leviyim from the Kehat family given the privilege of carrying the most sacred article in the Mishkan – the aron, the holy ark. This small group of Leviyim were likely the most prominent people among Beneh Yisrael besides Moshe, Aharon and Aharon’s two sons.
Yet, this was not enough for him. He wasn’t satisfied being in this distinguished group. He needed more. He went out to challenge Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon. He wasn’t content with his position of special distinction.
Perhaps even more puzzling is what happened the morning after Korah confronted Moshe and Aharon. Moshe told Korah and the 250 men who joined him that the next morning, they should all come to the Mishkan, where they, together with Aharon, would all offer ketoret (incense). The person whose offering would be accepted by Hashem, Moshe explained, would be proven to be the person chosen by Hashem to serve as kohen gadol. Incredibly, they all came the next morning with incense. This is incredible because each and every one of them knew what would happen to them if they were not worthy of being the kohen gadol. They all remembered what happened on the day of the Mishkan’s inauguration, when Aharon’s two older sons – Nadav and Avihu – brought an incense offering that they were not told to bring – they were instantly killed. These 250 men knew this. They knew that anyone who offers incense without being instructed to by Hashem risks his life. They knew that 250 people – plus Aharon – would be offering incense, and only one of all these people would survive. Who would have taken a risk like this? But they all did. And, tragically, they were all killed.
This incident becomes even more astonishing when we consider the fact that, as the commentaries explain, these were prominent, distinguished members of the nation. These were not fools. These were scholars and leaders. How could they do something so foolish?
The answer is frightening, because it is so directly relevant to each and every one of us.
As Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz discusses, this was all the product of the natural desire for honor and respect. This desire is so strong that it could lead people to the most foolish and even catastrophic mistakes. The craving for fame and notoriety can cause us to lose our senses and our reason, to the point where we take irrational risks and make absurd sacrifices. This is precisely what happened to Korah and his followers. They were not foolish – until their desire for prestige led them to very foolish behavior.