Drash on Korach

Rabbi Dr Esther Jilovsky

Progressive Judaism Victoria

The musical Wicked, a prequel to the Wizard of Oz based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, stems from the idea that no one person is completely good or completely evil. As Glinda, later known as Glinda the Good Witch, asks in the musical: ‘Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?’ It’s a very good question! Is wickedness innate, or does it develop from experience in the world?

This week’s Torah portion, Korach, offers another perspective on this question. In an episode known as Korach’s rebellion, Korach, together with others from the tribe of Levi, namely Datan, Aviram and On, directly questions Moses’ leadership. They approach Moses and Aaron and say to them: “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy… Why then do you raise yourselves above the Eternal’s congregation?” (Numbers 16:3). It’s clear that Korach and his associates are frustrated with Moses, even accusing him of ‘raising himself above’ the community. But it’s also clear that Korach’s frustration could have other causes. The people of Israel are in a long period of limbo in the desert with no clear end point. They have lived through the Exodus and the associated euphoria and relief, followed by the fear and excitement of receiving the Ten Commandments. And still, they continue to wander in the wilderness. It’s no wonder that some are getting frustrated, impatient, and even angry.

Moses responds by setting Korach and the others a challenge. He asks them to bring forth firepans with incense, and approach the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. It will be the Eternal One who will show who the chosen leaders are. Moses concludes by repeating the same accusation as the rebels, retorting: “You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” (Numbers 16:7). And too far they have, as the earth opens up and swallows Korach and his followers (Numbers 16:32).

Even though he has literally vanished from the face of the earth, Korach’s story is not quite over. He and his followers may have disappeared, but the firepans that they brought to the Mishkan remain. Moreover, these objects are kadosh, holy. The Torah tells us ki kadeshu, ‘for they have become sacred’ (Numbers 17:2). Despite Korach’s uprising and the subsequent punishment, they have left holiness behind. These sacred objects, the sanctified firepans, become a permanent part of the Mishkan, hammered to the altar (Numbers 17:4).

It is to be a Zicharon, a reminder, according to the Torah, to not do what Korach and his associates did (Numbers 17:5). A warning. A sign. To not suffer the same fate. And yet, a Zicharon is also a reminder in a positive sense. For example: ‘a reminder (Zicharon) on your forehead … that with a mighty hand the Eternal freed you from Egypt’ (Exodus 13:9). In this verse, Zicharon reminds us of the miracle of the Exodus, a positive reminder of God’s power.

In the installation of the sanctified firepans around the altar in the Mishkan, there is a reminder of a rebellion that was quashed. But there is simultaneously evidence that, just like the characters of Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked, even Korach and those who revolted with him weren’t entirely… wicked. The firepans they presented are still kadosh, still sacred. The fact that the Torah recognises this even after those who had brought them had been swallowed up by the earth, suggests that they were not entirely bad people.

Nevertheless, a remarkable transition has taken place. The firepans, brought forward in a threatening leadership contest, become a permanent part of a sacred space. Transformed, from tools deployed in a rebellion, to sacred objects, to become part of a larger tapestry of holiness.

May this Zicharon remind us that beauty can come from pain. That it is possible to find kadosh even when it seems like there is none to be found. May this Zicharon remind us that there is kadosh, holiness in each and every one of us, even those whom we vehemently disagree with. In these challenging times, may this Zicharon help us to remember to find the kadosh in one another.