02 Jul PARASHAT KORAH: DIFFUSING TENSIONS

Parashat Korah tells
the story of the uprising
led by Korah against
Moshe Rabbenu. Korah
assembled a group
of 250 followers and challenged Moshe,
charging that he had no right to appoint his
brother, Aharon, as Kohen Gadol.
In response, Moshe invited Korah and his
followers to a “test” of sorts. He told them
that the next morning, they should all come
to the Mishkan with pans containing fiery
coals. They – together with Aharon – would
then place incense on the coals as an offering
to Hashem. The one whose offering was
accepted, Moshe said, would be confirmed
as the chosen Kohen Gadol. The next day, the
rebels showed up at the Mishkan and offered
incense. Tragically, just as when Nadav
and Avihu – Aharon’s two older sons – had
perished when they brought an unwarranted
incense offering (Vayikra 10:1-2), these 250
men were consumed by fire (16:35).
We can gain insight into Moshe’s handling
of the situation by noting a subtle difference
between the two occasions when he gave
instructions to Korah and his men. Initially,
when they first confronted Moshe, he told
them to bring pans, place fire on them, and
then offer incense (“Take for yourselves

pans…and place fire in them, and put
incense on them” – 16:6-7). Later, however,
just before they brought their offering,
Moshe told them simply to place incense
in pans, without mentioning fire (“Each of
you should take his pan, and place incense
on them” – 16:17). It seems that Moshe
changed his mind, and decided that Korah’s
followers should bring incense on its own,
without burning it on fiery coals.
The Maharil Diskin (Rav Yehoshua Leib
Diskin, 1818-1898) explains that Moshe did
not, at first, expect Korah and his followers
to accept his challenge. Moshe told them to
bring an incense offering with fire figuring
that they would then desist, as they surely
remembered what happened to Nadav and
Avihu when they brought an unwarranted
incense offering. The intention was not to
have Korah’s followers killed, but to the
contrary, to save their lives by convincing
them to withdraw. But when he later saw
that these men accepted his challenge, and
prepared to “compete” with Aharon for the
privileges of the kohen gadol, Moshe hoped
to save their lives by instructing them to
bring incense without fire, which would not
result in their death, as this does not qualify
as an actual incense offering. Unfortunately,
the 250 men did not listen, and they placed
incense on fire (16:18), resulting in their
death.
Moshe’s intention throughout
this episode was not to win, or to
hurt his opponents. He wanted to
diffuse tensions so that everyone
would live safely and peacefully.
This can be seen also in Moshe’s
reaction to the other participants
in the rebellion. Moshe decreed
that if Korah, Datan and Aviram
were wrong in their accusation
that he was selfish and nepotistic,
then the ground should open and
devour them alive – which, of
course, is what happened (16:30-32). It has
been explained that Moshe specifically said
that the rebels should be devoured alive –
rather than perish and then fall underground –
so that they could be rescued if they repented
at the final moment. Indeed, the Sages teach
us that Korah’s sons, who had participated
in the uprising, entertained thoughts of
remorse and repentance as they fell into the
underworld, and G-d miraculously made a
ledge for them where they landed, ultimately
surviving. Moshe hoped that Korah himself,
as well as Datan and Aviram, would also be
rescued in this manner. Tragically, however,
they insisted on opposing Moshe until the
very end, and so they perished.

When we find ourselves in an argument, our
instinct is to persist, to continue fighting, to
stubbornly adhere to our position and our
cause even when, as in the case of Korah
and his followers, we see very clearly that
we are hurting ourselves in the process. The
story told in this Parasha teaches us how
to properly handle Mahloket (fights and
arguments) – by working toward a peaceful
resolution. Our response should be not to
try to win and defeat the other party, but
to end the fight as quickly and smoothly as
possible, and minimize the harm inflicted on
everyone involved. The goal should be to
diffuse tensions, to restore peace, and not to
prove the other side wrong.